Sips and Snacks at Benjamin Steakhouse

If I told you there was an excellent steak at Benjamin Steakhouse in Hartsdale, you probably wouldn’t be surprised. The owners,Benjamin Prelvukaj and chef Artruo McLeod, are alums of Peter Luger in Brooklyn. But what would you say if I told you there was an excellent cocktail at Benjamin Steakhouse? Would you be surprised then? Well don’t be. The Benjamin Cocktail, a twist on the sidecar, is excellent — and well worth ordering.

More pics of sips, snacks and the scene, after the jump.

The Benjamin Cocktail comes with Remy XO cognac, Grand Marnier, Amaro Montenegro — a bitter Italian liqueur — and lemon juice. It has the sultriness of a sidecar, the bitterness you expect from an Italian liqueur and it warms you up like a good brandy should. I declare it my new favorite winter cocktail.

The list includes some other sophisticated — that is to say, not so sweet — drinks, too, such as the Negroni and the Vepser.

Kelli decided on a cosmo. It was very well balanced indeed.

A look at the bar area:

We tried what might be considered a litmus test for any steakhouse — the shrimp cocktail:

It was cold and the shrimp snapped with freshness. The cocktail sauce had a nice kick, too.

We split the dish, and even though we were sitting at the bar, the waiter did the old fork-and-spoon trick to serve it to us.

After that, we should have ordered a steak. After all, we’re at a steakhouse. But we were just catching up over a drink, so we went for the hot appetizer sampler, which includes baked clams oreganata, mini-crab cakes and sliders.

The clams were excellent. Fresh, with a breadcrumb topping that complemented rather than overtook the flavor.

Unfortunately, the rest of the platter was overcooked. With the crab cakes, it was just the outer layer that was too crisp. But the burgers were quite dry and dessicated.