Mickey Mantle's

Since opening in 1988, Mickey Mantle's Restaurant and Sports Bar has established itself as a New York Institution, one of the city's most popular restaurants.

V and I went for dinner at Mickey Mantle's - overall it was a fine experience, but I wouldn't rate it as one of my favorites. The restaurant is pretty typical of most sports bars and the food is rather expensive. Admittedly I had a large steak, and it is New York City, on Central Park South.

The atmosphere is basic sports bar, with a good umber of TV's throughout the restaurant, and of course Mickey Mantle and other sports paraphernalia on the walls. There were a few odd things though, our table had a booth seat on one side and a chair on the other and they were not at the same level, meaning V was sitting a few inches lower than I.

We started with a spinach and cheese dip that was very good. It remained creamy even after it cooled down, and the flavor was smooth and rich, but not too strong. As I mentioned, I had a steak, the Cowboy Steak, which was described to me as a steak on the bone rubbed with a mix of spices and peppers. I couldn't taste many spices when it came out, mostly just the nice flavor of a good char on the grill. The steak was huge, 21 ounces, and I attempted my best effort at finishing it, but with the spinach dip, a side of mashed potatoes (which were quite good, a little chunky, with a cream gravy) and the broiled tomato it was too much to finish (though I got close). Fortunately I had a good workout at the gym earlier in the day. V had a more reasonable Kobe Chopped Steak with mushrooms and asparagus. It was basically a fancy hamburger patty, and even though it was Kobe beef, that's how it tasted.

The service was adequate, but nothing special. I'd say overall, Mickey Mantle's is a bit expensive - or really it's just not that special of a place to me. I suppose I prefer something other than a sports bar aimed at more of the tourist crowd.