Ryan Duffy's

Description:

• Located on the upper level of a small shopping mall on Spring Garden, Ryan Duffy's may at first strike diners as a knockoff of a middlebrow chain like T.G.I. Friday's. It's not. It's a couple of notches above. The house specialty is steak, for which the place is justly famous. The beef comes from corn-fed Hereford, Black Angus, and Shorthorn, and it is nicely tender. (When the waiter delivered me an oversize steak knife, he said, "You don't really need this, but it's all part of the show.") Steaks are grilled over a natural wood charcoal and can be prepared with garlic, cilantro butter, or other extras upon request. The more expensive cuts, such as the strip loin, are trimmed right at the table. If you move away from steak on the menu, expect less consistency -- the shrimp cocktail is disappointing; the Caesar salad is wonderful. Americans who are disappointed that they can't order rare steak much anymore owing to liability concerns will like it here -- you can even order it "blue-rare."

• © Frommer's 2012

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Recommended 2010