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A New York restaurant bill is about to travel back to a time when The Devil Wears Prada had just hit theaters, Pluto was still adjusting to its demotion and a porterhouse for two cost less than $83.
Benjamin Steakhouse will celebrate its 20th anniversary on Tuesday, October 6, by bringing back its original 2006 menu—with the original prices—for one day only. The throwback deal will be available at the restaurant’s original Midtown location at 52 East 41st Street.
The biggest discounts are naturally in the steak section. A porterhouse for two, currently priced at $160.95, will cost $82.95. The porterhouse for three drops from $242.95 to $122.95, while a rib eye that now costs $96.95 will be $40.95. Filet mignon will go for $41.95 instead of $84.95.
The savings extend beyond the beef: jumbo lump crab cakes will return to their 2006 price of $13.95, compared with $31.95 today. Tuna tartare will cost $12.95 rather than $30.95 and Chilean sea bass will fall from $60.95 to $32.95. The restaurant says it will serve its signature dishes as it did when the dining room first opened two decades ago.
Founded in 2006, Benjamin Steakhouse was founded by owners Benjamin Prelvukaj and Benjamin Sinanaj, who worked at Peter Luger before establishing their own restaurant group. The original Benjamin remains a deeply traditional Midtown steakhouse, with white tablecloths, dark wood and plenty of sizzling platters.
The anniversary menu also provides a startling little case study in the cost of dining out in New York. The porterhouse for two has risen by $78 over 20 years, while the rib eye now costs $56 more than it did when Benjamin opened. (Your salary has definitely increased at the same rate, right?)
The 2006 menu and its equally retro prices will be offered only on October 6. Reservations are available through OpenTable, and given that finding an $83 porterhouse in Manhattan now sounds like a clerical error, booking early would be wise.