MIDTOWN EAST — A new steakhouse specializing in Kobe beef will aim to make the rare, pricey meat affordable to all New Yorkers, by serving a bite-sized filet mignon for $10.
212 Steakhouse, which is opening at 316 E. 53rd St. near Third Avenue at the end of March, is offering steep discounts on its steaks, including a 1-ounce Kobe beef filet mignon for $10, in the hopes of drawing in diners who will pay full price for the drinks and other dishes.
“Now, everybody will be able to afford to eat Kobe beef,” owner Nikolay Volper said.
Volper took market-based menu prices for Kobe beef steaks — which can cost as much as $350 at the Old Homestead Steakhouse — and then slashed the prices by 80 percent to arrive at the price that will appear on the menu, he said.
Volper will source the Kobe beef steaks from the Fremont Beef Company, which sells sought-after cuts of beef from wagyu cattle raised in Japan, appreciated by chefs for the marbling, flavor and tenderness.
“We’re going to make the money through everything else like the wine, desserts and side dishes," said Volper, an Astoria resident who is opening a restaurant for the first time. “It’s a challenge, but I think it’s going to work.”
The menu at the 100-seat restaurant will also feature whole-fish entrees with branzino sea bass and red snapper, plus tuna tartar and blue crab cake appetizers, Volper said.
Volper said the bulk of the restaurant's income will come from its $16 cocktails, featuring liquor infusions made with organic ingredients like prunes, tea and truffle caviar. Wine offerings will include bottles from France, Switzerland and New Zealand, according to general manager Yannick Terquis.
Last week, Community Board 6’s Business Affairs committee voted to approve the restaurant’s application for a liquor license, but the steakhouse has not yet received a permit from the State Liquor Authority, records show.
Volper is now focusing on overseeing construction of 212 Steakhouse's 3,000-square-foot space.
"It's going to be very upscale," he said.
