Antoine’s was good. So was Luchow.
Peter Luger still has the best steak and I have had the pleasure of eating at most of the best steak houses in the US.
Wow, even better than Ruth’s-Chris (hate that name)? (LOL - I’ve never bothered to go to 1, yet - I hear it’s overrated by people I trust, at least for the money.) I’d think Rush would be on this by now....
When I was doing business frequently in Manhattan in the early-mid nineties, I had the opportunity to try many of the then-hot places, plus some highly regarded old standards. Delmonico out near Wall St., that was enjoyable. Gotham was an experience, can't say it was among the best but the presentation was very unusual and artistic.
Hate to admit it, but the best meal I had there, bar none, was a tremendous Sicilian lasagna brought in by the stylist's mother, very unusual, it had green peas in the marinara.
As far as steak houses, Morton's in Chicago would have to top my list.