Wolfgang's Steakhouse   

Let's get one thing clear before somebody gets hurt: Nobody is trying 'replace' Peter Luger's; this is merely a Manhattan alternative. Wild-eyed and salivating, steak aficionados generally agree that Luger's in Brooklyn proffers the best piece of porterhouse around. But if anyone's qualified to challenge it, it's Luger's head waiter. In the former Vanderbilt Hotel, Wolfgang's (Zwiener, not Puck) is more attractive and accessible, with high tiled ceilings, bow-tied and apron-clad waiters and a payment policy that is not stuck in the hunter-gatherer age (they accept credit cards). But the beef: hung and dry-aged in a basement locker, the steak for two is charred, tender and massive. Other menu items, like swordfish, little neck clams, German potatoes and apple strudel, are good too, but almost an afterthought. Luger or Wolfgang? It's like asking to choose your favorite son. The answer, for good or ill, in the end may come down to convenience.