Barclay Prime's "$100 Philly Cheesesteak"
Aileen Tang, WG'05
Issue date: 11/1/04 Section: Insider
You may have caught recent buzz about a "$100 Philly Cheesesteak," something that sounds like a creative idea from an episode of The Apprentice. Well, it's true. This clever marketing ploy is the creation of Philly's acclaimed restaurateur, Stephen Starr, to promote his newest restaurant, Barclay Prime, on Rittenhouse Square.
Even the skeptics who would barely pay $5, let alone $100, for a Philly Cheesesteak, have got to give Stephen Starr credit for creative marketing. Add on the fact that I've loved just about all of his restaurants and I simply couldn't resist paying a visit to Barclay Prime last Monday to taste exactly what the buzz is all about.
Barclay Prime is nested at the southeast side of Rittenhouse Square on the first floor of the Barclay Condominiums. Don't let the subtlety of this restaurant's dark dining room and plain glass doors fool you. If the $100 Cheesesteak didn't give it away, Starr has decided to make Barclay Prime a premier venue appealing to a more serious diner than the eclectic crowd at El Vez or the hip clientele of Tangerine. The dining room, created by furniture and interior designer India Mahdavi, carries the motif of a library that strikes delicate balance between traditional and contemporary. Guests are seated at marble tables on comfortably cushioned chairs and couches next to walls lined with walnut bookcases and a ceiling garnished with crystal chandeliers. The service is courteous and impeccable. Only on a couple of occasions have I met a server who noticed that I was left-handed when setting the silverware, but our waiter somehow figured it out even before we began the appetizer!
The Barclay Prime menu includes the standard steakhouse fare: porterhouse, filet mignon, and prime rib as well as a lavish selection of chicken, fish, lobster, and shellfish dishes. Guests can order a variety of sides that range from $8 whipped potatoes and creamed spinach to a $36 lobster to accompany their main entrees. That's about where the standard steakhouse fare ends and the Stephen Starr begins. Among the special menu creations are appetizers including a foie gras peanut butter and jelly, kobe sliders, tuna and beef tartare, and of course, the famous cheesesteak, made with shaved kobe beef, sautéed foie gras, and garnished with shaved truffles and melted Taleggio cheese. Though it costs $100 (the rest of the menu entrees average around $36-$48), the cheesesteak is big enough to serve two people and comes with a small bottle of champagne (which would be about $18 if ordered by the glass). By my back of the napkin calculation, the cheesesteak actually cost about $32 per person, well in line with the cost of the other entrées.
Even the skeptics who would barely pay $5, let alone $100, for a Philly Cheesesteak, have got to give Stephen Starr credit for creative marketing. Add on the fact that I've loved just about all of his restaurants and I simply couldn't resist paying a visit to Barclay Prime last Monday to taste exactly what the buzz is all about.
Barclay Prime is nested at the southeast side of Rittenhouse Square on the first floor of the Barclay Condominiums. Don't let the subtlety of this restaurant's dark dining room and plain glass doors fool you. If the $100 Cheesesteak didn't give it away, Starr has decided to make Barclay Prime a premier venue appealing to a more serious diner than the eclectic crowd at El Vez or the hip clientele of Tangerine. The dining room, created by furniture and interior designer India Mahdavi, carries the motif of a library that strikes delicate balance between traditional and contemporary. Guests are seated at marble tables on comfortably cushioned chairs and couches next to walls lined with walnut bookcases and a ceiling garnished with crystal chandeliers. The service is courteous and impeccable. Only on a couple of occasions have I met a server who noticed that I was left-handed when setting the silverware, but our waiter somehow figured it out even before we began the appetizer!
The Barclay Prime menu includes the standard steakhouse fare: porterhouse, filet mignon, and prime rib as well as a lavish selection of chicken, fish, lobster, and shellfish dishes. Guests can order a variety of sides that range from $8 whipped potatoes and creamed spinach to a $36 lobster to accompany their main entrees. That's about where the standard steakhouse fare ends and the Stephen Starr begins. Among the special menu creations are appetizers including a foie gras peanut butter and jelly, kobe sliders, tuna and beef tartare, and of course, the famous cheesesteak, made with shaved kobe beef, sautéed foie gras, and garnished with shaved truffles and melted Taleggio cheese. Though it costs $100 (the rest of the menu entrees average around $36-$48), the cheesesteak is big enough to serve two people and comes with a small bottle of champagne (which would be about $18 if ordered by the glass). By my back of the napkin calculation, the cheesesteak actually cost about $32 per person, well in line with the cost of the other entrées.