Some Chinese restaurants have roving dim sum carts. Some French restaurants have cheese carts. At Penn Station-adjacent The Dynamo Room, you’ll encounter a beef cart. The showcase of cuts of raw beef you could eat that night is a bit kitschy, but it’s also charming. That's also how we’d describe the entire experience of dining at this yacht-rock-soundtracked steakhouse that serves a cocktail garnished with a completely inedible ring of pineapple skin. While the food here skews a little salty, we’re especially drawn to this place for their immaculate oyster selection, and the fact that it’s an actually cool place to hang out near Penn Station and Madison Square Garden. Use their front patio lined with palm fronds and wicker chairs exactly like Grand Central Oyster Bar—as a spot to roll up your sleeves after work and crush some oysters and a cocktail before your suburban coworkers head back to their respective homes. Unfortunately, you’ll miss out on the steak showcase—that only happens if you eat a full dinner. Sitting in the massive, glitzy indoor dining room, amongst the maroon walls, gilded lighting fixtures, and classic steakhouse food, really does move you pretty far away from the grittiness of Penn Station—at least mentally. Expect to spend about $100 per person here, especially if you’re getting drinks. But for a business meal where your flex account is taking the bill, or a pre-concert birthday dinner, the juicy steaks and chicken kiev here are well worth your dollar.
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