Midtown's Jade 60 Steakhouse Showcases A Showstopping Duck Taco

If there's one thing Midtown Manhattan has no shortage of, it's steakhouses. While each puts its own flair on the experience, most tend to follow into the same script of excellent dry-aged steaks complemented by an uninspired mix of wedge salads, seafood platters, and creamy vegetables. It often seems the notion that no item may outshine the steak must go unquestioned.

The newly opened Jade Sixty Asian Steakhouse on East 60th Street takes a different approach. It is not so much an "Asian Steakhouse" as it is an Asian restaurant combined with a steakhouse. The ownership team of Stratis Morfogen and Franco Moscato — formerly of Phillipe and Rothman's, respectively — ensures that both sides receive an equal billing.

Open the menu to find a first page loaded with an array of upscale pan-Asian crowd-pleasers. Dumplings appear with a variety of fillings ranging from the classic pork to more upscale pastrami or lobster. Satays arrive in a surprisingly creamy (and not very peanut-y) peanut sauce (created using the Chinese technique of velveting) that you will also want to add to its peppery bacon. Duck "tacos" — essentially a Peking duck bun in a crispy wonton shell — are another standout.

The steakhouse section of the menu is, as Morfogen is fond of saying, "Pure Americana." Prime dry-aged DeBragga beef is offered in all the classic cuts and given a simple salt and pepper seasoning. After a few minutes in their 1600-degree infrared oven our porterhouse came out with a recognizably charred crust encasing a tender pink center.

In bringing together these two cuisines, Jade Sixty fills a sweet spot that is certain to be a popular place for group dinners in Midtown. The retro-cool vibe and beverage program featuring some high-concept cocktails makes it appealing for a more casual trip to the bar and few bites off the dim sum menu as well. There are a massive number of steakhouses across the country, find out which one is the best in every state.

We dined at Jade Sixty at the invitation of the restaurant.