Alpen Rose New Midtown Village Steak House

The address is clearly marked outside Alpen Rose, but you may do a double take when you arrive at 116 S. 13th St. (215.600.0709, alpenrosephl.com). With its heavy wooden door and clusters of potted trees, Schulson Collective’s diminutive new Midtown Village steakhouse looks more like a handsome private residence. Ring the buzzer and a hostess will open a secret door to confirm your reservation—with just 40 seats and four at the bar, you’ll need them— before welcoming you inside. Part of Alpen Rose’s charm, besides the theatrics of getting in, is its retro-meets-luxe interior: the dark-wood paneling, centerpiece bookcase, and still-life oil paintings remind you of a steakhouse that Mad Men’s Don Draper may have visited. All of the steaks are dry-aged and butchered in-house— there’s a rolling cart for tableside carvings—but standout plates like the 12-ounce prime rib roast dusted with horseradish flakes and beef Wellington for two are presented on mismatched vintage china straight from the wood-burning grill. “I love all my restaurants, but this one is really special because it brings me back to my youth in the Bronx,” says Michael Schulson, who oversees Schulson Collective, along with wife Nina Tinari. “My grandfather was a butcher. I looked up to him, and he taught me a lot.”