Austin's Steakhouse

Serving the finest steaks since 1887. The finest USDA PRIME meat available. The selection process is crucial and therefore is done only by members of the family who visit the wholesale markets on a daily basis. It begins with fresh sides of beef that usually come from the Midwest. The section of beef used is called the short loin. Only those cattle graded PRIME by the United States Agriculture Department are even considered. It is then important to examine the color, fat conformation and bones.

Aska, "Ashes", represents new and old, an ending and a beginning. Here, cooking is more than just a craft and chefs are constantly focusing on our ingredients. Vegetables and meats, fish and offal and weeds - all are valued equally. Aska chefs hand-pick the majority of produce served at the restaurant. All ingredients are sourced from humanely-raised animals, sustainable seafood, and local farms. Aska cooks with equal parts forward thinking and nostalgia. Aska always looks to our place in the Northeast while remembering its roots in Scandinavia, its traditions and its culture.

What began as the singular vision of Mr. O’Keeffe for an elegant waterfront restaurant took many years of lengthy negotiation with The City of New York before permission was granted to start construction. At the time, the notion of building a restaurant amid what was such an isolated and neglected part of New York seemed like a great risk. Since opening in May of 1977, however, The River Café has been the recipient of numerous awards including selection as one of the five best restaurants in New York by the French culinary guide “Gault Millau”. The restaurant will forever hold the distinction of being at the forefront of what has become the re-birth of the Brooklyn waterfront.