Profile

This venue is closed.

Named for Elvis Presley’s Mississippi hometown, Tupelo Grill brings none of the King’s magnetism, style, or even love of simple southern cooking to the Penn Station area. Located across from Madison Square Garden, the restaurant fills up before big games and concerts and, during most weekdays, with office workers from the building above. The space is filled with large geometrical shapes, like crescent banquettes that awkwardly divide the trapezoidal, cream-colored dining room from the buzzing bar area; unflatteringly bright light illuminates oil paintings of politicians like Ronald Reagan and Teddy Roosevelt playing sports. Appetizers, mainly seafood-based, are best avoided. As for meat, a steakhouse should do better: The questionably named Steak Elvis, a huge filet mignon topped with gorgonzola, goat cheese, and crumbled sausage in Madeira wine sauce, is not the hunka hunka burnin’ love you’d expect for the price. People don’t rush here for great steak or even the extensive raw bar. They’re gearing up for the evening’s main event without giving much thought to what’s on their plate. — Timothy Cooper

The kitchen closes promptly at the unheard-of hour of 9 p.m., so make sure to get there early.

Sautéed halibut, $30