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Given that the walls are covered with the taxidermied heads of cows, bulls, deer, moose, and bear, there’s no mistaking what kind of food is served at Alonso’s. A full lioness stands sentry over a doorway, the menu holder is a (wooden) pig, and a large painting lovingly depicts slabs of beef. Alonso’s is, of course, a steakhouse, complete with tables full of rowdy guys in button-down shirts. But the tiny room—a former studio apartment that’s connected to a larger seafood restaurant, Mare—has its charms. The wood and ocher-colored walls are warm, and the petite size makes it a good hideaway for locals leery of the Eighth Avenue strip. Start with a serving of oysters—there are a half-dozen types to choose from, ranging from Atlantic Malpeques to Pacific Steamboats—then throw in a salad (the spinach is admirably simple) before proceeding to the porterhouse. Like all the meat, it’s USDA prime aged cut—buttery but not juicy. Skip the pedestrian steak fries and order the superbly light onion rings instead. Just resist temptation to throw one over a neighboring antler. — Melena Ryzik

Porterhouse steak, $27.95; onion rings, $3.95; oysters, $8.95

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