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Our critic's picks

Here are some of my favorite destinations for a red-meat fix: Steak house update: Barclay Prime, 237 S. 18th St., 215-732-7560. The high-style boutique steak house from Stephen Starr goes far beyond the typical broiler fare, but nails the essentials, too, with my favorite grilled steak in town - a 20-ounce, prime-grade Gachot & Gachot rib eye, dry-aged for 28 days and worth the $48 fee.

Here are some of my favorite destinations for a red-meat fix:

Steak house update: Barclay Prime, 237 S. 18th St., 215-732-7560. The high-style boutique steak house from Stephen Starr goes far beyond the typical broiler fare, but nails the essentials, too, with my favorite grilled steak in town - a 20-ounce, prime-grade Gachot & Gachot rib eye, dry-aged for 28 days and worth the $48 fee.

Corporate steak chain: Capital Grille, 1338 Chestnut St., 215-545-9588. The Grille didn't redefine the corporate steak house per se, but does it with more consistency and quality than most, with in-house dry-aging, a deep wine cellar, and reliably great service.

Second-favorite steak chain: The Prime Rib, 1701 Locust St., 215-772-1701. This retro supper-club chop house is a sure bet if you stick with the potato skins and the namesake prime rib, a thick, juicy, complex slice of rosy-hued tender beef that is a meat-lover's dream.

Latin steak house twist: Picanha Brazilian Grill, 6501 Castor Ave., 215-743-4647. Not nearly as upscale as its flashy downtown competition (Fogo de Chao), but this truly authentic neighborhood churrascaria charcoal-grills a tasty myriad of skewered meats for a Brazilian crowd that knows its beef. At $19.99 for all you can eat, or $5.50 a pound, it's one of the best carnivore deals in town.

Bargain steak: St. Stephen's Green, 1701 Green St., 215-769-5000. There are plenty of bargain bistro steaks in town, but the $15 hanger with shiitake-bordelaise sauce and hand-cut fries is about as cheap as a quality steak-frites can be. The $21 blackened rib eye is also a worthy bargain.