BLT Prime Steakhouse Makes Its Return In New UES Space

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Longtime Lower Manhattan steakhouse BLT Prime has reopened on the Upper East Side, the group that operates the restaurant announced.

The new BLT Prime opened Thursday night in a space on Lexington Avenue between East 73rd and 74th street, ESquared Hospitality announced in a press release. The business relocated after a 13-year run in Gramercy after a rent hike priced the business out of the neighborhood.

ESquared Hospitality's CEO Jimmy Haber chose the Upper East Side as BLT Prime's new home because he's familiar with the neighborhood. Haber has lived on the Upper East Side for decades, he said.

"Having resided on the Upper East Side for the last 40 years, I’m enthusiastic to open BLT Prime in a neighborhood that’s near and dear to my heart," Jimmy Haber, CEO of ESquared Hospitality, said in a statement. "At BLT Prime it’s our goal to make guests always feel at home when they dine with us and we look forward to sharing our hospitality and creating memories with the community."

BLT Prime's Upper East Side location will feature an expanded menu that features USDA Prime or 100% naturally raised certified black angus cuts as well as fish dishes and an "innovative bar program" run by Head Bartenders Luis Nunez and Dana Watkins, ESquared Hospitality announced. Executive Chef Clifford Crooks will also create a rotating seasonal menu

The Lexington Avenue space was renovated for three months to prepare for BLT Prime's opening. The two-level restaurant features decor such as an oxidized zinc bar top, cognac leather banquettes, a vaulted brick ceiling above the main dining room and a second-floor mezzanine located below arching steel-framed glass panels.

BLT Prime will be open for lunch on weekdays from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and for dinner from 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., ESquared announced. The restaurant will be open for Saturday dinner between 5:30 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. and for Sunday dinner between 4:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., according to a press release. The restaurant plans to debut weekend brunch in the future.