????若要評估紐約引人注目的經(jīng)濟復蘇，有一大堆的數(shù)據(jù)和事件可以作為參考，比如曼哈頓超市價格的上升圖表，再比如外國游客蜂擁擠進地鐵7號線觀看美網(wǎng)公開賽。在此，我們推薦一項更生動的、被稱為“牛排館指數(shù)”的指標。一起來看看那些提供美味而昂貴的成熟牛肉和菠菜奶油沙司的供應商，在經(jīng)濟危機爆發(fā)后這五年是怎么過的。

????筆者的調(diào)查更側(cè)重于對餐廳經(jīng)營狀況的感性認識，而不是科學分析。這份調(diào)查包括八月底在市中心三家著名的牛排餐廳觀察人流量、感受經(jīng)營氛圍，同時也包括采訪牛排餐廳店主和領班。美國人氣最高的牛排餐廳中，排行最前的包括：德爾?弗里斯科的雙鷹牛排館（Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House），它是洛克菲勒中心（Rockefeller Center）里的金融大鱷的頂級去處；紐約波特牛排館（Porter House New York），它是為哥倫比亞商圈（Columbus Circle）時代華納中心（Time Warner Center）的企業(yè)精英們服務的社區(qū)餐廳；以及史密斯?沃倫斯基牛排館（Smith & Wollensky），這是一棟位于第三大道廣告業(yè)匯集處的白綠相間的格狀建筑，是上世紀末的一處傳統(tǒng)堡壘。

????三家牛排餐廳的經(jīng)理和店主都承認，眼下的生意還是沒有恢復到2005年左右的巔峰期，而且恐怕再也無法達到那個高度。德爾?弗里斯科餐飲集團（Del Frisco's Restaurant Group）的地區(qū)經(jīng)理斯科特?古爾德說：“我們看到各公司推出了許多舉措限制支出，以期重返全盛時代。”盡管如此，在這些地標性的餐廳，食客們的花費開始了金融危機后的強勁反彈——至少已經(jīng)反彈了一半——與鼎盛期相比，市中心如今更多了幾家牛排餐廳，但這些大牌餐廳的生意依舊蒸蒸日上。

????生意重新紅火，原因有二。其一，大型銀行、廣告代理商和律師事務所終于明智地再次松開了他們娛樂消費的錢包。其二，受到美元走弱的誘惑，富裕的國外游客蜂擁而至。在周末和深夜體驗了夜晚的百老匯音樂劇之后，他們讓餐館座無虛席。

????在曼哈頓的商業(yè)人士看來，牛排既可以作為招待客人用的主食，也可以作為充滿活力的早餐。游客長期以來都將棕櫚餐廳（Palm）或者史密斯?沃倫斯基牛排館視為不可錯過的用餐目的地。但是在泡沫經(jīng)濟的年代，這種奢侈埋葬了一切傳統(tǒng)。古爾德回憶說：“成群結(jié)隊的投資銀行家會點上好些蘇打水、開胃小菜，還有250美元一瓶的波爾多葡萄酒?！被始見W斯特拉魚子醬（Royal Ossetra caviar）從德爾?弗里斯科牛排館的菜單上消失了。紐約第四面墻餐廳（Fourth Wall Restaurants）的董事長、史密斯?沃倫斯基牛排館的經(jīng)理邁克爾?斯蒂爾曼驚嘆道：“那個時候，放眼望去，都是大型海貝、巨型石蟹和超大號牛排?！?

????To gauge the striking revival in the Big Apple's economy, you could pick from a wide variety of statistics or symbols, from the ascending graph of Manhattan coop prices to the throngs of foreign tourists packing the 7 subway line to the U.S. Open. We modestly suggest a more telling barometer: what we'll call "The Steakhouse Index." That's our take on how those great, extremely pricey, expense-account-sensitive purveyors of prime aged beef and creamed spinach are faring a half-decade after the onset of the financial crisis.

????This writer's survey is more atmospheric than scientific, as it consists of witnessing the traffic and ambience while dining in late August at three renowned Midtown steakhouses and interviewing their owners and ma?tre d's. The institutions, ranking among the top-grossing restaurants in America, are Del Frisco's (DFRG) Double Eagle Steak House, the ultimate hangout for financial power-players across from Rockefeller Center; Porter House New York, a virtual neighborhood canteen for the corporate elite in the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle; and Smith & Wollensky, a bastion of tradition in a turn-of-the-last-century, white-and-green lattice home at the nexus of the ad industry on Third Avenue.

????The managers and owners of all three steakhouses agree that business still hasn't returned to the heady levels of the mid-2000s and perhaps never will. "We've just seen too many controls on spending by companies to get back to the heyday," says Scott Gould, regional manager for Del Frisco's Restaurant Group. Still, the spending at these culinary landmarks has rebounded strongly since the financial crisis -- retracing at least half the distance from the bottom -- and they're thriving even though Midtown now supports several more steakhouses than during the boom times.

????The sizzle is back for two reasons. First, big banks, ad agencies, and law firms are finally, though judiciously, re-loosening their wallets for entertaining. Second, hordes of affluent foreign tourists, lured by the weak dollar, are filling tables on weekends and late at night following an evening at a Broadway show.

????Among Manhattan business folk, the steak dinner is as much a staple for entertaining clients as the power breakfast. And tourists have long prized a visit to the Palm or Smith & Wollensky as a must-dine experience. But in the bubble years, the extravagance buried all tradition. "Groups of four investment bankers would order five bottles of sparkling water, and six appetizers, along with $250 bottles of Bordeaux," recalls Gould. Servings of Del Frisco's Royal Ossetra caviar flew off the menu. "It was a time for huge shellfish bouquets, colossal stone crab claws, and oversized steaks," marvels Michael Stillman, president of Fourth Wall Restaurants, manager of Smith & Wollensky.