Golden Steer's Amanda Signorelli: Dining Out is a "Full-Contact Sport" in NYC
Foreground: Signorelli during construction; Background: Golden Steer’s #1 Bar
Amanda Signorelli is a second-generation restauranteur and the co-owner of Golden Steer: an iconic Las Vegas steakhouse that, after 68 years on the Strip, has just opened a second location at One Fifth Avenue.
Signorelli took the reins from her father in 2019 alongside her husband and business partner, Nick McMillan. When the pandemic hit and the fate of the entire city seemed touch-and-go, the two bet big on social and managed to grow business. Digital storytelling leaned on Golden Steer’s lore, from the days when guns and spurs were accepted as payment through its Rat Pack and Hollywood eras.
Days before the grand opening, Signorelli dropped by Village Alliance HQ to share some fresh insights on the New York dining scene as well as dispatches from Vegas, on casino economics and where to get your hands on a vintage showgirl costume (it’s harder than you think).
Q: You did a lot of research on the dining scene before putting down roots. What’s something interesting that you observed or experienced?
New Yorkers treat dining out like a full contact sport. And I noticed this with the questions people were asking servers. There’s a willingness to go the extra mile to not only understand the food, but also the thought process and where it’s coming from. There’s a deep curiosity and investigative approach that seems so core to the identity of New Yorkers, and it’s unique.
Vegas is kind of frozen in time and season. In New York, most folks that are out dining know what’s in season and they’re confused when there’s something on the menu that isn’t. It’s like: ‘Just because you can get it doesn’t mean you should….’
But then there's also some steakhouse classics we always have to have, like cream corn. That push-pull between must-haves and seasonality was an interesting question for us to tackle in the menu.
Can you talk a bit more about the differences between running a restaurant in Vegas versus New York?
In Vegas, the whole market is driven by casinos. They're the ones that buy everything and they're the ones that bring it all together. And so restaurants have access to that kind of scale, but casinos have low margins and big balance sheet debts, so they’re always optimizing costs. The large-scale providers really outprice the small guys.
What’s interesting is that it’s the opposite in New York. We don’t use US Foods or Sysco for anything—not even napkins. And that’s wild to me. It’s all very small purveyors, farms, partnerships, producers. And it works because there are so many independent restaurants here that there’s enough market share for them.
You end up getting people that are very specialized. We've got one person who does the Canadian lobster tails and another for halibut. That depth of expertise that you get from small shops is refreshing. And you can really get into it if someone asks about something on the menu and where it’s sourced.
Credit: Alex Staniloff
Obviously, you're known for steak. What's an underrated dish on the menu?
The veal saltimbocca is incredible. It's perfectly seared and wrapped in prosciutto, and it's got a beautiful white wine sauce.
What if I'm a vegetarian?
We have a running joke because I think the portobello mushroom is almost too good. Normally, vegetarian dishes at a place like this aren't taken as seriously. But our chef—his wife is a vegetarian, so he was committed to it being as strong as everything else.
Point out something interesting in the space. What’s its story?
The showgirl costume. A show could be 85 girls and 10 to 15 different sets, and those were all different costumes. So you would think they'd be abundant, but they're not. I learned that back in the day, they would take all of the sets and costumes and burn them.
The reason was this obscure accounting rule that allowed them to immediately control when they got depreciation and close the books if they destroyed everything at once.
So it's actually really hard to find old, original costumes that were used in productions. I was lucky enough to work with somebody who was close with the State of Nevada Museum, who let us have one.
What made you decide on the Village—and One Fifth Avenue?
Looking at spaces in midtown versus downtown – the interactions with landlords were radically different. In midtown, they’re focused on escrow accounts and bigger backing and looking for these large capital-kind of contracts.
And when we went downtown, they cared most about: ‘Who are you? Can we trust you? Are you going to be a steward that protects and cares for this place?’ There was this personal relationship, which resonated with us because I often talk about the fact that Vegas is a personal city. It's a young city, so it’s more about personalities and families. It’s not actually this giant behemoth.
I feel the same way about downtown and Greenwich Village. They like independent operators. They wanted to know that we were going to move here, and that meant something to me because yes, we were going to move here. Those conversations didn’t come up in midtown or anywhere else we looked, which I thought was fascinating—and special.
Do you have any food tips? What’s your go-to spot for a quick bite or coffee?
I have a massive sweet tooth – it’s a problem. So if I’m not doing Papa D’Amour or Maman on the way in, I’m sneaking over to L’Appartment 4F. They have their King Cake right now, so that’s fabulous.
And then I love going to Bagel Pub after a really long night of construction. I’m definitely a poppy seed gal with strawberry cream cheese, but then I always also get the pistachio muffin. It’s a sleeper.
Any other favorite Village spots?
And then I spend way too much time at Loring Place for their drinks and their vegetable fries—the little squash ones.
I get my nails done at the Mellow Bar right on 6th, which is a really great spot because you’ve got the second floor and you can look out and see the intersection, and I think it’s the most romantic view at any point in the year….I’ve always had this dream to be in New York, and when I sit there I’m like, ‘Oh, it’s just as magical as I thought it would be.’
