Peter Luger Steak House responds to New York Times' scathing zero-star review

NEW YORK -- "We know who we are and have always been. The best steak you can eat. Not the latest kale salad."

That's how a Peter Luger Steak House representative responded to a scathing review authored by New York Times restaurant critic Peter Wells titled "Peter Luger Used to Sizzle. Now It Sputters."

The century-old steakhouse in Brooklyn has a reputation for serving some of the best steaks in New York City, attracting foodies from around the country.

Yet Wells' review, published Tuesday, characterizes the restaurant as a "scam," with tired servers and unevenly cooked steak.

"I could live with this; big cuts of meat don't always cook evenly. What gnaws at me every time I eat a Luger porterhouse is the realization that it's just another steak, and far from the best New York has to offer," he wrote.

Peter Luger's team seems unfazed by Wells, noting that this is not its first subpar review. In fact, a 2017 review of the steak house only gave it two stars.

"While the reviewers and their whims have changed, Lugers has always focused on doing one thing exceptionally well -- serving the highest quality of steak - with a member of our family buying every piece of USDA Prime beef individually, just as we have done for decades," the restaurant said in a statement.

The internet, too, seems to be divided on this topic. Some say this review shows that Luger's "has always been bad," while Luger loyalists continue to defend the restaurant.

This is not the first time one of Wells' blistering reviews made headlines. His 2012 take on celebrity chef Guy Fieri's Times Square restaurant became viral shortly after its release.