Order The Perfect Meal At Costata NYC

Michael White takes on steak at Costata

With the opening of Costata in Soho, Michael White has conjured a big, fat, delicious problem.

At steakhouses, we normally skip anything that doesn't have steak or potato DNA. But White's brash menu leaves room to flounder in too many good choices. With that, we present our editor-tested How to Survive Costata guide.

ABC (Always Be Crudo-ing): Good-bye shrimp cocktail, hello dazzling red Spanish prawns, raw and served in a sauce made from their own heads ($16 per piece).

Safety In Numbers: To avoid being submerged in food, dine with at least two others. You are practically obligated to order the costata, a 44-ounce tomahawk rib eye steak ($118 for 2 people), plated with a boomerang of swooping rib bone.

Avoid the Carb Trap: It's a steakhouse, not a noodle shop. But this is Michael White so you're going to be tempted by pasta. The trick: Treat an order of twisted casarecci al nero ($19) the same way you treat the creamed spinach ($10) and the golden-brown-on-the-outside, mashed-potato-on-the-inside fries ($10)–as a side dish. Save the full-on pasta feast for Marea.

Dessert is Not An Afterthought: You have no one to blame but yourself if you miss out on Bob Truitt's dazzling desserts. The torta di mascarpone looks like a porcini out of Super Mario Bros. Its mascarpone mousse and chocolate-layered bottom redeems all the world's lackluster renditions of tiramisu.