Palm Restaurant

This tourist-packed link in the 28-strong Palm group tries hard to please—maybe too hard. Although the Italian-inflected chophouse doesn’t rank among midtown’s great meateries, it does surpass expectations when graded on the chain curve. The menu is needlessly cluttered (15 sides), and bathroom attendants seem a tad out of place. But the signature New York strip, aged for 21 days (as are all of the cuts), is a superior piece of beef. For a dash of nonchain authenticity, visit the gruff waiters and caricatures of past regulars at the 78-year-old original Palm, on Second Avenue.