Frankie & Johnnie's Steak   

Knock three times and ask for Frankie. If the reply is "Johnnie," then you're in. That was the code of conduct in the 1920s, when this West Side hangout went incognito as a speakeasy. Now it's a reliable steakhouse with a no-frills atmosphere and old-school charm. The dining room -- costumed with tablecloths, hardwood floors and eight-by-10 Broadway glossies -- overlooks the Theater District, and if the stars are aligned properly you may even see the namesake play on a nearby stage. The menu cuts right to the chase: There's a sampling of seafood appetizers, like shrimp scampi and little neck clams, and then it's only a matter of choosing your cut of USDA Dry-Aged Beef. Even the sides are simple -- a symphony of potato preparations. Prohibition may be long gone, but when you climb those wooden steps to the infamous door, you can't help reaching for your comb and feeling a tinge of medium cool. -- Yon Motskin Also See: Frankie & Johnnie's on W. 37th St.