By:  Serach Nissim

An elaborate prank had diners thinking they were dining at a fine century-old steakhouse.

As reported by the NY Post, this weekend, patrons were invited to dinner at Mehran’s Steakhouse thinking they had at last been selected off the years-long waitlist for a highly exclusive, 100-year-old chop house.  They showed up at the Lower East Side location with no clue that it was all part of an elaborate prank in which the restaurant didn’t even exist.  Mehran Jalali, 21-year old AI startup founder, and his 16 friends had first started the hoax in 2021 by marking his Upper East Side home as a steakhouse on Google Maps.

His mostly teenage roommates had all left positive reviews, praising the supposed restaurant.  Strangers started showing up at the door for the eatery, and so Mehran made a website for the “revolutionary steak experience”, claiming it was solidly booked.  By the end of 2022, lo and behold they had a waitlist of 2,600 people.  This past weekend, Mehran decided to turn the prank into reality for one night where he would actually serve 140 guests from off the waitlist.  He and 65 of his friends composed the volunteer staff, found a venue, obtained a one-day liquor license, as well as food handling permits, 212 number, and plane tickets from San Francisco to New York.  Per the Post, the dinner took place at an unmarked public event space on East 11th Street.   Mehran’s Steakhouse went to great length to make it believable, but over the course of the night most guests seemed to get a subtle feeling that something may not be right.

On Saturday, the patrons arrived to their $114 prix-fixe meal, and in the lobby they were greeted by framed photographs hanging of chef Mehran posing with celebrities – from an array of time periods.  He was depicted serving stars included Albert Einstein, Marilyn Monroe, a selection of 1920s mobsters, President Obama and JFK.  “I would recommend suspending your understanding of linear time,” Mehran advised when asked about the images.  Also, a looping black and white projection showed videos of raw meat being salted, cooling off, and in a skillet with a large half-head of garlic.

During the meal, instead of bringing wine, two suited waiters came with a gallon of whole milk, acting as if it were a fine wine, the Post reported.  “The milk is intended to represent the bovine life cycle,” said, Erika, a 21-year-old server, pouring a large glass of it.  “We felt it would be remiss to not include the cow’s byproducts,” she said.  The main course consisted of steak and potatoes.

Not all the well dressed patrons were pleased to find out it was all a prank, and that the restaurant didn’t even exist.  One couple threatened to sue Mehran after finding out it was a sham.  Others said it was good entertainment in a city that takes food so seriously.  “It’s New York, you can eat anywhere,” said opera singer Scott Thomas. “But for it to be this fun is priceless.”