Steak, as we all know, is considered to be somewhat of a primo type of meal. A real good steak, you bite into it and it's like DAMN. A good steak might have a high fat content, but it's all one contiguous block of meat and the fat is just marbled throughout the meat, which cooks through and saturates the meat with flavor. The restaurant usually excercises a certain amount of selectivity in choosing meat that doesn't have a bunch of gristle running through it, trims the meat properly, applies a liberal amount of seasoning, and cooks it at a high enough temperature to give the outside a nice crispy layer while leaving the inside medium rare. Not so tough right?

Yet, it seems that a whole lot of restaurants attempt to serve something they call "steak." Every once in a while I'll go to some some American-style chain restaurant and after flipping through the menu, I find myself in the mood for a steak. I place my order expecting at least a decent result for my 15 or so dollars, but what comes out to the table invariably is some low-grade slab of beef cut too thin, improperly seasoned, with gristle all over the place such that I have to spend more time cutting the bits of actual meat out from the gristle than eating the damn thing. I come away from the experience disappointed, and yet some time down the road I forget about the last time I ordered steak in a restaurant where I probably shouldn't have and repeat the mistake all over again.

Last night I went to a perfectly alright restaurant, that even has the word steak in its name. What ended up happening was the same old episode once again. Well no more! There are plenty of places in any decent sized city such as the one I live in that are up to the task. If I'm gonna go out for a steak, it's only going to be in one of these places. It might cost more, but dammit I am not going to eat mediocre steak!


Now that's more like it...

 

right on brutha!... fight the man!!



thanks for making me hungry :sad:

 

The best steak I ever ate was at Morton's Restaurant. 40 dollars of beef was well worth it

 

I've been through that same internal struggle. Yet even some of the really high priced, have to have a reservation to get in places still don't know how to do a steak right. They rush it and try to cut corners. I've vowed many times not to ever have steak from a restruant again, yet I'll see one go by and smell it and get one. Then comes the disappointment.

The only consistant way to a good steak, is to make it myself. Or my friends that are also good at steak.

 

Here's a page (yes they take a whole menu page to tell you you are getting a good steak) from the menu at Copeland's, a place in Maryland close to my folks' that every time I've ordered a steak I have been thoroughly satisfied by the result.

SATISFACTION GUARANTEED

OUR PROMISE TO YOU IS GREAT FOOD.

We promise that our 28 day naturally-aged, corn-fed Midwestern beed will exceed your expectations of quality and taste. We wouldn't settle for anything less and we don't think you should either.

At Copeland's you can find your steakhouse experience within our restaurant. We go out of our way to make sure our chef-crafted menu delivers the quality that you expect. We start by using only the freshest, top quality ingredients.

YOU WILL DEFINITELY TASTE THE DIFFERENCE.

We went searching for the best beef in the country for our guests. Our butchers hand select only the finest center cut beef. The natural aging ensures that you will receive a perfectly marbled, flavorful, tender steak.

We take so much pride in our steaks, we believe you will find it is one of the best you've ever tasted. These stakes are USDA inspected and approved, from the finest breeds like Hereford and Angus. Our steaks start out beautifully marbled to bring out the richest steak flavor and texture. Then it is aged naturally for tenderness, then searec and cooked in our special ovens at temperatures as high as 2500 degrees to seal in the juiciest flavors.

To keep our promise of great food, Copeland's is now serving the most tender, delicious New Orleans style sizzlin' steaks in town.

Now the grammar might not be perfect, but I appreciate them telling me exactly what's going on with my steak, and especially appreciate they threw in all the proper key words: center cut, marbling, and those lovely 2500-degree ovens. Woo ha.

 

E.B. Greens in Buffalo....yum.

 

How often do you grill up your own? I tend to make a good New York on the gas bbq with season salt and black pepper. You can season it and leave it in the fridge over night or for at least 4 hours before thowing it on. Beat it a few times with a tenderizer and hit it with high heat on the bottom grill. 70% one side 20% the other and 10% back on the other side. Medium rare. You can sprinkle it with some oregano after the first flip. Use only the kind from the Greek market that's still on the vine. Steaks are nothing to take likely h: The American run-of-the-mill restaurants really do let you down.

Have you ever been to Houston's? Not sure there's one where you live. Great steaks. Higher end, yet good.

 

chicken > steak

 

I've been at Denny's before and saw a guy order a steak... and then send it back because it wasn't cooked right. Dude, you're at Denny's, come on!

The cheapest place I'll eat steak is at Outback steakhouse, which (at least the one by me) has a pretty good NY Strip and a good prime rib, for a very reasonable price. Other than that, I'll only get steak at legit steakhouses. It's something I don't understand - I don't think I've ever screwed up a steak at home, yet these restaurants who are making steak constantly can't do it right. :dunno:

 

You have never experienced a good cut of beef then.h: