Steak houses

[fifi]

I have been to Bern's in Tampa twice, the last time about 3 years ago, and was well pleased both times. There was a thread here where I think someone (Fat Guy?) surveyed steak houses and they were one of two that dry aged their own beef. Maybe someone can dig that up.

Actually, the Ruth's Chris here in Houston is pretty good. So is the original in New Orleans.

[fresco]

Whenever I go to a steak house, one of my first thoughts (after I look at the prices) is "if it were not for the 'business' crowd, this place wouldn't exist."

Exactly.

[bloviatrix]

As someone who lives in an apartment and doesn't have access to a grill, I go to steakhouses because I can't prepare my steak the way I like it. Plus, you can't find hangar steak retail.

[tommy]

Whenever I go to a steak house, one of my first thoughts (after I look at the prices) is "if it were not for the 'business' crowd, this place wouldn't exist." 

Exactly.

mark that down as just one more reason.

[fresco]

As someone who lives in an apartment and doesn't have access to a grill, I go to steakhouses because I can't prepare my steak the way I like it.  Plus, you can't find hangar steak retail.

If Ron Popeil ever gets around to inventing a high-temperature grill that you could operate safely and smokelessly in an apartment, he could put most steak houses out of business.

[tommy]

If Ron Popeil ever gets around to  inventing a high-temperature grill that you could operate safely and smokelessly in an apartment,  he could put most steak houses out of business. 

would ron come over to your house and cook and clean it and make your dining room look like a room that has been around for 100 years with pipes on the ceiling and does he bring a great wine list that will give your guests something to read for 1/2 hour or so?

if so, sign me up.

[fresco]

If Ron Popeil ever gets around to  inventing a high-temperature grill that you could operate safely and smokelessly in an apartment,  he could put most steak houses out of business. 

would ron come over to your house and cook and clean it and make your dining room look like a room that has been around for 100 years with pipes on the ceiling and does he bring a great wine list that will give your guests something to read for 1/2 hour or so?

if so, sign me up.

Don't underestimate Ron. And don't encourage him.

[tommy]

If Ron Popeil ever gets around to  inventing a high-temperature grill that you could operate safely and smokelessly in an apartment,  he could put most steak houses out of business. 

would ron come over to your house and cook and clean it and make your dining room look like a room that has been around for 100 years with pipes on the ceiling and does he bring a great wine list that will give your guests something to read for 1/2 hour or so?

if so, sign me up.

Don't underestimate Ron. And don't encourage him.

i'm definitely in.

[wesza]

If Ron Popeil ever gets around to  inventing a high-temperature grill that you could operate safely and smokelessly in an apartment,  he could put most steak houses out of business. 

would ron come over to your house and cook and clean it and make your dining room look like a room that has been around for 100 years with pipes on the ceiling and does he bring a great wine list that will give your guests something to read for 1/2 hour or so?

if so, sign me up.

Don't underestimate Ron. And don't encourage him.

i'm definitely in.

WHOA !!!! Ron Popeil, is rich enough. If we "eGullet" members were more attentive we would have paid more attention to the response from "Evan Lobel", previously posted about how to achive a restaurant quality steak on your home stove. Save your money, or Package the set up as Evan , suggested and make some bucks. If you take the time to figure it out there's no magic into making any dish without special expensive equipment or toys. Just timing, chemistry and application of heat. And most of all a little effort and adaptability will show you the way. Irwin

[Suzanne F]

I go to a steakhouse to eat STEAK, or prime rib. If the sides are edible or better, that's good enough for me. I go to eat a cut and quality of meat I cannot purchase, that has been stored under conditions and cooked at temperatures I cannot achieve.

I sure as hell don't go to a steakhouse for the atmosphere. My favorite, The Old Homestead, as no atmosphere whatsoever. Nor do I go for the other clientele -- ????? I go to eat meat that I cannot possibly eat at home. It's that simple.

[fresco]

Nah, fresco. In Calgary it is the food. They raise some awesome beef.

You are preaching to the choir. I grew up in Alberta.

[tommy]

My favorite, The Old Homestead, as no atmosphere whatsoever.

but you see, it *does* have atmosphere.

i'm with suzanne though. i go for steak. and at the end of the day, the potatoes are usually pretty damned good too. i don't have a huge problem with the sides at most steakhouses.

[Schneier]

I think dead cow is overrated. If I can't have really good dead cow, I'd rather eat something else.

Bruce

[Toliver]

Anyone care to make a case for steak houses?

They cook it, they serve it to me, they cleanup and do the dishes. Sometimes it's nice to let someone else do the work.

The Ruth's I've been in haven't had the best atmosphere...sort of generic looking inside. You'd think they could have come up with a consistent interior design that said something about them...like the Bonaza steakhouse chain did.

Ruth's got negative points from me for serving a great martini with a plastic bucaneer's sword stabbed through the olives. And I couldn't believe that the Ruth's in Las Vegas is in a strip mall.

I do recommend Lawry's Prime Rib in Las Vegas. The interior is done in a wonderful art deco style, the prime rib can be cut with a fork (and is well seasoned...Lawry's, of course) and the wait staff is superb. You are waited on hand and foot. They practically cut your meat for you and spoon it into your mouth. I half expected them to burp me when the meal was over.

I felt sorry for the waitresses, though, for being forced to wear "serving wench"-like uniforms. That was the one thing in the restaurant that wasn't as classy as everything else.

[Carlovski]

If you can get access to decent steak, and you have either a decent grill, or nice hot burners and a good griddle pan, then you can probably match any steakhouse. If you are cooking for one or two.

What if you are in a group of 4 or 6? Getting all the steaks out, cooked perfectly at the same time, with sides is quite tricky in a domestic kitchen, plus you will probably smoke out the entire house.

Plus the fact by the time you have bought your top quality dry aged beef, and all the trimmings, you probably haven't saved that much over eating out (It may even be more expensive)

If you have a nice outdoor grill, and you like cooking steak (And who doesn't like cooking bits of cow outside?), and are happy having it with salad (you don't want to be messing about with anything complicated) then doing it at home can be great fun. Otherwise, I'd go out.

[claire797]

Anyone care to make a case for steak houses?

They cook it, they serve it to me, they cleanup and do the dishes. Sometimes it's nice to let someone else do the work.

The Ruth's I've been in haven't had the best atmosphere...sort of generic looking inside. You'd think they could have come up with a consistent interior design that said something about them...like the Bonaza steakhouse chain did.

Ruth's got negative points from me for serving a great martini with a plastic bucaneer's sword stabbed through the olives. And I couldn't believe that the Ruth's in Las Vegas is in a strip mall.

I do recommend Lawry's Prime Rib in Las Vegas. The interior is done in a wonderful art deco style, the prime rib can be cut with a fork (and is well seasoned...Lawry's, of course) and the wait staff is superb. You are waited on hand and foot. They practically cut your meat for you and spoon it into your mouth. I half expected them to burp me when the meal was over.

I felt sorry for the waitresses, though, for being forced to wear "serving wench"-like uniforms. That was the one thing in the restaurant that wasn't as classy as everything else.

If prime rib and steakhouse atmosphere are high on your priority list, Lawry's can't be beat. They have very comfortable chairs.

That's another thing I like about upscale steakhouses. They generally have padded, comfortable chairs or banquettes and booths. So many restaurants these days stick you in horribly uncomfortable chairs......but that's another thread ;).

[slkinsey]

It seems like a relatively simple question.

IF you get your porterhouse steaks from Lobel's or Peter Luger's butcher shop, and IF you have a restaurant quality salamander and IF you have the same expertise in cooking steaks then you can probably do about as well as they do at Peter Luger. That's a lot of "iffs" and a lot of money. In fact, it would cost you more money to cook the Lobel's steak (~$89 for 36 ounces) than it would cost to buy the cooked steak at Peter Luger (~$59 for 36 ounces).

So, the answer to whether you can cook a steak as good as Peter Luger or comparable at home... I seriously doubt it. And, even if you can, it'll probably cost you more money. The same probably holds true for most top NYC steak houses.

Now... can you cook a steak that's just as good as what is found at lesser, mortal steak houses? Probably. Sizzler? Certainly. But, again, it all comes down to whether or not you can buy beef of the appropriate quality, whether or not you have equipment that is capable of cooking that meat to the best effect (no, a typical backyard grill does not qualify) and whether or not one has the skill and experience to do such cooking.

Given the extreme unlikeliness of matching a top steakhouse in terms of raw materials, cooking equipment and expertise, and considering the fact that it will undoubtedly cost more anyway, I say leave it to the pros.

[fresco]

If I'm reading you right, the gold standard for steak seems to be places in NY and only places in NY. If that's so, probably the best argument I've heard so far against steak houses.

[slkinsey]

If I'm reading you right, the  gold standard for steak seems to be places in NY and only places in NY. If that's so, probably the best argument I've heard so far against steak houses.

My reading has tended to reveal that most food writers and critics agree Peter Luger serves the best steak the US, and that most (but by no means all) of the very best steak that is served in the US is found in the steak houses of the Greater New York City area. That certainly goes along with my experience, which does include many of the well-known establishments in Texas, Kansas City, etc.

I understand this is mostly due to the economics of finding a sufficient concentration of A) people who have enough money to afford the top 1% of prime beef, and B) people who eat beef.

So sorry to hear you have such a dislike for New York City. It's not a place that appeals to everyone. I suppose we will have to persevere without you.

[fresco]

I'm fine with NY. I'm not fine with going to NY for a steak. And I suspect you would get strong disagreement from people in other parts about NY being about the only place in the world worth eating steak.

In fact, I've heard a lot of claims about NY. That it trumps steak anywhere else is a first.

[claire797]

None of my favorites are in New York. These are my top 3 in terms of food and atmosphere. Unfortunately, I've never been to Peter Luger's, so I can't say

Gibson's (Chicago)

Lawry's (Dallas, Las Vegas, elsewhere)

Pappas Bros (Houston)

Top 3 Casual steakhouses

Chucks' (prime rib -- Connecticut)

Houston's (prime rib -- all over the place)

Salt Grass (prime rib -- Texas)

[MatthewB]

It seems like a relatively simple question.

Simple if one takes this approach (dictionary alert!) to thinking.

[tommy]

If I'm reading you right, the  gold standard for steak seems to be places in NY and only places in NY. If that's so, probably the best argument I've heard so far against steak houses. 

my gold standard for steak is my experience with steak. and i happen to eat at what many consider the top steak restaurants in NYC.

if we're talking about Outback or the average place in the middle of nowhere, well then everything i've said to this point is probably null and void.

[slkinsey]

...I suspect you would get strong disagreement from people in other parts about NY being about the only place in the world worth eating steak.

If you thought my first post above were supposed to imply this, you made the wrong inferrence. As I said in my reply, most, but by no means all of the very best steak (by which I mean, the very best quality prime beef) served in America is served in Greater NYC area steakhouses.

In fact, I've heard a lot of claims about NY. That it trumps steak anywhere else is a first.

I am surprised you have never heard anything like this. Not for nothing is Peter Luger's porterhouse annointed "best steak in the country" in publication after publication by people who are paid to travel around the country and take notice of these things. As I said, this tends to go along with my own personal experiences which are by no means definitive, but do include many of the well-regarded steak places outside Metro NYC.

As others have pointed out before, there is very little top 1% prime beef to go around, and much of it that stays in America ends up at NY places like Peter Luger. There are sound economic reasons why this is the case.

Now... whether or not everyone around the country prefers top 1% prime beef or is in a position to tell the difference is an entirely different discussion. In my remarks I have been proceeding under the assumption that people do (or would) have such preference and that the quality of the raw materials (i.e., the beef) is a primary determinant of the quality of the steak that is served, along with equipment and cooking experience/skill. That said, one could take the position that many people do not prefer this kind of steak. Given that position, I would say that my remarks about NYC area steakhouses would not be valid.

Again, whether or not one can match the quality of steakhouse steak, especially when factoring in cost, depends greatly on what is being served in the steakhouses to which one's efforts are being compared. If you take issue with my use of the NYC area's famous (and justly so, in my experience) steakhouses as an example of top-level steak in the US... you are entitled to your opinion. Clearly our opinions differ in this respect. Be that as it may, it doesn't seem particularly germane to the subject of this thread and I do not intend to turn this thread into a debate on "NYCentrism in steak."

[tommy]

there's one thing i know for sure, and that's that after reading this thread, i'm going to a steakhouse tonite to have a brilliantly executed strip steak and a bottle of big fat red something-or-another. and a side of mashed.