The mouth waters at the thought of going to a fancy steakhouse. Growing up and eating mediocre cuts of beef made by a less than qualified chef (my father) makes one appreciate a great steak. Unfortunately, those former years have left a negative stigma in my head when it comes to eating steak at home.
I'd estimate that 98 percent of the steak I've eaten as an adult has been in a restaurant and a great steakhouse experience doesn’t have to be expensive. The key to getting a great steak in a restaurant is to know what you like best. If you're at a high-end steakhouse there’s nothing worse than spending too much money on a great steak and ending up with a piece of meat that doesn’t match the flavor profile or temperature you prefer.
Knowing the different cuts of steak is as important as knowing how you like the steak prepared. It took years for me to find a specific type of steak and a temperature I prefer when visiting a steakhouse. These both matter equally in having a great steak dinner.
CHOOSING A STEAK
Many years ago I was part of a Steak Club. We met monthly and almost always tried a new steakhouse. New York is rife with steakhouses and it was a good excuse for friends to get together. We would often try different cuts of steak, but over time many of us found our favorite.
To this day my good friend "Phil Aye" only orders a filet mignon. He found the perfect cut and fell in love, while I prefer a New York Strip, but might dabble with other cuts if someone has a strong recommendation. On the other hand, one cut I almost never eat is a ribeye. It's just not the kind of steak I enjoy eating.
Finding your favorite cut of steak should enhance the experience like it did mine. Let’s look at the some of the different cuts of steak you can order in just about any steakhouse.
Filet Mignon
Some call this a healthy steak because it’s the leanest and least fatty. In the steak world that’s good enough to be considered healthy. The filet mignon is the most tender cut of steak and it’s often the most expensive in a steakhouse too. However, that doesn’t mean it’s the most flavorful.
The small amount of fat is what makes the filet mignon such a good cut for many steak eaters, however that lack of fatty marbling (marbling is a nice word for fat on a steak) lets the juice from the steak drip out and can be easily dried out if overcooked. It's a very light steak that's easy to eat and can be delicious when prepared correctly.
Don’t spend the extra money on a filet mignon if you like your steak cooked above medium or medium-well. This cut is often dried out and flavorless when cooked to that temperature. They’re also usually the smallest steak on the menu.
Strip Steak
You’ll find this with a variety of names including New York and Kansas City. This is my favorite steak because it’s somewhat lean and somewhat fatty and offers the perfect combination of flavor.
A T-Bone actually is two different steaks. One side is home to the filet mignon and the other side is the strip side. The strip side has more flavor due to the lining of fat on that side of the steak. Since the steak is cut from the bone only one half of the steak has a trim of fat around it.
Some strip steaks come on the bone which will keep even more flavor in this steak. Bone-in steaks are delicious but sometimes they’re not the best value. The weight of the bone is included in the weight of a steak on menus. There could be less meat when ordering a bone-in steak. This is something that value seekers will want to keep in mind.
Strip steaks are typically a middle-sized steak. They’re larger than filet mignon but smaller than a ribeye or porterhouse.
Ribeye
This is one of the most popular cuts of steak because it is juicy and full of flavor. The juices stay with this steak because of its glorious marbling. The cut of steak from the rib of the cow is also the fattiest of the steaks we’re going to look at.
There’s no questioning the flavor of a ribeye. While attractive to some, all the fat on a ribeye can be a turnoff to some steak eaters. There’s more effort cutting around all the fat of this cut of steak. That effort can bring a ton of flavor, but it could almost be too much flavor.
A ribeye (or rib steak) is one of the largest steaks you’ll see on the menu at a steakhouse. The size of the steak can be misleading since you’ll be cutting off a lot of fat to get to the delicious beef flavor.
Porterhouse
A porterhouse steak looks like a T-Bone but is technically different. Both steaks have sirloin and filet mignon meat. However, porterhouse steaks tend to have more meat on one side of the bone. A porterhouse steak has more filet mignon meat on it than a T-Bone steak.
The other side of the bone on each steak is a strip of sirloin. The combination of the two steaks is fantastic but a lot of beef. Steakhouses often serve a porterhouse steak for two or more people. This steak truly offers the best of both worlds but it’s just a lot of beef for one person to handle.
When I used to play fantasy baseball the name of my team was always the Porterhouse. I love this steak but as I got older I’ve come to prefer my own steak when possible. Some steakhouses prepare a fantastic and huge porterhouse for as many people that are dining. It’s impossible not to share a little PH on this occasion.
This is a massive steak and usually intended for more than one person.
Other Cuts of Steak
There are other cuts of steak that might be available in a steakhouse. The Rib Cap is a relatively new cut for many steakhouses. It's very flavorful and is quickly becoming one of the most popular of the "non-traditional" cuts of steak.
STEAK TEMPERATURES
When I was growing up my father used to cook everything well done. The cuts of meat might have been good, but the steaks were dry and flavorless. It wasn't until Steak Club that I realized how different temperatures affect the flavor of a steak.
I prefer a steak to be a medium-rare plus. This isn't a typical temperature for a steak but it's perfect. The steak is hot and pink but cooked slightly less than medium and a little more than medium rare. I never order this because it's nearly impossible to cook to this temperature.
I always order a steak that is medium in temperature. I'm okay if the steak is undercooked and won't lose my mind if it's overcooked. I've been trending towards medium rare but cannot handle a rare steak so for now, I'm happy with a medium steak.
I visited a new steakhouse in Las Vegas recently named Cleaver. They have the absolute best descriptions of steak temperatures I've seen at a steakhouse.
Black and Blue - Pan seared and rare
Pittsburgh - Char grilled and rare
Rare - Cold with a purple center
Medium Rare - Warm with a red center
Medium - Hot with a pink center
Medium Well - Hot with a slightly pink center
Well - Burnt and pointless
Marc Meltzer is our "Man About Town" in Las Vegas. You can follow him on Twitter @MeltzVegas.
