[Kubernetes]

The Dallas meet thread inspired me to create this thread.

What are the best steakhouses and steaks you've ever encountered?

Here are some of my experiences in DC and NY:

Smith & Wollensky: Good strips. Very succulent and soft. Sides are excellent.

Morton's: The porterhouse is excellent. Probably tops S&W. Excellent wine list.

Ruth's Chris: Good, but probably falls below the two I listed above. Both the NY Strip and porterhouse were less flavorful than at the two above.

Sam & Harry's: Very, very good. Possibly better than S&W. Sides are also excellent. Wine list good.

One steakhouse I haven't tried, but one I consider the holy grail is Peter Luger's in Brooklyn. According to my friends, it is the best steak in the US. My brother, who has lived in Brazil, believes that teh best steak is in Brazil or Argentina. He says they don't do the dry aging technique, so it's less tender, but their beef is grass-fed and much more flavorful.

Other opinions or experiences?

 

[YoNni22]

Out in Stony Brook, NY, there is a steak house named J & R. They have the best prices and the best steak. I have a friend who tried both Peter Lugers and J & R and says that J & R tastes better. Also there is a 76oz. challenge. If you can finish the 76oz. steak in an hour or less and finish all the sides, you eat for free. They also take a picture of you and post it on a large billboard. Those who past gets put up in a winner section. Losers also get a wall. If you lose, you have to pay for the steak which cost around $50.00.

 

[john_jcb]

I do not remember the name of the place we ate at as the characters were all in Japanese. In Tokyo I had Kobi beef. Nothing I have had before or since comes close.

 

[Possum]

Two weeks ago I got to experience a Brazilian bbq restaurant named Picanha in Burbank, CA. It's all you can eat beef (Brazilian beef, filet mignon, and others), chicken, pork, lamb, and sausage cooked in a variety of ways with a salad buffet. Once you're ready to start eating meat, you flip over a small woden pole that's colored like a traffic light so the green side is up on your table. Then any waiter who's carrying a stick with meat through it (like a shish kebab) stops by your table and cuts off a piece of the meat if you want it. This goes pretty much as long as you want until you flip that pole so the red side is up. It's one heck of a meal for about $30 per person after tax and tip.

 

[john_jcb]

Where were places like that when I was young and could eat like a horse with no adverse consequences?

I have found that in the past few years that the portion sizes are far more than I need or want. I now focus on quality over quantity.

 

[2 channel]

Best steak in NYC is definately Sparks at 210 east 46th street! Not only are the steaks the best I've had (IMHO, evan better than Mortons), but there is definately a coolness factor. <best brando voice>Sparks is the restaraunt where Gotti shot "Big Paul" Castellano in 1985 and assumed control of the Gambino family!</best brando voice>

Anyway, kind of pricy, but definately worth the price of admission!

 

[ponzio]

Best NYC Steakhouses

1. Del Frisco's - hands down
2. Ruths Chris
3. Smith & Wollensky
3. Peter Lugers (doesn't serve filet minion)
5. Sparks
6. MarkJoseph
7. Michael Jordan's

I haven't tried Palm or Morton's yet.

 

[kerelybonto]

Good places to eat steaks in Kansas City:

1. Plaza III: The well-known restaurant on the Country Club Plaza. Expensive, but damn good.
2. Ruth's Chris: Also on the Plaza, this national chain has some nice steaks.
3. Hibachi: This Japanese steakhouse, also on the Plaza, has great steaks, Japanese-style.
4. The Majestic Steakhouse: This downtown joint has great steaks, moderate prices, and live jazz on the weekends.
5. Hereford House: Multiple locations, good steaks, not real expensive.
6. Morton's of Chicago: Pretty good, even if it is from Chicago. Located in Crown Center.

Best place to buy steaks for home cooking in Kansas City:

1. McGonigle's Food Store: All kinds of great steaks and meats. They ship pretty much anywhere.

I don't get out much in DC, but I have managed to have a steak at the District Chop House, down by the MCI center. Good steaks, not real expensive.

kerelybonto

 

[2 channel]

Quote:

Originally posted by ponzio Best NYC Steakhouses 1. Del Frisco's - hands down 2. Ruths Chris 3. Smith & Wollensky 3. Peter Lugers (doesn't serve filet minion) 5. Sparks 6. MarkJoseph 7. Michael Jordan's I haven't tried Palm or Morton's yet.

Never been to Del Frisco's, but I have to strongly disagree with Ruths Chris, Smith & Wollensky, Peter Lugers being better than Sparks.

 

[BDA_ABAT]

Ultimate BEEEF/dining experience... Bern's in Tampa.

Bern was a guy with OCD that he put to good use. He was totally obsessed with quality. From the begining, he made sure that he had the freshest and best ingredients/resources available and under his control. They raise and age their own beef, raise their own veggies, mill the grain to make flour on-site immediately before it's needed, if you want fish instead of beef, they take you to their tank to pick the fish that you want to have for dinner while it's still swimming around, specially train their staff for years (heck, decades!), yada, yada, yada.

They have a huge variety of cuts of beef and will cook it anyway you like (although they will give you a hard time about cooking something well done). And the meat (heck, everything!) is simply wonderful. Truly a foodgasmic experience.

As an added bonus, they have one of the most complete wine cellars in the world. The wine list is the size of most telephone directories. And, since Bern himself bought a lot of these wines back in the day and just stored them, the prices for older offereings can be exceptionally reasonable.

Example: In 1993, had a lovely 1968 Barolo that was <$70.

They also have wines by the glass/ounce. Had an opportunity to try an ounce of an 1868 Rainwater Madeira. Yes, that IS 1868! Where else can you sample this quality stuff without buying the whole bottle???

But wait, there's still more!

Once you finish with the main courses, you are invited upstairs to the dessert rooms. The dessert rooms have seating arranged from various sized old wine casks (two person to 12 person depending on your party). The dessert rooms are just lovely.

The food is incredible, the atmosphere is interesting, the service is impeccable.

Bruce

 

[Kubernetes]

Quote:

Two weeks ago I got to experience a Brazilian bbq restaurant named Picanha in Burbank, CA. It's all you can eat beef (Brazilian beef, filet mignon, and others), chicken, pork, lamb, and sausage cooked in a variety of ways with a salad buffet. Once you're ready to start eating meat, you flip over a small woden pole that's colored like a traffic light so the green side is up on your table. Then any waiter who's carrying a stick with meat through it (like a shish kebab) stops by your table and cuts off a piece of the meat if you want it. This goes pretty much as long as you want until you flip that pole so the red side is up. It's one heck of a meal for about $30 per person after tax and tip.

Ahhh, the Churrascaria. There's one here in DC. Very cool concept, and great salad bar and meat. But I have to say that the beef at these places is not as good as that found in the best steakhouses.

Since we all have our favorites, perhaps I should ask what cut everyone likes at these places. For instance, someone mentioned that Peter Luger's doesn't do filet mignon. But that's okay with me because I don't like the filet very much. I like a porterhouse or bone-in ribeye. More flavor with the bone in there.... hmmm... good.

 

[BDA_ABAT]

[homersimpson voice]Mmmmmm..... beeeeef.....[/homersimpson voice]

Porterhouse and rib eye are two of my all time favs. Rib eye generally rocks even when you aren't at one of the premiere places for beef. It's one of the few cuts that has decent flavor even when purchased from ordinary butchers.

Bruce

 

[kelly]

I am a very picky steak eater--luckily I can afford to be since I have steak so infrequently.

The best I have ever had came from a place you'd probably not suspect. One of the nicer hotels on the Walt Disney World property has a restaurant called California Grill. (Walt Disney World is in Florida--the restaurant is called California Grill; trust me, I'm not confused on this one).

I always order medium rare which almost always gets overcooked and isn't usually cooked consistently well. At the California Grill, it was a nice shade of pink and the exact same shade from edge to edge. You could have cut it with a plastic knife it was so tender and it just melted when it hit my tongue. Perfect.

The wine there was good too and the Creme Brulee was among the very best I have had.

 

[ai0tron]

Zentners steak house in San Angelo Texas. They had great chicken fried steak as well.

 

[HD-5000]

Good steaks in KC...hmm...uhh...Applebees. I swear those steaks are the best in the world.

Kerelybonto, have you been to Audioport in KC? Overland Park on Metcalf Avenue. Take a look into audio heaven!