What a Steak Dinner Should Look Like

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

Right off the bat- this isn't about a restaurant in Pattaya, so if you only want to read about local steak houses, you can save yourself a few minutes of unnecessary reading.

Where to go for the best steak dinner is a near and dear topic for many people, myself included. Because references and comparisons have been made to U.S. steak houses, I thought to start a topic about what a steak dinner should be. Here's a pic from a traditional dinner at Peter Luger Steak House in NYC, one of the most famous and widely imitated restaurants in the country. It began operation in 1887 as "Carl Luger's Café, Billiards and Bowling Alley" and for the past 30 years has been rated as the #1 steak house in NYC by Zagat. Note: These are NOT my pics; I downloaded them from a Web site, but I can't remember which one.



USDA prime Porterhouse steak; tomato and onion salad; thick-cut slab bacon;creamed spinach; steak fries and bread. The freshly baked bread is fantastic.





The deep-fried potato variation at Luger's is a far cry from McDonald's or crinkle-cut fries. The steak fries are thicker and closer to British chips than what we usually associate with U.S.-style fries. For many steakhouse purists, it's the fried potatoes with onions that are preferred.

 

Peter Luger serves the best bacon I've ever tasted.





And the star of show, a Porterhouse "double," big enough to feed two people:



A steak like this costs US $72, or 2,340 baht. A steak for one person would run about $40 (1,300 baht). With sides and no alcohol, a dinner for two will run $100 to $120. Depending on whether you order wine, it can get much more expensive.

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The staff at Peter Luger does have a bit of a "soup Nazi" rep. You would probably be laughed at if you asked for gravy, wanted your steak well-done or put sauce on the steak rather than the bacon, vegetables or fries.


If you still have room after such a huge meal, the hot-fudge sundae is another American classic.

Evil

Edited April 23, 2015 by Evil Penevil

[MM 6,562]

That's a nice dinner indeed.

[Idefix 2,275]

A "steak dinner" ???

Food certainly must be the reason why English and French made so many wars !

I never ever eat a steak at dinner !

Steak is a lunch dish, not a dinner one... ... at least in France.

 

PS: at least this steak cooking level is good here, probably rare level.

I saw so many bad "well done" cooking in US. Like eating shoe sole

[ZARIS 20]

Looks utterly fantastic.

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

In the U.S., the real steak purists will almost always choose pan-fried potatoes or baked potato rather than steak fries

From the Peter Luger Web site:



My dad, who was born in 1906 and raised on a ranch in Montana, said boiled or pan-fried potatoes were the side for steak out West, along with sweet corn in season. He said he never tasted French fries until he attended graduate school in NYC in the 1930s. During WWII, he became a big fan of English-style chips, but thought they were appropriate for fish 'n chips, not as a side for steak.

Evil

[Parkwahn 61]

Looks the nuts....

[MM 6,562]

I'd go for the pan fried potatoes myself. I doubt I could do justice to a meal like that...it would definitely be doggie bag time for me.

 

Does Luger's spit in your face laugh at you if you ask for a doggie bag?

[nkped 1,208]

There is an old line that goes something like "Men who raise beef cattle want their steak done." That certainly described my dad. EP may or may not have heard that line. At any rate, I grew up eating thin cut, pan fried, tender steak which we had raised. My personal theory is the chefs are all food snobs who take it as a personal affront if you order a steak well done and, as a result, intentionally leave it on the grill until it achieves shoe leather status. As a result, I order my steak medium well.

 

As to Idefix's query, until I left home, dinner, and steak, was eaten at noon. The evening meal, which was lighter, was supper.

Edited April 23, 2015 by nkped

[MM 6,562]

I grew up on a ranch that raised registered polled Hereford cattle, and we never ate our product. My father named every cow and calf, and it would have been like eating a household pet, in his eyes.

[nkped 1,208]

I grew up on a ranch that raised registered polled Hereford cattle, and we never ate our product. My father named every cow and calf, and it would have been like eating a household pet, in his eyes.

We never named them. I do remember being told not to scratch the bull's ears. This was after my dad caught himself doing just that. His concern was that the bull might return the favor, which could have had unfortunate consequences with a 1,200 lb animal.

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

I'd go for the pan fried potatoes myself. I doubt I could do justice to a meal like that...it would definitely be doggie bag time for me.

 

Does Luger's spit in your face laugh at you if you ask for a doggie bag?

 

I don't think there's any problem with doggie bags at P L.

 

I believe the meals in the pics are for two people to share, which is common at Peter Luger's.

Traditionally, steak houses in the U.S. had short and simple menus with very little choice. They were places for men to eat steak, end of story. A lot of them didn't have printed menus.

But that began to change in the 1950s when steak houses started shifting to family trade. More choices were added to the menu to accommodate women and children. However, Peter Luger is still very much a "single purpose" steak house, even though it does offer fish, lamb and a few more veggies than in the 1950s. The menu at Luger's:

Evil

[graymatter 153]

You gotta love a menu when they don't need to put the prices on it.

 

It takes a special skill to photograph food to make it look good. Unfortunately. the photographs in this thread don't look appetising to me. The steaks look burnt on the outside and although they seem medium rare they look dried out. Why cream spinach when fresh looks, tastes and is so much better and calling sliced tomatoes a salad is taking liberties. I can't even suggest that the chips would pass muster. They are double fried but don't look crispy. As I said, the photographs probably don't do the food justice but maybe there are issues with the food.

 

I have included a photograph of a Sirloin steak crusted with herbs. I have had this steak several times and it tastes good but the one in the picture probably wouldn't. It will have been sprayed with extra oil to make it glisten and has probably got something underneath it to make it look plump. The enhanced lighting takes out any imperfections and gives us the fresh appearance.

 

 

So which is the best steak...that is a good question and very. subjective

 

 

Edited April 24, 2015 by graymatter

[jacko 8,815]

That got me salivating!

[Nightrider 340]

Certainly looks very appetising Evil , thanks for some great pics........

[plahgat 523]

Still prefer my "Jeffer Steak" lunch at 286 baht including VAT!

Looks and tastes good enough for me!

Plahgat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

 

I have included a photograph of a Sirloin steak crusted with herbs.

 

 

In which restaurant was the photo taken?

 

Evil

[graymatter 153]

 

In which restaurant was the photo taken?

 

Evil

 

I lifted the picture from the web site of a local Perth restaurant, I wasn't trying to compare the quality of the steaks but simply to demonstrate he difference in the photography .As you didn't take the pictures of your steaks then I thought this was a fair comparison.

 

Before I get accused of American bashing again, I respect the American passion for their steaks but there are other opinions in the world.I would like to bring up the old claim that the average American has 5 lbs of undigested red meat in his gut but the fact is it just isn't true, Your digestive system self cleans every 24 hours so the only red meat is what you have eaten in the last day. That being said I don't think a diet with a lot of red meat is that healthy with heart disease and cancer among the better known consequences. Personally, I limit my intake to a couple of times a weak and rather than a large 16 oz steak I prefer a smaller 8oz in a better cut.

 

Every guy I know thinks he can cook the perfect steak. I have a reputation for being good with food but I doubt that I could cook the best steak for you. I could however, cook the best steak for me.

 

I start by choosing the best meat. Western Australia is 3 1/2 times as big as Texas and we produce a lot of beef. Unfortunately the steak from the north has had a hard life. The arid climate and limited food mean the meat is tough. To over come this the producers will ship cattle to the southwest for a month before slaughter. This fattens them up and I think increases the marbling that the buyers want to see, The alternative is to buy beef that has been grown in the southwest and fed on good food most of its life. By far the best Australian beef comes from the Melbourne area where the pastures are often knee high.

 

Now price has an influence with good fillet steak selling for $45 per kilo and average rump steaks fetching $25 per kilo. I like my steak medium rare and I don't think you can go past a good grill but everyone is different.

 

If I visited New York I would try a big steak and then I could pass judgement but I doubt that I would be as impressed as many would have me believe. I am spoilt for choice in my home city.

Edited April 24, 2015 by graymatter

[MM 6,562]

I made a steak tonight using oven, sear, sear technique, aiming for rare medium rare.

 

It was a 1 1/2 inch cut of Australian rib eye.

 

As graymatter says, I know how to cook a steak the way I like.

 

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

 

 

I have included a photograph of a Sirloin steak crusted with herbs. I have had this steak several times ...

 

 

 

I lifted the picture from the web site of a local Perth restaurant,

 

The reason I asked the name of the restaurant is that I did a Tineye image search for the source of the photo you posted. It's a pic that is used by the Outback Steakhouse chain inside and outside the U.S.

 

www.outbacksteakhouse.com.au:

 

 

If there is a local restaurant in Perth that is ripping off an Outback signature dish and photo, the owner could be in real trouble. But if you had that steak in an Outback branch (is there one in Perth?), then you'll have a difficult time convincing many people that a corporate chain steakhouse serves a better product thaan Peter Luger.

 

Evil

Edited April 25, 2015 by Evil Penevil

[jacko 8,815]

On the above comment, and admitting I wouldn't know the USA well enough to find the best steak in NYC, I actually went through a lot of disappointment wrt steaks when I was in the USA. From NY State, Pa, FL and TX, I had a lot of disappointing ones. Being from the UK, the land of crappy steaks and pathetic salads, I was expecting so much in that respect from the USA.

 

Then, out of the blue I got the great and likely the best one from an Outback restaurant in Kansas City, MO.

Oh and a prime rib in NY once.

Edited April 26, 2015 by jacko
typo

[VPI78 11,516]

 

 

 

The reason I asked the name of the restaurant is that I did a Tineye image search for the source of the photo you posted. It's a pic that is used by the Outback Steakhouse chain inside and outside the U.S.

 

www.outbacksteakhouse.com.au:

 

Outback3A.jpg

 

If there is a local restaurant in Perth that is ripping off an Outback signature dish and photo, the owner could be in real trouble. But if you had that steak in an Outback branch (is there one in Perth?), then you'll have a difficult time convincing many people that a corporate chain steakhouse serves a better product thaan Peter Luger.

 

Evil

 

555, yeah the Tampa based Outback chain is about as renown for good steaks as the Sizzler.

[plahgat 523]

There is an Outback SteakHouse in Bangkok at Siam Discovery Center.

https://www.facebook.com/OutbackTH

 

Walked by many times, but never tried it.

 

Plahgat

[BigDUSA 71]

I like www.omahasteaks.com. Great taste, reasonable cost. We have a Omaha Steak store not far from where I live.

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

 

Then, out of the blue I got the great and likely the best one from an Outback restaurant in Kansas City, MO.

Oh and a prime rib in NY once.

The big difference between a top-end steakhouse like Peter Luger and the steakhouse chains like Outback is the quality of the meat. PL uses only USDA Prime, which is the highest classification given to beef in the U.S., with less than 3% of the carcasses receiving a Prime stamp. Prime is virtually never sold in supermarkets, it goes to top-end restaurants.

 

Outback uses meat labeled Choice, which is the second highest of the US meat grades. About 54% of the beef in the U.S. is Choice and there can be considerable variation within the Choice category.

 

Evil

Edited April 25, 2015 by Evil Penevil

[Evil Penevil 7,628]

And in case anyone wants more info about the best steak houses in NYC, the U.S. and the world, take a look at these links:

 

https://www.zagat.com/l/new-york-city/best-steakhouses-in-nyc

http://www.foodandwine.com/slideshows/best-steak-in-the-us

http://www.cntraveller.com/recommended/food/best-steak-restaurants-in-the-world

Evil