OT- High End Steak Restaurants, Worth It?
minnow
Any place that interests me.
To all the steak connoisseurs (and even casual diners out there): Has the premium price you've paid at a high end steak restaurant (Ruth Chris, Mortons, Shulas, Capital Grill, equivalent local only places, etc.) been worth it to you ? Secondary question would be your favorite chain or local only restaurant.
My answer: I'll qualify by stating that I'm not a full blown connoisseur, so please take my comments with a grain of salt. Speaking solely from a steak enjoyment POV, I'd say it's worth it only if you get the thicker cuts of steak. Cuts like New York Strip or Ribeye you'd do just about as well at an Outback for half the price. There is more to a dinner than just the steak. Although the sides are pricey, the portions are much larger too. If you go to a place at least a few times, the complimentary after dinner nightcap is a good touch too.
If done solely as a bottom line number crunching excersise, the answer would be nay. I'm not a money no object kind of guy, but if one spends a lot of time on the road, and had your fill of Dennys, hotel chain food, etc, there have been those times I've said "screw it, life is too short, I'm getting a treat this time." With very few exceptions, I haven't regretted my decision. One could apply this thinking to stripclub VIP room vs regular dances, etc. Or buying a car a notch or more above a used Honda Civic. Your thoughts...........
My answer: I'll qualify by stating that I'm not a full blown connoisseur, so please take my comments with a grain of salt. Speaking solely from a steak enjoyment POV, I'd say it's worth it only if you get the thicker cuts of steak. Cuts like New York Strip or Ribeye you'd do just about as well at an Outback for half the price. There is more to a dinner than just the steak. Although the sides are pricey, the portions are much larger too. If you go to a place at least a few times, the complimentary after dinner nightcap is a good touch too.
If done solely as a bottom line number crunching excersise, the answer would be nay. I'm not a money no object kind of guy, but if one spends a lot of time on the road, and had your fill of Dennys, hotel chain food, etc, there have been those times I've said "screw it, life is too short, I'm getting a treat this time." With very few exceptions, I haven't regretted my decision. One could apply this thinking to stripclub VIP room vs regular dances, etc. Or buying a car a notch or more above a used Honda Civic. Your thoughts...........
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46 comments
I would like to try some place like Peter Lugers. Those that have been there say it's definitely worth the ultra high price.
Highly recommended.
http://www.mexicanhat.net/
When I'm paying a premium I expect a premium product along with premium service and atmosphere. Here I'm not an easy customer. High end places should have few issues and those few should be resolved quickly.
If all you're concerned with is food quality then forget it. With a little practice and some good quality beef you'll turn out just as good or better than you can buy.
I've also eaten at two Ruth's Chris places, and didn't consider either of them worth the price. Fortunately, I wasn't paying. RC doesn't even appear in the top 10, being beat out by such venerable eateries as Texas Roadhouse and Logan's Roadhouse. :)
not a big steak eater but I do like filet mignon.
I don't care for the way they are often cooked. overdone on top, not done enough in the middle, extra spices or whatever seasoning added and I don't want any seasoning.
end up never going out to eat steak unless it's for work and someone else like the company pays.
I have enjoyed Omaha steaks ordered by phone delivered to the house. a relative cooked them up. one steak like a filet mignon is not enough meat for me, I like two.
lately I have enjoyed eating sirloin ground beef hamburgers or sirloin ground beef meat served in different dishes. if I cook it, in sloppy joes or with spaghetti if not in plain hamburgers. sometimes added as a pizza topping.
What I don't understand is why the grocery store rates the meat as fattier at 90% but if you cook equal amounts sirloin to lean ground meat, the so called leaner meat always has more grease.
One of the things that you are paying for in a high end steak house is a high heat cooking method that just cannot be replicated at home or in mid-tier places like Outback. The high end places cook steaks with heat of up to 1500 degrees, which gives the blackened outside while still keeping the inside red.
But even better cooking methods won't hide poor quality meat. In my opinion, the best judge of a steak house is consistency of good meat over multiple visits. Ruth Chris can be very hit or miss in my opinion. Same with Smith & Wollensky. i have also had a lot of mixed experiences with a lot of local places that bill themselves as high end steak houses.
Honestly, my most consistent positive experiences have been with the Capital Grille. For mid-tier steak joints, I am a fan of Longhorn and they kick the shit out of Outback in my opinion for around the same price.
Texas Roadhouse, Longhorn and Logan's are all better than Outback here.
Nick & Sam's Dallas: Part of their gimmick is to bring the meat out and let you pick the one you want, but I have always found the meat to be a little lean. A medium rare bone-in ribeye should be fairly tender and flavorful, but theirs lack a bit in those departments.
Folk's Folly Memphis: Almost the same comment I had about Nick & Sam, except that I only visited this place once.
Bobby Van (multiple locations NYC): Way over-rated in my opinion. High end prices for middle of the road steak. They picked their locations very well, including one close to Wall Street, but I'd rather travel a bit more than pay those prices for mediocre steak.
Prime Grill (NYC): This one has surprised me. It is a kosher steakhouse where observant Jews can eat. I have eaten there a couple of times and, in both cases, the steak was fantastic. Since it is a kosher meat place, there are no dairy products, so au gratin potatoes and creamed spinach are not among the sides and obviously butter is out too, but they have enough other good side options.
There have been some others, but those are the ones I can remember at the moment.
Their steaks are bird food compared to even Applebee's and their portions are known to be garbAGE. Their not that hard to cook "quality"(???) medium rare-medium well steak. They just have such a hard time because they have so many orders and half of them are adjusted orders to what's on the menu. That and chef's in high established restaurants have an ego to match a CEO in a lexus. They think that their mere presense let alone cooking food for you should be revered and yet bitch about how shitty the manager treats them.
You're personally better off cooking your meal at home. If you prep ahead of time (that's the luxury of a chef in the kitchen, ingredients are an arm's lenght away on a heated stove/grill), it should take you no more than 20 minutes top. This is considering that you're cooking a medium-whatever steak with basic sides, fancy visuals not included.
I don't know where the OP lives, but in most of the most revered of revered cities, any high end restaurant, or even a diner, you go to, they're not giving you a lot of steak for even $30. They'll give you thin piece of steak only a starving African child (please forgive me for the crude comparison) could appreciate. Not even the 150lb American man can be satisfied without a bunch of sides....on the side.
I don't think there's remotely any comparison to Outback ... just not in the same league, to me, in fact I can cook a far far FAR better steak at home, for less money, than Outback can.
If you're ever in Las Vegas and want decent food and service, by all means hit up The Golden Steer. Places like Smith and Wollensky's or the Morton's Franchises aren't just overpriced, the food and service are terrible.
I feel they are worth it.
As for restaurants like Outback and Texas Roadhouse, they're all right for what they are, but I could do without some of their atmosphere. Frankly, the one time I had steak at Applebee's, it was good. As long as I don't do steak at IHOP again, I'm fine.
"At the truck stop across the street."
Yeah. I never did bother to find out. Never bothered to find a steak house either.
Lowry's
Chicago Chop House
Gibsons
Weber Grill
Overrated:
Shulas
Ruths Chris
Morton's
I have lived in Omaha for nearly 20 years and I still wonder what the answer to the question of a good steak house is. I know they had some places that used to be good which closed up. FWIW, Warren Buffett likes Gorat's Steak House, which is a prime destination for the Berkshire Hathaway weekend. OTOH, I have heard it's disappointing. Also, people in Council Bluffs have hostility towards Omaha, except when it comes to taking Omaha's money.