# How on Earth is a 10 oz New York strip steak worth $42.99? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 12, 2017, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-on-earth-is-a-10-oz-new-york-strip-steak-worth-42-99/793459 "2017-08-12T19:30:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2017, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-on-earth-is-a-10-oz-new-york-strip-steak-worth-42-99/793459/61 "2017-08-15T19:54:37Z")
Yes, **doreen** and **kayT** nailed it. Another nicety is when my gf goes to the ladies room it is a _nice_ experience, and when she returns to our table, as I’m rising, the waiter/sommelier/host is right there to pull out her chair. ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2017, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-on-earth-is-a-10-oz-new-york-strip-steak-worth-42-99/793459/62 "2017-08-15T20:32:29Z")
I’ve eaten at a number of higher end steakhouses and really do enjoy the experience. Back in the day, I would go to Atlantic City twice a year. I would earn enough comp points to treat myself to a dinner at Robert’s. The whole experience was exquisite each time. I’d start off at the bar with a specialty cocktail or three (it was here I was introduced to the fantastic creation that is a “Sazerac”). Whatever the chef’s featured appetizer of the day was. And then a shot of Johnny Walker Blue or Platinum, sipped slowly. The bartender’s name was Natti (sp?) (rhymes with “naughty”), and she would remember me from 6 months prior and start up making the Sazerac with a smile as soon as I walked in. Bar tab was well over $100, paid by comps. Of course I cash tipped very well. (One time she offered me a shot of McCallan’s 12-year on the house.) The meals were also exquisite. I’m a fan of rib-eyes, so that was my usual go-to, but if the waiter recommended something else highly, I’d give that a try. The Caesar salad comes with real anchovies. The bread basket has a delicious variety. Some sort of amazing appetizer–something specially created. Not “wings” or “mozzarella sticks.” The steaks are always cooked to perfection (rare to medium rare) and the sides are delicious. A bottle of wine (nothing too fancy) and dessert and the bill would be somewhere between $200 - $300. Paid by comps. Of course I cash tipped very well. It’s one thing when the bartender remembers you, but when the waiter remembers you from 6 months ago, well, I was impressed. The best dessert I ever had in my life was at Robert’s. I was just chilling at the bar one time and Natti said the chef had created some sort of blueberry crepe thing. Not my typical type of dessert but, sure, I’ll try it. I think my mouth had an orgasm. One bite in and I know that this was the best dessert I had ever tasted. Alas, the casino closed down and I have no reason to go back to AC just to gamble. Really the only reason I’d make the 4 hour drive each way was to take advantage of the free rooms and the meal at Robert’s. (And yes, I know when you gamble, the shit ain’t really free, and those “comps” can cost plenty at times; but hopefully you get my point). ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2017, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-on-earth-is-a-10-oz-new-york-strip-steak-worth-42-99/793459/63 "2017-08-15T21:01:42Z")
> [@Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](#): > > You could cook a pizza at home for under $10, too. You could probably make a nice dish of spiced rice and beans for your family, with leftovers for days, for under $5. > > It’s a different experience between going to steakhouse and going to a pizza parlor. The pizza joint is probably going to be brighter, it’s not going to have any sort of wine or beer selection, you’re going to be using paper napkins, and you probably have to bus your own table. The waiter will be able to tell you a bit about the items on the menu beyond a list of ingredients. The price differential between $8 and $30 a person pays for that atmosphere and those amenities, as well as the difference in ingredient cost between a steak and a pizza. If you cannot afford the cost of a four-person meal at an upper-end steakhouse, it’s stupid to contemplate reasons for going there, isn’t it? When someone says they would prefer to pay for a $35 meal for four at a pizza place, they are in essence saying, “any difference in the experience is too pricey for my blood”. There’s nothing wrong with that attitude at all. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2017, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-on-earth-is-a-10-oz-new-york-strip-steak-worth-42-99/793459/64 "2017-08-15T21:19:26Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > The crumb scraping is nice, but it’s not that important to me. In the higher priced places, the servers have fewer tables and that allows them to pay more attention to each one. You don’t have to look around and try to get your server’s attention if you want another drink, or you’re ready to order dessert or you want the bill. Special requests are handled better- in the lower end places, if my husband asks for no cheese on his salad, I often end up with no cheese on mine as well. More than once, my husband has ordered a steak medium rare in a mid-priced restaurant and it came out medium-well. On at least one occasion, he was told “that’s the only way it comes”. Those mistakes don’t happen in the high end places, and if it did ,there would be an apology rather than an attempt to deny there was a mistake. The servers know the menu better in the higher end places and can describe a dish in words that aren’t used on the menu,while at Applebee’s I’m likely to get a blank state if I ask which whole grains the Pepper crusted Sirloin is served over. The servers and bus people are quieter, and it doesn’t sound like they are just dropping the dirty dishes into a bin in the middle of the dining room. You know, I don’t always want to be fussed over to quite that degree. If I have a soft drink with my dinner at a restaurant, I try to drink it at a rate that will finish about the same time I finish my meal. Sometimes the waiter will see that the glass is down to half full and bring over a refill. I had the situation under control. I know it probably cost them all of ten cents, but I hate to see it go to waste. Yeah, I don’t have a soda at a nice steakhouse. But the same principle applies; give me a few minutes with the menu, bring the food when it’s ready, and I’m usually a pretty happy camper. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2017, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-on-earth-is-a-10-oz-new-york-strip-steak-worth-42-99/793459/65 "2017-08-15T21:24:47Z")
Timely thread. My husband and I dined at a fancy, schmancy local steak house (Carlo & Johnny’s, if you must know) last Friday. The most expensive steak was $77, and none of them include any sides, unless you count the bread and butter. I got a half-portion ceasar salad (which is the size of a normal side salad) and the cowboy bone-in ribeye for $66, with mushrooms on top. (I got 2 meals out of it.) Hubby got the Steak Collinsworth, a filet with crabmeat on top. It was preposterously small next to mine. He also got the oysters for an appie, which should have filled him up, but still he whined like a baby when he saw my brontosaurausteak. We shared a bottle of Altos Las Hormigas malbec and a slice of chocolate mousse cake. Mmm mmm. Great for a special occasion, but we would never spend that kind of dough without gift cards that he routinely gets from work. I’m always amazed when I see a packed house because for $300 I could get a lot of really good ribeyes. Total spent out of pocket was $100 (total bill was $247 + $53tip = $300-$200 in gift cards). ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2017, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-on-earth-is-a-10-oz-new-york-strip-steak-worth-42-99/793459/66 "2017-08-15T22:33:30Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > > [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > > > How is the customer service different from middle ground restaurants? What things are present that would otherwise be absent in the service or vice versa? > > I love it when a server scrapes away breadcrumbs from the tablecloth. A friend in college worked at higher-end restaurants and said at such places they should notice that your water glass is half-empty and refill it. They should notice, without you saying anything, that you’ve dropped a fork on the ground. In short, the service should be attentive but not smothering. Part of what costs so much in such an establishment is higher number of front-of-house staff to patrons. Edited to add, they should not need to ask if you’ve finished one course and are ready for the next, but instead should have noted that you’ve finished. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2017, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-on-earth-is-a-10-oz-new-york-strip-steak-worth-42-99/793459/67 "2017-08-15T22:47:29Z")
I’m not really much of a steak person, but I used to have a tradition that once a year I would buy myself a wonderful dry-aged prime ribeye to cook for myself. You know how much I paid? About $60/lb. [Here’s a local place that does mail order](https://www.allenbrothers.com/allen-brothers-dry-aged-grass-fed-bone-in-ribeye-steak.html) where it’s $75/lb. So 10 oz for $43 for a NY strip in a nice atmosphere where it’s prepared for you doesn’t really sound all that crazy to me. Is it worth it? For me, when I did it as a once-a-year-treat-myself-to-a-birthday-present, yep, absolutely. But I could probably get a steak at $20-30/lb that’s 95% as good. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2017, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-on-earth-is-a-10-oz-new-york-strip-steak-worth-42-99/793459/68 "2017-08-15T23:06:50Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > they should not need to ask if you’ve finished one course and are ready for the next, but instead should have noted that you’ve finished. This is my favorite part of the service. My wife and I just ate at a very nice steak house after a day of wine tasting and we never had to wait for our plate to be cleared once we were done with the course it was removed and once we’d had a chance to digest and talk about how great the food was and just started to look around for the next course it appeared at the table. The proper pacing of the meal so that everything is done perfectly and not waiting on a warming tray or looking around for you food make a meal so much more enjoyable and take lots of skill. We ended up dropping $300 for two of us with a bottle of nice wine, an appetizer, steaks, and dessert. I wouldn’t do it on a regular basis but we’re happy to have found a great place to go for our anniversary in two months. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2017, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-on-earth-is-a-10-oz-new-york-strip-steak-worth-42-99/793459/69 "2017-08-15T23:46:59Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > That’s a bit high, even for Ruth’s Chris. $50 should get you at least a 16oz porterhouse. … The porterhouse is 40 oz (for two) and costs $89. [Prices](http://ruthschris.net/menus/dinner-menu/dinner/) for one are really roughly in that same range (op’s $39.99 and $49.99): $39 (for an 8 oz petite filet) to $53 for a 24 oz T-bone. Peter Lugar’s runs about $50 per steak as well. It really is the going rate for the high end steakhouse steaks. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-on-earth-is-a-10-oz-new-york-strip-steak-worth-42-99/793459/70 "2017-08-16T00:33:00Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I’m not really much of a steak person, but I used to have a tradition that once a year I would buy myself a wonderful dry-aged prime ribeye to cook for myself. You know how much I paid? About $60/lb. [Here’s a local place that does mail order](https://www.allenbrothers.com/allen-brothers-dry-aged-grass-fed-bone-in-ribeye-steak.html) where it’s $75/lb. > > So 10 oz for $43 for a NY strip in a nice atmosphere where it’s prepared for you doesn’t really sound all that crazy to me. Is it worth it? For me, when I did it as a once-a-year-treat-myself-to-a-birthday-present, yep, absolutely. But I could probably get a steak at $20-30/lb that’s 95% as good. This I agree with. There is a point of diminishing returns with the cost of dry aged USDA Prime meats. It’s not that they aren’t better; it’s that they are not as much better as the difference in price. > [@DSYoungEsq](#): > > If you cannot afford the cost of a four-person meal at an upper-end steakhouse, it’s stupid to contemplate reasons for going there, isn’t it? When someone says they would prefer to pay for a $35 meal for four at a pizza place, they are in essence saying, “any difference in the experience is too pricey for my blood”. There’s nothing wrong with that attitude at all. That wasn’t what was wrong with the attitude. What was wrong was whinging about how the bacon-wrapped filet went up $3.00 in price over the last 6 years. Plus tax. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-on-earth-is-a-10-oz-new-york-strip-steak-worth-42-99/793459/71 "2017-08-16T08:17:58Z")
So you guys are saying I shouldn’t be getting my steaks from a place whose only side is a vegetable medley that consists of only corn, peas, and green beans? ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-on-earth-is-a-10-oz-new-york-strip-steak-worth-42-99/793459/72 "2017-08-16T09:23:02Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > How is the customer service different from middle ground restaurants? What things are present that would otherwise be absent in the service or vice versa? As others have said, there are just more staff and they’re better trained, so you never find yourself looking for a waiter. You never sit there wishing you had another drink or wishing they would clear away a plate. At the same time, good service is never smothering, you never feel like anyone is hovering. Just about the time you think, “I could use another glass of wine,” there s/he is. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-on-earth-is-a-10-oz-new-york-strip-steak-worth-42-99/793459/73 "2017-08-16T14:35:47Z")
> [@Stringbean](#): > > It’s probably a lot like scotch. A $200 bottle of Blue Label is worth every penny over a $40 bottle of Black. But, for me, nothing above $200 is worth the premium. Some people pay thousands. Yep. It’s been said in this thread many times already, but I’ll post it again. There are good steaks, and there are REALLY good steaks. And the same as with spirits; for me the law of diminishing returns definitely applies. I’m admittedly never going to notice the difference between a steak or bourbon once it hits the 3 digit range; but the difference between a cheap drink or steak compared to a medium drink or steak is noticeable; ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-on-earth-is-a-10-oz-new-york-strip-steak-worth-42-99/793459/74 "2017-08-17T05:30:14Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > The porterhouse is 40 oz (for two) and costs $89. > > [Prices](http://ruthschris.net/menus/dinner-menu/dinner/) for one are really roughly in that same range (op’s $39.99 and $49.99): $39 (for an 8 oz petite filet) to $53 for a 24 oz T-bone. Peter Lugar’s runs about $50 per steak as well. > > It really is the going rate for the high end steakhouse steaks. My wife and I usually get the 22oz cowboy ribeye ($53). > [@divemaster](#): > > The bartender’s name was Natti (sp?) (rhymes with “naughty”), and she would remember me from 6 months prior and start up making the Sazerac with a smile as soon as I walked in. Bar tab was well over $100, paid by comps. Of course I cash tipped very well. (One time she offered me a shot of McCallan’s 12-year on the house.) Like a literal “shot”…as in a shot glass? ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-on-earth-is-a-10-oz-new-york-strip-steak-worth-42-99/793459/75 "2017-08-17T09:01:29Z")
How on earth is anything on McDonald’s 99-cent menu worth 99c? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-on-earth-is-a-10-oz-new-york-strip-steak-worth-42-99/793459/76 "2017-08-17T10:59:55Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Like a literal “shot”…as in a shot glass? Usually a shot of “the good stuff” is a generous shot served in a nice glass (a small snifter or heavy lowball type glass). ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-on-earth-is-a-10-oz-new-york-strip-steak-worth-42-99/793459/77 "2017-08-17T11:48:24Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Usually a shot of “the good stuff” is a generous shot served in a nice glass (a small snifter or heavy lowball type glass). We usually just call that “neat.” “Shot,” to me, usually means in a shot glass, in my experience. I know I’ve made that mistake early on my drinking career when I asked for a shot of Oban and the bartender looked at me with a raised eyebrow, and corrected me to say “neat.” I suppose this may vary by region or even person. “Neat” also implies to me a longer pour than a shot. ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-on-earth-is-a-10-oz-new-york-strip-steak-worth-42-99/793459/78 "2017-08-17T12:44:51Z")
Perhaps I should have said “taste.” It was in a “heavy lowball type glass” and about two nice sips worth. It was free, so I’m not claiming I got a full generous pour. Just a little something extra that I appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-on-earth-is-a-10-oz-new-york-strip-steak-worth-42-99/793459/79 "2017-08-17T13:40:10Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > > [@kayaker](#): > > > > Usually a shot of “the good stuff” is a generous shot served in a nice glass (a small snifter or heavy lowball type glass). > > We usually just call that “neat.” “Shot,” to me, usually means in a shot glass, in my experience. I know I’ve made that mistake early on my drinking career when I asked for a shot of Oban and the bartender looked at me with a raised eyebrow, and corrected me to say “neat.” I suppose this may vary by region or even person. “Neat” also implies to me a longer pour than a shot. I’m not much of a drinker, but I thought “neat” simply meant without ice. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-on-earth-is-a-10-oz-new-york-strip-steak-worth-42-99/793459/80 "2017-08-17T13:56:17Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I’m not much of a drinker, but I thought “neat” simply meant without ice. “Neat” = no ice, no mixer, not chilled, straight from the bottle “Up” = no ice, but chilled/shaken with ice before being strained (though I’ve only used it in the context of cocktails. Never heard it being used with straight spirits. ETA: a little research shows it can be used with straight spirits.) “Rocks” = on ice In the context of whiskey, if I order a shot of, say, a whiskey like Jameson, I get it in a shot glass. If I order it “neat,” I get it in a tumbler, usually with a larger pour, sometimes double. At least at most places be been to around here. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-on-earth-is-a-10-oz-new-york-strip-steak-worth-42-99/793459.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-on-earth-is-a-10-oz-new-york-strip-steak-worth-42-99/793459.md?page=5)