Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse in downtown Cincinnati. Morton’s a close second.
Ruby’s is the shizzle fo rizzle. And shit.
My experience at Harris’ in San Francisco was like this. I don’t remember the cut any longer, but I do remember the absence of steak knives, and the discovery that I didn’t need one. It’s also a very elegant place, with excellent service. I fondly remember the little hand-carried chrome basket of condiments for my baked potato; silly, really, but it made me feel served, if you know what I mean.
Haven’t tried Ruby’s or The Precinct (or Bootsy’s, for that matter), but I can confirm that Carlo and Johnny is the tits.
The Chateaubriand for Two atMurray’s in Minneapolis They call it the butterknife steak as it’s so tender. (There’s the locally famous Manny’s steakhouse in Minneapolis, but I still haven’t been there).
As for the best affordable steak. Lindey’s Steakhouse in Arden Hills. We go there once a month (they’ve got twofer coupons on restaurant.com) and it’s just a delicious meal.
I’ve been waiting forever for this type of thread. Because my answer is so the opposite of what everyone else will say. Although I’ve been to a lot of local steakhouses, I think the best steak I’ve ever head was at
Applebee’s.
The only steak even in competition is the skirt steak at my local Salsa’s, a Mexican* restaurant. And that’s mostly because it’s covered in the best queso sauce ever (made with white farmers cheese.)
*Not quite Tex-Mex, as you would have in Texas, but still Americanized. Sorta like the difference between “authentic Chinese” restaurants and actual restaurants in China.
I won’t front, as one of my buddies maintains to this day that one of the very best steaks he’s ever had was ten years ago at a T.G.I. Friday’s.
I, too, like BigT, have to say: Applebee’s. I’m going back!
(this thread is making me sad, nothing but fried baloney sandwiches for us tonight.
Not that there’s anything wrong with them.)
Medium rare New York steak at Spazio’s in Sherman Oaks, CA. So good, that every bite I took filled me with a sublime mixture of pleasure at the taste and texture, and sadness about the fact that a little bit more of it was gone forever.
I can’t remember who was playing that night. Maybe Doug McDonald.
I’d say you need to get out more and spend a little more money on a steak. Applebee’s cuts can’t be above choice, if that. You need a prime, dry-aged steak before you can really make a comparison!
Funny that. I ate at Murray’s in 1971. Best steak I had ever had to that point. I was gonna post that, but thought…nah!.
A Delmonico with a caramelized onion and butter/wine sauce at the Baker Hotel in St. Charles, IL. I’m usually not a big fan of “stuff” on top of a steak, besides salt I add myself, but this was heavenly. Along with the wine. A Malbec. Don’t remember the name.
Hands down the best steak I ever had was at a restaurant in Tokyo. It had opened just a few days before, and we were curious about it, as it was on the ground floor of a building that housed one of our frequent dinner spots. It was ~$300 for my [then] boss and me, but worth every yen (and, given that a Tony Roma’s in Tokyo routinely set me back $140-150 for two, not outrageous). Sadly, the place was gone six months later.
The second best steak I’ve ever had was at Barberians here in Toronto.
I’m not sure that I could name a third best, reliably. Certainly there have been great steaks at a variety of places, but none that I’d put into the category of the other two.
Best Prime Rib I ever had was at Lawry’s The Prime Rib in Ginza (although it’s an American chain). Also ridiculously expensive, although I was luckily not paying, but a superb meal.
Medium rare porterhouse at Morton’s. The medium well filet I tried was nearly as good, so I’ll have to try it when it’s cooked properly.
For a chain, Morton’s is really, really good. Ahh, that creamed spinach. Sadly, being a working Dad for a family of five of us, Morton’s isn’t in our budget anymore.
The bison filet at Storm Mountain Lodge was a perfect steak.
The Waygu ‘like’ beef at The Brown Palace in Denver is the one that comes to mind. $92 for 10 oz and fan freekin tastic.
Second that bubbles up was a ribeye I bought from a local butcher before they closed. $32 for something I had to cook myself, but MAN did it taste good with a little Montreal Steak Seasoning.
I’ve eaten in several places, most recently Shanahan’s in Denver here, and the NY strip was Great but not EXCELLENT*, but the top two are what stick out in my mind.
- = The presentation was pretty nifty…I swear the steak was raw leaving the kitchen and cooked on the way over by the heat of the plate. More impressive considering they were feeding 32 people in a meeting room and ALL of the plates were that kind of nuclear hot.
This reminds me of the one time I’ve eaten at a Ruth’s Chris Steak House (Sarasota, Florida, back in '02), and I was not impressed, chiefly because of their signature style of serving steaks, which is, as you say, on a “nuclear hot” plate. First off, I like my steaks rare to medium rare, and no more done than that. I found that with their penchant for serving their steaks on white hot lava rock flatware (or did it just seem that way?), the steak continued to cook for some time, ultimately settling in at a medium doneness. Not acceptable!
Also, our server was très condescending (and more than a little contemptuous toward us). And we felt that the food was overpriced, considering the quality. So, no more Ruth’s Chris for us.
Three come to mind as being head and shoulders above all the rest.
El Gaucho in Aruba. Argentine style steak at its best. I had a sirloin.
A place in old town Montreal Canada. I don’t recall the name, but the porterhouse was perfect.
No great steak house list would be complete with out a mention of the Hitching Post and the Hitching Post II in California. II is famous for being featured in the movie Sideways, and in reality it is better than the movie makes it sound.
The grilled artichoke for a starter, followed by a top sirloin coupled with a good zinfandel is a meal to die for.
I’ve heard that milk steak is excellent !
I apologise for the hijack, but can someone educate this limey. I’ve noticed in some of the mouthwatering menus linked to, the most expensive steak is usually the New York sirloin. Here in the UK, rump and sirloin are tougher (but more flavourful) than, say, fillet, and are cheaper. Is the New York sirloin a different cut?