What's your favorite kind of steak?

In My Humble Opinion
1

My wife and I splurged and had dinner at El Gaucho on Saturday night. El Gaucho has a reputation as one of Seattle’s best steak houses. It was tres swank.

I’m not a steakhouse regular, so I chose my cut basically at random. She ordered filet mignon; I had the filet of New York. Both were medium rare. Both were delicious. (Also, they tossed up Caesar salad there at the table for us. And for dessert, bananas foster, also whipped up tableside.)

Anyway – I’m not a connoisseur, but I’m curious. I want to try something different next time I go, and I’m looking for suggestions. (But don’t limit yourself to El Gaucho’s menu.)

Is there a cut generally considered the “best”? Is there a “steak lover’s” cut, as opposed to a popular favorite that isn’t considered as good? And most importantly: what’s your favorite cut of steak? (And how do you like it cooked?)

2

I think “best” is definitely a matter of personal preference. The prices tend to lead one to think that some cuts are better than others, but my favorite is kind of in the middle price range. I speak of the ribeye. It’s generally considered to be one of the most flavorful of the cuts. Fairly thick and juicy. I like mine cooked medium-well.

3

Medium well :eek:? The horror! All the juices are gone, the texture is vulcanized…sigh

I’ll take a porterhouse, as rare as can be with some horseradish on the side.

Man that sounds good, I may have to splurge and run across the street at lunch to The Chop House for a steak sandwich.

4

My favorite would probably be prime rib (if that counts as a steak). I like it seared on the outside, but rare enough inside to bleed red.

5

Oh yes, a nicely marbled ribeye cooked rare.

Also, the only thing that should EVER go on a steak is (maybe) a little salt.

Wow - it’s time to go to my butcher. Or maybe Gene and Georgetti’s.

6

Filet, Ribeye, and Prime Rib (which I just had Sunday at Outback) are the only steaks I’ll eat. The rest of them just ain’t worth the trouble.

Must be accompanied by a baked spud. Hold the salad. Give me some yummy bread and a glass of wine, and I’m set. Mmmmm… steak is my favorite…

7

Mmm…porterhouse seared on the outside and bloodred inside.

8

I’ve never heard of a New York filet. I’ve heard of New York strips, but not filets. Are you sure about that?

Yup, just checked their menu. They have both a “New York Steak” and a “Filet of New York”. What the heck is that?

And by the way, I get to go to St. Elmo’s on Sunday.

9

The New York strip goes by many names. I’ve heard it also called Kansas City strip, and my butcher names it something different (but knows what I want when I say New York strip). It is a filet (no bone), being one side of the T-bone on the porterhouse.

For me, a nicely marbled ribeye cooked rare to medium rare, seasoned with salt and pepper, and topped with a tablespoon of blue-cheese butter. My mouth waters and my arteries harden just thinking about it.

10

Gimme a big hunk of sirloin any day. Sparks Steakhouse in Midtown Manhattan serves the best one I’ve ever had. Must be rare, must be served with potato and a green vegetable.

11

“Ditto”

12

t-bone cooked rare or medium rare.

mmmmmmm steak.

13

Ribeye at home. Prime Rib at a restaurant.

14

I asked the waiter about that, actually. The filet of New York is basically a smaller New York steak – 8 oz. vs. 16 oz., if I recall correctly. They’re both New York strip steaks. Don’t ask me why the two are listed separately when the filet mignon just gets listed with two different weights…

15

I only order Filet Mignon, because I don’t like to pick at steak - I like to eat the entire thing. I don’t want to mess with a bone, and I don’t want to cut out any fat. Medium rare, please. Prime rib doesn’t appeal to me at all.

16

ribeye, medium rare.

17

My favourite cut is also a Filet Mignon for the same reason as porcupine. I don’t particularly like Tbones (I think they taste fatty and gristly regardless of the actual quality). Porterhouses tend to only come in humongo sizes and have the gross part of the Tbone attached. Though a New York Strip is delicious.

Ribeyes are pretty good and lean. Sirloins at restaurants tend to be among the better cut of meat for some reason. I don’t know exactly why but they are usually the cheapest so the restaurants must go through a whole lot of them in addition to some type of quality assurance beforehand. I have never had a bad sirloin at a restaurant but I have had filet’s and NY Strips come out and be almost all fat and gristle. (Even at upscale steakhouses like Ruth Chris’s, Morton’s, and Smith and Wollensky’s).

18

I was told a Porterhouse is just a thick T-bone, which contains the Filet Mignon on one side and New York strip on the other. Have I heard wrong? The only reason Porterhouse/T-Bone isn’t my favorite is that I can’t eat that much in one sitting. An 8 ounce ribeye, some mashed potatoes (about 1.5 cups - no more) and roasted asparagus and cherry tomatoes will put me in heaven. I think I have my Sunday dinner figured out.

19

Fun thread, but shouldn’t this be in IMHO?

20

I debated on where to put it – I thought there might be recipe-oriented responses, so finally opted for Café Society. But it’s really not headed in that direction. I’ll email the mods to see if they want to move it.