I have a bunch of friends getting together in Vegas this coming weekend for a conference. Since it is Vegas I am sure a number of them will at least spend some time in a steakhouse so that is the impetus for this post.
For people who might eat a steak a couple times a year at a nice steakhouse the menu can always be a bit intimidating. There are usually a few different cuts of beef and a few different variations of that meat. And since steaks are generally expensive you don’t want to screw anything up and get stuck with something you don’t like. So I am here to help you understand the standard steakhouse menu, know what the different cuts are, know what the different modifiers are, and help you decide which steak is right for you.
The Steakhouse Cuts
I looked over a dozen or so different steakhouse menus and there are primarily 4 main cuts that nearly every steakhouse in the country will offer. There are of course some outliers so don’t hit me up with the “but I know this local steakhouse that serves a 90 day dry aged hanger steak”. This information is for the 99% of the rest of the steakhouses out there that most people will be eating at.
Ribeye
The ribeye steak is probably the most popular cut for people who really like steak. It has a great beefy flavor and a great texture as well. It isn’t a steak for everyone though. As you can see from the picture above there is a good deal of fat on this steak. The steak that is marbled throughout the meat is awesome and gives a great texture and flavor to the steak but the big, white chunks of fat on the ribeye can turn some people off.
In my opinion (and the opinion of many others) the ribeye contains the best bites of steak you will eat. See that band of meat on the top of the ribeye? That is the spinalis dorsi muscle, also called the ribeye cap. It has a very loose, tender texture and great flavor. Ribeyes from front of the steer will have a bigger cap than those from further back so if you really want to be a pretentious tool (and sometimes it is totally worth it) ask your server for a ribeye from the anterior of the primal or for one with a big cap. Some steakhouses can accommodate this request, others will look at you funny.
There is also another small muscle, the complexus muscle, that only shows up in the front one or two ribeyes. It is a small round muscle that in the picture above is right at the top of the bone. You might only get one or two bites of this so enjoy it. That muscle is my favorite.
Most ribeyes will be in the 14-18 oz range. That will give you a steak that is about an inch to an inch and a half thick. Bone in ribeyes will sometimes be 20-26 ozs but the steak isn’t usually much bigger. You will just be paying for bone at that point. But I will talk more about the bones later. Remember there is quite a bit of fat you probably won’t eat on this steak so a 16 oz ribeye will probably only give you about 10-12 ozs of edible meat after cooking.
If you are one of those people who don’t like rare or medium rare steaks the ribeye is a great option. You can cook a ribeye to medium and there is still enough fat in it that you won’t end up with a mealy steak.
A decent ribeye steak will probably set you back somewhere around $50 at a good steakhouse. Prices can range from $40-$60 and at a high end steakhouse they might go up to $70-80.
Who should order the ribeye? People who love steak and don’t mind a bit of fat.
NY Strip
New York Strips are another very popular cut at most steakhouses. They tend to be a bit smaller than ribeyes and come in around 12-16 ozs in most cases.
NY Strips are a great steak for most people. One side of the steak will have some exterior fat you will probably want to trim off but other than that there is a lot of meat on this steak. Sometimes there can be a band of connective tissue that runs through the steak depending on where it was cut but it usually isn’t too bad.
NY Strips have a great flavor as well. It is beefy enough to know you are eating a steak but not strong enough to overwhelm you. It isn’t the most tender steak but you won’t tire your jaw out eating it either.
NY Strips tend to cost about as much as a ribeye but generally speaking you will have an ounce or two more of edible meat on a NY Strip. It is a great option for people who really like steak but don’t want to deal with the fat of a ribeye.
Who should order the NY Strip? Steak lovers who don’t want to bother with the fat of a ribeye.
Filet Mignon
The filet mignon is one of the most popular steakhouse cuts, especially for people who don’t regularly eat steak. As you can see from the picture there is very little exterior fat on a filet and also very little fat running through the muscles.
While the filet mignon is pretty much the most tender steak you will eat it also lacks the flavor of a ribeye or NY strip. Many people are willing to make the flavor for tenderness tradeoff. Personally, I am not a huge fan of filet mignon but I have eaten some that were wonderful.
One nice thing about most filets is they tend to be smaller than most other cuts. 10-12 ozs is very common for filet mignon and pretty much all of that will be edible. But that tenderness does come at a cost. A filet will generally be the most expensive steak on the menu on a per oz basis. You can expect to pay $50-60 for a filet at most steakhouses.
If you do order a filet please, please, please don’t have it cooked beyond medium-rare. Anything beyond that and you will be eating a horribly mealy piece of meat. Since there is very little intermuscular fat in a filet it dries out quickly if cooked too long. Stick to medium rare or even rare if you want a filet. And no, that red liquid isn’t blood so don’t be freaked out by that.
The filet mignon is a great cut for people who might only eat 3 or 4 steaks a year. Women tend to prefer filets mostly becuase they tend to be smaller and most men feel their masculinity challenged if they order the smallest steak on the menu. But don’t let that scare you away.
Who should order a filet mignon? People who don’t like fat on their steaks and want a very tender steak.
Porterhouse/T-bone
The porterhouse steak will usually be the biggest steak on the menu because it is basically two steaks in one. In the picture above the steak on the left of the bone is the NY Strip and the one on the right is the filet mignon. So you get a great beefy steak and a more tender, milder steak on one plate.
What’s the difference between a t-bone and porterhouse? It all has to do with the size of the filet portion. If it is bigger than 1 1/2 inches it is a porterhouse. If it is smaller it is a t-bone. Porterhouse steaks come from the back of the short loin and the t-bones come from the front.
Since there are two steaks here as well as a big bone the porterhouse will generally be abotu 24-28 ozs. Since they are fairly large they look great on the plate and are definitely a showstopper.
A nice porterhouse will cost about the same as a ribeye on a per oz basis. Since they are usually bigger than a ribeye the overall cost will be more but you also get more steak on your plate. It is a great steak for big eaters and for indecisive people who can decide because it is two steaks in one.
Some restaurants will have a sirloin which can be an awesome steak. It has an awesome flavor but is a bit tougher than other steaks. But the four cuts listed above will comprise the majority of the steakhouse menu.
Who should order a porterhouse? Big eaters who enjoy different types of steaks.
The Modifiers
When looking at the steakhouse menu you will also see a lot of different modifiers on some of the steaks. Here is what those mean:
Bone In
This one is pretty self explanatory. A bone in steak has the bone attached to it. Ribeyes are the most common steaks to come in a bone in version. If the entire rib bone is still attached (12-18 inches long) it will sometimes be called a Tomahawk steak.
Many people will try and convince you the bones add flavor but that is just a myth. The flavor of the bones is contained in the marrow and that doesn’t just leak through the bone into the steak. What the bones do provide is some thermal protection so the meat touching the bone will stay the same doneness as the middle of the steak.
Some steakhouses are starting to offer bone in NY Strips and bone in filet mignons but bone in ribeyes are much more common. And of course the t-bone/porterhouse has a bone.
I generally stay away from the bone in steaks. A lot of what you are pay for is the bone and you have to do a lot more cutting to get your meat.
Dry Aged
Dry aged steaks have been sitting in a temperature and humidity controlled room for a few days to a few months. The whole primal is what is dry aged and not the individual steaks. When meat is dry aged the outside of the steak basically dries out and enzymes in the meat do their job of changing the texture and flavor of the meat. When the process is done the outside of the meat is trimmed away and you are left with some delicious meat.
30 or 45 days is common for dry aging time. Any less than 30 days and the enzymes haven’t had enough time to do their job. There will be some texture difference but pretty much no flavor difference. Anything more than 45 days and you start to get some pretty funky flavors. Some people love the funkiness of a 60 or even 120 day dry aged steak but for most people it is a bit much.
Since the process takes a long time dry aged steaks will cost more than regular steaks. If a normal 16 oz ribeye costs $50 expect a dry aged ribeye to cost $65-$70. I think you can definitely tell the difference and that the cost is worth it.
If the menu just says “aged” ask the server if it is wet aged or dry aged. Huge difference between the two. Wet aged steaks are nowhere near as good as dry aged. They aren’t bad by any means but you don’t get the same benefits as dry aging.
Wagyu
This can be very confusing. You will basically find two kinds of “wagyu” on steakhouse menus: Japanese A5 Wagyu and American Wagyu.
Japanese Wagyu is from a pureblood Japenese breed of cattle, has insane marbling and is very hard to come by. It will usually be $20-$50 per oz. American Wagyu is usually a cross of Japanese Wagyu cattle with an American breed like Angus.
Many steakhouses will try to pass off American Wagyu as the real Japanese stuff but there are huge differences. Like I mentioned, the real Japanese Wagyu beef is very expensive and you will usually see 4 or 5 oz portions for $200 or so. If you see a 16 oz Wagyu ribeye it will be an American Wagyu steak. It will probably be excellent but just know you aren’t getting the real Japanese stuff.
Grass Fed
Want to know a little secret??? All beef is grass fed. Cattle all start out eating grass and for most of their life they roam the pastures eating grass. Most cattle are then finished on a diet of grain in the feedlot. Some cattle are left to eat grass their entire lives and those are grass finished cattle.
Seeing grass fed on a menu can be a bit confusing since there aren’t any real regulations around the term. Most restaurants that list “grass fed” will really have grass fed, grass finished beef. But there are some shady ones that just use it as a marketing ploy to charge a few bucks more for a regular steak.
What I think is more important than the “grass fed” distinction is which ranch it comes from. If they list the ranch you can probably be confident you are getting a high quality steak and not just some commodity beef. Some common ranches you will see are Niman Ranch, Creekstone Farms, Snake River Farms, Double R Ranch, and I am sure there are many others.
Breeds
You might also see a breed of cattle listed on the menu. Angus is by far the most popular and comprises most of the steaks you will eat in your life. Herefords are also fairly common but generally don’t have the same marbling or flavor as Angus.
If you see some of the less common breeds like Charolais, Limousin, or Simmental listed you are in for a treat.
Hopefully you can now look at a steakhouse menu and not be intimidated. Like I mentioned, some steakhouses will have other steaks or other terms they use but the above information will apply to probably 90% of the steakhouses out there. And for my money it is hard to beat a 16 oz dry aged ribeye.
