Sunday, November 12, 2006

Steaks and Steakhouses -- The Final Roundup


Finishing up the discussion on steaks and steakhouses, dry aged versus wet aged, and USDA prime versus choice, I wanted to pass on just a few more interesting pieces of reading flagged from around the food blog world.

Slate's Mark Schatzker gives a basic primer on the USDA grades, marbling, and issues surrounding the beef controversy today. He also (lucky man) does a taste test of aging, feed styles, and breeds including the elusive Wagyu breed, source of Kobe beef and all the buzz in today's food world.

Forbes Traveler announced it's list recently of the world's most expensive steakhouses -- just in case you're planning a trip in the future. (List via Slashfood.) As they note, it's no surprise that they all include Wagyu beef.

*"103" Wagyu rib eye at Craftsteak New York (private order item), $2,800 for 20 pounds
*Charbroiled Kobe Filet, Aragawa, Tokyo, $258 for 8-oz.
*Select Special Kobe Filet at the Kobe Renga-tei Steak Restaurant, Kobe, $246 for 160 grams (5.6-oz.)
*Australian Wagyu Striploin at the Al Muntaha restaurant, Burj Al Arab Hotel, Dubai, $169 for 300 gm
*Japanese Wagyu Rib Eye at Wolfgang Puck's CUT at the Beverly Wilshire, Beverly Hills , $160, eight-ounce filet
*"Wagyu no sumibiyaki" at Zuma, London, $132 (no size indicated)
*Sendai Sirloin at the Ekki Bar & Grill, Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi The Price: $129 for 150g
*Australian Wagyu Fillet Mignon at the Polo Club, Marriott Royal Aurora, Moscow, $101 for 12-oz.
*Smoked Salt American Kobe Rib Eye Cap Steak at BLT Prime, New York, $95 (no size indicated)

And in one final list (also via Slashfood), Maxim picks their list of Best Steakhouse in the US -- and how much do I love that Big Texan from Amarillo made it. (And that St. Elmo's did not.) Here's the list, in no particular order:

*Del Friscos, Orlando, FL
*Grill 23 Boston, MA - "beef comes from a small herd of purebred steer,"
*The Big Texan Steak Ranch, Amarillo, TX - "If you can eat a 72-ounce steak and all the trimmings in under an hour, it's free. In 46 years only 7,000 people have done it."
*Dickie Brennan's Steak House, New Orleans, LA
*Gene & Georgetti Chicago, IL
*Strip House New York, NY - "silhouettes of naked women adorn the napkins"
*The Forge Miami, FL - "known for nude oil paintings and a wine cellar with 380,000 bottles,"
*Bern's Steak House, Tampa, FL
*Peter Luger Brooklyn, NY
*Donovan's Steak & Chop House La Jolla, CA

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