Haha XM! The BIL was in charge of the lobster and he cooked ‘em up in a pot. Steaks were in a cast iron skillet on the grill.
Wagyu strip in Vegas after I won a poker tournament. In a nearly empty restaurant and happily spent $300 pampering myself.
I doubt I will ever have a better steak.The texture and just pure beef flavor are nearly indescribable.
Chicago Chop House, mid to late 90s. On Ontario between Clark and LaSalle.
Boom. Just typed the same thing.
Capital Grill in Orlando.
Shula’s in Troy
Norway. I got pulled out of cold weather training to help build a live fire house out of tires in a little village with a Naval station on a fjord. The CO thought I deserved a night off so we went into the city and had a whale and seal steak dinner with beers. The chef gave me a T-shirt that said, “Save the whales. For dinner”.
Applebee’s
Grew up about half a mile from Boone’s Long Lake Inn here in TC. I’ve eaten hundreds of NY Strips there. Never had a bad one. Morton’s in Schaumburg, IL and Ruth’s Chris in GR are right up there for me. Mode’s Bum Steer here in town is solid also.
Modes is classic!
Boones! damn I'd forgotten all about that place. Are they still around? I was there maybe 20 or 25 years ago with the bitch that is my 1st ex, no wonder i forgot about it.
December 30th, 2020 at 8:58 PM ^
Yes Boones is still rocking and still making great steak and seafood.
Manny's, downtown Minneapolis. Phenomenal ribeye.
Italy. A small family ristorante between Imola and Florence serving tagliata style fillet. Amazing.
Brazil. A truck stop serving churrascaria style steaks near Curitiba. Wow.
Wisconsin. WISH restaurant in Schofield. 6 oz. fillet is top notch.
M Go Blue !
Schofield? A man of fine taste! I lived five minutes away in Wausau. If you were ever there, there was a place called Hereford and Hops which was undoubtably my favorite restaurant as a kid, and the first place I ever had any steak that could be considered more high-end than Applebee’s. I think it closed a few years back, but there is one still in Escanaba.
I was all set to say that I lived in Argentina for four years and had so many amazing steaks while there that I cannot possibly choose a winner. Then your comment reminded me that I had an experience in Tuscany that was unparalleled at Officina Della Bistecca: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g635878-d1495001-Reviews-Officina_Della_Bistecca-Panzano_in_Chianti_Greve_in_Chianti_Tuscany.html
Four courses of steak, each one better than the last. We couldn't sleep from the severe meat sweats. Totally worth it.
The Argentines are definitely snotty...but when it comes to meat they can’t be beat
In 1996, I had to go to Sao Paulo, Brazil on business. It was an interesting trip. The last night, the happy customer took us to a real, authentic Brazilian steakhouse. I never knew these places existed before then. The beef was unbelievably good. Totally OD’d on beef that night. Spoiled me forever, because I’ve been to some really good Brazilian steakhouses since, but they just aren’t as good.
I'm thinking Chicago Chop House...~2010. Weekend trip with the gf within a year of dating. 2x beef tenderloins, crab legs, potatoes au gratin, wine (the 2nd cheapest bottle, you know, so the staff doesn't think you're a noob cheap-skate except they know exactly what's going on).
Pensacola, FL. Went from enlisted chow to Officer's chow. They had noodles a'la day in the regular mess. Officer's chow had a sirloin that was better than anything I've had in AA and the metro area surrounding it.
Midnight dinners at Don Julio in Buenos Aires (Palermo).
Oh man. I lived not so far from there (other side of Parque Las Heras), but never made it to this one. The local joint we liked best was La Josefina near the Museo de Evita. Reason to go back!
Stetson's in the Hyatt Regency Chicago. My wife and I got a great weekend deal that included dinner for our honeymoon, which maybe influences my memory a bit. It was over 30 years ago, but I do remember it being the best service ever. The waitstaff were phenomenal. Literally out of sight but they anticipated our every need.
Manny’s in Minneapolis last year on the 4th of July for dinner. Started with their bacon which is truly a culinary masterpiece itself. The S.O. got her typical fillet mignon while I got a porterhouse. Best damn steak I’ve had in years. Went up to the Prohibition Bar on the top floor (Same building as Manny’s) for drinks before and after the meal - awesome throwback bar. The combined experience was great.
The days before our trip was a tossup between Manny’s and Murray’s and had I planned better, I woulda hit them both up that weekend.
My 2nd favorite - Elway’s in Denver (cheaper, but still great) or Butcher & Singer in Philadelphia (small portions, though).
Bone-in filet at old Homestead in New York, with a pretty good bottle of wine.
As they walk toward you with it, the steak looks like a heavily damaged Millennium Falcon on a plate, flying right to you. Then you eat it and it's the exact opposite of the Falcon, it goes down so easy.
We buy and cook good steak at home, but I can't top Homestead.
Milligan's in La Jolla, Ca.
45 oz Porterhouse
Of course, I maybe bias since it overlooked Bird Rock and I also met Dr Seuss that night.
So probably the Wagyu objectively.
Masseria in DC was the first time I had Kobe beef. Highly recommend that experience for everyone at least once.
Heh. Masseria is still on our "list" of places to go in DC.
Filet at Manny's in Minneapolis. IMO it's a cut above national chains like Morton's, Ruth Chris, Capital Grille, all of which are good.
Tie between Morton's - Chicago and Angus Barn in Raleigh, NC.
Honorable mention -- Sign of the Beefcarver. Just kidding but that place is near and dear to my heart. My family frequented that place when I was a kid.
Dry aged porterhouse Fiorentino style at Carnevino in Vegas. It was my first dry aged and I love the funk.
About 10 years ago a friend of mine was moving back to Brazil after living in the states for years. We threw him a party and he made steak Brazilian style. Still the best steak I've ever had and will probably never be duplicated without going down there to visit.
1A in 2004 - 8oz filet, Paris steakhouse (I think that was the name) at Paris casino in vegas.
I was a tag along with my buddy who was there for an insurance conference. You'd never know it, but several former pro athletes get into the insurance game upon retirement. My buddy had dinner with Dick Butkus and they chatted all night long. There were a few sr. pga players at his table as well.
Since I was just there for the ride, I sat at a table with Matt Butkus and the wives of these big shots. These ladies were awesome to have dinner with and accepted me into their little social group immediately as I had let them know I was a newlywed of just a couple months. This made their eyes sparkle as they wandered back to their own newlywed memories. It was a great night and the steak was so damn good my buddy and I went back again the next night on our own dime.
1B in 2000 - 38oz porterhouse at Dierdorf and Hart's in St. Louis. I happened to wander by on an evening stroll from my hotel and the aroma pulled me in like a scene from an old Bugs Bunny cartoon. The steak alone was $75-$80 in Y2K. Thank goodness the company was footing the bill on that dinner. It was the best porterhouse I've ever had that I didn't prepare myself.
Pacific Dining Car, downtown LA
It was an Italian restaurant in Vegas that is no longer there. I forget the name of the place but will never forget the steak.
Also very good was David Burke's Primehouse in Chicago, also no longer there.
In the Seattle area, my favorite is Metropolitan Grill, followed by Daniel's Broiler, El Gaucho, Ascend, and John Howie, in that order.
1981, Hamilton, Ontario. Went to visit a young lady for a four-day weekend. The second night she went all-out making dinner: steak, red wine, candlelight, soft music, with the chef in a black cocktail dress and a string of pearls.
Have no idea what kind of beef it was, how she prepared it, or any of the details. All I know is that the evening was wonderful, and the steak was delicious - once we finally got to it.
Forks in Chicago. Mouthwatering good. Most expensive steak I’ve had as well.
Camping, cooked the steak over an open fire. It was amazing, seasoned with some Harry&Izzy's steak seasoning.
Besides my own, Harry and Izzy's in Indianapolis. They share the same kitchen as St Elmo's. Also Black Angus in Terre Haute, IN has an excellent filet
Nick and Sam's in Dallas. The London Chop House in Detroit.
London Chop House in Detroit came to mind for me in terms of the steak itself.
The Modern @ the MOMA NYC.
Parmesan/truffle crusted filet.
Fogo de Chao in Miami for variety and H2 in Ft Worth. Hereford House in KC. Prime Quarter in janesville Wi cause I can grill my own.
I had the chopped steak at Ponderosa, AND it came with an all-you-can-eat salad bar!! Top that, bitches!!!!
I was in Houston for a month years ago and tried various steakhouses there. My favorite was a place I think was called Taste Of Texas. It was off a freeway in the northwest corner of Houston. They have the meat displayed behind a counter. You tell them which cut and how many ounces you’d like. I ordered 36 oz of ribeye that looked delicious. It was. I devoured it. And I thought this must be one of the larger steaks ordered here. On my way out, I saw a plaque of “largest steaks eaten here.” Top was 150 oz. 10th was 108 oz. 9 of the top ten had a disclaimer: “University of Houston lineman.”
Tie for me.
Ruth’s Chris in Chicago (Gold Coast)
On the cast iron skillet at home. Steaks purchased at Cleveland West Side Market.
I'm not one to order steaks at restaurants too often, I find them way overpriced and I can't overcome that... lol But, when the boss pays that's a different story.
Hands down, best steak I've had was at Halls Chophouse in Charleston, SC. It's on King Street just north of Marion Square.
My house. Almost never order steaks at a restaurant because that's a meal I can nail myself for a fraction of the price for all the reasons others have listed above.
In a restaurant? Probably Boone's Long Lake Inn in Traverse City. The quality and portions there never disappoint.
this is where I am now with my sous vide dialed in
Ruths Chris in Novi, not even a close second place