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KEENSSTEAKHOUSE
(NewYorkCity):Opened in1885, it’sbeen
a haunt of Babe Ruth, Albert Einstein, Gen. MacArthur, and
TeddyRoosevelt—andoneof the few restaurants that stillget
to hand-select whole sides of beef at the market for
in-housedry aging.
CUT
(Las Vegas): In a citymad for steak, CUTwinswith a huge
variety of grass- and corn-fed aged and un-aged steaks, in-
cludingsomeof themost reliabledomesticWagyu.Alsooffers
a huge array of unique appetizers and sides. Additional loca-
tions inBeverlyHills, London, andSingapore.
BOURBON STEAK
(Washington, D.C.):MichaelMina’s eateryhas
taken the capital by stormwith its winning combo of world-
class steak, appetizers, and sidedishes.
THE OAK DOOR
(Tokyo): Many consider Japanese beef the
world’s finest, and this traveler-friendly eatery in the Grand
Hyatt Tokyo offers all the nation’s best, including Kobe and
Hokkaidobeef; Matsuzaka tenderloin; U.S. rib eye; and a se-
lectionof Australianbeef.
SAVOYGRILLBYGORDONRAMSAY
(London):When thisvenerable
hotel received a $100 million-plus facelift, so did its classic
English Chophouse, now reinvigoratedwith first-rate service,
the highest quality British rare-breed natural beef, and excel-
lent traditional sides.
DAVIDBURKE’SPRIMEHOUSE
(Chicago): “Davidbuiltonewallofhis
dry-aging roomoutof slabsofpinkHimalayansaltand ithas this
incredibleeffectofalmostbrining themeat,which is infusedwith
flavor,”sayschefMingTsai. “I hadasteak from roomserviceand
itwas oneof thebest three—maybebest two— steaks I ever
tasted. From roomservice! It’ssodelicious I can’tbelieve it.”
RED, THE STEAKHOUSE
(Miami; Cleveland; and Boca Raton,
Florida): Cleveland has been in the habit, lately, of sending
some of its stars toMiami, and Red, the Steakhouse is no ex-
ception. The ribeye is standout and the serviceexceptional.
FERVOR
(Buenos Aires): This steak spot in upscale Recoleta
marries the traditional menu of Argentinean grass-fedmeats
andwood-fired parilla grill with dry aging, relatively unheard
of here.
DEL FRISCO’S DOUBLE EAGLE
(Dallas, other locations): Theorigi-
nal Dallas restaurant spawned one of themost popular high-
end steak house chains on earth, and now offers equally
exquisite cuts in the less-formal Del Frisco’sGrille.
don’t justget iceberg lettuceanda tomato,”saysPuck. “It’s
more inventive in termsofappetizers, vegetables, anddes-
serts.Youalsogetdifferentcuts, andmorepeopleareen-
joyingdry-agedbeefnow. I rememberwhenhangersteak,
flat iron, and tri-tipdidnotexistat restaurants.Yearsago,
nooneservedshort ribs.Now they’reoneverymenu.”
While steakhousesareall the rage, theyarehardly
all the same. Instead, they come inall sortsof shapes,
sizes, and styles, fromultramodern to stoicallyold
school, trulyoffering something for everyone—even for
seafoodandpoultry lovers.At oneof thenation’soldest,
most traditional, andmost revered steakhouses,Keens
inNewYork, the specially sourceddry-aged steak isnot
even the star entree, anhonor that goes to the restau-
rant’s famousmutton chops.
Andsteakhouseshaveanotherdistinctadvantage:
Theycansurviveeven inaweakeconomy.Whenpeople
eatout less, theywant theirmeals tobespecial, and to
manypeople“special”meansagreat steak. SaysMing
Tsai, theJamesBeardFoundationAward-winningchef/
ownerofBlueGingeroutsideBostonandhostof
Simply
Ming
onpublic television, “Inmost societies, havinga
bone-in ribeyeorbigpieceof beefwithabig redwine is
real status.Everyone’s talkinghealth, butwe’restill
poundingdownsteak like it’sgoingoutof style.”
Hereare someof theworld’sworth-a-trip templesof steak.
CutsAbovetheRest
FAll 2012
celebratedliving.com
48
FOOD
All Sizzle, Plenty of Steak
David Burke’s Primehouse filet
Savoy Grill’s chef’s table
Well-SeasonedTravelers:
Fortunately for roadwarriors, theseother high-end steak res-
taurants can be found inmany major cities around the U.S.,
ensuring thatone isnever too far fromagreat steakdinner:
BOB’SSTEAK&CHOPHOUSE
, bobs-steakandchop.com
THE CAPITAL GRILLE
, thecapitalgrille.com
SMITH&WOLLENSKY’S
, smithandwollensky.com
III FORKS
, iiiforks.com
