How to Find the Best Steakhouse in Your Town

Steak is one of the most popular dishes at many restaurants, yet very few chefs really excel at preparing and cooking the perfect cut of meat.  Finding a really good steakhouse is usually hit or miss – and when chefs miss, they usually miss big-time.  When you are looking for an excellent steakhouse in your hometown or while on vacation, how do you know what to look for?  Online reviews can be helpful, but how do you know which were written by food connoisseurs and which were written by someone whose main steak experiences have been at low end diners?  Here are some tips for finding a great steakhouse, no matter where you live.

The main thing to consider when considering any restaurant that serves steak is the meat itself.  A great steakhouse will offer only prime cuts of meat from the best cattle farms in the area.  Most great steakhouse choices will even put the meat out in a display case so that you can choose the cut that looks best to you.  Price can be another factor, but keep in mind that high prices don’t always mean the best quality.  The reverse is usually true, however, and a $5.00 steak is unlikely to be made from the freshest and most tender meat available. 

When you look at the menu, look for a wide selection of cuts. If the steakhouse truly knows its steak, they’ll offer a wide selection of steak cuts such as fillet mignon, rib-eye steak and even rib tips.  Be wary of any steakhouse whose only two listed cuts of steak are rump roast and pot roast – these are the cheapest, toughest cuts of meat, and pot-roast (besides being highly fatty) has to be boiled to death for 3-5 hours before it become chewable.

Preparation is another key to a great steak, and you should find a restaurant that can cook yours just the way you want it.  What good is a great steakhouse if they cannot manage to master medium-rare?  While many people will tell you to avoid chain restaurants, there are a number of chains with branches that really do excel at preparing the perfect steak.  Look for online reviews of all your local steakhouses, and go with those recommended by name-brand magazines and food-award committees.  If you keep these tips in mind, you can find the best steakhouse anywhere you go.