How To Order Steak Like a Man

Steak.

Rare
Medium
TBone
Dry Aged (let’s not even get into the # of days!)
Bone In
Filet
Marbled
Sauces

Riddle me this. How the hizzy are we supposed to order these bad boys?!

Well I finally got to the bottom it. Thanks to the help of Sullivan’s – one of of the big boy steakhouses in Chicago – we can navigate the menu like grown men. Let’s do this shall we ladies?

1. Dry Aged: This is the process of tenderizing meat by breaking down the collagen and connective tissue. Dry aging results in water loss which concentrates the steak’s flavor. What’s left is a very tender piece of protein with amazing taste. You can order your steak by the number of days it was aged.
   1. Pros: It tenderizes and enhances the flavor significantly! The longer it’s aged, the more flavor and tenderness. It’s such a treat because you won’t find dry aged meat at your typical grocer.
   2. Cons: Now you’re probably thinking, why wouldn’t I order steak like this every time? And just go with the longest number of days right? Wrong! The catch is the weight loss. AKA less steak (but you still pay for the whole thing). Depending on the number of days, a steak can loose up to half it’s original volume. The longer it’s aged, the smaller the piece. Therefore you are paying more for less. Sure, go ahead and order that $60 steak, but it could be very tiny.
   3. Tip: NEVER dry age a filet. It’s already tender and considered the best piece of meat. Dry aged is best for steaks with fat and bone. Ask your waiter how big your cut will be if going with dry aged. That way you can be sure you won’t go hungry!
2. Control Yield In House Butcher: When looking for a quality steak house, select a restaurant with an “in house butcher”. Why? Because you’re guaranteed the best cuts. A third party butcher is enticed to get as many pieces out of one cow as possible. So they may skimp on the size, resulting in more pieces to sell. AKA more money for them, but less steak for us. With an in house butcher, steakhouses have nothing but their customers’ best interest. Sullivans has their own in house butcher!
   1. Tip: Just call ahead and ask if they have an in house butcher. Steak restaurants are expensive, so make it worth your while!
3. A Porter House vs. T-Bone: Guess what? They’re the same thing! Half Filet and half New York Strip – divided by a bone shaped like a “T”. The Porter House is considered the “Big Kahuna” as it’s the largest cut of all the T-Bone’s.  Sometimes I hear people claim they “hate” T-Bones” and then order a filet or New York strip. It’s the same thing ladies. So don’t make this rookie mistake.
   1. Pros: Two for one! You get two different types of steak! Yum.
   2. Cons: Given it’s one piece but different types, this puppy is extremely difficult to cook. You don’t prepare a New York Strip the same way as a Filet right? This guy needs to be handled with care and special equipment. Half needs to be heated one way, and half of it another way. If not cooked properly, you could be paying a premium for a badly prepared steak. Tricky, tricky.
   3. Tip: Ask your waiter how their T-Bone is prepared. If they are throwing this guy on a one temperatured surface, go with either the filet or New York Strip. You could end up with either an over cooked filet or an undercooked New York Strip. Some steakhouses have special grills where you can cook different parts of one steak at different temperatures (most likely higher end restuarants) resulting in the best of both worlds! This is totally worth the investment.
4. Bone & Fat: Bone and fat (marbling) equals more flavorful.
5. Sauces: ALWAYS order your sauces on the side. Sauces can enhance but can also ruin your dinner. So be sure to keep them separate so you can perform your own little taste test. Sullivan’s Aupon Spicey sauce is OUT OF THIS WORLD!

Fun fact: I have a steakhouse tradition. I love starting off with a martini. Great for menu browsing. Then I switch to red wine for the main course. Sullivan’s cocktail menu is as good as it gets.

And if you’ve never been to Sullivan’s, it’s got that old school, traditional feel and right in the heart of downtown Chicago. I highly, highly recommend. In addition to their steaks, be sure to order their seafood. Oysters, shrimp and stone crab claws – you can’t go wrong!

I cannot thank Sullivan’s enough for their top notch hospitality and service. Sean and I got to have a little date night while getting the full scoop on steak. Sean even learned a couple things! They comped our meal but this is 100% my true thoughts and opinion.

So tell me. Do you know how to order a steak? If I’ve missed a tip, please share below! I love learning new things, especially when it comes to food!