This reminds me that our first visit to Berns was on the order of 20 years ago, so the menu was ONLY 6 years old (or so). We were probably more into the wine list than the steak at the time (also the desert room of course). I never had a bad meal there, but sadly we haven't been back in 10 years or so. When I retire and move back to Florida in a year or two, I'll have to try it again and compare it with all of the other Florida suggestions.

Speaking of Anchorage, can you still get a good steak at Club Paris on Fifth Avenue (I think)?

The last time I was through ANC, I did stop in at Club Paris. The steak was okay, but then again I wasn't feeling the best so tough to give a fair assesment.

I walked through the new Westin at 43nd Street and 8th Avenue In New York this morning. How is the hotel's Don Shula's? I noticed on the menu that the steaks were as pricey as Morton's.

I love a nice lean filet mignon cooked medium... Here are my top favorite places where I've had a delicious filet in order of preference:

1. Nola (New Orleans)
2. Mitchell's (Columbus, OH)
3. Delmonico's (Vegas)
4. Flemings (Austin)
5. Tchoup Chop (Orlando)
6. Sullivan's (Austin, Denver)
7. Morton's (San Antonio)
8. Taste of Texas (Houston)
9. Ruth Chris (San Antono)

I find that Shula's is grotesquely overpriced and overrated. The only one I ever went to, though, was in Baltimore at the Wyndham there.

I find that the original Shula�s in Miami Lakes, Florida is the best of what is now a chain.

The last time I was there, however, Shula�s only had three locations, all in Florida.

Has anyone tried the Capital Grille in New York's Chrysler Building yet?

Fortunately, in my neighborhood (Brentwood area of So. California) are several good places to grab a great steak. One standout is: Toscana. They take a big, thick t-bone, throw it on the grill to sear it and then into a wood-burning oven. Steak is then removed from oven, sliced and served with sauteed spinach and roasted potatoes. I guess I know where I'm going for dinner tonight and what I'll be ordering

The La Cucina restaurant opposite from the Grand Hyatt in Seoul is an excellent refuge for someone missing Western style steak in Korea. They have a tasty 4-course set lunch with steak & sides as entree. There is a nice view of central Seoul below and it's nearly always packed with Korean and foreign businessmen, media and fashion people.

Best steak in Asia so far has been in a traditional (and well known) Korean "Kobe"-style beef restaurant in rural Damyang in the SW. They serve Korean steak tartare as starters and then Bulgogi type grill-your-own prime cuts as the main dish. According to Korean custom the meat is wrapped in sesame and salad leaves together with garlic gloves, chilies and some soybean paste. The taste is nothing short of Kobe beef and prices are equally steep. But after having the steak meal, some soju and looking at the mountains outside there will be no regrets.

How is the New York Bar & Grill in the PH Tokyo for steak? Have never tried it there.

Mrs. 0524 and I paid our first visit to the new Capital Grille on East 42nd St. in New York. It's another also-ran to Del Frisco's: nice decor, over-eager service and routine chow.

My current rankings:

1. Del Frisco's, New York
2. Craft, MGM Las Vegtas
3. River Palm, Mahwah, NJ
4. Smith & Wollensky's, New York
5. Capital Grille, New York
6. Ruth's Cris, Parsippany
7. Morton's, Hackensack, NJ

Pacman-

Have you been to Austin Land and Cattle Company at Lamar and 12th? (NOT the same as Texas Land and Cattle Co!) This is one of our favorites. We go there quite a bit and have never been disapointed over the years.

Also, a great deal of the Wagyu found here comes from Harrell Ranch, here in Austin, a small, family-run ranch that does an amazing job. We have met the husband and wife (she is Japanese). They have an interesting tale to tell on how they managed to get Kobe cattle from Japan to the US! It's illegal to export the animals out of Japan.

The Harrells have a shop here in town where their beef is cut as it's bought. It's possible to buy 1/2 or 1/4 of a cow there, as well as large combination packs at significant savings. The store is called, appropriately, The Meat Shop. It's one of our hidden gems here. It's also possible to buy online at their web site.

We buy their beef nearly exclusively these days and are satisfied that it's some of the best beef available in the US. There's a fantastic article here that tells more about the ranch.

The Ruth Chris near the Regan National airport is very good and a nice view too.

The best steak I have ever had was in a little "joint" called the 640 Club in Elisabeth New Jersey. It was in a not-so-nice part of town but they served aged beef cut from their own aging room in the basement.
That was 30 years ago! But the memory lingers. hmmmmm.

The best steak I've ever had was at Omaha Prime in Omaha - nothing has been able to beat it.

I'd have to go, in general, with The Palm, but only certain locations. Dallas, DC (downtown, not Tysons) and Denver. Of the three, DC is certainly the best of the bunch, owing to the extremely long tenure of the manager, who is probably more powerful in Washington than some Democrats these days. The Chicago Palm at the Swissotel isn't bad, either, but there's so much good food in Chicago that it's hard to say anything is really all that bad.

I've tried a lot of the Texas steakhouses in Dallas--III Forks, etc.--but the quality is lacking in the beef, IMHO. Plus, there's Papacito's there and it's hard to get anything but a tortilla chip and salsa in/on my hand in Dallas.

I've done a lot of the Ruth's Chris, the Morton's, etc.... but all of the chains have quality control problems at this point due to scale. Then again, it's the little differences that make these chains good--the blackened ribeye at The Palm in Denver is unique for some reason.

Timothy