Where Are The Best Steakhouses In The World?
 

The FlyerTalk members who contributed to the Argentine Beef versus American Beef thread posted some valuable and informative information.

However, where are the best steakhouses in the world, especially in the United States, Japan, Argentina and Canada?

One vote from me would be the original Shula’s Steak House in Miami Lakes, Florida. I have yet to find a filet mignon that could top the one served at Shula’s.

For an excellent Chateaubriand for two, I recommend the Metropolitan Grill in Seattle, Washington. They slice it and finish the preparation at tableside. The sauce (comprised of dry mustard, wine, peppercorns and a few other ingredients) further enhances the flavor of the beef.

Perhaps I have had a spate of bad luck, but I could not find decent beef in the restaurants of Australia, France or New Zealand.

Please recommend the best steakhouse (or restaurant that serves excellent beef) at which you have ever eaten here.

Canarsie
Great question. Having discovered the beef at Lobel's in NYC, http://lobels.com/index_lobels.htm, I have yet to find any steak in any restaurant which is comparable to the steaks I prepare at home. I do not recommend the Wagyu beef as it is too lean. Lobel's dry-aged prime beef is the finest I have ever eaten.

For Argentina, I would nominate Cabana las Lilas. From the steak on your plate, they manage the supply chain all the way back to the cattle breeding -- all the beef comes from their own ranch. Probably the best steaks in the world. Haven't had one since 2000, and I still think about them.

In NYC, I like Peter Luger (porterhouse for 2 tastes almost like argentina), and Sparks (better service, more comfortabel than Pater Luger)

That is interesting. I have been to Peter Luger Steak House in Brooklyn and, while I found the beef to be very tasty, I would not rank it as the best beef I have ever had. They also do not accept any credit cards (except for the Peter Luger card), so if you plan to go there for the first time, bring plenty of cash. They also have a very limited menu.

Avoid Gallagher’s Steak House in New York City at all costs. The beef was tough and tasted of a poorer quality (I have had beef from the local supermarket that was of better quality), the ambiance was noisy and uncomfortable, the service was awful and the food was expensive. The overall experience was so bad that it became one of very few restaurants of which I have patronized where I have left no gratuity.

I ate at Cabana Las Lilas in Sept 2003 and found the place to be highly over-rated.
The sweetbreads and salads were very good but the rump steak was tough and had little taste and my wife's t-bone must have been from a well travelled steer.
They did not have the wine I selected from the list and then tried to convince me the one they brought was my selection
Added to that the meal was spoilt by the waiters incessantly bumping into my chair as they attempted to serve the next table( because of the proximity of table) one or two times I could understand, but six? and with no appologies. I think there are much better steak places in BA and certainly at more reasonable prices. I dined at a number of Puerto Madero places and I can think of at least three I would return to over Cabana Las Lilas.
mike



[This message has been edited by MIKESILV (edited Jan 30, 2004).]

Wow -- that experience at Cabana las Lilas seems unusual. I didn't say it in my earlier post, but I think another reason Cabana is a favorite of so many people is that the service is so good -- maybe Bice in puerto madero comes close.

My knowledge is a few years out of date, but when I was down there, we ate out all the time. Among the other steak places in Puerto Madero, El Mirasol came close, la Caballeriza was just OK. Across the street, Las Nazarenas had very good steaks, but the atmosphere/decor was dated.

A lot of places have gone downhill or closed in BA given their recent troubles (los Anos Locos was another great steakhouse in the Costanera Norte), but I've kept hearing that Cabana las Lilas is still going strong

Surprising though it is, I think SEA has a pretty high concentration of good steak. The Met, The Brooklyn, El Gaucho, Daniel's, plus the chains like Ruth's Cris and Morton's are all good. Fleming's recently closed, and for the money that was my #1 favorite place for business dinners. Then there is Buenos Aires Grill, which IMO is just fabulous (and a favorite FT dinner location). Now that the regulations have changed, they are using Argentinian beef and it is just amazing.

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-alan in sitges, home of the new, improved Si-Re-Do

While there are soo many Parillas (sp?) in Buenos Aires and Cap.Fed. area that serve excellent steaks, one need not go far from their own neighborhod to get good beef.

Here are a few not mentioned by others, which are as good if not better.

Parilla 1880 in San Telmo.
La Cabarazilla (sp?) in Recolleta on crossing of Junin & ??

El Globo on Av. Mayo and Av. 9 Julio.

La Bisteca in Puerto Madero

El Estabalo (sp?) in Centro or is it microcentro.

http://images5.fotki.com/v56/photos/...omadero-vi.jpg


[This message has been edited by akhullar (edited Jan 31, 2004).]

I was not happy with Cabana las Lilas. The place is quite nice, but my steak was nothing special. I may try it again and post it ..

Link to "STEAKS IN BA..."
http://www.sallys-place.com/travel/s...enos_aires.htm

Places I'd eat again:

In Buenos Aires I liked Estillo Campo. It's a chain, with one right down from Cabana Las Lilas in Puerto Madero. But a good introduction to beef in Argentina nonetheless.

In Montevideo one must go to the Puerto Viejo. Absolutely fantastic grouping of parillas. Best steak and overall food I had on my entire trip. I made three trips here for lunch, it was uniformly excellent.

Any Aberdeen Steak House in the UK. http://www.flyertalk.com/dining/ftdining_forum/wink.gif Either that, or the BBQ in my backyard, with some Bon Ton Alberta Beef!

If you're eating on the most famous of islands, Manhattan, there's only one place to eat steak.
S P A R K S.

Enough said. As a matter of fact, I'll be enjoying a steak at this restautant within the next 30 days. http://www.flyertalk.com/dining/ftdi...orum/smile.gif

My favorite steakhouses were the old Hereford House and Jess & Jim's in Kansas City. Sadly, both of those have gone downhill in a big way over the past 20 years.

Blasphemous as it is, I now rate several non-Kansas City steakhouses ahead of the old greats. Bern's in Tampa was all-around awesome (amazing wine list) and Keefer's in Chicago (a newcomer) does a bone-in ribeye as well as anyone.

I dined at the original Hereford House in Kansas City (before there were other locations, as it has now) about 10 years ago.

Despite favorable reviews, I found nothing special about it.

[This message has been edited by Canarsie (edited Mar 24, 2004).]

Another vote for Sparks in NYC
 

I'll throw in another vote for Spark'undefineds Steak House in NYC.

There's something about the way the great piece of beef is cooked perfectly on the inside (medium rare for me) yet seared to a thin crust ion the outside. It's a melts-in-your-mouth experience. The people watching is first rate too.