Picture of Last Items You Bought (NO WEAPONS)

[johanness]

Proper tipping is not 'double the tax'. Go look it up and pay properly for your servers u cheap asses

[Litos]

15% - 20%: http://www.businessinsider.com/this-...service-2012-8

20%: http://www.marketplace.org/topics/yo...hat-do-you-tip

15% - 20%: http://www.itipping.com/tip-guide-restaurant.htm


my bill was $164 for just food/drinks - with a 15% tip, I was well within reason.

guy could potentially make $30/hr waiting tables at Vic and Anthony's.....

[TrevorM3]

hhhmmm, i'm not a premier steak guru, but i've definitely had some of the best this city has to offer - never heard of Capital Grille before.

just looked it up - holy crap it looks good !!!!

p.s.
if i'm going to a steakhouse of this magnitute, i CAN ONLY get the filet HAHA !!!

can't go to a top steakhouse like these and get something "normal".




oh absolutely, all my dad and i get there is mashed potatoes and steak.
Hope you get a chance to try it. Will be well worth it.


I quoted you lito, dont know why that shit didn't work. lol

[NemesisX]

Chain steakhouses usually offer "good" food. Not great, but good. Honestly I think on a quality/price scale chain steakhouses usually fall on the lower end when compared to non-chain fine dining establishments.

Obviously this is just a rule of thumb and not a blanket assertion that all chains are mediocre.

And, chain steakhouse mediocrity is usually proportional to the number of restaurants managed. Vic and Anthony's, for example, is very good IMO. Like Litos mentioned there are only 4 in the nation.

But saltgrass steakhouse is really, really mediocre. There are like 20 of them in Houston alone.

As a general rule of thumb if you go to a chain steakhouse, just do a quick check to see the number of restaurants operated. The higher the number, the greater the chance that you're in for a mediocre experience. Just my two cents.

Some notorious chain steakhouses where appearances may belie the quality of the meal are places like Sullivan's or Fleming's or Ruth's Chris. Don't get me wrong, these are all good restaurants but you can probably spend comparable money on a local fine dining restaurant for superior food.

A truly phenomenal steak can be had at place like (for example) Tom Collichio's craftsteak in Las Vegas. He has a ~$250 6-8 oz Kobe filet on the menu that is just phenomenal.

Craftsteak is technically a chain, but like Vic and Anthony's I think there are only 2 or 3 of them in the U.S.

[Mr Tonka]

There is no great secret to grilling a good steak. Get a good dry rub, coat all of the meat, let sit for 1 hour at room temp, grill to perfection. Even if you just slap some naked meat on the grill; for the most part, as long as you don't over cook the steak, it will be good.

I've eaten filets all over the country and i'll put my grilled filet up against any of them. Ever friend that has had one proclaimed it the best steak they have ever had. One of them actually said he would request one if he had a choice of last meal.

I suppose if there is any trick it would be to to use a charcoal or wood burning grill and get it HOT. I get mine super hot and slap the steaks on and close the cover. About 90 sec before flipping i open the lid to build the heat up again. Flip and repeat. It's really not difficult.

I still buy $40, $50 filets while eating out, but rarely are they anything special. Typically very good, but when i can make 4 of my own that are just as good for the same price as 1, it's hard to get excited about them.

[NemesisX]

Originally Posted by Mr Tonka

There is no great secret to grilling a good steak. Get a good dry rub, coat all of the meat, let sit for 1 hour at room temp, grill to perfection. Even if you just slap some naked meat on the grill; for the most part, as long as you don't over cook the steak, it will be good.

I've eaten filets all over the country and i'll put my grilled filet up against any of them. Ever friend that has had one proclaimed it the best steak they have ever had. One of them actually said he would request one if he had a choice of last meal.

I suppose if there is any trick it would be to to use a charcoal or wood burning grill and get it HOT. I get mine super hot and slap the steaks on and close the cover. About 90 sec before flipping i open the lid to build the heat up again. Flip and repeat. It's really not difficult.

I still buy $40, $50 filets while eating out, but rarely are they anything special. Typically very good, but when i can make 4 of my own that are just as good for the same price as 1, it's hard to get excited about them.

There's one technique that I've seen repeatedly used in various cooking shows (like Top Chef or Hell's kitchen) that I want to try -

I'll see a chef start by searing a steak in copious amounts of butter (and possibly herbs, spices). The steak is literally sitting in a pool of butter.

Next, what I'll see them do is they'll use a spoon and continuously spoon that hot butter onto the steak while it's searing.

Repeat the same process for the other side of the steak.

Then, they'll take the entire pan and "finish" the steak in the oven (I don't know what temperature).

From what I understand, this is a common technique used in many fine dining restaurants and it leads to perfectly cooked, succulent steaks.

My only issue with grilling is that all too often the steak ends up somewhat dry. I think this technique of constantly spooning butter onto the steak might help keep it moist (in addition adding flavor because, let's be honest, butter and fat make anything taste better).

This is also perhaps one reason why I tend not to be as impressed with chain steakhouses as I am with non-chain steakhouses, because chain steakhouses tend to exclusively grill for the purposes of cooking their steaks whereas non-chain restaurants often employ the technique I described above.

I think one reason for this may be the fact that chain steakhouses often see high volume, and for a high volume restaurant you need to have a couple of guys grilling many steaks simultaneously to keep up with demand. They may not have the luxury to use the aforementioned technique.

Non-chain fine dining restaurants that offer steaks tend to be lower volume, and maybe that allows them to use this "special" searing method.

I've also seen some non-chain fine dining steakhouses cook steaks sous vide. Sous vide steaks are an acquired taste, IMO, but I really enjoy them. Sous vide filets have the consistency of butter. They're essentially vacuum packed and cooked slowly in their own juices in a temperature-controlled water bath.

Because I enjoy sous vide steaks, and because machines for cooking steaks sous vide tend to be rather expensive (and therefore not really feasible to have in the house) I think it can be worth paying the "restaurant premium" for a well cookied, sous vide steak.

I also don't mind paying that kind of premium for a steak if it's cooked with the method I described above. But, if a restaurant is simply grilling a steak I'm inclined to agree with you. You can make a comparable product for a fraction of the price by grilling at home.

[MisterSkiMask]

Originally Posted by NemesisX

There's one technique that I've seen repeatedly used in various cooking shows (like Top Chef or Hell's kitchen) that I want to try -

I'll see a chef start by searing a steak in copious amounts of butter (and possibly herbs, spices). The steak is literally sitting in a pool of butter.

Next, what I'll see them do is they'll use a spoon and continuously spoon that hot butter onto the steak while it's searing.

Repeat the same process for the other side of the steak.

Then, they'll take the entire pan and "finish" the steak in the oven (I don't know what temperature).

From what I understand, this is a common technique used in many fine dining restaurants and it leads to perfectly cooked, succulent steaks.

My only issue with grilling is that all too often the steak ends up somewhat dry. I think this technique of constantly spooning butter onto the steak might help keep it moist (in addition adding flavor because, let's be honest, butter and fat make anything taste better).

This is also perhaps one reason why I tend not to be as impressed with chain steakhouses as I am with non-chain steakhouses, because chain steakhouses tend to exclusively grill for the purposes of cooking their steaks whereas non-chain restaurants often employ the technique I described above.

I think one reason for this may be the fact that chain steakhouses often see high volume, and for a high volume restaurant you need to have a couple of guys grilling many steaks simultaneously to keep up with demand. They may not have the luxury to use the aforementioned technique.

Non-chain fine dining restaurants that offer steaks tend to be lower volume, and maybe that allows them to use this "special" searing method.

I've also seen some non-chain fine dining steakhouses cook steaks sous vide. Sous vide steaks are an acquired taste, IMO, but I really enjoy them. Sous vide filets have the consistency of butter. They're essentially vacuum packed and cooked slowly in their own juices in a temperature-controlled water bath.

Because I enjoy sous vide steaks, and because machines for cooking steaks sous vide tend to be rather expensive (and therefore not really feasible to have in the house) I think it can be worth paying the "restaurant premium" for a well cookied, sous vide steak.

I also don't mind paying that kind of premium for a steak if it's cooked with the method I described above. But, if a restaurant is simply grilling a steak I'm inclined to agree with you. You can make a comparable product for a fraction of the price by grilling at home.

I very rarely order a steak in a restaurant, I can do better at home.

Method depends on the meat. If it's fillet you prefer then the butter hot tub is a good way to go. Fillet is very lean and is not a fan of the grill.

I like a good ribeye on the grill. Here is what you do. Let the meat rest and get up to room temp. Rub it with oil. Salt and pepper, pretty heavy lots will fall off. Hot grill, rare to medium rare. Dice some onions and lightly brown them in butter. Once the onions are done add a bit more butter and garlic, remove from the heat, garlic will go bitter in you.

To serve, heat your plates, put down some of your buttery goodness, slice the meat thin, put some of your onions on top and get ready to live.

[Litos]

Originally Posted by NemesisX

Chain steakhouses usually offer "good" food. Not great, but good.

But saltgrass steakhouse is really, really mediocre. There are like 20 of them in Houston alone.

yeah, it's a good place to eat, nut far from "premier".

only reason I mentioned it is to let everyone know that Fertitta owns them also

Originally Posted by NemesisX

Ruth's Chris

got one in Houston too - it's stupid good !!!

[Seminole]

Originally Posted by Litos

got one in Houston too - it's stupid good !!!

I've eaten at Ruth's and Capital Grille and both were pretty comparable, both are also chains. I was in Houston a few weeks ago and we went to Papas Brothers Steakhouse for dinner and it was very very good (http://pappasbros.com/home/). Definitely better then what I've ever had at Ruth's/CG.

[NemesisX]

Originally Posted by MisterSkiMask

I very rarely order a steak in a restaurant, I can do better at home.

Method depends on the meat. If it's fillet you prefer then the butter hot tub is a good way to go. Fillet is very lean and is not a fan of the grill.

I like a good ribeye on the grill. Here is what you do. Let the meat rest and get up to room temp. Rub it with oil. Salt and pepper, pretty heavy lots will fall off. Hot grill, rare to medium rare. Dice some onions and lightly brown them in butter. Once the onions are done add a bit more butter and garlic, remove from the heat, garlic will go bitter in you.

To serve, heat your plates, put down some of your buttery goodness, slice the meat thin, put some of your onions on top and get ready to live.

Damn that sounds amazing.

[NemesisX]

Originally Posted by Seminole

I've eaten at Ruth's and Capital Grille and both were pretty comparable, both are also chains. I was in Houston a few weeks ago and we went to Papas Brothers Steakhouse for dinner and it was very very good (http://pappasbros.com/home/). Definitely better then what I've ever had at Ruth's/CG.

Aww dang looks like we don't have one in Austin. I'll definitely have to try this place if I ever take a trip to Dallas/Houston. Thanks for the heads up

Edit: Looks like it follows the "rule of thumb" as well. It's a "chain" but there are only 2 locations (one in Houston, one in Dallas) and so there's a very low chance that it suffers from the kind of "high volume mediocrity" that you might see with high number/high throughout chain steakhouses.

[NemesisX]

By the way for you Houston guys here's one high volume/high number chain restaurant that breaks the rule of thumb (IMO). I recommend trying it at least once -

It's a place called "Houston's" Do not get the filet or the steaks or anything. All of these are quite mediocre in my opinion. Go here and get the barbecue pork ribs. They brine these for 24 hours and it leads to amazing, fall off the bone baby back pork ribs.

http://www.hillstone.com/#/restaurants/houstons/

Just click "Texas" and then "Houston." Looks like there's one located at 4848 Kirby Drive.

I should note that I've specifically had the pork ribs from the austin location (called Bartlett's) and so I'm assuming (hoping) the quality will be the same regardless of location.

I usually order the fries with my ribs but the coleslaw is quite good as well. And, the fries can be problematic because they taste amazing for about 5 minutes after they come out, but then they get tend to get stale pretty quickly.

Edit: Here's an actual picture of Houston's ribs to whet your appetite:

[Mr Tonka]

Originally Posted by NemesisX

There's one technique that I've seen repeatedly used in various cooking shows (like Top Chef or Hell's kitchen) that I want to try -

I'll see a chef start by searing a steak in copious amounts of butter (and possibly herbs, spices). The steak is literally sitting in a pool of butter.

Next, what I'll see them do is they'll use a spoon and continuously spoon that hot butter onto the steak while it's searing.

Repeat the same process for the other side of the steak.

Then, they'll take the entire pan and "finish" the steak in the oven (I don't know what temperature).

From what I understand, this is a common technique used in many fine dining restaurants and it leads to perfectly cooked, succulent steaks.

My only issue with grilling is that all too often the steak ends up somewhat dry. I think this technique of constantly spooning butter onto the steak might help keep it moist (in addition adding flavor because, let's be honest, butter and fat make anything taste better).

This is also perhaps one reason why I tend not to be as impressed with chain steakhouses as I am with non-chain steakhouses, because chain steakhouses tend to exclusively grill for the purposes of cooking their steaks whereas non-chain restaurants often employ the technique I described above.

I think one reason for this may be the fact that chain steakhouses often see high volume, and for a high volume restaurant you need to have a couple of guys grilling many steaks simultaneously to keep up with demand. They may not have the luxury to use the aforementioned technique.

Non-chain fine dining restaurants that offer steaks tend to be lower volume, and maybe that allows them to use this "special" searing method.

I've also seen some non-chain fine dining steakhouses cook steaks sous vide. Sous vide steaks are an acquired taste, IMO, but I really enjoy them. Sous vide filets have the consistency of butter. They're essentially vacuum packed and cooked slowly in their own juices in a temperature-controlled water bath.

Because I enjoy sous vide steaks, and because machines for cooking steaks sous vide tend to be rather expensive (and therefore not really feasible to have in the house) I think it can be worth paying the "restaurant premium" for a well cookied, sous vide steak.

I also don't mind paying that kind of premium for a steak if it's cooked with the method I described above. But, if a restaurant is simply grilling a steak I'm inclined to agree with you. You can make a comparable product for a fraction of the price by grilling at home.

When we bought our Wolf ovens and range the rep came over to show us some of their party pieces. She likes using a pan seared method and cook in the oven with a probe. As long as all the steaks are the same size, the probe will tell you the moment the middle of the steak reaches the desired temperature.

When using a very hot grill and covering immediately you're essentially searing that side of the steak. Which is why i open the grill about 90 sec before flipping the steak. The flame temps increase by a few hundred degrees while the lid is open. Then slowly decrease when the lid goes back on. Keeps all the juice in the steak. This is also why i use a dry rub. That dry rub gets seared into the meat as well. So when i put a properly cooked filet on your plate, it will be in it's own puddle of juice within 30 sec.

That's the way to eat a ribeye!!

[TrevorM3]

i turned this thread into food. LOL

I'm hungry as hell now.

[Kwando]

Picked up two 1:18 DTM 2012 winners

[Mr Tonka]

Originally Posted by Kwando

Picked up two 1:18 DTM 2012 winners

where did you get them?

[Kwando]

Originally Posted by Mr Tonka

where did you get them?

From the parts department at my dealer. The part number is 80432297688. The #1 car (Tomczyk) is also out and the number is 80432320097. These things usually don't last long and once they're gone they're difficult to get so I wouldn't wait around if you plan to get one.

[Steff]

It's actually really good.

[My335iTT]

Originally Posted by Mr Tonka

There is no great secret to grilling a good steak. Get a good dry rub, coat all of the meat, let sit for 1 hour at room temp, grill to perfection. Even if you just slap some naked meat on the grill; for the most part, as long as you don't over cook the steak, it will be good.

I've eaten filets all over the country and i'll put my grilled filet up against any of them. Ever friend that has had one proclaimed it the best steak they have ever had. One of them actually said he would request one if he had a choice of last meal.

I suppose if there is any trick it would be to to use a charcoal or wood burning grill and get it HOT. I get mine super hot and slap the steaks on and close the cover. About 90 sec before flipping i open the lid to build the heat up again. Flip and repeat. It's really not difficult.

I still buy $40, $50 filets while eating out, but rarely are they anything special. Typically very good, but when i can make 4 of my own that are just as good for the same price as 1, it's hard to get excited about them.

brb flying to FL so you can BBQ me some meat





More Natural Choice dog food for the beast On sale, gotta buy it

[Litos]

Originally Posted by TrevorM3

i turned this thread into food. LOL

I'm hungry as hell now.

no - i did.

i recurrected this thread with steaks

[My335iTT]

Great bulking lunch today lol

[Litos]

Originally Posted by NemesisX

By the way for you Houston guys here's one high volume/high number chain restaurant that breaks the rule of thumb (IMO). I recommend trying it at least once -

It's a place called "Houston's"

i've been to Houston's way back when it was on Westheimer.

now, in it's place, they have "J. Alexander".

both are really nice places if you're looking to casually go there about 10 times a year, but not exclusive like Vic and Anthony's or Morton's