A few weeks ago I made a roast. I’m afraid I over-researched the roast and found myself Googling, “premium dry-aged beef.” Overpriced status food! Have we met? I’m sure the other overpriced status foods have mentioned my name.
Now, I could have gotten a supermarket hunk of meat and used Alton Brown’s method to age it in the fridge. Then I would have to explain to Gary for a few weeks why there is a roast covered in bloody towels in the fridge.
Wisely, I decided to see first if I could even tell the difference between dry-aged meat and the supermarket wet-aged meat, in which the meat speed-rots in a plastic bag. Where to find a dry-aged steak in Saint Louis?
Gary and I both work by Dierdorf and Hart’s, an expensive steakhouse. How expensive?
Gary feels it’s too expensive.
So I said I’d pay, and we made reservations, and tonight was the night to eat dry-aged steak.
What I had for lunch in preparation: cafeteria steak.
This was my control steak. I ate it to get a baseline.
Here is what I ate at Dierdorf and Harts:
From the menu: “Boneless Strip Steak – Often referred to as a New York or Kansas City Strip; this steak which is regarded as the steak connoisseur’s cut has tremendous flavor and taste.”
And the menu also said, “We are proud to present our selection of hand-cut steaks aged a minimum of 21-days to insure superior flavor, preferred tenderness, and dependable quality.”
Gary had the “Tenderloin Filet – Succulent and delicate. The most tender cut of beef enjoyed by those who prefer tenderness over flavor.”
“So, Gary, how’s you filet?”
“Wholly flavorless, just like the menu said. No, it’s really good. How’s yours?”
“Well, it’s good, but I was expecting something revolutionary. It tastes like a really good steak, though.”
Later the manager came by and gave us a $25 gift certificate because they’d be closed in January for a remodel. “New carpet, new walls, whole new menu -“
“What?” I said sharply, “Will the steak still be dry-aged?”
He did a full body hedge, with the wishy-washy comme ci comme ça hand waggle. “Ennnhhhh … ” Then he asked, “Did you enjoy your steak tonight?”
“Yes, it was good.”
“That wasn’t dry-aged. Sometimes we can get a better cut of steak that isn’t dry aged and it’s every bit as good.”
Outrage! Betrayal! I pointed at him. “The MAN who showed us the RAW MEAT said it was aged 21 days!” This is Science, man! You are messing with Science! I couldn’t be too mad. At least he was honest, and he even let us in on what “Angus beef” means. (Top choice or bottom prime. Like the B+ of beef. Angus sounds better.)
Sigh. I let it go, and since I still hadn’t had a dry-aged steak, I asked, “So, where could I go to get a real dry-aged steak?” He recommended Annie Gunn’s.
So, on the downside, I didn’t get dry-aged beef, but on the upside … the dream still lives on!
16 responses to “Steak Versus Steak”
I dislike aged beef. I think it tastes rotted. Same with hung fowl. They used to hang geese and duck until “the bird separated from the string at the neck”. I’ve had aged beef and aged wild fowl in gazillion-star restaurants in England and in Chicago, and couldn’t eat either. I can’t get past the odor.
I love the grass fed locally grown beef we get here. All I do is throw the steaks or hamburgers on the grill. No fancy preparation is necessary. Fancisness in beef prepartion is to compensate for the tastelessness of your average beef. The tenderloins we had the other day were tender + also very very delicious tasting.
I’ve always wanted to try Annie Gunn’s. Let us know if it’s worth the money. Have you considered adding Ruth’s Chris to your science experiment? Maybe Clayton beef tastes different from West County.
Ooo – remember in “Shogun” when Richard Chamberlain let the bird rot on the porch and the servant who cut it down got beheaded? Some people think it’s worth their life not to have aged stuff around.
~~Silk – Just like brains, if you don’t try it how do you know you won’t like it? All my life I’ve thought steak was tasteless. I think I was raised on aged steak.Hattie – now I’ve had grass-fed beef. There was a taste, but it wasn’t what I was looking for. Maybe what I’m looking for is MSG, Mom sprinkled that all over our steaks.Caroline – Gary pointed out we woud have no idea if Annie Gunns was aaged or not.Becs – No! I never saw or read Shogun.
Do any of your fancy schmancy restaurants server lobster thermidor there is St. Louie? I am willing to drive to try it and can’t find it locally.
Zayrina – You know you can make it yourself. I made a Lobster Thermidor that a New Orleans native said tasted just like the real thing. I looked though some on-line menus, and while one place was rumored to excel in it, it isn’t on the menu anymore. St Louisans – anyone know where to find it before Zayrina has to go too far South?
I don’t want to have to make it. Santa said he would do so but I really don’t want to have to clean up the ensuing carnage in the kitchen.
Of course the solution is for you to make it and invite me over. As a guest I would not be asked to face kitchen carnage.
🙂
Oh, Zayrina, yes you would. Marcia would probably step in and do the dirty work for you, though.
ZAYRINA – Oh, yes, because I serve it with a big old dead lobster hiding under the server lid. And, what Caroline said. However, you are welcome to come by.Caroline – You know it.
You have just called Zayrina “Tami”. That is so not even close.
Tami -damn.Fixed it.
Well Tami, in all fairness there is an ‘i’ and and ‘a’ in both Zayrina and Tami.
Truthfully I thought she did it on purpose so she could ambiguously blow me off. 😉
Zayrina – NO. You are invited to eat lobster thermidor at my house. I won’t eat it, because I hated it when I served it at tea. But you will have to man up and watch the lobsters writhe.
Annie Gunn’s is awesome. Get the mushroom appetizer with pork belly.
Hot Mom – I dont know why pork fat is gross and beef fat isn’t, but it’s true. I’ve tried porkbelly and it is nasty.