Best Steakhouse in Bay Area?
02-14-2008, 06:49 AM
#16
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I am still skeptical about the restaurants who claim that they have Japanese Kobe beef. Usually it's Japanese "style" Kobe beef where they bought some of the cows from Japan and bred them here to make what they call "Kobe" beef. Even though it may genetically be the same, these cows probably don't drink Japanese beer, get massages and listen to the same classical music their relatives in Japan listen to. If I'm not mistaken, Kobe is just the "Plain Jane" of good beef in Japan. There's two others that apparently put it to shame but I can't remember them off the top of my head. Anyhow, if you can afford it, why not?
In 1976 the first Wagyu bulls, two Tottori Black and two Kumamoto Red, entered the United States. In 1993 two male and three Tajima cattle were imported and then in 1994 a mix of 36 Wagyu cattle were imported from Japan. With more than 60 Wagyu breeders and ranchers currently operating in the United States, Wagyu's domestic numbers have increased steadily ever since.
The largest purebred group of the Wagyu breed of Akaushi cattle outside Japan is located in Harwood, Texas, owned by HeartBrand Beef. It was raised from a Japanese imported herd of 11 which was guarded by off-duty Texas Rangers to protect from interbreeding for over 12 years until the herd grew to over 5,000 cattle.[4]
In America, Japanese Wagyu cattle were bred to Angus cattle to create a crossbred animal that would be stronger and more able to survive the US climate and ranching methods. Japanese full-blood Wagyu are typically raised confined in indoor barns to prevent movement and increase marbling while Wagyu animals in the US are raised in pastures and finished in a feedyard. This crossbreed has been named American Style Kobe Beef and was originally produced for export to Japan but is now available world-wide.
Designed to mimic the diet that Japanese cattle were receiving, Wagyu cattle in the United States are fed a mixture of corn, alfalfa, barley and wheat straw.
As of 2007 the U.S. cannot ship Wagyu cattle to Japan as Japan requires that beef imported from the U.S. be from cattle not older than 20 months (Wagyu cattle are usually slaughtered at 30 - 35 months.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagyu
WOOT 500 posts!
02-14-2008, 07:11 AM
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I know you're taking Bay Area, but nothing tops this one. The porter house is out of this world at this place
Butcher Shop Steak House
5255 Kearny Villa Rd
San Diego, CA 92123
(858) 565-2272
Butcher Shop Steak House
5255 Kearny Villa Rd
San Diego, CA 92123
(858) 565-2272
02-14-2008, 08:38 AM
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Well my dad is a meat manager at an upscale grocery store in SF, so I eat a lot of good steaks when I am with him. But I also like house of prime rib and Ruth Chris Steak house. I am in Novato a good amount and want to try Boca, also I have heard good things about Alexander's, but have never been there.
02-14-2008, 09:05 AM
#20
02-14-2008, 09:15 AM
#21
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I've been to Morton's, Ruth's Chris, Broadway Prime, House of Prime Rib and also had real Kobe beef in Tokyo. Maybe it's me and I eat steak too much but I think the best steak I've had is the one I've made myself at home. Just find a nice porterhouse or your favorite cut of beef, add some montreal seasoning and grill on both sides for 4 minutes and you'll have a nice serving of warm bloody bovine. No long lines, risk of bad service, parking and much less of a dent in your wallet and huge time savings.
I am still skeptical about the restaurants who claim that they have Japanese Kobe beef. Usually it's Japanese "style" Kobe beef where they bought some of the cows from Japan and bred them here to make what they call "Kobe" beef. Even though it may genetically be the same, these cows probably don't drink Japanese beer, get massages and listen to the same classical music their relatives in Japan listen to. If I'm not mistaken, Kobe is just the "Plain Jane" of good beef in Japan. There's two others that apparently put it to shame but I can't remember them off the top of my head. Anyhow, if you can afford it, why not?
My other comment is about Yelp. I always take the user's reviews with a grain of sand since most of the people on there are tools. One girl on there claimed that Alexander's Kobe burger is to die for or something like that. Any true food expert would agree that a Kobe burger is a plain ripoff and doesn't possess the same qualities that Kobe beef is prized for (marbled fat) since grinding it releases the fat when it is cooked. Then there's the other guy that says that the Kobe beef he had at Alexander's is better than any Kobe beef in Japan... I highly doubt that.
Now only if they had blowfish (aka Puffer Fish) in the US...
I am still skeptical about the restaurants who claim that they have Japanese Kobe beef. Usually it's Japanese "style" Kobe beef where they bought some of the cows from Japan and bred them here to make what they call "Kobe" beef. Even though it may genetically be the same, these cows probably don't drink Japanese beer, get massages and listen to the same classical music their relatives in Japan listen to. If I'm not mistaken, Kobe is just the "Plain Jane" of good beef in Japan. There's two others that apparently put it to shame but I can't remember them off the top of my head. Anyhow, if you can afford it, why not?
My other comment is about Yelp. I always take the user's reviews with a grain of sand since most of the people on there are tools. One girl on there claimed that Alexander's Kobe burger is to die for or something like that. Any true food expert would agree that a Kobe burger is a plain ripoff and doesn't possess the same qualities that Kobe beef is prized for (marbled fat) since grinding it releases the fat when it is cooked. Then there's the other guy that says that the Kobe beef he had at Alexander's is better than any Kobe beef in Japan... I highly doubt that.
Now only if they had blowfish (aka Puffer Fish) in the US...
...need to try ruth chris' and house of prime rib though, but only tried alexander's, michaels (used to be in sunnyvale) and typical black angus, outback, texas roadhouse
02-14-2008, 01:10 PM
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Man, I love steak like the rest of you, but not baller enough to go to the expensive steak houses. The only place I've been to is Cattlemen's by Davis, which was pretty good, but I can't compare with the more expensive steak houses. They were not that bad on the wallet, and tasted great. My gf had the fillet mignon and I had the porterhouse I htink, I don't remember. I agree though, the steak you make at home is damn good too! My friends and I had a bbq and we just bought some steak from Costco, put some montreal steak seasoning and put it on the grill.
SOrry don't have a better picture of the cooked meat, too busy eating it.
SOrry don't have a better picture of the cooked meat, too busy eating it.
Last edited by BoxerRumble; 02-14-2008 at 01:14 PM.
02-14-2008, 01:50 PM
#28
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there aren't any REALLY REALLY great steakhouses in the bay... unfortunately...
but of the bay area steakhouses... Boca is pretty darn good... Ruth's Chris and HOPR are fine, but if i'm going to go to RC i'd rather make one at home and not drink butter. prime rib is a pain in the *** to do at home so i'm willing to pay for that.
i feel like most of us can make a better steak than these folks. the only place i've eaten at and thought, "wow, they do it better than me..." is donovan's down in san diego.
but of the bay area steakhouses... Boca is pretty darn good... Ruth's Chris and HOPR are fine, but if i'm going to go to RC i'd rather make one at home and not drink butter. prime rib is a pain in the *** to do at home so i'm willing to pay for that.
i feel like most of us can make a better steak than these folks. the only place i've eaten at and thought, "wow, they do it better than me..." is donovan's down in san diego.
02-14-2008, 01:51 PM
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MMmmmmmm.... Meat....
02-14-2008, 02:14 PM
#30
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Looks like we all like meat! WOOT!
Where are the vegetarians? I wouldn't think that many of us would reply back to a thread titled "Where can I get organic Tofu?". However, Safeway does have White Asparagus, I wonder how that tastes and what it does to the funk factor compared to regular asparagus.
Where are the vegetarians? I wouldn't think that many of us would reply back to a thread titled "Where can I get organic Tofu?". However, Safeway does have White Asparagus, I wonder how that tastes and what it does to the funk factor compared to regular asparagus.