Doneness of steak when eating out

debodun

debodun

SF VIP
Location
way upstate in New York, USA
Why have restaurants not grasped the concept of the term "well done" in cooking steaks. My idea of "well-done" is cooked just until all the red is gone and it a nice even uniform brown. This also does not mean I wand a charcoal briquette, either.

I was out once and ordered a steak well done. It came to the table in a state I would consider rare - still lots of red inside. I sent it back. When it returned it looked the same, so back to the kitchen it went. This happened again, The third time the chef came storming out and yelled, "I'm not ruining a perfectly good steak by over-cooking it!" I don't know why this should matter to him - he's not the one who has to eat it. What happened to the concept that the customer is always right. This is not the only time this happened. One other place told me right off they do not cook their steaks beyone medium rare. And at another place it happened I was going to send it back, but my date at the time said he would eat it and for me to order something else. This is why I seldom order steak when dining out.
 

debodun said:
Why have restaurants not grasped the concept of the term "well done" in cooking steaks. My idea of "well-done" is cooked just until all the red is gone and it a nice even uniform brown. This also does not mean I wand a charcoal briquette, either.

I was out once and ordered a steak well done. It came to the table in a state I would consider rare - still lots of red inside. I sent it back. When it returned it looked the same, so back to the kitchen it went. This happened again, The third time the chef came storming out and yelled, "I'm not ruining a perfectly good steak by over-cooking it!" I don't know why this should matter to him - he's not the one who has to eat it. What happened to the concept that the customer is always right. This is not the only time this happened. One other place told me right off they do not cook their steaks beyone medium rare. And at another place it happened I was going to send it back, but my date at the time said he would eat it and for me to order something else. This is why I seldom order steak when dining out.
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I've had the server tell me that I shouldn't order well-done, and the reasons why. I'm a paying customer .. so, I want my steak the way I've asked. That was the last time I ordered steak. We rarely eat beef anymore anyway.
 
Both dear husband and I are medium-rare kind of folks, and while we never go out to eat, on the one or two occasions when we did treat ourselves to a steak dinner out, we weren't disappointed.

Steaks arrived at our table juicy, red, and delicious.

This thread reminds me of a time when we were expecting company, and as soon as I let it be known that a roast beef dinner was on the menu, the Mrs., piped-up and said, "well done for me".

Well, the Mrs., request is all fine and dandy if you're basing the request upon individual cuts of meat, but when there's 3 other mouths involved, I for one am not going to sit down to an overdone roast beef that has the consistency of leather, in additional to, that's not how you prepare a proper beef roast.
 

debodun said:
Why have restaurants not grasped the concept of the term "well done" in cooking steaks. My idea of "well-done" is cooked just until all the red is gone and it a nice even uniform brown. This also does not mean I wand a charcoal briquette, either.

I was out once and ordered a steak well done. It came to the table in a state I would consider rare - still lots of red inside. I sent it back. When it returned it looked the same, so back to the kitchen it went. This happened again, The third time the chef came storming out and yelled, "I'm not ruining a perfectly good steak by over-cooking it!" I don't know why this should matter to him - he's not the one who has to eat it. What happened to the concept that the customer is always right. This is not the only time this happened. One other place told me right off they do not cook their steaks beyone medium rare. And at another place it happened I was going to send it back, but my date at the time said he would eat it and for me to order something else. This is why I seldom order steak when dining out.
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Most places when customers want well done that means well done...thoroughly cooked. On a flame broiler that would mean it would likely look burnt on the outside. Unless you tell them exactly what you want they have cook times to go by.

I found a chart. If you know they overcook them try ordering the next step down from well done which is medium well. Also you have to take into account the knowledge of the person cooking your food...how busy they are and if they're paying attention as it cooks.

People are not perfect. As a customer it's you're responsibility to be specific if you want it a certain way.

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debodun said:
Why have restaurants not grasped the concept of the term "well done" in cooking steaks. My idea of "well-done" is cooked just until all the red is gone and it a nice even uniform brown. This also does not mean I wand a charcoal briquette, either.

I was out once and ordered a steak well done. It came to the table in a state I would consider rare - still lots of red inside. I sent it back. When it returned it looked the same, so back to the kitchen it went. This happened again, The third time the chef came storming out and yelled, "I'm not ruining a perfectly good steak by over-cooking it!" I don't know why this should matter to him - he's not the one who has to eat it. What happened to the concept that the customer is always right. This is not the only time this happened. One other place told me right off they do not cook their steaks beyone medium rare. And at another place it happened I was going to send it back, but my date at the time said he would eat it and for me to order something else. This is why I seldom order steak when dining out.
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So you like shoe leather, do you? šŸ˜‚
 
I myself prefer medium. Well done is too tough and so is Medium well. Medium may be a little more pink but it's done enough to deal with. I can not tolerate pink in the middle hamburgers though.
 
Plus you have to take into acct at the restaurants (mainly the steak places) the plates are hot when they bring them to you cuz they're on a metal plate warmer and the steak continues to cook as you're eating it.
 
debodun said:
Why can't red meat be cooked well-done and still be tender?
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USDA Prime should still be tender USDA choice is iffy. Any less & you are eating as was said shoe leather. It would be a sin to order filet well done.

Filet & lobster tail as in surf & turf can be tricky but a great chef can get both right so you enjoy both at the temp that makes your meal enjoyable.
 
debodun said:
Why have restaurants not grasped the concept of the term "well done" in cooking steaks. My idea of "well-done" is cooked just until all the red is gone and it a nice even uniform brown. This also does not mean I wand a charcoal briquette, either.

I was out once and ordered a steak well done. It came to the table in a state I would consider rare - still lots of red inside. I sent it back. When it returned it looked the same, so back to the kitchen it went. This happened again, The third time the chef came storming out and yelled, "I'm not ruining a perfectly good steak by over-cooking it!" I don't know why this should matter to him - he's not the one who has to eat it. What happened to the concept that the customer is always right. This is not the only time this happened. One other place told me right off they do not cook their steaks beyone medium rare. And at another place it happened I was going to send it back, but my date at the time said he would eat it and for me to order something else. This is why I seldom order steak when dining out.
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Wait a minute! You had a date?

(just kidding)
 
I love steak but don't often eat it. Porterhouse, NY Strip, Filet Mignon and top Sirloin are my fav's.

We'd have to special order or go to a butcher shop for a USDA Prime Rib roast. So many people don't realize that "Prime Rib" is not a cut of beef, it is a grade. Like Choice, or the worst; Select.
 
RadishRose said:
I love steak but don't often eat it. Porterhouse, NY Strip, Filet Mignon and top Sirloin are my fav's.

We'd have to special order or go to a butcher shop for a USDA Prime Rib roast. So many people don't realize that "Prime Rib" is not a cut of beef, it is a grade. Like Choice, or the worst; Select.
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šŸ¤“
 
I was in a restaurant owned by Gordon Ramsey the celebrated British TV chef.. it was while he actually still worked a s a chef occasionally in his restaurants and during the time his TV career was taking off .. when exactly Deb's same scenario occurred.
A diner had sent their steak back to have it cooked 'well done''.. and Gordon came out absolutely furious, red in the face telling the Diner to get out of his restaurant if they had no sense of how food should be cooked properly... and that he was not about to incinerate a steak in his kitchen.

I was astonished as was the rest of the diners, because if as consumers we are paying to have something tailor made to our own specifications that's how it should be done..in the same way if you asked a tailor to make a jacket with one sleeve.. .

Another story I know personally is about a well known Chef who worked for Princess Grace of Monaco (Grace Kelly).. he eventually gave his notice to her because as he later told his story , regardless of how intricate a dish he prepared for her, or how delicious, she would smother it in tomato ketchup before even tasting it....

for the record I prefer my steaks medium rare...
 
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