Steakhouses are peak boomer - Steakhouses must be destroyed

[HodgePodgeRogerDodger]

OP what are you talking about? Like a chain restaurant or an actual place that is called a steakhouse because they are primarily serving up cuts of beef?
These are not the same.

It’s a very autistic thing, but it’s a mixture of both. The chains I’ve been to are just mediocre. The local ones are just depressing. Just no up keep and the food is terrible. They are effectively the same.

I know @Preacher ✝ outed himself as a Boomer, but Ruth Chris is the example where I just get pissed at the price. It’s not worth it. It’s not me being stingy, but the value does not meet the price. I’ve been to cheaper restaurants that are a better value in terms of ambiance, food, and drink.

I've been to a couple of high end unique steak houses that were very good. Excellent stuff, thoroughly enjoyed what I've gotten. Just as many were overpriced and overrated but I feel like they're surfing off that expectation.

For me the most boomery choice for a restaurant is an Italian place that's largely just very simple Italian-American staples. They act like getting some decent extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper with bread followed by some 6/10 spaghetti is worth a fat bill. I've met many boomers who will always opt for Italian to an obsessive degree. I've always assumed it’s a safe and familiar choice, so they gravitate towards it.

Italian is hard to fuck-up, but it does piss me off when someone charges you over $10 for Olio and the pasta is not house made.

Steak houses piss me off because it’s the same shit and I mean the same shit everywhere. Shitty broiler cooked steaks, same menu, and doesn’t really do anything well. The business model depends on boomers who are happy with consistently okay steaks.

 

[Vect]

Again, because YOU don't know how to do it well done doesn't mean others don't. There's a line between well done and burnt. Most can't toe it without fucking it up because they've been told "Well done = burnt" because apparently putting a little char on meat is too complicated and difficult for some reason.

But remember, if you're eating at an expensive steakhouse frequented by rich boomers, the kitchen staff are setting their standards to what their clientele expect. Older people in particular like their steak well done or slightly burnt because a lot of people were nervous about beef safety back then, especially with the Mad Cow disease scare around, what, the the 70-80s? Their accompaniments, accordingly are likely stuck within the same time frame. So if they've gotten lots of requests for the steak to be cooked for longer because they think it's meant to be that way, they're going to adjust their understanding of 'well done' accordingly. I didn't know it was safe to eat beef under medium until what, 17? It's funny because we all prefer our beef practically raw now.

The food for the price is robbery. It is not well done. It’s very much a faggot move to say “I could make this at home”, but every fucking thing is something you can make without difficulty. The sides, appetizers, and sauces are not hard to make. The quality is also shit.

If it's expensive, then it's likely costing them more and more not to change to keep their clients happy, even if by modern standards it's actually technically poor. The ingredients, the staff, the rent, the rest of it. I've been to the kinds of places with the kinds people you describe, and they kind of co-exist off each other. The cleanliness falls because there's no mission or any real job, it's drudgery for payment, and the customers will return because it's their place, it's some thing they know, and they're willing to overlook the decline in ways that modern customers wouldn't.

 

[JohnnyDeppSupporter]

I am not taking about Italian, Japanese, Brazilian, American, or like actual restaurants.

The only type of steakhouse worth going to is a Brazillian one, solely due to the volume of food you get. You can make just about any dish found at a teppanyaki/bisteccheria/whatever at home.

 

[Crypt Kicker]

But remember, if you're eating at an expensive steakhouse frequented by rich boomers, the kitchen staff are setting their standards to what their clientele expect. Older people in particular like their steak well done or slightly burnt because a lot of people were nervous about beef safety back then, especially with the Mad Cow disease scare around, what, the the 70-80s? Their accompaniments, accordingly are likely stuck within the same time frame. So if they've gotten lots of requests for the steak to be cooked for longer because they think it's meant to be that way, they're going to adjust their understanding of 'well done' accordingly. I didn't know it was safe to eat beef under medium until what, 17? It's funny because we all prefer our beef practically raw now.


If it's expensive, then it's likely costing them more and more not to change to keep their clients happy, even if by modern standards it's actually technically poor. The ingredients, the staff, the rent, the rest of it. I've been to the kinds of places with the kinds people you describe, and they kind of co-exist off each other. The cleanliness falls because there's no mission or any real job, it's drudgery for payment, and the customers will return because it's their place, it's some thing they know, and they're willing to overlook the decline in ways that modern customers wouldn't.

I can eat a steak cooked to any degree other than blue. I don't mind it. But sometimes I like a little more chew and char. I'd rather them just tell me "we don't offer a well done option here" than give me the "leather shoe". I'd actually understand more if steakhouses implemented a "no well done" policy because it's easy to go from well done to burnt quickly unless you're watching like a hawk.
That's the reason people hate cooking well done because it's way easier to over cook it. You undercook a well done, it's no biggy at all, you overcook a medium? still fine, over cook a well done? you've fucked up the whole piece because you can't uncook it.

 

[Brian Oblivion]

You can't have a discussion on this topic without including this Tim Dillon classic:

 

[Jayquan Ledarius IV Jr]

I don't go to Steakhouses because I've never been to a steakhouse that didn't fuck up my steak.
I don't know if any of you need to read this, but I want to tell everyone who will listen:
WELL DONE DOES NOT MEAN BURNT OR BONE DRY. IF YOU CANNOT COOK A WELL DONE STEAK WITHOUT FUCKING IT UP DO NOT TRY.

>Well Done Steak
Are you black?

 

[._.]

I agree, its just some 'keeping up with the joneses' status quo shit about how they cant eat anything but 'a steak dinner' or some other shitty midcentury Americana thing--they do this with shit like seafood/Red Lobster, and for some reason shitty Italian(American) food as well. Millennials have this with girls from shitty areas holding up shit like Sushi to this standard where its 'expensive/rich people food' because I guess theyre used to only globo chains that arent gonna risk it with raw food.

Its probably part of a boomer holdover of 'men only eat beef' and 'men dont cook' but post 2000s even the faggots who would make fun of foodies and food blog shit were bragging about learning 'the secrets to steaks' in like 2009 when all that was blowing up, everyone knew to season and rest your steak, to get a sear, whatever.

Well done does not mean "shoe leather"
It's not my fault you don't know how to cook nor grill.

It depends on the cut of beef and how you yourself cut it. A well done NY strip or some boomer cut like t-bone is gonna suck, you can get something thats kinda tough like skirt or flank steak done through but still have decent fajitas if you cut against the grain and cut thin.

If youre ordering the 12 or 14-16 oz steak (the type they serve at these places) well done, its gonna be tough because youre gonna have to cook it 8 minutes a side or something because its like 1.5 in thick.

I agree tho probably people at these chains hear well done and do the thing people are doing here where they go 'okay well Im gonna let it get fucked up because I think youre dumb'. The only other person ive ever seen make your argument though was some Jew on reddit in the unpopularopinion sub arguing about well done steaks and that these chains should make them well done, done well.

 

[HodgePodgeRogerDodger]

@Crypt Kicker

It sounds more like you want an actual crust on your steak. Here’s why steakhouses suck. They are worse than McDonalds at their purpose. They exist to quickly toss out steaks. You know what their main method is? A broiler. They have a chart for how long they keep it in the broiler for each steak, which are all pretty much uniform in size.

Well-done steak does depend on the cut. You don’t want a well-done filet, but I’ve had a well done ribeye or chuck steak.

My biggest autistic pet peeve is the model they have has never been updated. It’s broiler steak and shitty sides when you have better options. There is no adaptation or slight improvements. It’s crappy potatoes, shitty button mushrooms, and steak they ruin by broiling.

That’s the biggest fucking thing. They aren’t cooking a steak. They aren’t grilling or searing it. They broil it. They throw butter on it. They might throw crappy Au Jus on it.

@AnOminous is a Sous Vide cultist and I will say this. Sous Vide is the better option if you are doing a bunch once. I can understand why it wouldn’t work for a steakhouse, but I just hate steakhouses so much.

 

[JohnnyG]

If you can't trust the restaurant to make a medium rare steak then either don't go there or order something else.

I think most mass market, family-oriented places err on the side of more done, especially for anyone ordering Well or Medium-Well (think about your picky aunt who sends back anything with a hint of pink). I usually have good luck with Medium Rare, although sometimes it's closer to Medium, and when I used to order burgers Medium, they'd typically be done throughout.

So I guess the real lesson is, just order everything Medium Rare.

Again, because YOU don't know how to do it well done doesn't mean others don't.
I can eat a steak cooked to any degree other than blue. I don't mind it. But sometimes I like a little more chew and char.

Are you just looking for more crunch, without the interior being grey? Because that's what the really hot grill, salt+pepper, and dry steak when it hits the pan are supposed to do. But if you're in a hurry or don't have enough heat, you get a softer (steamed) outside that more doneness won't really fix.

Some of my best steaks were accidents where they flared up, I yanked them off early thinking they were burnt, and was rewarded with extra char on the outside and a bit rarer inside. If you really like extra crunch, there's a style called "Pittsburgh rare", just be careful ordering it because some look very rare (much more than the below pictures, which look delicious).

 

[Brian Oblivion]

Millennials have this with girls from shitty areas holding up shit like Sushi to this standard where its 'expensive/rich people food' because I guess theyre used to only globo chains that arent gonna risk it with raw food.

Being a vocal "food prestige" person is just about the gayest and most openly striver loser class-anxiety-based thing possible. None of the people they're trying to impress care about what they eat.

 

[Vect]

You undercook a well done, it's no biggy at all, you overcook a medium? still fine, over cook a well done? you've fucked up the whole piece because you can't uncook it.

But what are you implying then? A) The chef isn't competent enough to cook a steak well done and B) he can't fulfill a customer's expected request at a steakhouse where they can't afford a few meat thermometers.

There are loads of people who like steak well done, and who get squeamish about meat if it's not done just right. They don't like char and find it's bitter or think it's burnt and they don't like redness and the blood juice seeping out. They might like the chewiness or the firmness or any and all reasons why people like the food they like. We can say this that and the other, but there's no arguing with people about what they like to eat. To tell a customer that their preferred way of having a product cooked isn't allowed because it's slightly too inconvenient is weirdly personal.

 

[quaawaa]

I agree. Most every Italian-American dish can be made from pantry staples, and the cost per serving would be 5 times less than if you went to some dingy restaurant. Would taste 5 times better too

That's true for every cuisine except for French haute cuisine.

 

[Gravekeeper's Vassal]

I basically agree with OP except I go to Texas Roadhouse a decent amount as a "settle" place in a group of exclusively millennials. Almost always see a ton of boomers and older Gen x tho.

I'm convinced them and Outback are still in business because almost everyone likes their bread.

 

[ToroidalBoat]

The menu is stuck in the 80’s

"That's good!" - Homer Simpson

and not even the good shit from the 80’s.

"That's bad." -- Homer Simpson

 

[Gulls on Film]

"High-end" steakhouses are a scam, but I will fight anyone who talks shit about Texas Roadhouse. It is my God given right as an American to eat a $30 steak and cinnamon butter bread while listening to Brooks & Dunn songs.

 

[Angry Shoes]

For me the most boomery choice for a restaurant is an Italian place that's largely just very simple Italian-American staples. They act like getting some decent extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper with bread followed by some 6/10 spaghetti is worth a fat bill. I've met many boomers who will always opt for Italian to an obsessive degree. I've always assumed its a safe and familiar choice, so they gravitate towards it.

It also doesn't help that Italian food is overall criminally overrated.

 

[Darth Insanius]

Funny OP but I'll have to disagree with you. It's buffet chains that are peak boomer.

There was one buffet that I actually liked that closed recently. I went there because I was in the area so I figured I may as well. The door had a closed notice, which sucks since the food wasn't half bad.
And while I was leaving, I saw like half a dozen old couples walk up to the door and turn back around.

 

[Aero Soul]

Outback (especially the Bloomin' Onion) is the tits. Fite me.

Came here to say exactly this! And whatever sauce they serve with it is so fucking good; I'd fucking drink it lmao

Funny OP but I'll have to disagree with you. It's buffet chains that are peak boomer.

There was one buffet that I actually liked that closed recently. I went there because I was in the area so I figured I may as well. The door had a closed notice, which sucks since the food wasn't half bad.
And while I was leaving, I saw like half a dozen old couples walk up to the door and turn back around.

Talking about Ponderosa? That's a steak buffet chain, as retarded as that sounds. Now that is peak boomer slop.

 

[Imperial Citizen]

Why is a corporate steakhouse so good? I want it to be dark. I want people there talking about real estate scams and whores. I want prostitutes. I want tan couples that just got back from an unfulfilling vacation hovering right above misery, silently eating crab cocktail. I want that. I want shellfish towers. I want bosses trying to impress their new hires.I want new hires trying to impress their bosses. I want everybody with their tits and their dicks out. I want collared fucking shirts. I want maturities that grab you by the arm and says everything okay. I want decanted fucking balls of red wine. I want shrimp scampion rib-eyes and porter houses. I want fucking aged rib-eyes.

I want fucking wagyu, wagyu, wagyu, whatever the fuck it is. It's fake anyway. There's seven restaurants serving it and all you idiots are paying for it. It doesn't matter. I want fucking slabs of beef and pork chops and veal chops. I want gnocchi. I want fucking people in suits sitting around a table trying to swindle.That's what I love and I want it to have more than one location. I want to know that the exact same thing is happening in Dallas and Chicago and New York and Miami. I want to know that all across the world demons from hell are dressed to the nines eating rib-eyesand deciding if they're men enough to have a fucking piece of cheesecake or a banana's foster at the end.

I want a corporate steakhouse except Ruth Chris. I hate Ruth Chris. That's a mall steakhouse. Fuck you if you eat at Ruth Chris. I want a Del Frisco's or a Smith & Walinsky's. I want a Perry's. I want an Ocean Prime. I want a Capitol Grill. I want consistency. I want a menu designed in a boardroom by suits. I want every location to be the same. I want to know that the Sriracha vinaigrette at the Pokeball is the same everywhere. I don't have some fucking go and then I don't have some fucking artist's chef going to ruin my favorite dish because he thinks he's special. You're not. Follow the fucking rules. The system exists for a reason. Marxist scum. But I will say, comrade, I will argue an appetizer every now and then off my tab.

 

[The ATF Disliked That]

I've been to a few "proper" steakhouses, most of them were in New York City. Gallagher's was one I've been to the most, and yes it was good. I can't remember the other ones exactly, but they were all good. I've never had a bad steakhouse experience. I'm not really the type to go crazy over status, etc. If the food is cooked to my liking and tastes good, I don't care if it was some Michelin Star or a basic line cook who cooked it. I just want a good steak on my plate.

"High-end" steakhouses are a scam, but I will fight anyone who talks shit about Texas Roadhouse. It is my God given right as an American to eat a $30 steak and cinnamon butter bread while listening to Brooks & Dunn songs.

Love me some Texas Roadhouse. I remember when the Bone-In Ribeye used to be $19. Fucking hell prices are outrageous now.

And I like mine cooked Rare.