High (end) Steaks

These last few months have seen the opening of several high end steak houses in Edmonton. I gather this is not due to some innate Albertan penchant for beef (although it does suit that crowd as well), but is rather part of a larger North-American swing towards expensive steaks and high end chain-type restaurants. It would appear that the Great American dream of the mundane and mediocre has now breached the borders of fine dining.

Having recently reviewed the three new additions to the high end steak game in Edmonton, I am absolutely underwhelmed by the prospect that this is the future of fine dining. Don't get me wrong. The food at each is good (in some cases excellent) in its own way, but steakhouse fare is not and never will be fine dining.

If I pay $90 per person for a meal, I expect it to be unique, challenging and above all, have required some degree of innovative thought and inspired ingredient choice on the part of the chef. Unfortunately, what you get at one of these places for that price is a really good steak and some potatoes. Not exactly rocket science.

In fact, bar a few noteworthy exceptions (mainly found on the appetizer menu at Sage), the "not rocket science" label appears to be equally applicable to almost all choices on the menus of these restaurants. You could take one menu for each of Ruth's Chris, Chop and Sage, remove the names, shuffle them, and not know which menu belonged to which restaurant. They ALL have at least one "Seared Ahi Tuna" dish. They ALL have a "Chicken Breast Stuffed with...". They ALL have the same uninspired (but tasty) sides of fries, mash, etc..... They ALL have an "Iceberg Wedge" salad on the menu and at least one tomato-based salad. How boring. For $90 I do not want to be bored by my meal. I do not want to be served a meal that I could as easily (bar some supply issues in that you can't buy some of the premium grade meats unless you are a restaurant) make at home. For that, I'll go somewhere more reasonable.

For $90 I want something that makes me go, "wow. I never would have thought to put beets and vodka together like that...."

The more I think about it the more I think we're being shortchanged in the fine dining department. When other restaurants can put together a sensational meal for the same (or even less!) money, I wonder where these guys get off charging the money they do for the product they serve.

I imagine (sadly) it's because we let them. I'd rather eat at the Hardware Grill or Wild Tangerine or Blue Pear thank you very much. It's been a long time since any of these were the new kid on the block though and I'd love to see some new restaurants that push the envelope a little around here....

Any takers?

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Comments

[Pam]

Dunno what it is with the steakhouses, but ostentatious spending and taste do not always go together.

Chowhound yen wrote about Sage recently, after complaining about unchanging menus: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/387096

Looking at the snow coming down, I can't wait for barbecue season to start. Now that's a steak.

[lyn]

I hear you with the barbeque! According to a friend of mine whose husband is in the wholesale beef business, the best place to buy steaks is Sobey's - look for the Sterling Silver label - that's the highest quality you will get as a consumer. Unless you have a friend whose husband is in the wholesale beef business....

[Tequilabb]

Hear Hear! The last "memorable" and "creative" meal I had in Edmonton was at The Blue Pear. For a "slab of meat" cooked to my liking, I am able to do so myself or pay much less. During a recent visit to Calgary, I had the opportunity to experience Q Haute and was happily satisfied!

[Jen]

Ha, try living in Thunder Bay where fine dining= The Keg. I've stopped going to restaurants completely because I can make the dishes as well as if not better than the restaurants do.

[Christopher Thrall]

Skinny Legs and Cowgirls or Lucky for new places pushing the envelope, Lyn. Unfortunately, high-end seems to stop at the new steakhouses. Madison's new chef puts together some interesting combos, and I've always been impressed with Culina. I was recommended Johnson's Cafe in Fort Edmonton - let me know what you think.

[Don]

I've always been disapointed with Madison's.. (I have a friend working there now tho) it sounds like the new chef has promise tho.

There's nothing in a steak/chop house that any decent cook at home can't do better and cheaper.

I have a found a place locally (Edmonton) that will do dry aged steaks. Can't way for the first delivery!

[Lau]

Anen. You speak the truth, sista! It's especially rampant here in Calgary, with new restaurants trying to capitalize on the corporate accounts and extra cash out there. Too bad NONE of them really stand out.

The seared tuna you mentioned made me laugh out loud because that's exactly the extent to which most places feel is currently "cutting edge."

[Yen]

I think you make some good points, but i feel like, in some ways, i have to defend these establishments in question. I don't believe these are the future of fine dining: Sage, Ruth's Chris, etc.. are a different breed of restaurant.

Let me start with my basic premise: you seem to be using fine dining synonymously with expensive - and that, to me, is where the issue breaks down. Fine dining and expensive, in my opinion, are two separate parts of the argument. In some ways, i don't believe a definition of fine dining really exists! :)

In terms of cost, people should pay what a meal is worth to them. A $40 sushi meal may be a deal to some, while being a rip off for others. If you do not wish to pay $90 for a meal that is basically a slab of meat, served with uninspired dishes, i understand completely. In many ways, i have no interest in doing this either - my money is spent on better things. However, when you translate "expensive meal" into a "fine dining experience", it doesnt make much sense to me. Fine dining, by your very definition, seems to mean innovation.

"If I pay $90 per person for a meal, I expect it to be unique, challenging and above all, have required some degree of innovative thought and inspired ingredient choice on the part of the chef."

Me personally? I don't want to see any creativity from my beef. I want good, perfectly cooked, beef. They get away with charging the money they do because the ingredients are expensive and first class, not because of any extreme innovation. This is the place you go when your friends want to go out for a birthday, and the birthday boy/girl chooses steak. There is nothing innovative about it, but you should know what to expect.

If i were to relabel "Fine dining", as innovative, this changes how you look at restaurants in general. If you're looking for creative, new, innovative food pairings, flavour profiles, and ingredient mixes, then there are a variety of restaurants that do that across the entire price spectrum. Chefs from different countries are updating old classics with new flavours - Matsuhisa combines Peruvian and Classic Japanese flavours to spawn a mega-success. Mexican chefs are broadening their horizons, incorporating more european elements into their cuisine. The french steal from the Thai, and the Koreans borrow from the Chinese. This innovation you crave shouldnt be restricted to high priced restaurants, it should be part of all types of dining experiences. High priced restaurants should differentiate themselves because of the quality of the ingredients, and the amount of overhead incurred. But creativity should exist in all types of restaurants.

In my complaint on chowhound, i basically stated im getting tired of being served the same form of "innovative" food. Fine dining, or innovative food, isnt very innovative anymore. Everyone copies whatever formula is successful. I'm also tired of food that isnt food - foams, mousse, infusions, crisps. Food should touch the soul. Food should also satisfy, not just be creative for it's own sake.

These types of restaurants are few and far between. And unfortunately, often come with a large price tag. However, i think it's important that we recognize innovation where it exists, but it's equally important to recognize when a good solid meal fits certain needs that don't always include "innovation".

Anyway, i don't mean to sound critical, because i really enjoy what you do. I just wanted to add my point of view to the debate.

Oh, and Don, if you've found a place that will dry age steaks (i tried it myself.. i know they say it is easy, but it looked a bit too much like rotting meat to me!), please share!

[Don]

Creativity from beef? More like, let the quality/taste/texture of a steak really stand up for itself. Don't screw it up. Sometimes the simplest things are the hardest to perfect. A steak, whether tenderloin, ribeye, strip, or whatever, is the most expensive part of the beef, so the expections are always highest.

But there's a million other cuts of beef out there. How many times have you seen flank on a menu (other than a chinese restaurant), or shank, or any of the tons of other parts.

Dry aging, basically, what you're getting is rotting meat.. on the outside.

You cut that part off, and eat the nicely tenderized and concentrated beef on the inside.

Sherwood Meats out in Sherwood Park is dry aging an entire beef loin for us that we're cutting into steaks. I'm taking 4 and some friends are taking the rest (10-12 or so)

Great little place, lots of free range beef, chickens, pork, elk, etc. Always a freezer full of bones too.

[Tara Zieminek]

For those of you in Calgary looking for a mind-blowing steak, try Teatro (www.teatro.ca). The steak I had was was transcendantly tender(the only thing I've ever had that matched it was the caribou at Unheardof on Whyte). The decor is incredibly sexy; the building used to be a bank. You can request a tour of their wine cellar (in what used to be the bank's vault). Their sweetbreads were better than the ones that I had at Babbo in New York. And the creme brulee tasted like fire-roasted marshmallows. Perfect.