Allen Brothers and the steakhouses

http://www.allenbrothers.com/

Don't these guys supply most/all of the Chicago steakhouses? So, isn't the point of arguing over 'which steakhouse is best' sort of moot?

No, I don't think so. That's kind of like saying that just because Sunoco started providing all the gasoline to NASCAR under a 10-year contract, NASCAR should've just cancelled the next 10 seasons and called it a draw. More seriously, I think that if many steak houses do use the same supplier, it actually would increase the competition, because then it truly is about what the kitchen can do with the (ostensibly equivalent) meat, not about who gets their hands on the best raw materials. Although, and I'll let others chime in on this, I suppose it's actually more likely that Allen Bros. have different qualities and characters of beef that they sell to different customers.

We know Allen Bros. doesn't (don't?) supply David Burke, which exists like kind of a Platonic ideal for me, untasted and yet eternally tempting, my dream of what a great steak could be.

It's been very well documented here over the years that having the same supplier doesn't indicate everyone has access to the same meat. This is true for steak, seafood (sushi), and, of course, corned beef and pastrami. See also: tired discussion of how anyone can make good deli starting with Vienna corned beef vs. Vienna Beef sign hanging on Langer's etc. Now, having a reputable meat man (such as Stew from Strangers with Candy) does signal a level of quality above the norm.

Prime is a small percentage of beef, but it's a huge swath within the world of prime steakhouses, as I understand it. Allen Bros. isn't selling Joe Sixpack the same prime meat that it is selling the Forge. I don't think they have stated otherwise.