Thoughts on Value Steak

Anyone have a thought on what the best value to taste steak place in the city is?

I know people can always chime in or have chimed in on best steaks, i.e. the usual suspects, but haven't really seen a discussion, where someone was like, man, I had a great steak, and the price was just right.

I mean I have no problem spending 30+ and big ala carte as usual, just thought it would be an interesting conversation.

You know, I've said this before, but I think Jonathan's in Lombard is a great value for steak.

Once upon a time -- I don't know if this is still true -- they used prime and dry-aged in-house. Certainly the meat is still of a high quality and tastes great. Excellent prime rib, as well.

And the price is right: the most expensive steaks -- all of which come with sides and soup or salad -- are still under $20.

I also think Sabatino's is a fantastic deal for steak.

There are a few suggestions here; Carmichael's in particular might be up your alley. At an even lower price point, you also might consider the ethnic steak places like Tango Sur, about which opinion is mixed; count me among those who like it. I had a very tasty ribeye there lately.

I must admit that I'm a huge fan of beef and I like steak at all levels of quality, from diner skirt steaks to dry-aged prime.

Well, this is a tricky question...(you know as a kid I loved Ponderossa, but not necessarily for the steaks.)

The steak tacos at the the Birria de Aguascaliente place on Maxwell Street, supurb. A few weeks ago, Steve Plotnicki and I sampled those steak tacos as well as they famed over charcoal place, the last booth on the south end of the market. We both liked the steak tacos better at the Birria place. And do not forget the steak and cheese quesadillas at Rubi/Manolo's also at Maxwell.

Sticking with Mexican, I'm always happy with the carne asada in its various forms as well as the cesina at La Quebrada.

Moving on to Colombian, I like the cheap steaks at El Llano and Braja Rosa.

Slightly more expensive, but what I would still call a VERY good value, is the luncheon steak sammy at Smith and Wollensky. It's not the prime aged stuff, but it's good enough.

Good start?

I have found the steaks at Elliott's in Edison Park to be above average in quality, while the prices are 20% or so lower than a big name top tier downtown steakhouse. The fish is also quite good.

Elliott's Steak & Seafood
6690 N. Northwest Highway
Chicago, IL
773-775-5277

Disclaimer: I am referring to the Rib Eye steak on their menu, which is the only steak I have ever ordered there.

I am a fan of the value steak. Some good bangs for the buck:

T-Bone with nopales and cebollitas at La Oaxaquena

Strip at Sabatino's

Palomilla at Cafe 28 (available as a milanesa)

Strip at Carson's

T-Bone at Biasetti's (very hit-or-miss, I must warn, but the creamed spinach and gratin potatoes are a sure thing).

Lomo at Mi Ciudad (and, really, any number of Ecuadorian and Colombian places, though I don't care for the meat at El Llano too much).

Cesina at Quebrada

Mini filet sliders at Gibson's/Hugo's

Several decent Irish bars have had good steaks from time to time in the past, but I have no current go-to place.

Tango Sur

In the burbs, road-house places such as Country House serve a respectable, cheap steak.

T-Bone at Ronnies. Well, maybe not.

Kill me for saying it, but our local Outback (South Elgin) is superb! I think mostly because they get the definition of medium rare right on everytime! I like it warm and RED (juicy) not PINK (generally dry). Not many places get it right, not even Morton's the one time I was there. Cheesecake Factory fought with me about what RED was and then served me a basically raw steak, but I digress...Anyway, for $20, you can't really go wrong if they cook it right on, and this one does.

I had a great carne asada a la tampiquena at Carmina's in Elgin recently - matter of fact everything was great. I learned that they use chihuahua cheese extensively, which was very very tasty! If I had had it before, I hadn't inquired and obviously have been missing out.

Opart Thai House's Tiger Cry appetizer is extremely good. This was our first date (5.5 yrs ago) and we've been back many times since.

We also went to Al's Charhouse on our first dating anniversary. It was big meat and inexpensive - so it has value, quality was ok. I think a 8-10 oz filet was $19.99. Have not been back.

I'm sure there have been more over the years, but those are the most memorable that I can come up with.

Christine

CARMINA'S Restaurant & Banquets
1055 N Randall Road
Elgin, IL 60123
(847) 760-6000

Al's Char-House Steak House
Address: 32 S La Grange Rd, La Grange, IL 60525
Phone: (708) 354-6255
http://www.alscharhouse.com/ (No prices, I wonder if they have gone up!)

Opart Thai House Restaurant
Address: 4658 N Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60625
Phone: (773) 989-8517

Outback Steakhouse
365 Randall Rd
South Elgin, IL
Phone: (847) 717-0100

Tiger Cry recipe that I have used and loved:

http://www.eaglewood.com/recipe/tigercry.htm

Rob....your comment "Well, this is a tricky question...(you know as a kid I loved Ponderossa, but not necessarily for the steaks.) " brought me WAAAAY back.......I used to work at one in high school and there were many things that I loved about Pondo.....food, that is!

Please tell me it wasn't the cowboy outfit!!!

Christine wrote:

Kill me for saying it, but our local Outback (South Elgin) is superb!

I haven't been to an Outback, but I do remember several years ago meeting an executive from a meat packing company who said he thought that Outback provided good value. They don't have the top end meat that you find at Morton's etc., but for the money he thought Outback was a good deal.

I'd agree that Outback is a very good steak for the money. I particularly like the rib eye.

Your dinner comes with bread and soup or salad and potato. The Skokie location I've been to most often is always packed at prime dinner hours, with good reason.

They also used to do a very nice lamb rack; they're now offering chops instead -- I haven't had those.

Prices have gone up recently, but it's still a very good value.

Outback is a good steak if you like meat that's been tenderized the way hot battery acid tenderizes your arm in an explosion.

Really, stay away.

So, I'm a little confused. Is this thread about good steaks at a reasonable cost or about crappy, but cheap, steaks? I mean Outback? Ponderossa? Tango Sur (OK, that last one is my particular prejuduce. I know some people really like it)? Puulleeese!

I was taking it as "good steaks at a reasonable cost".

I'd say that jonathan's and sabatino's both offer excellent, rather than just good, steaks at a reasonable cost. But others may disagree.

Perhaps what it should best be is: "What places have the best value per dollar for steak? That is, where is the deliciousness to money ratio highest?"

gleam wrote:I was taking it as "good steaks at a reasonable cost".

I'd say that jonathan's and sabatino's both offer excellent, rather than just good, steaks at a reasonable cost. But others may disagree.

Perhaps what it should best be is: "What places have the best value per dollar for steak? That is, where is the deliciousness to money ratio highest?"

That's how I took the OP also when I suggested Elliott's. I was somewhat surprised to see the chains creep in, but to each their own I guess.

I've had mixed experiences with Outback. Had one near my home in New Jersey that served prime grade beef. They typical strip was 20 bucks and free of the chemical taste that Mike describes and that I have tasted in some of their steaks at some locations.

Erwin offers a great skirt steak dinner with chipotle barbeque sauce for $15.

I'm a fan of El Llano for steak.

In all my years in New York, I never ate a steak at Tad's.

One way to get a great steak reasonably is Lawry's (100 E Ontario St) at lunch. Excellent prime rib in petite cuts or on a sandwich. Outstanding.

I think Cy's Steak and Chophouse (4138 N. Lincoln Ave) would fit this bill too...

Haven't people on here talked about Harry Carry's as a reasonable priced good steak? I haven't been myself...

Wow. Tad's. That takes me back. Not because I ever ate one, but because i never failed to wonder about it any time I walked by. I always assumed that Tad's was the equivalent of Ronnie's III in the loop. But I never ate there either.

As an entry in the value sweepst(e)akes, I would offer up the skirt steak at Athenian Room on Webster. About $11-12 (it's been a while) and you get those sublime crisp but lemon/oregano-infused fries.

YourPalWill wrote:I've had mixed experiences with Outback. Had one near my home in New Jersey that served prime grade beef. They typical strip was 20 bucks and free of the chemical taste that Mike describes and that I have tasted in some of their steaks at some locations.

I guess Outback must be variable, because I've never experienced the problem Mike describes. It is a franchise operation. I've mostly been to the location in Skokie. I would not at all call the meat there "crappy."

Harry Caray's is very good, but the steak prices are comparable to other top steakhouses'. http://www.harrycarays.com/chicago_dinner.cfm

I agree with Mike (really agree). I've been to Outback a few times within the last year (not on my own accord), and I have to find it one of the least appealing places. For what it's worth, one time was in Austin, TX and the other in Lincolnwood, IL. I noticed no difference in quality. Perhaps one of the few places in the league of Beef n' Brandy.

LAZ wrote:I guess Outback must be variable, because I've never experienced the problem Mike describes. It is a franchise operation.

Are you sure about this? I always thought they were all company owned stores. Several years ago, I did some work with the founders and at the time, I know they were all company stores. In any event, I'm firmly in the crappy camp, although I've only eaten at an Outback twice (that's enough for me).

stevez wrote:

LAZ wrote:I guess Outback must be variable, because I've never experienced the problem Mike describes. It is a franchise operation.

Are you sure about this? I always thought they were all company owned stores. Several years ago, I did some work with the founders and at the time, I know they were all company stores. In any event, I'm firmly in the crappy camp, although I've only eaten at an Outback twice (that's enough for me).

According to their website, Outback is a combination of company-owned and franchise operations:

http://www.outback-steakhouse.com/companyinfo/index.asp

When I was in college, some friends of mine insisted that Outback was the best value steakhouse around (this was in DC). I would tag along once in a while and consider myself reasonably satisfied with their most "premium" steak. I don't think I've set foot in an Outback in a decade or so and I don't feel like I have much reason to.

Best,
Michael / EC

In my professional life, I deal with Outback from time to time. EC is right. They have a mix of company owned and franchise stores.

I've had the metallic tasting steak that Mike refers to in his post at an Outback in NC.

Ponderosa nostalgia? Count me out -- and believe me, I've eaten more than my share of Ponderosa meals in their original Dayton hometown, where I used to work on the Ponderosa account for one of their advertising agencies. Utility-grade beef (one step above cutter and canner, the dog food grades), highly tenderized, then formed into uniform steak shapes and blast-frozen at a plant in Bristol, Wisconsin. Actually, some of their 70s-80s competitors like Golden Corral, Bonanza and Rustler at least had an edible product.

I'm not a big fan of the riverboats, but do any of them have the same loss leader steak dinners you'd find in Vegas?

>>Brent

1) Ronny's Original Steak House: Once a competitor of Tad's,
used to have 3-4 stores, now only one, new & clean, caffereta
style. Can't vouch for the steak but I'm thinking about getting
on the El and riding down for a chopped steak dinner with
extra garlic bead. Salad, baked potatoe (avoid other add ons).
Lotta bang for your buck. Like $8. with wierd lemonaid.
2) Mateo's: Cloth tablecloth Mexican, treats you real nice,
get the skirt steak/carne asada (avoid ala Tampenica w/
greasy ground beef taco). Chips, salsa, rice, beans, cheese
echilada, cookies & a shot of kahliha & cream for dessert
(I think dinner only for all this, lunch maybe no shot & cookies)
This will run like 13-14$ plus drink, etc. @ head.
3) Jameson's Charhouse: I think it was cloth tablecloth,
butt steak diner: soup, salad, bread, potatoe. Cooked the
steak just as ordered. About 16$ @ Head plus.

"Thoughts on Value Steak": Is it just me or are others, ah,
put off a link digressing. It will start out nice and then it
seems to go to hell in a handbasket. "I like Outback (whereever)
in my youth" paraphrased; "Outback sucks" , the next thing
might as well be "your mamma...". Come on folks, that's why
it comes in different flavors. That rear view mirror is crystal
clear and I'm sure the slice of New York was far better than
my first slice at the woolworth's pizza station (15 cents,10 cent
drink, I might add) but I really liked my first slice. Also, on the
rare ocasion, I've found free food is superior. My thought is
that this board should be more respectfull to posters. And
before anyone jumps down my throat (or keyboard) I
understand I spell feces with 3 T's and my tastes are in my
mouth (but I thought that was the point).

Ronny's actually at 101 W. Lake Street 312 346 9487

Mateo's 6815 W. Montrose Harwood Heoghts 708 867 8955
look this up on a good map

Jameson's Charhouse 1702 Algonquin Rd
Mount Prospect 847 956 1500

dashboard diner wrote:
"Thoughts on Value Steak": Is it just me or are others, ah,
put off a link digressing. It will start out nice and then it
seems to go to hell in a handbasket. "I like Outback (whereever)
in my youth" paraphrased; "Outback sucks" , the next thing
might as well be "your mamma...". Come on folks, that's why
it comes in different flavors. That rear view mirror is crystal
clear

Amen.

I have had some steak that is amazingly well prepared and quite tasty from el cheapo restaurants. I have also had some amazingly poorly prepared well marbled steaks at "fine" restaurants.

And USDA utility meat is not served in any restaurants as steaks.

i'll third El Llano on lincoln for the lunch special steak, very good and rediculously cheap. i try to go once every other week or so. it is not exactly a classic steakhouse presentation with creamed spinach and shepherds pie, but it is perfect for what it is.

Erik.

Hey, JL, scout's honor, hope to die, Ponderosa's steaks indeed WERE utility grade -- not good, not commercial, but utility grade that was heavily tenderized with additives using special machines at their Bristol, IN processing plant (subsidiary ESI Meats) and formed into ribeye, T-bone and strip steak shapes. Totally artificial. I not only was a writer for their advertising, I was the writer for their annual report, and personally toured their plant. This was back in the days when Pondy would have "Tuesday Night Is Family Night" promotions where you'd get a ribeye steak dinner for $1.99 -- you do the math what their food cost had to be.
>>Brent

Outback's website states that their steaks are USDA choice. It's also on the menus which they have posted at their site.

The site's list of individual restaurants includes the owner's name (different for each) for all 15 or so in the Chicago metropolitan area, so presumably they are all franchises around here.

http://www.outback.com/home01_amc2005.asp?HomeStoreID=1414

my first slice at the woolworth's pizza station (15 cents,10 cent
drink, I might add) but I really liked my first slice.

Hate to be argumentative, but the Slice at the Woolworths in Hillside Shopping Center was actually 16 cents. 1 penny Tax

George R wrote:Outback's website states that their steaks are USDA choice. It's also on the menus which they have posted at their site.

USDA grading may not mean too much for different cuts of meat. The grading is done for the whole steer with the grading being based on the ribeye. See this link or the USDA site. So other parts of the same animal may turn out better (or worse) than graded. When picking out steaks, I look for marbling and I've gotten great ones that were 'choice' and tasted like 'prime' (I try not to pick them the other way around )
Of course restaurants could (dry) age the meat which can further intensify and beef up the flavour.
And then there is the actual handling and cooking of the meat...