The Round Stable

Aramek wrote:Raggy, why are all five choices in a negative light?
Why do you say mean things about people who like stuff?

I thought I was supposed to read that in a Scooby-Doo voice for a second.

Aramek wrote:Raggy, why are all five choices in a negative light?
Why do you say mean things about people who like stuff?

Because steak is an awful food for awful people!

Lazy wrote:Because steak is an awful food for awful people!

Is this one of the vegetarian...things...because... I mean, I won't judge but...fuuuuuuuuck...


Grilled Ribeye by Aramek, on Flickr

Aramek wrote: Is this one of the vegetarian...things...because... I mean, I won't judge but...fuuuuuuuuck...

Hey, how do you figure out who's the vegetarian at the party? Don't worry, they'll let you know.

I think Vegetarians/Vegans are super cool people, and I love their food too!

Just, you know, in addition to my food.

If your steak isn't cold in the middle it's overdone.

Aramek wrote: Is this one of the vegetarian...things...because... I mean, I won't judge but...fuuuuuuuuck...

I'm not a vegetarian, I just think steak is pretty bad.

Ragnar wrote:Well done: "I'm only ordering steak because someone else made me"
Medium well: "Someone told me the red parts are the good parts but I don't really believe them"
Medium: "I don't understand the question"
Medium rare: "Make sure to sprinkle kosher salt gently across one side of the meat before flipping it over, and don't use a plastic spatula, and... actually you should probably just let me do it "
Rare: *flex* "My myriad personal insecurities demand that all of you reach across the table to feel my huge muscles and luxuriant chest hair"

So what's the correct way of ordering steak?


Also "not ordering steak" is an incorrect answer, Lazy.

If I'm at a nice restaurant, I'll order steak medium, since they tend to undercook it. At cheaper places, I'll order it medium rare, since they tend to overcook it.

Lazy wrote:I'm not a vegetarian, I just think steak is pretty bad.

That's okay, we all like different foods! And none of us should think less of people who enjoy foods that we do not!

Octavia wrote:If I'm at a nice restaurant, I'll order steak medium, since they tend to undercook it. At cheaper places, I'll order it medium rare, since they tend to overcook it.

That's clever.


Because it's sad when Aramek is sad:

Well done: "Okay, here's what I need you to do. Take some meat, put it on the grill, and just fucking leave it there until ten minutes before you guys close. I've got all night, I don't care. Red bits? Fuck your pretentious foodie bullshit, if I wanted to look like an asshole I'd have driven here in a [type of car Aramek hates]"
Medium well: The above but you're in a hurry
Medium: Zen option
Medium rare: Octavia at Denny's/the one my grandfather told me is the objective best option
Rare: The actual objective best option

When I said a cheap place, I meant like Outback Steakhouse.

Their steaks are not bad for the price, it's just I've never once had a steak that was underdone there. They always overcook it by at least one level.

Actually, I like my steak medium to medium-well, so I always order it well done.
If I order it medium, sometimes it'll come rare, which just kills my appetite. (sorry. I don't like my food to look like it's bleeding.)

I've been ordering like this for years and I've never once actually gotten a well-done steak. My theory is that they're scared to overcook it, so they error on the side of caution.
Of course, if I actually got a well done steak I wouldn't have any problem with it.

I usually ask for my steak to moo when I poke it.

I am checking out a german US-themed restaurant today. I wonder how the burgers will be.

Shavnir wrote:I usually ask for my steak to moo when I poke it.

"Take the steak and show it a picture of fire."

The best way to eat steak is to bring it to the woods in the middle of winter and roast it over an open fire so its charred on the outside and bloody on the inside. It tastes so good when the seasoning is a lingering hope that you might live to see civilization again.

Just got back from a local beach restaurant and while the hamburger was decent, their spare ribs and wraps are GODLY. I'll have to see how Peggy Sue, a 50's novelty restaurant holds up.

By the way, I didn't mean to overlook this, because

DEC 9 wrote:What about my disgusting shit food hotdogs???!!!

FUCK YEAH

Headless Horse wrote:FUCK YEAH

YESSSSS

We should've gone to Superdawg while you were here in Chicago.

Shavnir wrote:I usually ask for my steak to moo when I poke it.

"As rare as legally possible" is how I always order my steaks.

Back when Friday's actually stocked quality cuts of meat worth paying for, there's one near me a friend and I used to go to often that would cook them perfectly, every single time. I went to a different Friday's about 40 miles away from home with a bunch of friends, ordered it rare as legally possible, and it came to me medium. The waiter (who looked like Mark Martin's (Nascar driver) stunt double) looked at it, sneered, and said to me, "You'd better ask me to take that shit back to the kitchen."

The next one came out right. He was awesome.

Octavia wrote:We should've gone to Superdawg while you were here in Chicago.

Superdawg: Let's all face away from each other while eating!

Adelor Lyon wrote:"As rare as legally possible" is how I always order my steaks.

But then you risk missing out on the possibility of them breaking the law because they know you'll appreciate how rare it is. I have a friend who orders steak with something like "as rare as you'll make it; I love steak tartar".

Octavia wrote: YESSSSS

We should've gone to Superdawg while you were here in Chicago.

I did insist on Adelor taking me to Portillo's. So I got their interpretation.

Making them at home from local NYC ingredients is doomed to failure, but Sonic and Wienerschnitzel do fairly passable versions, if a bit as befits any big-menu chain that has to compromise in a lot of ways.

But somehow I really enjoy the fact that there are still very real regional differences in American cuisine. It hasn't all become a huge monocultural landscape, and you really do have to work to get the "right" stuff.

Headless Horse wrote: I did insist on Adelor taking me to Portillo's. So I got their interpretation.

Making them at home from local NYC ingredients is doomed to failure, but Sonic and Wienerschnitzel do fairly passable versions, if a bit as befits any big-menu chain that has to compromise in a lot of ways.

But somehow I really enjoy the fact that there are still very real regional differences in American cuisine. It hasn't all become a huge monocultural landscape, and you really do have to work to get the "right" stuff.

If you went to Portillo's I hope you got their Chocolate Cake shake.

Chocolate Cake Shake?

Who let Pinkie in the kitchen?

But somehow I really enjoy the fact that there are still very real regional differences in American cuisine. It hasn't all become a huge monocultural landscape, and you really do have to work to get the "right" stuff.

That monoculture is just cost cutting ad nauseum. Look at Taco Bell with their government mandated 'minimum required beef' and cornstarch laced sour cream.

It requires a certain pride, a little bit of snob appeal, a certain 'fuck you' to cost cutting. The public has to demand it.
The poppy seed bun is from S. Rosen's
The hotdog is usually Vienna Beef on a windy day Octavia can probably smell the factory.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... le_Dog.jpg

And all this for, what, $3 - 5, compared to $1 for a Seven Eleven hot dog?
http://www.superdawg.com/menu.cfm?section=superdawg
http://www.portillos.com/assets/pdfmenu ... FDE3F6.pdf

The pizzas Aramek received in the mail take 45 minutes to bake. You won't see those in your market's freezer aisle - they're all engineered 10-15 minute pizzas.
I'm kind of -ing here but I keep thinking about what Subway or Little Caesar's did to drive the cost out of their products so they could sell you a $5 sandwich or pizza and what could be done if you doubled the price.

e:
And while I'm at it - those chocolates you see Palmer Brand Easter Bunnies made out of?
http://www.candyblog.net/blog/item/palm ... ored_bunny
Not actually chocolate. They're more of a solidified oil confection with cocoa added. It melts way too quickly in your hand, and it's over sweetened. Hell no.

DEC 9 wrote:What about my disgusting shit food hotdogs???!!!

It's a shame that you've never been to Spike's Junkyard Dogs.

Then again, there aren't a lot, and they're all in New England.

Adelor Lyon wrote: Superdawg: Let's all face away from each other while eating!

It's just like eating at a bar!

If it were nice out, they have picnic tables outside. But that's kinda tough in January. The place started out (and still is) a drive-in, so if we wanted, we could all sit in the car and they'd bring it out to us. I do believe this year is Superdawg's 65th anniversary!

Headless Horse wrote: I did insist on Adelor taking me to Portillo's. So I got their interpretation.

Portillo's is good stuff, but I think their Italian Beef is better than their hot dogs.

There's way too much.. stuff on those hot dogs. A proper hotdog has a simple elegance to it. Beef frank on plain bun, wavy line of ketchup, and some freshly ground black pepper, please.

I respectfully disagree on the grounds that those look incredible.

Philistine.

I'm a bit of a dork taking pictures of my lunch -
For Your Evaluation:

Lunchbox Labratory. Brioche bun, Chipotle Mayo, Gouda, Pepper Bacon, Chicken/Turkey patty.
Comes with a fork and steak knife.

I can't properly express how much I want to eat the hell out of that.

Horsemeat found in beef burgers on sale in UK and Ireland

"there is no clear explanation at this time for the presence of horse DNA in products emanating from meat plants that do not use horsemeat in their production process,"

I'm a tiny cheeseburger!

I watched an episode of Top Chef Canada that had horse meat as a secret ingredient. It's fairly common in some places, but they shouldn't be sneaking it into burgers that claim to be beef like that.