The Right Way To Order Steak At A Steakhouse For The Uninitiated

So you're heading to a steakhouse for the first time. Whether you're heading to a famed restaurant like New York City's Delmonico's or a more humble bistro on a small city's Main Street, there's a couple of things to know about ordering. 

First up, you'll have to choose your cut — basically, the type of steak you want; these are usually named by where they come from on a cow. This varies between restaurants, but some will appear at most steakhouses. At the fancy end is filet mignon, known for its tenderness without being very fatty (although it can have a less distinct flavor); then there's ribeye (less tender, more flavor), and New York strip steak (somewhere in between the other two). Ribeye may also be dry-aged, adding to its flavor and price tag. Filet mignon tends to be much pricier than a New York strip.

If you're hoping to save money, you may want to opt for options like a sirloin or flank steak. For sirloin, the taste and texture may not be as top-notch as a ribeye; both it and flank are known for being tougher to cook as they're less fatty, but a reputable steakhouse should be able to prepare them without serving you a tough piece of leather. If you're in doubt, a server should be able to advise you.

How you want your steak cooked is the other key part of ordering, and this will be pretty much the same regardless of the steakhouse you're visiting. You've got six options for how your steak should be cooked, in order of how long they'll spend on the grill: Blue, rare, medium-rare, medium, medium-well, and well-done, and there's a lot of debate on which is best (with a lot of ire reserved for well-done steaks). You'll specify this to the server when you order, but asking a server may be less useful, as it's really about personal preference..

With the shortest cook-time, blue steak is on the grill for barely a couple of minutes, meaning it's pretty raw inside, making a lot of people pretty squeamish about eating it. (Despite the short cooking time, it should still be safe to eat in a reputable restaurant that sources and handles its meat appropriately). If you're a real meat-fiend carnivore-type, blue might be for you, but if it's your first time in a steakhouse, it might be a bit intense. The same could be said of rare steak: While cooked longer, it can look bloody when cut open (although it's actually a protein called myoglobin which turns red when exposed to oxygen), making it more of a choice for seasoned carnivores. Fans of rare steak generally say that it offers a more tender meat, and that flavor shines through more.

The most popular cooking level for steak is arguably medium-rare (followed by medium), striking a good balance between the other levels. Medium-rare is sometimes suggested as a default for those who aren't sure: You'll get a mostly pink center with just a hint of red.

The last two categories, medium-well and well-done, may draw derision from steakhouse chefs and servers. Medium-well will have just a hint of pink, and well-done will have none. Chefs often dislike well-done steak, seeing it as overcooked, tough, and dry. Those concerned about food safety may like well-done steak, believing it kills pathogens. However, such bacteria would only be on a steak's exterior, so any grilling (even at the rare level) should kill them. Some (perhaps many) steakhouses may struggle to cook well-done steaks that aren't dry. If you have to order well-done, it'd be smart to go with a fattier cut that will dry out less, like porterhouse or ribeye.

Finally, you may have the option of ordering sauce on your steak. However, there's a point of view that good steaks should be so flavorful they don't need sauce. Still, classics like peppercorn or mushroom sauce may appeal to some — and this is arguably necessary with a well-done steak that can be dry enough to need sauce for moisture.