Why Is It Called A New York Strip Steak?

In a city that's as storied as New York, you come to expect everything associated with it — including the food — to have some intriguing legend behind it. There were the fights over H&H Bagels and Ray's pizza, the rules at Soup Kitchen International that became so strict they inspired an episode of "Seinfeld," and Joey Chestnut getting booted from Nathan's annual hot dog-eating contest. So you wouldn't have been alone if you anticipated some saga behind the name of the strip steak named after the city, the New York strip. The story — at least the one most people accept as the true one — is a lot simpler than the name implies. The New York strip got its name when the nearly 200-year-old steakhouse Delmonico's simply called it that on its menu.

The cut comes from the short loin at the top of the cow, an area that is soft and tender. The meat can be very juicy and the chef Jacques Pepin says it is his favorite steak. It often goes by other names including Delmonico steak, strip loin, club steak, ambassador steak, or Kansas City strip. That last moniker is the one that causes the most debate, with many saying they are one and the same and others pointing to several differences between the New York and Kansas City strips.

The biggest debate is whether or not either or both New York and Kansas City strip steaks still have the bone attached. The menu at the venerable Delmonico's, which has been operating in downtown Manhattan since 1837, lists a bone-in New York strip but others say a proper New York strip is boneless. Social media forums go back and forth on which one has the bone, while butchers, like New York's famous Lobel's, tend to stay out of the fray by calling the cut either bone-in or boneless strip steak. Other discussed differences between the New York and Kansas City cuts include the amount of fat (some say the KC version has more) and the flavor (if you prefer beefy, New York gets the win).

It's no surprise that the best way to cook a New York strip is also up for debate. Mark Lobel, of the eponymous butcher shop, taught Ina Garten his three-step grilling method, which calls for a few minutes on the hot side of the grill for two minutes per side, several minutes on the cool side of the grill covered, followed by 15 minutes of rest while covered with aluminum foil. Others swear by pan-searing the steak with butter and then placing it in the oven to finish. The key, most likely, is buying the right cut. By any other name — or by any other method — would a New York strip still taste as sweet? You betcha.