The more you learn how to prepare your own steaks, the more it doesn’t make sense for you to eat out. However, important decisions like these aren’t made solely on price alone. Sometimes, there is the actual experience of dining out to consider. For some, paying a little extra for the preparation, service and clean-up is worth it.
Taking all of these factors in, here are three steak experiences I’ve had recently, each at drastically different price tiers, and how all of them still serve a particular purpose, with one not outdoing the other.
Affordable
My brother and I like to hang out by the meat section at Landers Superstore Cebu. Surrounded by freezers, it’s literally one of the coolest places to be in. One day, he decided to treat himself to a pair of ribeye cuts sold at P366.38 for 458 grams.
Heat up the grill, render the fat; drizzle just a bit of oil before throwing the salt-pepper-garlic rubbed steaks on the grill for four minutes per side. Add a little butter with some rosemary and thyme. Baste generously each side for a few minutes before picking up the steaks and letting them rest on a plate before slicing them up; perfectly medium rare.
It took more time to cook up the mashed potatoes and sides, plus, the dishwashing that followed. But enjoying ribeyes at this price? Worth it.
Quality
There’s something about great steaks that lift the depressed from the depths of dejection. Sometimes, the thought of wanting to enjoy a good meal (solo or with friends) in a restaurant comes, and you are fortunate to be in a position to splurge a bit.
Fat Jim’s Steak House located in Hernan Cortes St., Mandaue City is one of those worst-kept secrets for pound-for-pound, good quality steaks priced right. For instance, its 400g USDA Angus Rib Eye steak (served with sauteed beans and your choice of either rice or mashed potato) is priced at P1,550.
There’s nothing else to say, really. Beautiful beef; each slice perfectly seared and seasoned.
Premium
Sometimes, the occasion calls for something special. My wife and I recently celebrated our first wedding anniversary and I decided to take her to one of the newer restaurants in town: Il Primo Italian Steakhouse.
I’ve had the privilege of dining at this Italian restaurant over NUSTAR Resort & Casino for more than a couple of times already thanks to official events or coverages, but this would be the first time I would walk in as a customer. Suffice to say, everything was excellent. We had the 500g Ribeye Angus Prime Excel at P4,900. We also had the Rigatoni Carbonara and a plate of Tiramisu. These were all wonderfully partaken of with a glass of red and Moscato.
I thought the meal was fitting of the milestone; and certainly, one can appreciate the dry-aged steaks prepared in the restaurant’s Josper grill—a combination of a grill and an oven. Afterward, a lovely stroll by The Strip overlooking the channel was a great way to end the night.
Each steak presented here is a champion of its own; you just have to find which one is best for you at a given time.