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Irene Bedard
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One Magazine's Quest to Discover
the Secret of the Holy Grill
by Eric O'Keefe
Then we applied our criteria. Was this a true steakhouse where beef was first and foremost on the menu? Birds, surf and turf, and other items were acceptable as long as this initial mandate was met. Secondly, was our selection one-of-a-kind or at minimum the company's flagship property? This rid our survey of all but the most authentic of dining experiences and answered that all-important question, "but did you eat at the original one and only?"
A final word. If you agree with all of our selections, you're either much too polite or have yet to cross the Mississippi. We fully expect an avalanche of accolades as well as slight number of dissenting comments, particularly when it comes to favorite chop houses from your neck of the woods. Our staff eagerly awaits your comments at editor@cowboysindians.com, and we invite you to peruse our ever-expanding list of fine dining selections at www.cowboysindians.com.
Billy Crews
1200 Country Club Road
Santa Theresa, New Mexico (505) 589-2071
Since 1956, the Crews family has been serving steaks that their patrons actually choose themselves. Ready to order? Amble over to the meat bar, select the desired thickness, and they'll custom-cut a T-bone ($8.50 per pound), a New York strip ($10.50 per pound), or a rib eye ($10.50 per pound), and cook it to order. Of course pre-cut steaks, prime rib, lamb loin, seafood, and birds are also served, and the 1400-bottle cellar has been a Wine Spectator Grand Award-winner since 1986.
Bob's Steak & Chop House
4300 Lemmon Avenue
Dallas, Texas (214) 528-9446
Centrally located in the heart of Big D, Bob's is without question the USDA certified favorite of the Dallas branch of the Cowboys & Indians family–and for good reason. In addition to ample cuts of aged beef, ably served in clubby quarters, the menu includes a superb rack of lamb ($27.95) and a selection of salads and sides that are newsworthy in themselves. Don't be surprised if one of the Cowboys or a Star drops by. Got a favorite chicken entree? Not here. "We don't serve chicken because I don't want to," says proprietor Bob Sambol.
Brenner's
10911 Katy Freeway
Houston, Texas (713) 465-2901
With the exception of the 100 or so yards that Brenner's moved when I-10 got paved, little has changed since this Houston landmark first opened its doors in 1936. Brenner's reputation rests on prime steaks like ribeyes (14-ounce $27.95, 16-ounce $29.95) and filets (8-ounce $29.95), but don't forget that this Gulf Coast eatery also serves a superb lobster bisque, red snapper, and one-of-a-kind crab cakes. Although the wait staff recites the menu, the excellent wine list is available in a print version. If at all possible, make a pass through the cozy bar for a single malt scotch, cigar, or cocktail with Claude Reed, barman and raconteur extraordinaire.
The Buckhorn Exchange
1000 Osage
Denver, Colorado (303) 534-9505
In the century since the Buckhorn opened for business, everyone from Buffalo Bill to Dwight D. Eisenhower has bellied up to the bar in this, the oldest dining establishment in the Mile High City. Roy Rogers, Charlton Heston, even Teddy Roosevelt–all journeyed to Denver's rail yards for the Buckhorn's renowned Colorado beef steaks as well as exotic meats like buffalo and elk. The kitchen preserves this heritage through cherished recipes and Old West cookbooks.
The Bull Ring
150 Washington Street, Suite 108
Santa Fe, New Mexico (505)983-3328
A top choice for filibusterers at the end of their day, The Bull Ring has been a cornerstone for gutbusting good food in the City Different for over a quarter of a century. Once located in a 150-year-old adobe next to the New Mexico's state capitol, The Bull Ring is still a favorite watering hole for New Mexico's movers and shakers. You can often see them dining on savory steaks or in the bar wetting their whistles. Although The Bull Ring moved a few years ago to the Wells Fargo Plaza, USDA prime beef still reigns in specially-built broilers that heat up to 1,800 degrees, hot enough to seal in the meat's juices and to keep up with any heated conversations.
Cassie's Supper Club & Dance Hall
214 W. Yellowstone Avenue
Cody, Wyoming (307) 527-5500
With its colorful whorehouse history that dates back to the 1920s, Cassie's is always a lively place, especially in the summer when owner Steve Singer's band West plays nightly and the dance floor is crowded with couples for whom two-stepping comes as naturally as ordering red meat. With its antlered mounts and stuffed mountain lion snarling over the bar, a dance floor with a big red "C" in the middle, billiard room, drive-through liquor window, and relatively frequent bar fights, Cassie's has as much Western ambience as a Zane Grey novel. Meat is cut to order and you can have as big a steak as you want. Favored cuts are the 14-ounce ($16.95) and the 18-ounce ($19.95) ribeye and filets that range from 8 ounces ($15.95) to a whopping 18 ounces ($24.95). "I've served four men 32-ounce prime ribs each, and they finished every bite," says longtime employee Debbie Cook. "That's a heavy tray of meat," she adds.
Cattlemen's Steakhouse
Indian Cliffs Ranch
El Paso County, Texas (915) 544-3200
As much a tourist attraction as it is a restaurant, Cattlemen's consistently tops the "Best Steak" polls in the El Paso area. Owner Dieter Gerzymisch has purchased every pound of beef himself for more than 25 years. Favorites from the menu include a two-pound T-bone called the Cowboy ($22.95) and the 10-ounce ($15.95) and 14-ounce ($18.95) New York strips. The atmosphere is casual and the dinners are served family style with all the fixings–baked potatoes, cole slaw, and corn on the cob. For a real taste of the border, be sure to order the grilled green chiles. As any paseño will tell you, they go great with beef and do wonders for the digestion process.
Chico Hot Springs Lodge
Pray, Montana (406) 333-4933
Chico Hot Springs is clearly a study in contradictions. It boasts a resident ghost as well as the most extensive wine list in Montana. It's miles from nowhere (somewhere south of Livingston and north of Yellowstone), yet it always draws a crowd. Tomatoes can't grow here, yet the restaurant raises its own herbs and most of its own vegetables. These and many other anomalies give this elegant yet laid back western spa a diehard local following. Set on 150 hot-spring-laden acres in the foothills of the Absaroka Mountains, the lodge serves superb steaks, including a classic New York strip ($20.95 and $23.95), a mixed-grill platter of free-range game and fish (market price), and beef Wellington for two ($46.95). Their signature dish, says general manager Colin Davis, is a 20-ounce beef porterhouse ($26.95). The menu is meat-and-potatoes says Davis,"because that's the way the locals want it."
Club de los Parados
Avenida Juarez 3901
Chihuahua City, Chihuahua
011 52 14 10 5335
In a state known for ranches that can run over a million acres, don't be surprised to see a good number of rancheros and vaqueros at Tony Vega's Chihuahua City steakhouse. After weeks riding the range, beef eaters head straight for Los Parados with its live music whenever they make it into town. And why not? The Cowboy Chihuahua, a 400-gram bone-in ribeye goes for only 100 pesos. Qué sabroso. Los Parados also offers traditional norteña fare. The excellent wine cellar stocks Spanish and Chilean selections, and of course the cantina serves Cuervo as well as all the other top-shelf tequilas.
Donovan's Steak
& Chop House
4340 La Jolla Village Dr.
La Jolla, CA (619) 450-6666
A $2 million renovation has Donovan's looking better than ever, but for all the mahogany and smoked glass that now accentuate the dining room, the real artistry still takes place in the kitchen. Every steak at Donovan's is a certified USDA prime cut, supplied by Midwestern farms that specialize in corn-fed beef. After aging a minimum of four to six weeks, the top-grade steaks and chops are seared to order in Montague Vectaire ovens, and accompanied by one of five delectable potato selections and an assortment of vegetables. Those who prefer surf to turf may opt for shrimp scampi, salmon steak, swordfish, or lobster.
Durant's
2611 N. Central Avenue
Phoenix, Arizona (602) 264-5967
When Durant's first opened its doors in 1950, it was considered to be out in the sticks. Now its famous yellow sign is a downtown Phoenix icon. The philosophy? "If steaks were a religion, Durant's would be a cathedral," says general manager Bruce Erony. Enter his sanctuary and you'll be seated by a tuxedo-clad waiter whose tenure dates back to the Rat Pack. Scoot into one of the comfortable naugahyde booths, surrounded by red-velvet flocked walls, and there's a good chance you'll see the Governor or some other politico, dining on a three-pound porterhouse ($49.95), the mesquite-grilled Delmonico ($24.95), or the Florida stone crab.
The Grill on the Alley
9560 Dayton Way
Beverly Hills, CA (310) 276-0615
Just a block away from the heart of Beverly Hills' Golden Triangle, this "civilized movie-biz hangout for great American steaks, chops, and martinis" is considered "the apex of its genre" and is regularly lauded by local and national media as the prime destination in the 90210 zone. The white-jacketed wait staff serve a menu that emphasizes classic fare: char-broiled meats, fresh fish, and seafood specialties. Dozens of martinis, single malt scotches, small batch bourbons, and handcrafted tequilas are the perfect complement to any high-powered meal, particularly when your clientele includes Kirk Douglas, Robert DeNiro, and Barbra Streisand.
Harris'
The massive bar beckons at Harris', a Bay area landmark just off Van Ness Avenue.
2100 Van Ness Avenue
San Francisco, CA (415) 673-1888
Even though it sits on one of the busiest thoroughfares in the Bay Area, there is a calming effect here with the massive wooden bar, overstuffed chairs, and low-key live jazz. Harris' serves certified Angus, i.e., corn-fed Midwestern beef, and it all arrives by the side, ready to be cut by the restaurant's own butcher. (The restaurant also operates a retail meat counter.) Although time-consuming and expensive, dry aging is one of the secrets to the bone-in New York ($28) and the T-bone ($34). Founded in 1984 by Ann Harris, a rancher's daughter turned actress, the restaurant thrives on its old-world details, from brass chandeliers to caviar, steak tartare, and sweetbreads. Although the wine list boasts 300 choices, many patrons choose the self-serve martini first, which is presented in individual decanters that rest in miniature ice buckets.
Hy's Steak House
316 Fourth Avenue SW
Calgary, Alberta (403) 263-2222
You can stop in at Hy's in Toronto, in Vancouver, and, for that matter, on Guam, but if you want to eat where it all began you've got to head to the heart of Canadian cattle country and make your way to this Calgary institution. Alberta ranches produce more than 40 percent of Canada's beef, and judging from the success of Hy's, much of it has been consumed at this classic chop house whose dimly lit decor exudes clubby character. Prime AAA Alberta beef reigns supreme at Hy's, in particular, the char-broiled 16-ounce rib steak ($CDN 20.95) and the slow roasted 14-ounce prime rib ($CDN 19.95).
Hereford House
Two East 20th Street
Kansas City, Missouri (816) 842-1080
Over the last 40 years, this Kansas City chop house has grown from a local's favorite into a full-fledged enterprise complete with mail order operation, steak of the month club, and website (www.herefordhouse). Despite the many choices, the Hereford House rests its reputation on its Kansas City strip. Char-broiled, it is served in 10-ounce ($18.95), 16-ounce ($24.95), and 32-ounce ($39.95) cuts. The restaurant also wins rave reviews for its wine cellar, a Wine Spectator award-winner. Napa, Sonoma, Santa Ynez, and Santa Cruz plus several from Oregon and Washington are rounded out with numerous Bordeaux and Burgundies.
Johnny's Cafe
4702 S. 27th Street
Omaha, Nebraska (402) 731-4774
Cornhuskers like Warren Buffet and Tom Osborne know this South Omaha landmark, begun by Frank J. Kawa in 1922. Nowadays Frank's sons, Tom and Jack, and two of his granddaughters, Sally and Kari, still serve aged, hand-cut Hereford beef. Their favorite? The 12-ounce choice Omaha strip steak ($17.50). The Kawas guarantee it's better than any K.C. or New York strip you've tried.
Land of Magic
11060 Front Street
Logan, Montana (406) 284-3794
When Bozeman residents have a hankering for steak, they get in their trucks and drive 25 miles west to Logan and the Land of Magic, a restaurant so popular you need to make reservations a week in advance. Many restaurant regulars journey 90 miles or more. And no wonder. Land of Magic char-broils all 11 of their steaks ($14-$20) with a special seasoning, then bastes them with a flavored oil while on the grill. Owner Jim Groenendal also stocks his menu with plenty of seafood and a great duck a l'orange ($16.75). The best time to go? The first weekend in May, for the annual branding party. Says Groenendal, "we have a big outdoor steak fry, live music as late as people want it, and a big branding, where the ranchers from all around here burn their brands into the log walls of the restaurant."
Perini Ranch Steakhouse
Buffalo Gap, Texas (915) 572-3339
Like your steak grilled over an open flame? So do West Texans, whose penchant for this remote Taylor County steakhouse burns up 20 cords of mesquite each month. In fact, word of Tom Perini's chuckwagon fixings have spread so far and wide that the West Texas rancher has gotten catering gigs as far away as Japan. (Maybe it's because of his savory dry rub; the secret recipe follows.)
What's in a name? Buffalo Gap and the Perini Ranch sit at the southmost edge of the grazing range of the great south herd of bison, an area that included an immense swath of Texas and the Great Plains. If it's not in your immediate travel plans, then keep in mind that FedEx delivers the Perini Ranch Steakhouse to your doorstep. The New York Times selected the ranch's famous mesquite-smoked peppered-beef tenderloin as the country's top mail-order food item a few years back, and you might just agree. Call (800) 367-1721 for standard overnight delivery.
Pioneer Saloon
520 North Main
Ketchum, Idaho 208-726-3139
"When you ask about steakhouses in Sun Valley," says a longtime local, "the first thing off anyone's lips is going to be the Pioneer Saloon. The atmosphere there is all about beef." And at the Pioneer, that beef would be Idaho-raised, Kansas-fattened, corn-fed critters. The result? Four prime rib selections including quarter, half, and full cuts ($17.50-$23), sundry other steaks ($12.50-$17), barbecue beef ribs ($10.50), and specials like Idaho pork chops and buffalo burgers, all served no-frills style with giant Idaho baked potatoes to heighten one's carnivorous instincts.
Of course there's always the decor of this former gambling casino. Antique firearms, natural woods, mounted game, and hard liquor all combine to provide an authentic saloon setting. The no-reservations policy helps maintain a lively bar scene. Put your name on the list for a typical half-hour wait. Just don't hang out at the far end of the bar; that's for locals. And if you're in Sun Valley during November, check out Pioneer Days, when prices are rolled back to an earlier era in Ketchum's history.
Ranchman's Cafe
Ponder, Texas (940) 479-2221
Grace "Pete" Jackson opened Ranchman's just north of Fort Worth in 1948, and ever since then this out-of-the-way eatery has specialized in aged, hand-cut sirloins, chicken-fried steaks, and exceptional T-bones ($12.95-$24.95). All cuts are flat-grilled to perfection and served lightly buttered with a dash of salt and pepper. Save room for the scratch-made pies and mouth-watering cobblers, dessert favorites since day one.
Over the last half century, however, a few changes have been made–like indoor bathrooms–but owner Dave Ross, who worked for Pete while attending nearby North Texas State, stays true to Pete's principles. All steaks are still cut to order. (So, too, are the french fries; you'll find no frozen taters at Ranchman's.) And even though Ponder is still a bit of a drive, Ranchman's still draws them in from Fort Worth (28miles) and Dallas (35 miles) and the hour-long drive down from Oklahoma as well. Don't take it the wrong way–Ranchman's has no maitre d'– but reservations are recommended, and, while you're on the phone, order your table their baked potatoes. P.S. Ranchman's is BYOB.
RingSide
2165 West Burnside Boulevard
Portland, Oregon (503) 223-1513
Although it dates back to the 1930s, the RingSide stepped up to steakhouse status when Marguerite and Allen Delepine bought the restaurant in 1944. Since that time, succeeding generations of the family have only enhanced their reputation by serving prime and choice Angus beef. (Let the record reflect that the baked Pacific halibut is a menu mainstay.) Despite its frequent listing as one of the top steakhouses in the country–the renowned RingSide ribeye is served in 12-ounce ($21.50) and 16-ounce ($23.75) cuts–it's the restaurant's world-famous onion rings that had the likes of James Beard crowing that they were, "the best I've ever had."
THE Steak House
Circus Circus
2880 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, Nevada (702) 794-3767
The Circus Circus Resort is not famous for understated elegance. This is, after all, a place where gamblers stand on rotating platforms pumping quarters into clown-faced slot machines. But tucked away in a quiet corner of the big top is an intimate mecca for steak lovers, with the audacious name of THE Steak House. A bold claim, but the menu backs it up. Mesquite grilling reigns here, and instills an aromatic, full-bodied flavor into the Porterhouse and New York cuts, aged 21 days. Tourists book the place solid every night, but Las Vegas locals slip in when they can. Prime rib, lamb chops, and an ample selection of seafood round out the beefy menu.
SIDEBAR #1
Perini Ranch Steak Rub
Yield: 1/2 cup season (enough for 3-4 large steaks)
2 t cornstarch or flour
2 t salt
2 T coarse-ground pepper
1/2 t lemon pepper
1/2 t ground oregano
4 t garlic powder
4 t onion powder
1 t paprika
1 t beef-flavored bouillon granules
Combine ingredients, mixing well. Rub steaks with mixture and then refrigerate for at least 15 minutes before cooking. For best flavor, grill steaks over hot mesquite coals. Basting with butter is optional.
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