Steak House Key Terms

Make sure you get the best a restaurant can offer by knowing steak house key terms

Almost every town has a steak house, and large cities often host steak house chains or franchises along with locally owned restaurants. When it comes to steak houses, key terms typically mean the same thing from restaurant to restaurant. Whether you've always wondered why the house dressing is different at every steak house, or you want to know what makes a signature dish special, knowing these terms can help you know the best food to order when you're dining out.

 

Steak house chains, franchises

When a company owns more than one restaurant operating under the same name with the same menu, it has a steak house chain. While individuals can purchase a franchise and operate according to the franchise agreement, one owner or organization owns a chain and hires managers to run each one.
Try: Find more information about steak house chains from Charlie Brown's, a chain that operates in several states. It also owns and operates restaurants that are part of the chain but under different names. Smith & Wollensky, which began with one flagship New York steak house, now has branches in several states.

Entrée

When it comes to steak houses, the word entrée refers to the main part of the meal. Using this definition, an entrée at a steak house could be a large salad with strips of steak served as the main meal. Traditional steak houses also offer popular side dishes, such as creamed spinach, stewed tomatoes and thick-cut steakhouse fries, on an a la carte basis.
Try: Epicurious provides a definition for entrée in both  America and in parts of Europe.

USDA Prime

The United States Department of Agriculture grades beef with a quality rating. USDA Prime is a select, and the highest, category of beef known for its tender and juicy qualities.
Try: Prime Time Top Ten Steakhouses provides an explanation on USDA grading.

Cuts

Steak houses feature various cuts of beef, including Chateaubriand, Delmonico, New York strip, Porterhouse and T-bone steaks and roasted prime rib, along with chops and sometimes seafood or chicken dishes.
Try: The Food Paper from Gayot.com lists the most popular steak house cuts and offers a diagram of which part of the animal these come from.

Aged

Many steakhouses use an aging process to make the meat more tender. Usually the process occurs during the hang time before the butcher cuts the meat.
Try: Good Cooking provides instruction on how to dry age beef, including steaks.

Signature dish

A signature dish is usually the one dish that gets rave reviews for a steak house. It can include everything on the plate from vegetables to sauce, as well as the steak.
Try: Cookthink looks at the history for signature dishes and explains why in some cases a signature dish may not be a good thing. View a slideshow of the featured signature dishes at the popular, Australian-inspired Outback Steakhouse chain.

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