In Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, United States and South Africa, a restaurant that specializes in beef steaks can be known as a steakhouse. In the United States a typical steak dinner consists of a steak, with a starchy side dish, usually baked potatoes, but occasionally potato gratin, rice, pasta, or beans in addition to some vegetable may be added. In France, Steaks are served with french fries and therefore the dish is known as 'steak-frites.' Frite being the french word for french fry. In Italy steak is served with salad and tuscan beans. In the Balkan region, steak is often rubbed with mustard and pepper, and marinated in vinegar and vegetable oil for up to a week. It is then fried in butter, and a slice of toast is then used to soak up the pan drippings. The steak is served on the toast and topped with optional fried egg and a sprig of parsley. Way too many condiments for the Balkan steak if you ask me.
In addition to the varying accompaniments to steak we have different degrees of cooking at which to serve the steak.
Raw-Completely uncooked, dishes such as tartare and carpaccio.
Seared/Very Rare-Cooked very quickly; the outside is seared, but the inside is usually cool and barely cooked.
Rare-The outside is gray-brown, and the middle of the steak is red and slightly warm.
Medium Rare-The steak will have a fully red, warm center.
Medium-middle of the steak is hot and red with pink surrounding the center. The outside is gray-brown.
Medium Well Done-middle of the steak is hot and red with pink surrounding the center. The outside is gray-brown.
Well Done-The meat is gray-brown throughout and slightly charred.
Overcooked- the meat is dark throughout and slightly bitter.
There are also a variety of cuts of beef that can be served as steaks. These including: Filet Mignon (A cut from the small end of the tenderloin; the most tender and usually the most expensive cut by weight), Flank (From the underside. Not as tender as steaks cut from the rib or loin), Rib Eye (A rib steak consisting of the longissimus muscle and the spinalis or cap. This comes from the primal rib used to make prime rib which is typically oven roasted as opposed to grilled as is typical with rib eye), and T-bone (A cut from the tenderloin and strip loin, connected with a T-shaped bone (lumbar vertebra). The two are distinguished by the size of the tenderloin in the cut. T-bones have smaller tenderloin sections, while the Porterhouse – though generally smaller in the strip – will have more tenderloin.)
And NO! There is nothing wrong with wanting a steak at six in the morning!!
