Initially posted a few months ago, but now unavailable with the demise of Examiner.com, I thought it would be good to reprise this. Houstonians still love going out for steaks, after all.
Filet mignon is the favorite steak of many, and a plump filet is often the choice as the centerpiece of a celebratory dinner. One of three steakhouse staple cuts, along with the New York strip and ribeye, filets might make up to half of the orders at some steak places. The filet is cut from the small end of the tenderloin and typically served boneless in portions between 6- and 10-ounces. It is the most tender, attractive and delicate of the beef steaks. But, it is the least flavorful, which is why accompanying sauces like béarnaise are common companions. This most feminine of steaks is the also cut that is best served rare, even more so than for the strips, ribeyes and other cuts. This is because of its lower fat content; the higher fat allows the other fattier cuts to be cooked longer in a tasteful manner.
The amount of intramuscular fat – the marbling is the most significant component for a steaks’ USDA grade – is relatively low for filets regardless of grade, so restaurants will rarely pay the extra amount for USDA Prime for their filets. Though there is a lot of intentional confusion sown on steakhouse menus regarding filets and prime, seemingly only two area restaurants serve USDA Prime, Killen’s and Trulucks.
The steaks below are served unadorned unless otherwise noted. The average price per ounce for filet at a Houston area restaurant is around $5.50. Not cheap, but usually worth it.
Unhelpfully, neither Morton’s nor Ruth’s Chris have their full local menus with prices readily available, though they certainly serve a lot of them.
Filet mignon is the favorite steak of many, and a plump filet is often the choice as the centerpiece of a celebratory dinner. One of three steakhouse staple cuts, along with the New York strip and ribeye, filets might make up to half of the orders at some steak places. The filet is cut from the small end of the tenderloin and typically served boneless in portions between 6- and 10-ounces. It is the most tender, attractive and delicate of the beef steaks. But, it is the least flavorful, which is why accompanying sauces like béarnaise are common companions. This most feminine of steaks is the also cut that is best served rare, even more so than for the strips, ribeyes and other cuts. This is because of its lower fat content; the higher fat allows the other fattier cuts to be cooked longer in a tasteful manner.
The amount of intramuscular fat – the marbling is the most significant component for a steaks’ USDA grade – is relatively low for filets regardless of grade, so restaurants will rarely pay the extra amount for USDA Prime for their filets. Though there is a lot of intentional confusion sown on steakhouse menus regarding filets and prime, seemingly only two area restaurants serve USDA Prime, Killen’s and Trulucks.
The steaks below are served unadorned unless otherwise noted. The average price per ounce for filet at a Houston area restaurant is around $5.50. Not cheap, but usually worth it.
- B&B Butchers – $45 - 10-ounces; and $69 - 8-ounces, Gearhart Ranch Wagyu
- Bistecca – $39 - 8-ounces; and $49 - 12-ounces
- Brenner’s – $32 - 6-ounces; $37 - 8-ounces; $39 - 10-ounces; and “market price” for 14-ounces, bone-in
- Café Annie – $49 - 8-ounces, served with a poached garlic sauce and mashed potatoes with smoked cheddar
- Capital Grille – $45 - 10-ounces
- Cavour – $46 - 6-ounces, served with foie gras, mashed potato and a Marsala truffle sauce
- Damian’s – $39 - 8-ounces, served with ammoghui sauce, grilled asparagus and roasted potatoes
- Del Frisco’s – $42 - 8-ounces; $50 -12-ounces; and $69 - 16-ounces, bone-in
- Eddie V’s – $39 - 8-ounces; and $46 - 12-ounces
- Fleming’s – $40 - 6-ounces, served with potatoes; $44 - 8-ounces; and $49 - 12-ounces
- The Grove – $47 - 8-ounce, served with mashed potatoes and asparagus
- Killen’s – $40 - 8-ounces and $50 - 12-ounces, USDA Prime, Nebraska Corn Fed, Wet Aged 28 Days; $52 - 10-ounces, Harris Ranch All-Natural Five Diamond Beef; $72 8-ounces, Strube Ranch Mishima Wagyu; and $100 - 4-ounces, Wagyu Kagoshima Prefecture
- Kirby’s – $38 - 7-ounces; and $44 - 10-ounces
- Lynn’s – $37 - 8-ounces; and $49 - 14-ounces
- Masraff’s – $41 - 6-ounces, served with potato and foie gras roulade with roasted garlic, haricot vert and a horseradish demi-glaze
- Mo’s – $48 - 12-ounces, served with soup or salad
- The Palm – $48 - 9-ounces; and $52 - 14-ounces
- Pappas Bros. – $46 - 8-ounces; $48 - 10-ounces; $50 - 12-ounces; $60 - 14-ounces, bone-in; and at the bar, $44 - 6-ounces, served mashed potatoes
- Oceanaire – $50 - 10-ounces
- Perry’s – $42 - 8-ounces; $48 - 12-ounces; and $60 - 14-ounces, bone-in
- Quattro - $42 - 6-ounces, served with mashed and roasted cauliflower, fresh peas, and a Barolo reduction
- Sal y Pimienta - $42 - 8-ounces, all-natural grass from Uruguay served with grilled vegetables
- Shula’s – $40 - 6-ounces; $45 - 8-ounces; and $53 - 12-ounces
- Smith & Wollensky’s – $46 - 10-ounces; and $58 - 16-ounces, bone-in
- Sullivan’s – $38 - 8-ounces; and $44 - 12-ounces
- Tango & Malbec – $98 - 24-ounces, meant for two
- Taste of Texas – $40 - 6 ounces; $48 - 10 ounces; and $56 - 14-ounces, bone-in
- III Forks – $36 - 6-ounces; $39 - 8-ounces; $41 - 12-ounces
- Tony Mandola’s – $38 - 8-ounces, topped with shallot Marsala sauce served with hand-cut fries or red-skinned mashed potatoes
- Tony’s - $49 - 8-ounces
- Truluck’s – $39 - 7-ounces, served with a choice of Parmesan mashed potatoes; and $65 - 14-ounces, bone-in USDA Prime, served with a choice of Parmesan mashed potatoes, steamed asparagus or creamed spinach
- Veritas – $35 - 6-ounces; $42 - 8-ounces; and $59 - 16-ounces, bone-in
- Vallone’s – $42 – 8-ounces; and $48 - 12-ounces
- Vic & Anthony’s – $43 - 8-ounces; $49 - 12-ounces; and “market price” - 14-ounces, bone-in
Unhelpfully, neither Morton’s nor Ruth’s Chris have their full local menus with prices readily available, though they certainly serve a lot of them.
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