The Menu Red Flag That Might Offer A Hint About The Quality Of A Steakhouse

Before you even sample a bite of your ribeye while trying out a new steakhouse, there's a way to gauge how good your meal might be right there on the menu. The menu is the proverbial window into the soul of a restaurant. According to Chris Siversen, chef and owner of Jersey City's Maritime Parc and The Feathered Fox, you can glean quite a bit more than simply what dishes the restaurant offers.

He told The Takeout that a menu that's too vague is a red flag. "A quality menu should have specifics about the actual cut, if it's been aged and how long, and the grading of the meat," he said. Though both cuts are tasty, there is actually a difference between prime and choice beef. As the customer, you should know what you're getting, and, importantly, the restaurant should care enough to share that information.

The same concept holds true for other details about the beef, such as how many ounces each piece is, where it's sourced from, and if it's bone-in (when applicable). Take a look at the non-meat options, too. A menu that simply states it has live raw oysters but doesn't offer where they were harvested is a bit questionable.

Whether dining at a U.S. steakhouse chain or an independent restaurant, the menus tend to be fairly straightforward. There's the various cuts of steak, a handful of non-beef options, and several classic side dishes. Maybe they'll have a raw bar selection as well or a traditional wedge salad as an appetizer. 

However, just because the menu is classic doesn't mean it needs to be boring. "Generic offerings should have you running," Chris Siversen told us. For example, at The Feathered Fox, the obligatory chicken dish comes with rye berries, apples, sweet potatoes, and spiced yogurt while the macaroni and cheese is made with a cognac bechamel sauce topped with duck confit — all this information is right on the menu.

According to Siversen, another red flag to look out for when dining at a steakhouse is when the menu lists "items that are entirely out of season." Chances are that a caprese salad served in the middle of December is using sub-par tomatoes, and a fresh citrus sorbet served in the summertime doesn't make a whole lot of sense. While the steak is arguably the most important part of the meal, side dishes, appetizers, and desserts that aren't thoughtful suggest an all-around lack of care on the part of the restaurant.