Do you consider it pretentious if a restaurant refuses to accept well done steak orders?
Yes, but I don't think pretension is necessarily a bad thing.
>>7392143
does any restaurant do that? and it's more than pretentious, it's fucking dumb.
>no sir, we will not let you spend 70 dollars on a steak. we will not accept your money because you want us to cook your steak 2 minutes longer.
>>7392143
I consider it a terrible business practice. No chef, even at a pretentious, white-tablecloth tasting menu type place, is going to refuse to cook an order the way a customer wants it. If they ask you how you'd like your steak cooked, they'll cook it to order.
Yeah. Any reasonable chef would laugh his ass off as they cook up the shittiest slab of meat they have, probably been sitting in the freezer for ages, and watch as the customer gobbles it up with A1/Ketchup, raving about how good it is.
>>7392143
heres the thing, I dont like that you refuse how a person orders ANYTHING, but at the same time people take advantage of it, and will send it back saying "its not the right kind of well-doneness".
Its difficult. If people want to pay for ass give them ass, but if they are dicks about it then maybe these restrictions are in place for a reason
>>7392150
One of Gordon Ramsay's restaurants intentionally burnt an order of well-done steak to a crisp.
Granted the person ordering was a reporter looking to kick up some shit.
Some restaurants also charcoal your steak if you send it back for not being well done enough.
I know that anything above medium rare is a waste of good meat, but I don't think a restaurant necessarily needs to uphold the integrity of food. There's a tradeoff between obliging the stupid memes like well done to make your customers happy and appeal to more customers, thus increasing your bottom line, and in making sure you only prepare and serve at the highest degree.
There's room for both ends of the spectrum in the food business and it's up to me, the customer, to decide where I want to eat based on where they're at.
Anyone arguing for either extreme doesn't understand basic capitalism and consumer demand or doesn't understand quality food and cooking skills.
>>7392153
Lots of places refuse blue orders.
>>7392181
Pretty much this.
Most people just don't realize there is a spectrum though, because they never go out to nice restaurants.
Ordering a steak well-done at a high end steak house would be like asking for a salt shaker at a 3 Michelin starred restaurant.
>>7392143
My favorite local steakhouse has no problem cooking steaks well done. They make note on the menu that all filets ordered well done will be butterflied however.
>>7392183
That's because of health concerns, though.
I'm all for blue rare, but they're playing it safe and not risking getting people sick.
Similar thought process as if I were to ask for a rare order of chicken (not as extreme, though)
>>7392153
fuck off tripfag
>>7392195
What's the safety issue with blue rare? Unless it's shit steak that's been needled, any bacterial contamination should be on the surface of the meat. Just searing it should make it it safe to eat, right?
>>7392206
I mean it's just generally a safe practice. Kind of like how you aren't going to die from eating raw egg in cookie dough, but you know, you probably just shouldn't.
And if you're a business, and someone gets sick or fuckin' dies, you're done for.
>>7392238
I've worked grill in a couple different places and have never seen anyone order a blue steak.
That said, a steak that's been seared on all sides, regardless of how rare it is in the middle, is completely different than raw eggs.
>>7392143
yes it's pretentious, but not necessarily bad business. It's the same thing as hot dog joints that don't carry ketchup; they may lose some customers for being pretentious queers but it also gives them street cred with hipster foodies and purists. It's a business decision that any restaurateur has to make when serving meals with polarizing opinions.
>>7392244
yes I know. that was what's known as an 'analogy.'
>>7392143
I woudln't consider it anything but I'd walk out of the place. Assholes like that forget who's paying whom. If they don't want my business then they can fuck off, I'll find some other joint.
I wouldn't order a steak well done in the first place, but if I did or a guest of mine did, then it's their business to complete the order and not give me shit. Restaurants are a dime a dozen and I'll easily find another.
>>7392252
That was what's known as a "bad analogy", but apparently you are at a loss when it comes to reading comprehension, or food safety, or both.
>>7392267
I comprehended your impenetrable reply, believe it or not.
if you're telling me you can't understand what I mean then you have a thick fucking skull my friend, because that is exactly why some places don't do it. disease is just more likely when it's raw than not. just like eggs. there's no reason not to cook it a little if there's a higher chance of you getting sick eating it raw. it's that simple. if that isn't the reason, then offer another one.
>>7392272
I'm not the one that you're replying to but are you asserting that as OP queried that there's more diesase from a well done steak than otherwise?
You fucks lose the plot very easily.
irrelevant
bad business tactic
>>7392238
Except the raw egg can contain salmonella and hasn't been cooked. On the other hand, the bacteria containing surface of the blue rare steak has been cooked and rendered safe. So thr analogy doesn't work.
Or I'm wrong about the whole surface bacteria thing entirely. That's possible too. But my understanding of things is that pathogenic bacteria get transferred to the meats surface during the slaughtering and butchering process, and aren't actually found in the muscle tissue itself.
>>7392280
holy moley.
I'm saying the reason some restaurants don't offer blue rare is because it's a generally safer practice just to cook the damn thing. if someone gets sick they are liable. regardless of how they store the meat there is always the small chance it's contaminated somehow. it's just safer. just like it's safer to not eat raw cookie dough. you probably aren't going to get sick, but you might as well not take the risk.
>>7392272
Like I said before, I've never seen anyone actually order a blue steak, but if places are able to serve steak tartare, there's no reason any place should take issue with serving a steak that's been cooked on the outside, because it's a proven fact that the outside is the only place where anything that could make you sick will be.
The middle is raw, but also sanitary. This is not the case with raw eggs. It's a poor analogy.
>>7392284
So mr businessman, tell me your tacticts, strategies, and philosphies.
>>7392292
But that has nothing to do with what OP asked. Make another thread if you want but stick to the plot of what OP wrote and asked.
>>7392295
it doesn't matter if it's the worst analogy ever written in the history of the english language, that's still their logic. that's why they don't do it.
>>7392302
someone brought up in the thread about how some restaurants don't offer blue steak. someone else replied, and I'm just replying to them. don't blame me.
>>7392298
well for one
don't deny )a probably vast number of) customers an order that doesn't put you out in the first place?
>>7392304
>that's why they don't do it
Or maybe they don't do it because they cook all their steaks on a grill at the same temperature, and a blue steak would be a special request, requiring someone to run and grab a cast iron pan and get it smoking hot on the stove just in order to sear the outside of one autist's steak in the middle the dinner rush.
Do you assume it's because of health issues every time you see a restaurant put "no substitutions" on their menu as well?
What's the big deal? I like my steak well done. Why would I want to eat raw meat? Raw meat tastes disgusting anyway. Hating well done is just a meme.
it's pretentious and a sign of a shit chef
i prefer rare meat but i can cook a steak well done and it's still tasty af
>>7392150
>does any restaurant do that?
yes, it was written on the menu here
http://www.ditmasla.com/
a few months ago, I almost took a picture for /ck/ now I wish I had
>>7392313
No but I actually would expect to be served a steak the way I ordered it, especially when it is typically one of the most expensive items on the menu. I know the task of getting a cast iron pan hot seems nearly impossible, but I think they could manage. So no I really don't buy that they are worried about the chefs well-being grabbing a cast iron pan. But it's possible I guess.
>>7392322
>i can cook a steak well done and it's still tasty af
That's the exact line of reasoning an old chef gave me as to why places still serve escargot.
>drown it and butter and garlic and i'll make your shoe taste delicious
>>7392327
>i know the task of getting a cast iron pan hot seems nearly impossible
Refer back to the earlier comment about "no substitutions". They often have that in burger and sandwich places, where the substituted item is most likely right in front of them.
If you'd ever been in a real kitchen you'd know that it runs like a crazy factory, and doing something as seemingly simple as substituting an ingredient can sometimes throw off the entire flow.
Asking the grill cook to abandon all his other orders to go make one steak on the stove in the middle of service is ridiculous.
>>7392334
like a minute and a half on each side. for sometimes up to 70-80 bucks.
>muh flow
>muh rhythm
>>7392322
The sign of a proper chef is to give the customers, paying customers what they ordered. The chef needs to get over his own bullshit and realize that it's a business. That's what a professional does.
>>7392343
Muh dik
>>7392334
Logically, you wouldn't have the grill cook do the blue steak. You would have the grill cook pass a steak down the line to the pan chef, who already has cast iron pans and a gas range conveniently at his disposal.
>>7392334
>>7392327
Same reason why line cooks hate to-go orders with a passion. Sure making the order normally and putting it in a styrofoam box is simple enough but it breaks the flow of work, they have to interrupt what they're normally doing to specially plate this one order for this one special snowflake customer.
Who in the holy fuck orders takeout from red lobster?
I have to do that as a writer sometimes. Sometimes the directorate of the company wants something done a certain way, I may know that it's wrong and I'll tell them that but in the end it's their money and they want it that way, so be it.
Egotisical chefs are full of shit.
>>7392343
So around 5 minutes total if the cook was a marathon sprinter.
Now every other order of steak, and whatever else is on the grill is ruined, or the saute cook is dicking around with a steak when he has 10 pans he already doesn't have room for, but has worked out a game plan in his head that's now ruined.
Things are fast paced in a kitchen and economy of movement is a real issue.
The fucking last thing that I want to deal with after a day of work is to deal with some egotistcal chef sack of shit telling me what I should or shouldn't like.
>>7392350
Most places keep a stack of to-go containers right next to the plates and they're easy as fuck because you don't have to worry as much about presentation and often times not everything even goes in together (i.e. a salad will have the dressing on the side, which save you the step of tossing it).
I don't have much experience ordering steak
Is it frowned upon to order Rare? I know Medium Rare is the standard but I feel like I want it to be juicier
>>7392365
It's definitely not frowned upon, but if you go somewhere mediocre it's going to be mediocre.
In my experience medium is actually more popular than medium-rare, and well-done is about as popular as rare (based on actually cooking in a busy restaurant in a downtown city).
>>7392355
Aren't you the special snowflake?
When you have 100s of millions of dollars going though your code and internal and external auditors combing through it and have to get up in front of a bunch of people to explain code and the reasoning behind it you can tell me about your fast paced bullshit.
Not everything has to be "fast paced."
Don't be a twat.
>>7392379
But I thought you were a corporate lawyer last time?
Point being if I want what I order at a restraurant that I'm paying for, I want that order and not some sack of shit arrogant chef telling me what to like or not like.
I think well done steak ruins it, but I hate snobby cunts more.
If somebody wants to eat a boot steak with ketchup slathered on it they should be able to.
MURICA
>>7392391
>goes to a french restaurant
>orders chinese food
B-but the customer is always right!
>>7392364
>I have never worked in a kitchen
It's cool, let me explain why your post is ignorant.
>Most places keep a stack of to-go containers right next to the plates
No. Places that don't regularly do takeout don't keep takeout boxes on the line because it's a waste of space. They have to stop what they're doing, walk away from shit they're cooking (for customers that are seated) to get takeout containers for this one order.
>easy as fuck because you don't have to worry as much about presentation
Partial points for this. They indeed don't give a fuck about presentation because they hate you.
>a salad will have the dressing on the side, which save you the step of tossing it
what do you think is easier: toss salad dressing on a plate and move on or go out of your way to get a 4oz cup, ladle dressing into it then close the box and take it to the walk-in until his majesty graces us with his presence to pick up the order, then go back and gather his boxes.
>>7392390
When was that? Be specific if you're capable. Perhaps I should have though, I'd be making a shitload of money now.
>>7392397
No. We're discussing degrees of steak wellness. Not ordering chinks from a frog restaurant.
>>7392397
>goes to a steakhouse
>orders steak
B-but the customer is wrong!
Medium rare is the GOAT although sometimes rare can be good too.
>>7392400
>places that don't regularly do takeout don't keep takeout boxes on the line
At the very least they keep them on the other side of the line so servers can box up leftovers; "hey expo, could you pass me a to-go box?!".
>don't give a fuck about presentation because they hate you
And that it's in a fucking box, not on the plate it was designed to fit on.
>toss salad dressing on a plate and move on or go out of your way to get a 4oz cup, ladle dressing into it then close the box and take it to the walk-in until his majesty graces us with his presence to pick up the order, then go back and gather his boxes
>toss salad dressing on a plate
>4oz of dressing
>take it to the walk-in
>being responsible for serving the customer after putting the food in the window
If you have worked in a kitchen it was run by a fucking downy, because none of that makes any sense, or is at all realistic.
>>7392434
>hey expo, can you stop calling tickets to all of us and walk off the line and get some boxes/cups for this one order?
ftfy
>If you have worked in a kitchen it was run by a fucking downy, because none of that makes any sense, or is at all realistic
If you have worked in a kitchen it was ran my someone with more dollars than sense that can keep enough help on hand as not to inconvenience the line cooks. Please tell me where this was because I've never seen a kitchen where the line cooks weren't expected to have 8 arms and be in 2 places at once.
Now that i think about it you sound like a server. Don't worry, we'll take care of everything while you chain smoke in the break room and then scream bloody murder when your 8-top isn't done in femtoseconds.
>>7392153
Valid opinion, but still a tripfag that should be filtered by everyone on this board.
>>7392461
Where are the serves supposed to go to box up food if not in the same little area they're allowed in between the dish room and expo? I always stashed a few to-go containers at my station (sometimes tucked behind the water heater or something) just in case.
>i've never seen a kitchen where the line cooks weren't expected to have 8 arms and be in 2 places at once
Yeah, and that's completely normal. Ordering shit that's completely off the regular menu on top of that when it's busy would require the already stretched thin as fuck BoH to bend over backwards. It's like, "everything could fall apart in an instant if I don't keep hustling and following the game plan I have in my head for the next dozen tickets... oh wait, a special request? Yeah... I'll get right on that chef!"
I really don't see why you're so adamant about this.
>>7392497
I really don't see why you're so adamant about this.
That's exactly what I want to ask you. My original point was that takeout orders/special requests are a pain in the ass and you seem hellbent on convincing me otherwise. Maybe you have only worked in swiss-watch kitchens where nothing is ever a problem. I just don't get where you're coming from, how you can argue that breaking routine on the line isn't an inconvenience on an already stressful job.
>>7392522
My original point was simply that it seemed more likely for a restaurant to refuse to cook a steak blue due to it being a pain in the ass, rather than "because it's raw and a health issue".
Of course there's plenty of extra shit you constantly have to adjust to, but there's also a bunch of shit that most chefs decide not to allow customers to order, at least when it's busy.
>>7392290
Playing devil's advocate,
You *could* find parasites inside of the meat.
Meat that shouldn't have passed any kind of test in the first place tho.
>>7392585
Did you just wake up, or are you actually mentally handicapped?
>>7392143
>pretentious
Not really.
What's your point, OP?
When you people get a little older you'll realize that it's a business and not a fru fru artsy fartsy thing. Being artsy fartsy is all well and good but doesn't pay the bills, knocking out orders does.
>>7392591
I must be compared to you, clearly you've never left your mother's basement and haven't had to pay bills or do you just shitpost all of time on purpose?
>>7392591
I must be a fucking retard compared to someone like you who pays bills and makes payroll. Chump!
>>7392602
It's fun to watch you dig your own grave.
So I'll wait a few minutes whilst you do that.
>>7392328
Escargot is good though....
>>7392610
>>7392143
obviously yes.
i doubt any good restaurants would refuse though, seems to me that it's trendy to advertise your restaurant as "will not accept well done steak orders" but i really doubt any decent place does it
>>7392610
It doesn't really taste of anything to me, it seems as if it's just a carrier for the butter and garlic that it's cooked in.
>>7392606
>dig your own grave
Dude, you just posted the most butt hurt reply possible, then proceeded to type out an almost identical second reply, and probably mashed enter waiting for the post timer to count down.
>>7392621
digging much?
>>7392619
This.
At best it has a very mild flavor and a not too chewy texture. It's all about the strong flavors it's cooked with.
>>7392624
Aye. It's the kind of thing that I've tried at a few restaurants over time when I was a kid to say I've eaten it, but it's not something that I would seek out or order on my own. Live and learn.
>>7392585
Your sarcasm detector is broken.
>>7392183
yeah, i usually tell them to serve it to me as rare as they legally can. if they can avoid writing 'blue' on the ticket they usually give me what i want, since they can heat it up if i complain haha..
>>7392349
I suspect they wouldn't even heat the pan. Just throw the steak in it and torch the outside.
>>7392720
>the same could be said of scallops
Scallops are like a combination of butter and ocean water.
>>7392143
Of course. Well done steak is disgusting (imo) but a diner should be able to have his food prepared how he wishes.
>>7392143
it just means someone hasn't complained about food poisoning yet. complain they wouldn't cook it well done and you got sick from it. that will fix the problem for next time.
>>7392143
Pretentious? No. But it does fly in the face of the "customer is always right" mentality much of the hospitality industry embraces. I don't see that as a bad thing though.
If you're fussy about your meals there are plenty of places that accommodate special orders. But if I'm going to a place where the chef has painstakingly worked each dish into what he believes is the best it can be I don't expect to have any input about how the dishes are cooked. I'm going there to put the entire experience in the chef's hands - part of what I'm paying for is to eat at a place where the chef is that good.
But generally when ordering a steak there's an expectation that the diner will have some input on how it's cooked. So a place that refuses to do well done is defying expectations. I don't think that's a bad thing, but it would probably rub some diners the wrong way.
>>7392390
>hurf only one person on the planet could disagree with me
>>7392143
Yes. Motherfucker I came here for a COOKED meal. If I wanted a fucking raw hunk of meat I'd go in the woods and start biting whatever animal I can catch like a fucking neanderthal.
>>7392400
It's pretty weird how angry you are about customers taking advantage of an option offered by the restaurant. Your anger should be directed at the guy who runs the place dummy.
>be at somewhat nice restaurant
>order a rare rib eye steak
>waitress tells me that the chef says medium is better for rib eye
>usually prefer rare but whatever
>order medium-rare instead
>receive steak
>its rare as fuck
>still delicious
Im unsure how i should feel about this. I obviously didnt get what i orders but what i secretly wanted. I probably would have gotten a raw piece of beef if i actually ordered rare.
