On the hunt for the world’s best steaks? If you’re looking for excellent Kobe beef, you need to go to the source — Japan.
Aragawa
This high-quality meat is made using a very specific process, where each cow is massaged daily with sake, given walks every day (just like your dog), fed beer and loved just like it was a member of the family. The resulting meat is heavily marbled and so flavorful you’ll never want to leave Japan.
Although Aragawa is a tiny location, it’s known for having some of the best Kobe beef in Japan, and the prices reflect that nature. You’re not given a ton of options either; you won’t find a menu anywhere in the building, as the chef makes each selection daily. But don’t think that you’re restricted here, because the meal you get in the end is so amazing that it’s worth any price.
3-23-11 Onarimon Odakyu Building, First floor
Nishi-shimbashi, Minato-ku Tokyo, Japan
03.3438.1867
BLT Prime
New York City is packed with great restaurants, but when it comes to having a great steak, look no further than BLT Prime on 22nd Street. Here, you’ll find Executive Chef Andrew Matthews cooking up some of the best slabs of beef you’ll find on the East Coast — but don’t expect it to be like any other steak on the market. Matthews is always trying out new grilling techniques, and each piece is grilled over a hickory wood burning grill, providing a distinctive taste not often found in the wild.
If you’re hungry (and here you should be), try the 16-ounce New York Strip Loin, which we hear is not only amazing, but also comes with some sumptuous side dishes as well.
111 E. 22nd Street
New York, NY
212.995.8500
La Cabaña
If a restaurant lasts for more than 75 years, you know it’s doing something right, which is exactly the case at La Cabaña in Buenos Aires, Argentina. So what’s the best beef to find on your plate? We hear there are two options: The “Great Baby Beef,” which we can only imagine is so tender you barely need a knife, and then the Bife De Costilla, which is spit-seared to lock in the flavor.
As an added bonus, you get the real steakhouse experience in this restaurant, with dark wood flanked by stone walls all around. There are also paired options as well, so if you want that perfect wine to go with your beef, you’re covered.
Alicia Moreau de Justo 380
Buenos Aires (C1107 AAH)
Argentina
+4314.3710
Le Relais De Venise L’Entreco^Te London (The City)
Based in France, Le Relais de Venise L’Entrecôte has locations in New York City and Paris, but out of their two London locations, you should head to The City for high-end dining. The biggie here is their special steak sauce, which has a recipe so coveted that it’s become famous in the restaurant community.
So what’s on the menu that you need to try? Rumor has it the Steak Frites are the go-to specialty, and when combined with that magical sauce, they’re to die for. And for dessert, you have to get the crème brûlèe — it is a French-owned restaurant, after all.
5 Throgmorton Street
London
+44 (0)20.7638.6325
Metropolitan Grill, Seattle, Washington
Eat your next amazing steak in a historical setting. The Metropolitan Grille in Seattle, Wash., is situated in an intimate location inside the Marion Building, which was built in 1903. To get the best results, they use only corn-fed USDA Prime beef shipped in from Nebraska, as well as American Wagyu located in Idaho. Then the meat is dropped onto mesquite charcoal to lock in all of those juices needed in an amazing steak. If you want something really special, try the Chateaubriand which is carved right at your table, and top it off with a Smokey Met, the Metropolitan Grill’s own special martini.
820 Second Avenue
Seattle, Wash.
206.624.3287
