Cold steak: would you order it?

[Jenise]

Bob and I got to talking about this the other night when we had our leftover prime rib cap for dinner: have you ever had the opportunity to order cold steak or prime rib in a restaurant? And if it were on the menu, would you order it?

Bob said no, he would not, and that's because he regards it strictly as a leftover and not a destination in and of itself. I said, absolutely! In fact, I recall being on a long drive with my parents when I was about 10 and stopping for lunch in hot hot hot Bakersfield, California. The restaurant we stopped at offered cold prime rib, and I ordered it. Cold prime rib was a favorite thing, but all I'd ever had in my life of it was the few bites that would come home in doggy bags from a parents' night out--to have my own whole slice? Heaven! Many years later a very fine restaurant in Irvine, California, offered cold prime rib on their luncheon menu: it was served with a side of cucumbers tossed with sour cream, fresh dill and shaved horseradish. Excellent dish, and I am fairly certain that in all the times I dined there at lunch (it was near my office, and my fave local restaurant of its time) I never ordered anything else.

Those are the only two times in my life I've even seen cold steak or prime rib on a menu, yet I bet it would be popular. Prime rib especially--the bright rosy red rare slices are so attractive, and in a carb-conscious world it's a great pairing with all types of salad.

Voted for other.

I consider cold steak and cold roast beef among the most delicious of foods, destined in my case primarily for sandwiches on country-style bread, sprinkled over generously with black pepper and with one side of the bread spread with butter and the other with either Dijon mustard or mayonnaise (depending on my mood of the moment). With a glass of Cotes du Rhone one of the great meals!!!!

I would not, however, consider ordering it in a restaurant. In a cheap diner I want my roast beef sliced thin, placed on a slice of toasted white bread and spooned over generously with whatever it is that is called "brown sauce"; in a fast-food joint or even a cheapie neighborhood bistro I anticipate my steak with fat and gristle but hot and with enough pepper to make it tasty and my roast beef thinly sliced but hot and with whatever they consider demi-glace. In a true restaurant - cold steak - only as tartare thank you.

Oh yes....almost forgot.... in a good steak restaurant if there is fine steak left over that is one of the few things I will ask to be wrapped for me to take home, that to be used the next day on one of my beloved sandwiches.


Best
Rogov

We order Prime Rib all the time in restaurants. Probably one of the best things to get in Redding...lots of cowboys up here...wealthy ones at that....they love their beef. Cold steak? You bet I would order it, especially on a lovely, well done salad. We do it at home a lot in the summer, especially with flank steak, it is great on a huge salad with shaved parmesan!

I guess I can't say for sure that I'd order it, but there's no question that I'd consider it. As Rogov says, a cold roast beef sandwich is a wonderful thing. A salad could also be delicious. I'd also be tempted just to have it sliced with a really good horseradish sauce.

I also go along with sandwiches and as part of a steak salad, but don't think I'd order it cold at a resto unless of course it was tartar as was suggested. I also like taking leftover cold steak and making it into steak hash, a fave for breakfast.

[Jenise]

There's nothing not to love about a cold roast beef sandwich, but that really wasn't what I was talking about. Thinking more where you get one slab of meat--the same as it would be served to you hot--though matched with different sides as part of a cold plate.

Well I wouldn't order cold steak in a restaurant, I would expect it to be cooked just prior to serving. But I do eat cold steak in a restaurant.
Some language interpretation needed here - what is prime rib - does it have the bone in it?

Hmmm....I don't think I would order a prime rib steak cold...for fear that it had sat around too long to be at it's best. But I would have it at home the next day, out of the refer, with horseradish, or sliced on a salad. Truthfully, we do not eat out a lot. I prefer to know who touched my food and how it was prepared. I love going to friends homes and I do love going out to eat now and then. Gene used to deliver meat to restaurants when he was in the business, upscale ones mostly, need I say more. Please, CHEFS, don't get after me...I only speak from my little corner of the world. I sure there are restaurants that keep very clean kitchens and have impeccable cleanliness.

I don't hate cold meat. But I would not order or eat cold steak or rib.

- what is prime rib ?

And what happened to the sub-prime rib

I have to agree with Bob. I don't eat steak that often so when I do, I want it to be warm and tender.
As you know, I'll likely scarf the leftovers cold the next morning sprinkled with a little coarse salt.

[Jenise]

Well I wouldn't order cold steak in a restaurant, I would expect it to be cooked just prior to serving. But I do eat cold steak in a restaurant.
Some language interpretation needed here - what is prime rib - does it have the bone in it?

Yes, you'd probably call it the rib joint. Let me see if I can scare up a pic for you.

[Jenise]

Okay, Sue, here's a primer from Linda Stradley's website which shows the beef raw, cooked and sliced. I know you'll recognize the cut.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://whatscookingamerica.net/Beef/PrimeRibRoast3.jpg&imgrefurl=http://whatscookingamerica.net/Menu/Dinner9.htm&usg=__seYLBdWKjzXvF3rwF8uNfvpKB4g=&h=361&w=432&sz=54&hl=en&start=4&um=1&tbnid=xWvMdQViF7MazM:&tbnh=105&tbnw=126&prev=/images%3Fq%3DPrime%2BRib%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26rlz%3D1T4ADBR_enUS314US314%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1

Okay, Sue, here's a primer from Linda Stradley's website which shows the beef raw, cooked and sliced. I know you'll recognize the cut.

Thanks Jenise I recognise it now. Don't usually see beef like that here in NZ. Lots of different cuts of steak though, including rib-eye.
Cheers,
Sue

[Robin Garr]

Just for the record, are carpaccio and/or steak tartare excluded from this consideration? I'd order either of those in a New York minute! Otherwise, I'm with the rest of the group. I like cold steak or roast beef sliced on a sandwich, but as a steak on my dinner plate I think I'd rather have it sizzle.

[Jenise]

Yup, raw was excluded. I was specifically referring to meat that had been previously cooked, and which might be served as a lunch item.