Expensive but tastes boring? The restaurant owner said not to order the two types of steak: low cost performance

 8:20am, 13 October 2025

In a good steakhouse, every steak should be delicious. However, although certain cuts of steak are famous, the actual taste results may disappoint gourmets. The general public may know about ribeyes and New York strips, but if you are not a steak lover, you may not know the attractive differences between the two. In this case, it's reasonable to assume that the more expensive steak is definitely better, but there are a few exceptions. The person in charge of Gallagher Steakhouse in New York gave an exclusive interview to the food website The Takeout. When asked what cuts of steak consumers should avoid, he was given two choices: filet mignon and beef tenderloin, which are often the most expensive steaks on the menu.

Consumers who like these two steaks and think the price is worth it can still enjoy their favorite steaks. However, some people may think it is too expensive. When ordering steak at a steakhouse, the steak should be delicious and juicy, and only need to be seasoned with pepper and salt. However, fillet steaks and filet mignons are expensive and taste rather bland because these two cuts are mostly lean meat and lack the marbling of fat that is the key to making steaks such as rib-eye delicious and juicy.

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Steaks that are mainly lean meat often need to rely on sauces and ingredients to enhance the flavor. But if the steak must rely on sauces to gain extra points, why should consumers pay high prices?

The reason why filet mignon and beef fillet steak are expensive is first of all related to the name of tenderloin, which is a part of the back and waist of the beef that rarely moves. Filet mignon and beef tenderloin are the two most tender and softest steak parts. Filet mignon is part of the tenderloin, and the two are very similar. Chefs and gourmets who like their steaks as smooth as butter and don't mind less fat love these two cuts.

The real key to expensiveness is related to scarcity. There are only two tenderloins per cow, which are smaller cuts of meat, accounting for only 2% to 3% of the total beef. The filet mignon is cut from the narrower end of the tenderloin, and the quantity is limited. There is only 2 pounds of filet mignon in the whole cow. Their rarity and tender texture contribute to the high prices of filet mignon and fillet steak. Consumers can order filet mignon and fillet steak, but the tasting experience may feel that it does not live up to the name and is not the legendary "best quality". Low supply and high demand lead to high prices, but people deserve better at steakhouses.