Steak Knives

[Russethouse]

Last weekend we tried a new restaurant, we both ordered steak and before it was served we were presented with what I think of as Berni Inn style steak knives,  I had a certain sense of  certain foreboding, surely I shouldn't need a serrated knife to eat a good steak ?

 

[Clair]

In all the restaurants I have worked for, we presented steak knives for steak and fish knives for fish... [:)]

Around here, Laguiole knives are the bees' knees!

[Clair]

[quote user="puzzled"]I just love those knives but I've noticed that they vary so much in price, some are not true laguiole knives , can you get cheap imitations?[/quote]

Definitely!

Unfortunately, they are not "protected" by any trademark and are widely copied.

To ensure you buy the real thing: http://www.laguiole-en-aubrac.fr/francais/reconnaitre_laguiole.html

A box of 6 made with a basic wooden handle should cost around €150.

See this article (in google English here) and the links to other articles at thr bottom of the page.

 

[Russethouse]

I love laguuiole knives too, but the ones I have are not serated, they are pretty sharp though !

The steak was so so, theres a bit of promotion given to it on the menu

Our brilliant butcher *******  hangs our steaks to dry mature for at least 28 days for tenderness and flavour. We serve them with hand cut chips, braised field mushroom and roast tomatoes

however we asked for rare and it came well done, I'd have sent it back but the OH thinks if you do that the chef spits on it [;-)] and furthermore the decription was right, it was 1 braised field mushroom. [:)] For a new restaurant it wasn't a brilliant start, let's hope it's teething problems......

I only ask because where we normally have good steak it is really tender and we certainly wouldn't need a serated knife......and its the same price (around the £20 mark)

 

 

[mint]

Me, I don't eat steaks either but I love Laguiole cheese.  Does the cheese come from the same place as the knives, Clair?

[Clair]

Sweet, you have expensive taste!

Yes it does: http://www.cniel.com/Prodlait/AOC/Laguiol.html (google translation here)

[mint]

Interesting link, Clair.  Wow!

Perhaps I'll ask for a Laguiol for Christmas.  BTW, it was one of those words which a French person had to teach me how to pronounce![:$]

[LEO]

[quote user="Russethouse"]

I love laguuiole knives too, but the ones I have are not serated, they are pretty sharp though !

The steak was so so, theres a bit of promotion given to it on the menu

Our brilliant butcher *******  hangs our steaks to dry mature for at least 28 days for tenderness and flavour. We serve them with hand cut chips, braised field mushroom and roast tomatoes

however we asked for rare and it came well done, I'd have sent it back but the OH thinks if you do that the chef spits on it [;-)] and furthermore the decription was right, it was 1 braised field mushroom. [:)] For a new restaurant it wasn't a brilliant start, let's hope it's teething problems......

I only ask because where we normally have good steak it is really tender and we certainly wouldn't need a serated knife......and its the same price (around the £20 mark)

[/quote]

Hi Russethouse,

Where have you been for the last 20 years! As serrated steak

knives has been the norm in all restaurants.

[Russethouse]

It's a long time since I've been given a steak knife in a restaurant . I like my meat tender......like my men [:)]

[Judith]

OH nearly always has steak if it's on the menu, and only on a very few occasions has he not been given a steak knife automatically.  Since he finds the meat over here tough he will ask for a steak knife if he doesn't get one given, and it is suppplied, no problem. And this is all over France from our travels before we lived here permanently. 

[woolybanana]

[quote user="Russethouse"]It's a long time since I've been given a steak knife in a restaurant . I like my meat tender......like my men [:)][/quote]

You cant get away with that RH; So, young and tender meat for your men then, no tough old bull!! Hmmmmm[6]

[Sydney and Huggy]

[quote user="Russethouse"]It's a long time since I've been given a steak knife in a restaurant . I like my meat tender......like my men [:)][/quote]

woman, man + knife - bad, bad combination

[Russethouse]

 Update: Since eating at the 'Steak Knife' restaurant we have eaten out twice, on both occasions we both ordered steak and neither time were we offered or did we need a steak knife, in addition on both occasions we had the 'set menu' which for three courses was less than the cost of the  steak we didn't enjoy at the first place!

PS We also thought we would try the recently re-opened hostelry of a well known British TV chef.(purchased back from the administrators) On arrival we asked for a table for two, the waiter asked us if it was for something light and when I replied it was for a 'proper meal' i.e. lunch, he actually said 'What have you come here for then ? [8-)][8-)]

Many a true word spoken in jest,  [:@] we sat down,  were asked if we wanted a bottle of wine before we had seen either the menu or wine list, the glasses were removed from our table, we read the menu, very unimpressed so we got up and walked out !

Grumpy old women reign, right ???[:D][:D]

 

[Stan Streason]

I find steak in French restaurants quite average really.

My son just got married near Narbonne and the caterers did fillet steak for over 100 people.  It was wonderful - it was neither rare nor well done - you couldnt really define it in that way.  It just fell apart it was so tender.  The caterer said they had been slow cooking for 5 hours.  Never heard of fillet steak being cooked like that before - certainly hardly needed a knife at all let alone steak knife.

[mint]

I cook all meat (regardless of which animal it's from) for hours on end in my bois-charbon oven throughout the winter. 

And, in the summer, I stick with fish and perhaps the old bit of chicken as I can't guarantee tenderness and that special taste of meat that has been cooked slowly.

I won't generalise and say it's French meat but, certainly, I didn't have the wonderful bois-charbon stove in the UK and I didn't have problems with cooking tender meat either.

What conclusion is to be drawn?[;-)]

[Jonzjob]

[quote user="Russethouse"]

I love laguuiole knives too, but the ones I have are not serated, they are pretty sharp though !

The steak was so so, theres a bit of promotion given to it on the menu

Our brilliant butcher *******  hangs our steaks to dry mature for at least 28 days for tenderness and flavour. We serve them with hand cut chips, braised field mushroom and roast tomatoes

however we asked for rare and it came well done, I'd have sent it back but the OH thinks if you do that the chef spits on it [;-)] and furthermore the decription was right, it was 1 braised field mushroom. [:)] For a new restaurant it wasn't a brilliant start, let's hope it's teething problems......

I only ask because where we normally have good steak it is really tender and we certainly wouldn't need a serated knife......and its the same price (around the £20 mark)

 

 

[/quote]

RH I was under the impression that it was against the law to hang meat here in France? This was backed up by our butcher when we were talking to him a short while back. He told us that if they were allowed to hang the meat it would indeed not be wet as it is and would be more tender, but that is the law here. So if your is hanging the meat then look after him very carefully!!!

Bon apitite!

[Russethouse]

 I'm in the UK.....actually we have an excellent local butcher, but its not the one that particular restaurant used.

Since that restaurant disaster we have had another poor experience. A well known TV chef has re opened a local eatery after buying it  back from the administrator. There was a lot of publicity and talk of change so we thought we'd try it. We asked for a table for two, the waiter asked if we were having something light. I replied that we were looking for lunch and the waiter actually said 'what have you come here for then?'[:'(] Many a true word spoken in jest, when we looked at the menu we decided it wasn't for us and left !

We didn't fare too badly last weekend, another place we hadn't been to for a while, the food was fine, but the coffee was tepid and stale and the brandy was the roughest I have ever tasted.

 I used to be so easy to please too [:)]

[Gemonimo]

And your laguiol will be very useful in your backpack en route for St. Jacques, Sweet.

[mint]

Jen, where have you surfaced from?  Have you been practising walking on the Route de St Jacques behind my back, just so's you'd have an unfair advantage?

Can't afford the knife but do you think we might afford a piece of the cheese for our meagre, pilgrim's lunch?

Welcome Back, dear Jen!!!!!  I am so happy you are here.............[:D]

[Gemonimo]

Sweets, I'll PM/EM you.  The wedding is over, my computer replaced and all I have to do now is catch up with three months worth of forum posts!

[mint]

No need to catch up on the posts, Jen.  The main themes and story lines on the Forum are just like the ones in the soaps:  it's a kind of internet "Archers".

You don't have anything to do with it for months on end and, when you return, all the principal characters are still here, the endless arguing and name-calling continues, someone leaves the series and some newcomers (whom every one is very wary of) arrive.

All Life is here, Jen, but possibly Not life as we know it![:P]