Are The Steaks Too High

Steak is a wonderful thing.

Done right it could be so good that you never forget it. We all have some story about the best steak that we ever had and those memories stick out in our mind. Steak has a very strong cultural identity in the United States and even more so Wyoming. A Wyoming steak is infamously known to be as rare as it gets. Everyone likes their steak a little different so it begs the question: who do you trust more in making your steak, a steakhouse or yourself?

Steakhouses are typically hit and miss. Oftentimes, steaks are over cooked or improperly seasoned and very pricey. What they do offer though is a good atmosphere and good experience as a whole, even if the food could be sub par. For the sake of this column I attended a steakhouse in Kearney, Nebraska called Coppermill Steakhouse while I was on vacation.

Coppermill boasted itself as some of the finest steak in Nebraska and I read mostly positive reviews. They are known for their dry aged steaks and Nebraska sourced beef. Upon being seated, I enjoyed a very warm and classy environment that followed a copper theme. My table was prepared upon seating and the waitstaff were very professional and polite. My only complaint is the music was a bit loud which made discussion difficult. Though I can not drink, I couldn’t help but notice the wide range of red wines and whiskies available. The whisky selection spans an entire page of their drink menu. That for sure is a perk that you wouldn’t find at home.

I asked about information on the dry aging process and they happily answered. According to one of the head waitstaff, the dry aging process allows the breaking down of tough enzymes making the meat more tender. Because of the aging process, it gives the beef a rich blue cheese-like flavor. Coppermill also cuts and trims their steaks in house.

The 8 oz sirloin steak was fantastic. It had an excellent crust with the juices seeping through and was cooked to perfection. It was tender and the meat just fell apart in your mouth leaving me craving another bite as soon as I finished the first. The steak was just plain excellent. The sides were excellent as well. The house salad was fresh and crisp paired with house made dressings. I had the italian dressing and I can confidently say it was far better than anything you could ever get from a bottle. The mashed potatoes were fantastic. They were buttery paired with the just right amount of garlic. I typically am skeptical of restaurant mashed potatoes but these were simply phenomenal. The food was fantastic and the atmosphere was wonderful. However the price is very high. There would be no way in justifying regularly attending the Coppermill Steakhouse, price wise.

It should be said not every steakhouse is going to give this good of an experience. Texas Roadhouse for example probably isn’t going to blow you away and Outback Steakhouse definitely won’t. These chain steakhouses still have their atmosphere and charm but they are not all Coppermill.

The home steak experience is simple but it’s tried and true. At home you can make sure your steak is seasoned right where you like it, cooked exactly how you want it and have all the comforts of your own home. It does take some more effort. You have to mash your own potatoes but, again, that comes with the perk of having it done your way. Cooking everything at home also ensures everything is fresh because you're going to eat right as everything is prepared and you get to control your own portions, which is often a problem at steakhouses.

It may not be as classy or as impressive of an experience but it is customizable to how you like your food. I very rarely end up with a bad steak just doing it at home and when I have one that isn’t great, I have no one to blame but myself. For this column I went ahead and cooked myself a steak and I had done it in a hurry so it wasn’t the best steak I’ve ever made. That steak though was still more than satisfactory and better than what I would get from the typical steakhouse. It still did not top Coppermill. It’s pretty hard to beat dry aged steak cut and prepared by people who have made cooking their life's work.

All in all, if you are not looking to seek out one of the finest steakhouses in your area and not looking to spend a huge amount of money, then go ahead and stay home. Coppermill was nothing short of fantastic but it and any other steakhouse that meets its level is going to be expensive and for as often I like to eat steak, there is no way I could afford to go somewhere like that everytime. A home steak will beat a steak from a mid ranged steakhouse every day of the week and it will cost less. So, unless you're looking to treat yourself, the steaks are just too high outside of home.