Bring your own steak knife to a fine dining restaurant?

[oldcookie]

The opposing views on this is interesting. I see going to a restaurant for the food first, service second, ambience third. Cutlery doesn't really come into ranking, so it's odd that's there's such opposing views. The thing is though, we wouldn't be discussing this if steaks were served on a carving board and a sharp knife in the first place. Rather than getting insulted, and think the customer rude, a good restauranteur should really look at it as a point of improvement.

 

[fimbulvetr]

It wasn't the speaker's intent, I don't think, but, in my experience, the phrase "don't forget who pays your bills" is always going to sound to restaurant employees a lot like "I get to do what I want because I own you." It's a phrase that's instantly inflammatory for that reason.

 

[Noodle Soup]

They generally don't bring steak knives, they bring what ever new models they have, I've seen both fixed and folding but folders are more common. And yes they do produce them and cut their food with them on a regular basis. The only times I've seen a restaurant object was when the head marketing guy from a now closed New York cutlery company described over dinner shooting alligators in South Carolina and once in a NYC Italian place (the fact Meg Ryan was sitting next to us might have had something to do with it) when the CEO of a well known California cutlery company told about shooting baboons in Africa. Knives have never been a problem.

 

[JDA_NC]

The guys at Bloodroot Blades are doing steak knives for a new restaurant opening in California. Single Thread is the name and if you Google their Instagram, you can see pictures of their prototypes. If I wasn't on my phone, I'd link it. Pretty awesome stuff. I would worry about folks trying to pocket the knives though.

 

[spoiledbroth]

I think el bulli closed in around 2011 and is now a foundation. Was not really a steak kinda place...

Hi adrian, I think you're being intentionally obtuse. What does this have to do with my point whatsoever?

Thanks, have a nice day!

 

[Rayuela]

Hi adrian, I think you're being intentionally obtuse. What does this have to do with my point whatsoever?

Thanks, have a nice day!

I think he was just having fun and tring to lighten the mood. Heavy, heavy flame war about portable cutlery.

 

[Keith Sinclair]

Working in a Hotel with a fine bakery we would bring in outside cakes for weddings and other parties at places that do not have the resources to bake cakes. Always let the place know what we are bringing.

Even at our Hotel banquets have a lot of ethnic groups that bring a few of their own eg. Korean Kim Chee's. Food is delivered to banquet chef & we plate it out. Works for both sides they get a few ethnic dishes and more food on the banquet.

A good banquet coordinator with update communication with the kitchen is very important in a Hotel..

 

[pkjames]

i bet this place will satisfy most of you here in terms of steak knife. I had a chance to dine at narisawa in Tokyo early July. One very pleasant thing apart from the food was this

 

[KitchenCommander]

I use my pocket knife to cut steaks at many places. None of them I would call "very fancy", but as long as there is not a dress code or something, i would probably use my pocket knife if it was descrete. My small sebenza works very well of this purpose and does not bring much attention, but I have been know to use my Umnumzaan or any other folder in my pocket This would be if the supplied knife was serrated or very dull. I would not bring a fixed blade steak knife for that sole purpose, as that is why i carry a pocket knife. As a point of reference I have never paid over $40 for my steak, and I live in Texas.

 

[spoiledbroth]

i bet this place will satisfy most of you here in terms of steak knife. I had a chance to dine at narisawa in Tokyo early July. One very pleasant thing apart from the food was this
View attachment 28712

hehe tlooks like takamura hana!

 

[wrobelan]

I would just tell them at the restaurant that the knife was not appropriate/adequate. If you are paying $50+ for the steak, and more here and there for whatever you have accompanying it, you should have a positive experience.

Obviously I say that never having had any experience on the other side of the restaurant and accept that I am a jerk for making extra work or complaining to some underpaid and under-appreciated person for a small matter such as a knife that someone picked out because it looked the part.

Cook the steak at home and you will have the perfect cut you picked out yourself, cooked just the way you like it, and cut with the perfect utensil you hand selected.

 

[easy13]

I bring my searzall to restaurants to get the desired char and crust on my steaks that is up to my standards.

 

[knyfeknerd]

I bring my searzall to restaurants to get the desired char and crust on my steaks that is up to my standards.

Pics or it didn't happen!

AND.......................................

...........This thread is useless without pics!

 

[daveb]

I've been known to bring my own stevia into a restaurant for coffee. Does that make me a bad person?

 

[Cheeks1989]

I've been known to bring my own stevia into a restaurant for coffee. Does that make me a bad person?

:rofl2:

 

[richard]

No but it makes it more likely for you to die by ricin poisoning (Breaking Bad reference).

 

[Adrian]

spoled broth - actually I was not being obtuse. Just light hearted. And you seemed to think that people could still dine at el bulli. Not wishing anyone here to be disappointed I simply pointed out that the ex-No1 restaurant in the world has closed its doors to the dining public. And even when it was open, anyone taking a steak knife there was deluded about the kind of food they served irate1:

As it happens, I was an investor in a restaurant once. I recently sold the property and am now fully out of the game. Yay!! When I took it over originally (which was by accident) we focussed on seafood and fine steaks. I supplied a bunch of laguioli knives, which is what I use at home. They are fine table cutlery, but suffer from two problems: some customers become over attached to them, and they needed hand washing, both of which are a right pain. I needed up buying copies that were dishwasher proof. For a restaurant owner, steak knives are problematic. if you serve on china the knives blunt fairly quickly. if you serve on boards, hygiene is a problem pretty fast - I dislike the modern fad for boards as I am none too certain about the cleanliness of some establishments. If you use serrated (which a lot of customers like) then once they are dulled they are pretty much impossible to sharpen cost effectively. Nevertheless, I would feel that I was letting my customers (now ex thankfully) down if we did not supply good quality cutlery that is more than fit for purpose.

Kind regards, Adrian

 

[BrownBear]

I usually bring my own Laguiole knife to a steak restaurant. I wouldn't take it with me to a Michelin star restaurant, but elsewhere it's never been a problem.

 

[mille162]

Just because you pay the bill doesn't mean you are right. The saying the customer is always right is not always the case.

"The customer is always an *******..."

[video=youtube;XOXAs9o3xUE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOXAs9o3xUE[/video]

 

[mille162]

There's a steakhouse here in Philly, Barclay Prime, before your steaks come out, they present you with a tray of highness steak knives: Global, Shun, Zwilling, Dubost. It's a nice touch, and when you're cutting into a $50-$150 cut of meat, refreshing to know you have a nice knife that is going to cut easily instead of using a dull butterknife a lot of other places give you.

 

[Mucho Bocho]

Richard and Adrian make some excellent points. I'd love a restaurant proprietor ask me to leave or serve me inferior food because I brought in a gentleman folder.

I brought mine to Art and Soul in DC (under Chef Travis Kern) last year and he didn't as me to leave? I've never been to a decent steak restaurant that provided what I would consider a sharp knife. Most of the time, its those hunky, tall 1/2 serrated steak knives that operate more like saw than a knife.

http://knives.dexter1818.com/shop/dexter-basics/steak-knives/31365.html

IMHO, This is the most practical and useful steak knife I've found. Good Ole Opinel

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0040I46VM/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[richard]

There's a steakhouse here in Philly, Barclay Prime, before your steaks come out, they present you with a tray of highness steak knives: Global, Shun, Zwilling, Dubost. It's a nice touch, and when you're cutting into a $50-$150 cut of meat, refreshing to know you have a nice knife that is going to cut easily instead of using a dull butterknife a lot of other places give you.

That is really cool. Did a little research and food looks good too (also important!)...I just bookmarked this place in case I go to Philly in the near future.

 

[aboynamedsuita]

Just because you pay the bill doesn't mean you are right. The saying the customer is always right is not always the case.

"The customer is always an *******..."

[video=youtube;XOXAs9o3xUE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOXAs9o3xUE[/video]

Hearing mention of "the customer is always right" reminds me of this movie even years later (may be NSFW):

[video=youtube_share;djzaEbDalRM]http://youtu.be/djzaEbDalRM[/video]

 

[Knifefan]

I'm occasionally bringing my own steak knife to a restaurant, and have never got any negative reaction from the wait staff. In a restaurant environment, it is almost impossible to offer the customer a sharp, non-serrated knife. Thus they are very well aware that there are better products for cutting an expensive steak than the knives they provide. Usually I ask them in a friendly way if they can clean my steak knives after use. Usually this triggers a nice conversation about the knives.

Naturally, if the restaurant has good steak knives, I leave mine in my pocket. But that has happened only once - actually at Barclay's Prime in Philadelphia.

 

[Benuser]

I usually bring my own Laguiole knife to a steak restaurant. I wouldn't take it with me to a Michelin star restaurant, but elsewhere it's never been a problem.

In France this is perfectly common -- in fine restaurants at least. Staff of a Michelin star restaurant abroad should know.

 

[oldcookie]

In France this is perfectly common -- in fine restaurants at least. Staff of a Michelin star restaurant abroad should know.

That's good enough for me, I'll grab a Laguiole folder.

 

[Keith Sinclair]

Long before invention of stainless steel people ate with their weapons. :knight: Then forks and spoons and rounded tipped knives evolved :hungry:.

In the East going way back chopping up meats and vegetables go in a wok so eating done with chopsticks.

Around the Victorian age upper crust table settings went to the extreme.

Bottom line good eating involves taking care of your teeth

 

[Tall Dark and Swarfy]

Bottom line good eating involves taking care of your teeth

Nothing worse than eating a steak with the dull house dentures.

 

[gic]

If it wasn't serrated couldn't one give it enough of a sharpening on any piece of china like a coffee cup that had an unglazed portion or would that be too weird??

 

[_PixelNinja]

In France this is perfectly common -- in fine restaurants at least. Staff of a Michelin star restaurant abroad should know.

Back in the day maybe. Now it is a lot less common, especially considering the laws regarding carrying around a knife.