Box Wine Tasting – Episode #367

December 10, 2007

Can box wine be good? That is a question that maybe taking a very interesting spin in a new direction, as more and more under 25 year old wine drinkers enter the wine market wineries are thinking of new ways to brand to that demo and today Gary Vaynerchuk tastes some of the newer efforts in the market.

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“Boxed wine are major in Sweden too. But there is a best before date ru…” by Anders
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Wines tasted in this episode:

2006 Bandit Pinot Grigio
2006 Bota Box Chadonnay
2004 Cuvee de Pena
2005 Thirsty Lizard Shiraz

Links mentioned in todays episode.

960 Responses

December 10, 2007

Ryan M.
Hey Gary!
December 10, 2007

Matthew L
Got this episode in just before I leave the office. Sweet!
December 10, 2007

yowens
long time since top 10 for me
December 10, 2007

GrapeStuff
MMMM yummmy…top 5
December 10, 2007

JC
Awesome
December 10, 2007

waibeans
top Ten
December 10, 2007

The Fanjestic
Top 10
December 10, 2007

GrapeStuff
GARY – Kevin and Alex mentioned on their diggNation ep from this past Friday that they want you to do a nude wine tasting episode (not YOU nude, but girls nude)…..gotta love those guys.
December 10, 2007

Nick
box wine? come on nowwww
December 10, 2007

Sonnenuhr
Top 10
December 10, 2007

t_moderne
Tot ser.
What a great topic.
Thanks!.
Next episode: Kirkland Box Wines.
Ok, that last part was a joke….
December 10, 2007

mlong
nice bottle ~~!!~~
box wine schmox wine…
December 10, 2007

GrapeStuff
UNDER THE FOOTBALL: Something that rolls that has a number of flat sides and edges. Maybe a dice or a Matchbox car?
December 10, 2007

David Dickinson
Never had a box wine. Thanks Gary.
December 10, 2007

SmokeyUST
SMOKEY RULES!!!

YEA THIS MY F-ING EPISODE!
December 10, 2007

Hinrgman
top 100
December 10, 2007

caleb
holy cow christmas 4 pack gone already!
December 10, 2007

Ryan
Wow, the Christmas pack is already sold out. So fast?!
December 10, 2007

KW
At this rate, box wines will only be used for large parties where no one cares about quality.
QOTD: Porterhouse – best steak. Skirt steak – can do without.
December 10, 2007

Sassodoro
Top 20?
December 10, 2007

GrapeStuff
QOTD QOTD QOTD QOTD QOTD QOTD QOTD: The best steak I ever had was a 14 day dry aged bone-in Ribeye and the worst was a big-chain grocery store new york.

(Oh well for the under the football guess, I could have sworn I heard something roll when you moved it an episode or two ago….le sigh)
December 10, 2007

Eric A.
QOTD: Best steak ever: Peter Luger. Worst steak ever: Peter Luger. Man, did I have one rough night there. Cold meat, undercooked — just nothing was right. Even the dog got sick from the bones we brought home. But the other few times I’ve been, wow, amazing meat.

If I win, pull another name for the wine! Even classic Bordeaux is sometimes wasted on me.
December 10, 2007

waibeans
QOD: best steak I ever had was for the 5 year anni.. home cooked filet mingon wrapped in homestyle bacon marinated and drizzled in truffle oil! Paired it with that 83 Lascombe.. twas amazing meal.

Worst.. only thing I can come up with is those crappy Salisbury steak TV dinners. Ugh!
December 10, 2007

Jahlove
QOTD: Best steak – A Porterhouse grilled by a friend. He seasoned the steaks with salt and pepper and a thick lathering of butter before grilling. The steaks were seared on both sides over hot coals and then moved to another side of the grill and finished using indirect heat. The melted butter created an incredibly flavorful char on the outside sealing in all the yummy juices.
Worst steak – Recently had at a friends wedding. Terrible caterer. It was one of the thinest steaks I’ve ever seen. An ugly grayish brown in color, almost as if it had been boiled to well-done. It had almost no flavor. If that had been served at my wedding, I think I would have cried.
December 10, 2007

Jeff
QOTD- Worst… Applebee’s ’shoe-like’ steak in 2004, never been back! Best… from a joint locally called ‘The Keg’ (might be a chain). Very juicy, cooked to perfection! Totally surprised me! Maybe it’s due to the fact I didn’t go in with a ‘comparable to Ruth’s Chris’ mentality.
December 10, 2007

JC
QOTD: The best steak was in Phoenix on McCollock can not remember the name of the place, great sirloin. Worse steak has to be here, sorry to say, off the grill.
December 10, 2007

Shadowbird
QOTD: Best steak? Simon’s Catch outside of Elk City, OK. Awesome KC strips.

Worst steak? Couch Cafeteria, University of Oklahoma campus, Norman, OK. But the price was right, so I can’t complain too much.
December 10, 2007

BF
QOTD: Worst steak: my wedding! (it was cold). Best: buffalo steak at Mr. B’s Steakhouse in Milwaukee.
December 10, 2007

J.R. Young
Best Steak:
Best Overall: Numerous Elk Tenderloins (self harvested)
Best Daily: Whole Foods Dry Aged, or WF Organic Grass Fed
Worst: Any mass production cow that has been living in it’s own fecal matter while being fed a healty dose of corn, antibiotics and hormones. If it couldn’t live on it’s own, I don’t want to eat it.
December 10, 2007

amaroneisforeveryone
Oh Gary, I can’t believe you wasted air-time on box wine! That stuff is crap!
December 10, 2007

mlong
best steak – ny strip that i make.
sear 1 minute per side. finish in oven.
worst – most restaurants.
December 10, 2007

CGTombstone
I got a box of Cotes Du Rhone from the shop here and the first sip was not good. Because it is in the bag (no air) you have to pour the glass an hour before you drink it (or put some in a decanter before dinner). Could that have been some of what was going on with the Cuvee?

QOTD: The Steak Tartar at the University Club in Chicago.
December 10, 2007

BruceP
QOTD: Best steak ever. A piece of Kobe beef (from Australia) cooked on a hot stone in a restaurant in Balikpapan on the island of Borneo. Worst steak ever, theoretically probably some school lunch form the past, but for memory I’ll go with one we cooked at a fly-in fishing camp a few years ago. We left it in the cooler for probably about 2 days too long (it started out frozen). Mmmmmm. e.coli.
December 10, 2007

Dave
QOTD: Best steak – Sundance Mine Co Restaurant, Worst steak – McRib
December 10, 2007

portland guy
Very interesting episode. QOTD – Best – Morton’s. Worst – US Army Field Mess.
December 10, 2007

natb
Great show, I will have to look at boxed wines again. Best steak Deluxe (wilmington, nc) worst steak friend made me and my buddies flank steak on the grill. Little tough.
December 10, 2007

Tommy Vernieri
Hey, cool. I just bought my first box wine this weekend. Thanks Gary for doing this episode Gary. Unfortunately I got the Green Path Chardonnay from Whole Foods. I’m not impressed. Tasting note on it’s way on the “What are you Drinking” forum.

Super pumped about the prize for the next contest.

Is that Christmas pack really sold out just 20 minutes after the video went up? That’s insane! It does make me feel better though, that would not have been in my wine budget this month.
December 10, 2007

Dr T from N. Carolina
Christmas pack sold out tomorrow? It was somehow sold out by the 12th comment! Did someone order a few hundred as gifts?

Anyway, QOTD — best steak was a pair of Omaha steaks (I’m probably disqualified from the contest now), pan fried and then broiled I made for New Year’s Eve 1999, if only because that was when my now-wide and I gor serious and I’m not allowed to give any other answer. Worst . . . there have been so many as people have tried to make due with inferior cuts prepared badly.

“T”
December 10, 2007

Tommy Vernieri
Hey natb, cool. I’ll have to check out Deluxe next time I’m visiting my parents in Wilmington.
December 10, 2007

SmokeyUST
QOTD:

The bast steak I ever had was one that was prepped at home, I “marinated” it for three days in an asian style. Then melted butter and let it soak that up for a day. Cooked for 3-4 minutes on the grill over a low flame. Basted while cooking with the asian mix and butter combined. Wow, that was amazing.

Worst: A local diner had a T-Bone steak special for 10 dollars or so, I said medium rare, it came well done with char marks. I said yo waiter whats this, he said it was medium. Never been back since.
December 10, 2007

Robert C from Folsom Prison
Worst stake – Outback Resturant must be getting horse meat. Best steak, grill my own Ribeye & paired it with a 94 Caymus.
December 10, 2007

Timothy Burke
Hey, another great episode, I’m going to look for that box of Bandit Pinot Grigio next time I’m at the Wine store I want to give it a shot.

QOTD: I have to say the best steak I ever had was made by my Sister in Law I dont know what kind of steaks she uses’ but I swear on my life that it literally is the best steak I ever had. The worst steak I had ever had I believe was one that I actually made. I was craving a T-Bone and I went to the store got myself a good looking steak, and I ended up over cooking it (I like mine Medium Rare) and It was just simply well done, to well done for me. I took two bites and threw the rest out.
December 10, 2007

Chris Barnes
QOTD

Best steak ever was probably at Bohannon’s in San Antonio. (Runners up, Gibsons in Chicago, St Elmos in Indianapolis, Chops City Grill in Bonita Springs, FL, and that place in Tampa.. )

Worst steak was Applebee’s without a doubt.

Chris Barnes
December 10, 2007

Josh in Burgundy
Interesting episode with the box wines. I will have to see if I can find the P.G. when I get back to the states.

QOTD: Best steak I ever had: A porter house that I prepared myself, tried something a little different and it turned out amazing. Worst steak I ever head: A 64 ounce beast of a steak named TYRONE in high school on a baseball road trip. It was actually a good steak but after about a pound and a half it all tasted the same and by the end it was absolutely punishing me. Ate it in just over 45 minutes though and got my name engraved on a plaque.
December 10, 2007

Jeff Baldwin, RN
Interesting episode. My wife loves PG during the summer. I may have to have her try the Bandit, as she of course, loves the Santa Margherita.

QOTD: The best steak I have ever had: MY OWN — Steak Au’Poivre (made with 1 3/4″ thick filets”)
The worst steak? — (Hope my mom-in-law doesn’t read this) Hers. Honestly? Hockey pucks.
December 10, 2007

jonomck
No christmas pack

Best steak: MY steak au poivre!
Worst steak: Steak and eggs at the Waffle House!
December 10, 2007

CindyW
Fun episode.

QOTD: I grew up on corn-fed farm-raised steaks from my grandparent’s Minnesota farm, and those were probably the best steaks around. I didn’t know how spoiled I was until the first time I went to a fancy restaurant on a date, ordered steak and lobster, and couldn’t bring myself to take more than one or two bites of the beef.

Of course, I haven’t eaten beef in about 15 years now — sorry, but no steaks hit this vegetarian’s grill.
December 10, 2007

KVolk
QOTD: No doubt best steak is the bone in Ribeye, aged, and seasoned cooked medium rare. The worst is any steak cooked past medium for sure and unseasoned too or the time I tried to pan fry in a cast iron skillet and it only tasted like metal, LOL…
December 10, 2007

Dan F.
QOTD: Best: bone-in filet mignon. Worst: does steakems count as steak?
December 10, 2007

Adam J
QOTD: Best straight up steak I’ve had was at an old style restaurant called Smoky’s. Thick, juicy and delicious.

Digging the boxed wine episode Gary, but those huge packages take up a lot of screen real estate.
December 10, 2007

chitown_wino
Best Steak- I have a butcher that cuts a porterhouse to order, so I get them cut 1 1/2″ thick. Salt, pepper and little olive oil and throw ‘em on a grill that is as hot as it will get. Mmmmm.

Worst steak- the meat that is called steak that is served along with eggs at just about any greasy spoon.
December 10, 2007

Golfer Gary
The best steak ever was (as I mentioned a few episodes ago), at Ruth’s Chris steak house in Lahaina on Maui. The worst ever was when a friend of mine was cooking up some cheaper steaks, it was sunny out and he had rose colored sun glasses on. That caused him to keep thinking that the steaks were not done. Waaaaay over cooked. Great show by the way.
December 10, 2007

JoeD.
QOTD:

Worst Steak: TGI Fridays
Best Steak: Peter Lugar
December 10, 2007

gabe
THE BEST STEAK I HAVE EVER HAD HANDS DOWN IS A DAVID CROCKETTS STEAK HOUSE IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC.

THE BEST
December 10, 2007

Bryan Bell
Best steak – fillet at Ruth’s Chris
Worst steak – Ribeye in my backyard
December 10, 2007

Greg Ztolg
The best was a tenderloin (From Dave’s meat market)cooked by me. Charred medium rare,mmm. Worst were 8 filets cooked by me, We forgot about them for over an hour watching football, We used them for charcoal the next day.
December 10, 2007

maggiej
4-pack gone before 50 comments are up? How is that possible? GV, did you let some inside info out?
Grrrr….:)

QOTD: Best steak was my mom’s t-bone with mushroom and onion gravy and mashed potatoes. I don’t like steak enough to order it in restaurants. The worst steak was the first time I tried to make it myself after moving out of the house. I bought a really cheap cut then cooked the daylights out of it. Cardboard would have been better.
December 10, 2007

beaefoe
Wow, it’s just 6:30 EST and the WLTV Secret Christmas 4 pack is already sold out! Disapointed to say the least, however to all of you who got your pack, good job.
December 10, 2007

jesseeley
QOTD:
Best: Tenderloin from our grass-fed steers
Worst: Wet-aged NY strip at a FInger Lakes brewpub. Tasted like manure, what an unpleasant surprise!
December 10, 2007

Brian Specht
Best Steak: I had a friend grill me up a nice steak
Worst steak: Applebee’s
December 10, 2007

Trent.. L
GV, if you are reading this I am sorry to admit I am a “LURKER” and it’s time for me to come out of the closet. I really enjoyed the show today, it’s a topic I’ve been curious about for a while.
As far as the Question Of The Day goes, The best stake I’ve ever had was one of those summer time friend and family BBQ’s in the back yard, LOVE THOSE! The worst was at a fire camp in eastern Washington at a wildfire.

-Trent. L
December 10, 2007

Phil Mck
QOTD:

Best Steak = Home grilled porterhouse. We cut up and share amongst the family (and the dog gets the bone). Everybody is in heaven.

Worst Steak = The one I have had too many times at restaurants that over charge for shoe leather, then to add insult to injury, don’t understand what rare is. Leave thinking, man I just paid $25 bones for that piece of bleep.
December 10, 2007

Large Format Fever
Best steak = 26oz Ribeye I had with a freind in college… Perfect sear… Med Rare… It was a long day and we only wanted to fire up the coals once….. Freinds and family are what make the meal!
Worst = A roast I made in college on the grill. I just wanted a gigantic steak. Didnt really know that cooking tough meat at high temps is not the greatest in the world
December 10, 2007

mlong
link typo
http://www.montanalegend.coml/
December 10, 2007

Chad O
Best steak I’ve ever had was the Silver Butterknife at Murray’s in Minneapolis. The worst was probably at our fraternity formal back in college. Salsbury steak and a low budget don’t get along so well:(
December 10, 2007

mbannon
Great show Gary, I’ve been looking forward to a box wine episode!

QOD – Best steak was a peppered fillet mignon at the Hayden Island Steakhouse in Portland. Worst steak was a wet-aged steak (I forget the cut) that I brought home from the local meat market. Turns out I don’t like wet-aged beef. Nor does my wife, who was feeling a bit sick that evening and the steak sent her to the porcelain alter for some praying time.
December 10, 2007

caleb
QOTD- Best steak was one I cooked on the grill with one of my first good barbarescos….The hitching post was a close second….worst steak was probably the cube steaks i used to mow down after soccer practice…apparently i liked them enough at the time though…now not so much.

Funny episode GV. Way to go!
December 10, 2007

Jeff
QOTD: Best steak was at Del Frisco’s in Las Vegas. One of the best meals I’ve ever had. The worst steak I can think of was one I cooked my self. Tried to save some cash and bought some really poor quality meat one time. What a waste of money that turned out to be.
December 10, 2007

PaulT
best steak: a massive juicy steak from the grill in Buenos Aires, Argentina, forgot the name of the restaurant. worst: don’t remember really, but had quite a few “rubber soles” that didn’t have much to do with steak.
December 10, 2007

crank
I just watched the entire show right when it came up and then tried to buy the Christmas 4-pack. Apparently that was a mistake.

QOTD: Best steak, the dry aged piece of goodness I bought from Whole Foods and made at home. The worst, an oven baked piece of leather a friend’s wife made for me. I almost could not physically chew the thing.
December 10, 2007

keelegl
QOTD:

Worst steak: That is easy, girlfriends parents house, way over done filet with bulls eye BBQ sauce on top. I smiled and ate it.

Best: Perfect medium rare bone-in filet at Mastroâ€™s steakhouse.
December 10, 2007

Palmer
QOTD: I’ve had a lot of great steaks, usually a filet mignon guy, but the best one ever I think was a rib-eye at the SW Steakhouse in Las Vegas at the Wynn Hotel. The flavor just exploded everywhere. The worst ever was a sirloin at the Outback Steakhouse on Route 22 in NJ (not too far from WL). Usually, I’m a fan of the Outback Sirloin (a good QPR steak…), but one day there they totally burned a steak that I had ordered medium rare – it was appalling – looked and tasted like a piece of shoe-leather.
December 10, 2007

Phil G
QOTD – The best steak I can remember was this last summer, BBQ-ing with some grad school friends on a lake in New Hampshire – boy, it was good. Can’t think of any really bas ones, guess I’ve blocked them out of my memory.
December 10, 2007

DHerbie
Sorry.. but.. go DAWGS!

QOTD: Best steak at Blue Duck Tavern in DC, they have a roast for two to share that is incredible but the steak itself is fantastic. Worst steak, me cooking in college…

4 – pack was down for a while but it appears up now.
December 10, 2007

Chargers Rule
QOTD: Best – LG’s Steakhouse in Palm Desert, CA. Bone in Ribeye, off the shizzle!
Worst – Steak and Eggs at Denny’s.
December 10, 2007

adam blackfire
Environmentally conscientious, great for your cooking, and ideal for your drunk aunt’s wine spritzers.
December 10, 2007

Sue Z.
QOD – Best steak ever – My neighbor makes the absolute best Korean bbq steak! He marinates bite size pieces of Kobe beef in a homemade Korean marinade. He then places pieces of steak on a Hibachi grill that sits in the middle of the dinner table. Once the beef is finished cooking, the meat is taken off the grill and placed on a piece of fresh red lettuce, topped with a thin sliver of garlic, and splashed with a light drizzle of spicy sauce. The lettuce is then folded over to resemble a small pocket and eaten. Pure, unadulterated goodness! Worst steak ever – My mom was the worst griller ever. It took dental records to identify anything that she cooked on the grill! When asked, she always insisted that it was steak and we should eat it anyway because it was expensive. Thanks mom!
December 10, 2007

AndrewB
The worst steak I ever had was a prime rib from a Roadhouse chain place, awful. The best was one my dad probably made 2 years ago. Hes a master chef. But I havnt eaten steak in like 20 months so I forgot much of the glory.
December 10, 2007

Tommy Vernieri
Just FYI, it’s a Tetra Prisma package which is produced by the company Tetra Pak. Just happened to look it up today: http://www.tetrapak.com/docs/Trademarkfolder04_0001.pdf

Hey look, the Christmas pack is back up.

QOTD: Best steak was probably at Ruth’s Chris in Durham (it was also nice that the entire meal was being payed for by Epic). Worst steak was one I made about a year ago. I tried to make Steak au Poivre but way undercooked it. Only about 40% of the two big fillets were edible. The edible part was good though.
December 10, 2007

Andre
QOTD –

Best: Tempo Restaurant in Buffalo, NY
Worst: Applebees, Anywhere, USA
December 10, 2007

Evan Pasquier
Great show, love episodes like this!!!!

QOTD:Last night actually i was so excited to make myself an awesome ribeye, put in on a superhot grill over charcoal and went inside to fry some mushrooms, some called on the phone, i lost focus and my steak was forgotten to burn. i was just so dissapointed, i had a nice bottle of bordeaux and everything for it.
December 10, 2007

Mike L
I remember this total drunk that looooved the boxed wines. I’ve always been scared I’d turn into that guy. I will try some of the cardboard vino tho!

QoTD: Best Steak: Anytime my Dad fires up the grill and throws one on. Amazing! Honerable mention to Ruth’s Chris. It’s just tasty! Worst Steak: an ex scorched and I mean scorched a filet once. It was just like eating the inside of a Nike sneaker!
December 10, 2007

JamesN.
QOTD;
The best steaks are the ones that are shared with friends & family, The worst are the ones that I eat by myself. Whenever I have a great steak by myself, it is good or even excellent, but like great wine, a great meal is not a great experience, unless you share it with somebody. I am very lucky to have had many steaks that I call the best steaks, even if the quality or the cooking had some room for improvement.
December 10, 2007

jack
qotd: best – chateaubriand for 2 at delmonico in las vegas; worst – petite filet at morton’s in burbank
December 10, 2007

Mike S.
I cracked up when you were pouring the Bota Box. A classic WLTV moment.

QOTD – Worst Steak… when I was a kid I loved the Salisbury Steak TV Dinner. I tried it a few years back and man was it terrible. TV Dinners were great. Gotta love the fake mashed potatoes, rubber corn, and brownie (or sometimes the apple crumb dessert):-)

Best Steak… I remember eating a T-Bone a few years back at my aunt and uncles house that was awesome. I remember it being really juicy, medium rare (I can’t stand when people order good steaks well), no special seasonings, but just a great steak.
December 10, 2007

Suzanne
QOTD: Best steak I ever had was back in 1987 at Julien, the French restaurant at the (now gone) Boston Hotel Meridian. Worst steak I ever had was back when I was 6 years old: Swanson Salisbury Steak TV dinner, which I threw up shortly after eating.
December 10, 2007

spyder47
Interesting show – but I’ll stay away from box wines for now.

QOTD: Best steak = Aged Kobe Filet Mignon @ Forbes Mills Steakhouse. Cooked to perfection (medium rare -> medium), great texture, excellent flavor and very tender.
Worst steak = Top Sirloin @ Black Angus. Ordered medium, but was served well-done. Need a chainsaw to cut this thick piece of leather. Should be against the law to cook or order a steak well-done.
December 10, 2007

Oh Susanna
Love the show!

QOTD:
Best – we went to the CIA last month and had a skirt steak that was done really well!

Worst – Probably one of the steaks that I ordered growing up at Bonanza. Man did they suck, but as a kid I would eat anything.
December 10, 2007

kadair
Best Steak would have to be at Alfred’s steak house in San Francisco. Cowboy cut bone in Ribeye med rare. Worst steak would have to be old school tv dinner salsbury steak when I was really young.
December 10, 2007

Derek
Great EP Gary, your the best!!

QOTD: The best steak I have ever had was a aged porterhouse from Capital Grille in Providence.
The worst steak I have ever had was a steak that I cooked myself at home, the problem was that I baught a cheap cut….I will never do that agian, spend that extra $$$ and get a good cut.
December 10, 2007

James
QOTD: Best steak: Filet at Ruth’s Chris, Chicago. Worst steak: New York Steak at Pete’s Kitchen, Denver.

Does anyone have any recommendations for steak-houses in London?
December 10, 2007

getmeacab
Don’t eat many streaks so this is purely for the wine.

Best streak: on my grill.
worst streak: Sizzler’s
December 10, 2007

Mike T
Since I serve at a steakhouse, the best steak I’ve enjoyed would be an 8oz cut of Kobe Tenderloin. The worst cut of steak would have been a rubbery over-done piece of prime-rib.

Love WLTV!
December 10, 2007

David Fraz
Best Steak = Blair Perrone porterhouse for 2 in NYC.

Worst Steak = A piece of shoe leather from Perkins with that wierd meat tenderizer taste on it…I should have known better
December 10, 2007

Tim Vining
QOTD: Best steak was a filet mignon my father prepared when I was still a kid. Worst steak was a sirloin steak place on a grill and overcooked to total dryness and then covered with horrible, cheap BBQ sauce. Yuck, the hot dogs were better than that!
December 10, 2007

DannInNH
Best steak, easy, a rib eye steak sandwich at the Brathaus on campus in Madison, WI my sophomore year.
Worst, another rib eye, but this time at the Outback at the Westminster Mall in CA.
December 10, 2007

vivianovino
QOTD: The best steak I had was a fillet mignon at The Butcher Shop In Memphis — the kind you cook yourself at a huge pit. FUN.

The worst was one I bought at the grocery store and BBQ’d. It was already marinated which i didn’t know at the time equals old. Food poisoning. NOT FUN.
December 10, 2007

DaveyDonut
You know, Franzia isn’t as bad as everyone thinks it is. My friend had a franzia party the other year, and their red wines were definitely better than Three Buck Chuck.

QOTD: Part of the answer is the same as the previous question… the best steak was at Grolla in Portland, OR… there was something that was hugely smokey about it that was awesome. And there are plenty of worst steaks I’ve had… my friend cooking on his barbecue and adding lighter fluid mid way through the cooking cause the fire went out, so the whole steak tasted like lighter fluid… as for a high expectation steak but it falling flat… probably Ruth Chris steak house… with a party of 4 and all of us disliked our steak!

David
December 10, 2007

Russ J
I would love to hear a response on that 2004 box from someone in the business in terms of that packaging’s effect on the wine over time. My impression is that the problem with box wine is generally the wine chosen to fill the package and not the package itself.

QOTD: worst-any nasty catering hall prime rib! best-dry aged filet mignon!
December 10, 2007

Chateaunoname
Best steak, ribeye on my grill in the daylight, sober.
Worst steak, ribeye on my grill in the dark after two bottles of wine.
December 10, 2007

mikey lennon
nice episode, always wondered if the boxed wine goes bad or not, it would be nice to see the average life span of each kind of package.

QOTD: best; freshly harvested venison loin couple years ago. Worst; a rough, gristly, tasteless piece of whatwasthat kind of meat my friends mom slapped on our plate one time, ick.
December 10, 2007

Alex
Thanks for this episode Gary! I requested it long ago and was really happy to see it happen… Not too happy about how the selection of bag-in-box wine fared though, but at $6 for the Bandit that’s a good enough deal for me even if it won’t last a month!

QOTD: Worst: IHOP t-bone steak
Best: Homemade on a perfectly seasoned cast iron skillet!
December 10, 2007

orion
Good show as always. I tried Black Box once and found it drinkable for the price, but nothing spectacular.

QotD: Best I can remember was probably last week at a Toledo restaurant called Ciao. Steak medallions perfectly seasoned on top of potato pancakes in a dijon sauce. Tasty. Worst was probably the one I cooked for myself a couple days ago. Spent too much on wine and had to buy the cheap cut. Luckily i don’t remember it that well…the wine was good.
December 10, 2007

RDaneel
QOTD: Best steak ever – a grilled tenderloin I butchered off a pismo, dry spice rub that included smoked paprika and medium flame. Came out just barely medium rare, soft and juicy as anything I’ve ever eaten. Enjoyed with some great Richard Hamilton Burton’s Vineyard grenache/shiraz. Mmmm! I need to make some more of that…

Worst – the “steak” you get a McDonalds or Burger King breakfast burrito.
December 10, 2007

chenrys
Well…we haven’t tried boxed wine yet. Maybe we’ll take a look at them.

QOTD: Best steak – we’ve had some excellent steaks here at home…my 16 yr. old son is incredible at seasoning a grilling steaks but we have both done pretty well, too. Usually ribeyes but sirloin fillets (last steaks were sirloin fillets and incredibly tender and cooked to my taste) are good, too. Worst…I forget…not worth remembering.
December 10, 2007

Kero H
Intresting show. The boxed wines are interesting, but I personally rather have four bottles of different wines than a three litre box of a single wine. I want to experince different things.

QOTD: The best, or the most memorable at least, steaks I have ever eaten are 1. a bear filet steak I did whit my friend in our holiday house (we made pizza from the bear meat as well, but it was not as tasty as the steak) 2. a moose fillet steak, and finally 3. a classic pepper steak with cognac sauce. The worst steaks I honestly cannot remeber since there has been so many of those…
December 10, 2007

mjzenz
Best: All you can eat New York Strip (I had 3 of them) in Florence, WI after putting a new roof on my dad’s cabin
Worst: I started to make a steak…and then I just forgot about it…..sort of like a boot when I got to it….
December 10, 2007

Richard T
Nice got a Christmas pack!

QOTD: Best steak ever: was several plates of Japanese Matsusaka Beef from a yakiniku place in Ginza, Tokyo.
Worst steak ever: was from some horrible chain restaurant way too charred, felt like I was eating coal.
December 10, 2007

WeisGuy
QOTD: Best steak – the hanger steak done medium rare at Vin Rouge in Durham, NC or the same at Les Halles in DC; Worst steak – the NY strip I left on the grill too long a few months ago…ruined a fine piece of meat
December 10, 2007

Senor Sangria
–QOTD—
Best Steak: It’s actually a steak sandwich from Dos Amigos in West New York, NJ… The steak is thinny sliced. It is juice and the sandwich comes with fries stacked smashed inside.

Worst Steak: I have to agree with Andre it would need to be from Applebees; I’ve had great drinks from them but their steaks are not all that good.

Gary, let me know if you want a taste of this steak sandwich. I’ll swing by and pick you one up. It tastes great, though you need to be ready to live with your fingers smelling like food for the remainder of the day.

Cheers!
- Rick
December 10, 2007

Paul A.
Gary! Is there anything you can do about us peeps from PA? I really want one of those holiday wine sets, but you don’t mail to us in PA.

QOTD: Best steak: my birthday at the Lancaster Brewing Company, it was nice and juicy.
Worst: actually at a back yard bbq, the cook scorched the crap out of it, and it was practically charcoal, I don’t know why I even took one bite.
December 10, 2007

JonE
G-Man your a trooper that’s all i’m sayin.

QOTD: Best steak 5 years ago @ the original Smith & Wollensky’s in NYC, w/ some rollers. They knew the waiters it was good, really good. Worst childhood nightmare T-Bone and eggs @The Waffle House on the way to Disney World with family. Still makes me cringe.
December 10, 2007

wine-ot
qod- best Ruth’s chris steak house buffalo ribeye with gorg. worst wild sage rest. spokane wa tasted and looked like a diner cut served with au jus that tasted like a1!!!
December 10, 2007

jason
BOX WINE!!!!!!!! you kinda made a deal of the one coming form france, but in france, at most wine stores, they have box wine and it usually comes from the south, langueduc etc.

QOTD cause we love old bordeaux, WLTV, and typing, alors

best steak, the sirloin at Greenwood (now bucks) in washington dc. i was with some good friends and a bottle of 1945 st. emilion, holy crap it was good. carole’s steaks are so good. price of beef is hitting the roof!
worst steak, over cooked at a friends, on the grill with burnt edges and just bitter marks
December 10, 2007

Brent
QOTD – Best steak was at a good friend’s wedding earlier this spring, worst steak was a backyard BBQ gone wrong (cheap steaks, ran out of gas, and the rain started!) this last summer.
December 10, 2007

Kruszcontrol
QOTD: Best steak I have ever had was probably two summers ago when I shot a fireworks display (I work for a fireworks company) at Belle Maer Harbor in Michigan. Every year when we shoot that show, the harbor feeds us, and feeds us well! Maybe it’s the fact that we are dirty and have been working hard all day to get ready for the show, but that was a good steak (The strawberry cheesecake was not too shabby either!). It’s funny to be dirty and grimy and sunburned and eating food from a restaurant that requires a tie and jacket. The worst steak I ever had was probably one that I cooked myself. I forgot about it and left it in the stove too long… But hey, it was still food so I ate it!
December 10, 2007

dwebbs
QOTD:

Best Steak: Kobi beef at Le Bernardin in NY.

Worst: Summer camp rubber.
December 10, 2007

Robert Rittenhouse
QOTD: Worst Steak = I’m not even sure what it was supposed to be. Served at Jerry’s in Uhrichsville, Ohio.
Best Steak = USA Steak Buffet Cambridge, Ohio — Still bleeding.
December 10, 2007

swamper
QOTD:
The best steak I ever had was a bacon-wrapped filet that my boyfriend’s father made.
The worst steak I ever had was cooked by myself… I was feeling cheap and wondering if I could do any thing decent with a minute steak and sauce/glaze made with a half bottle of wine that had been sitting on the counter for awhile. The answer (at least with my cooking abilities) is “no.”
December 10, 2007

Mike Jacobs
Best Steak- Porterhouse or Fillet Mignon I grill at home, unbeatable.
Worst Steak- Sizzler
December 10, 2007

zak
QOTD: Worst would be the “steak” I once had at the University of Arizona upstairs grill as an undergrad. I don’t think volcano like vomit quite does enough justice to the damage inflicted by this rancid meat o’ mystery. Best was actually the steak I had in Guadalajara at cocina 88 I cant say enough good things about the Argentinian beef( http://cocina88.com/ — see also the related QOTD best meal)
December 10, 2007

MGWilder
QotD:

Worst: Tad’s on 34th street. Like eating the packaging on the holiday pack.
Best: Wolfgang’s on Park Ave. It redefined meat for me.
December 10, 2007

LB in KS
qotd… Best is probably my Mom’s ribeye off the grill…worst?.. the Salsbury from middle school
December 10, 2007

LB in KS
Kinda har to look cool pouring out of a box, huh?
December 10, 2007

Shad
I would have to say the worst steak I ever had was a sirloin during a Christmas dinner last year..it had no flavor, it was tough, and was a horrible gray color (that might have been a clue). The best was a steak I had in the Blackthorn Pub in Ireland heading south from Galway…I can’t remember the cut, but it was fantastic..tender, juicy….just awesome.
December 10, 2007

Harley Stan
Interesting show today, I think I will stick with glass for now, I will leave the boxes for my Dad.
QOTD- Best Steak was camping with friends, cooked perfectly over an open fire and seasoned just right. The worst steak is problably the five dollar T-bones at a little restaurant off Broadway in Denver.
December 10, 2007

Cliff
QOTD The best steak was at the Chicago Chop House 3 years ago. Had it with a Leonetti Cab. The worst steak had to be some time ago on a United flight across country. Can’t remember the wine but it was out of a mini bottle.
December 10, 2007

Wanger
Best Steak – Yousef 242 – Hickory, NC – Coffee-dusted New York Strip with Chocolate demi-glaze. Yum.

Worst Steak – Outback (yep, the chain) – Filet Mignon – dried out chain crap.

Love the box wine. What a hoot.
December 10, 2007

Dave Canada
QOTD – Hmmmm. Best steak ever was a venison filet at Scaramouche….worst was a strip loin at NOBISO in Elora Ontario…..brutal!!!
December 10, 2007

Taylor
I’d have to say awesome show because of the shout out, so jazzed
QOTD Best: a filet from a small restaurant in Ithaca called the boat house it was Guinness braised and had brie on top so good!
Worst: probably the first steak my ex gf tried to make literally no seasoning and totally over-cooked!
December 10, 2007

markfarrell22
Good episode. I will have to pick up a couple bottles….eehh packs of the Bandit.

QOTD: The best steak I have ever had was a filet mignon with a red wine mushroom sauce that I prepared. Not trying to be too arrogant. The worst steak I have ever had was prepared by me as well. I was a teenager and my mom called home before she got home and asked that I boil some ground beef for stroganoff. Not knowing what different types of beef were and being the absent minded teen I was, I grabbed 4 ribeyes and boiled them. I think my mom tried to dress them up with BBQ sauce or something, but I remember my teeth bouncing off of it because it was so rubbery. Needless to say my mom was not happy.
December 10, 2007

Adam Altman
QOTD –
Best Steak – Definitely my Pop’s Filet Mignon, each time it is different and each time it is the best steak I have ever had.
Worst Steak – Overcooked nastiness at Ruby Tuesdays a few months back
December 10, 2007

Hamid Z
Best Steak: Friends and I ordered a couple boxes of 8oz and grilled out… needless to say, it somehow resulted in this tender, juicy pink perfection on my plate.

Worst: A rib-eye from what is considered a fairly nice restaurant in my area. It was either the cook or the cut, but I couldn’t finish it, which is a rare thing with me for steak.

Also, the link to the Montana Legend site is broken, someone added an ‘L’ after ‘.com’
December 10, 2007

late-start
Hasselhoff??? come on who doesn’t know MacGyver. Anyway nice episode, I can see myself bringing that PG to a day at the beach.

QOTD:
Best-Filet au Pauve Grill23 (boston)
Worst- not sure but my most disappointing was a Kobe filet I had at Davios
December 10, 2007

Kipp Bodnar
QOTD Best Steak Filet with Fougrex butter Worst old tough cube steak of my youth.
December 10, 2007

George
Gary,
QOD: Worst steak, about 15 years ago, I was convince I could make a steak from about 2 years in the freezer taste good. I was wrong.
Best steak: Last year, a three inch thick cut angus serloin that I made for our 20th anniversary. It melted in your mouth. Of course the 2000 Opus we had with it didn’t hurt.
December 10, 2007

Jason S.
QOTD: Best steak – Peter Luger in Brooklyn, NYC. Worst steak – Outback steakhouse in any city in America.
December 10, 2007

Clinton
Great show, Gary.

QOTD
Best Steak: From my local Vancouver, butcher – Tango – Grass Fed Beef, NY Strip, grilled on my Weber.
Worst Steak: When I let one of my in-laws talk me into trying the ‘chicken-fried’ variety
December 10, 2007

Leftcoast
Bandit Pinot Grigio is Sutter Home wine in a different package so its even cheaper to buy a 1.5L of Sutter Home than the Bandit!

QOTD- Best:Cole’s Chop House (Napa) dry aged porterhouse. Worst: My attempt at grilling a strip steak over a campfire (covered in ash and burnt)
December 10, 2007

Kevin
QOTD: Best steak I’ve ever had was from a small restuarant in Nipomo, CA called Jocko’s. The filet is just a monster of a steak. The worst was a new york strip at Black Angus that was over cooked tough.
December 10, 2007

Spinner
QOTD:
Best Steak, New York cut at Jockos in Nipomo, CA, or the Fillet at Madonna Inn (San Luis Obispo, CA) was nice too,
Worst, anywhere else, but the works was a T-bone my dad and I were cooking last month. Got distracted with the vino, made some beef jerkey…

Spinner
December 10, 2007

carnyc
Thanks for the show!

QOTD:
Best steak ever was in Montana with my family cooked over an open fire after a day of flyfishing.
Worst steak ever was tough, dry, flat piece of Salsbury steak from Western $izzler in my hometown when I was a kid. I’m certain it has not yet been digested!
December 10, 2007

Dustin M. Jussila
QOTD: My best steak would have to be the filet I had in Indianapolis at The Percussive Arts Society International Convention.

The worst was probably the one I cooked at 3 in the morning last year in the dark. It seemed a little overcooked… as in you could carbon date it someday. It was so petrified.
December 10, 2007

passthecab
QOTD: best steak, i hate to say it… Outback! As for the worst – its a no brainer – Golden Corral.
December 10, 2007

Dominus
Very nice show. I had one of the Bicyclettes Tetra that wasn’t too bad.

QOTD: Best: I had a really nice Porterhouse at Bern’s Steakhouse in Tampa last summer. Worst: The only one that scars my brain are the Swanson Salisbury Steak TV dinners we used to eat years ago. Really nasty stuff.

Cheers!
December 10, 2007

SteveW
Great Episode, nice of you to do Box Wines.
QOTD:
Best – Metropolitan Grill in Seattle, 20 oz Poterhouse.
Worst – Sizzler
December 10, 2007

DrWMD
QOTD: Best steak…KC strip at Jesse and Jims in KC, Mo…Oh, baby! Worst steak…On a tour of the prison in Leavenworth, Ks. was served a nicely grilled piece of shoe leather. Would have made a wonderful weapon.
December 10, 2007

Baumgartner Ranch
Simple question regarding the Xmas 4 pack. Are the wines worth $20.00 each?
December 10, 2007

Plminer
Interesting show, can’t say I’m on the box wine band wagon, went through that phase when I was 18
QOTD: Worst steak I’ve ever had was at Sizzler, can’t imagine why. Best steak was at Delmonicos and I’ve had a few really nice ones from Whole Foods, dry aged NY Strips.
December 10, 2007

Elliot
QOTD:

Best Steak = The last steak my Pops threw on the grill

Worst Steak = Denny’s
December 10, 2007

yowens
Gary- I’d like to get into box wine but todays show wasnt too reassuring. QOTD: Best steak: at Oakmont CC, Oakmont, pa, rare ny strip. I still can remember exactly how it tasted. Worst: this steak house in Monteal, good steak with all this crap on it, that ruined it. greg
December 10, 2007

debnj
Best=Delmonico’s in Mexico City; worst=Tad’s ($2.99 or so, back in the CKC days) in Times Square–both, many, many years ago! Dietary restrictions now–not much steak allowed!
December 10, 2007

Erica37
Best steak of all time: My boyfriend cooked me my first steak ever on our bbq this summer. It was the first time he’d ever cooked for me, so it was really sweet and a cherished memory.
Worst steak of all time: Same steak! It was wildly overdone.
December 10, 2007

The Fanjestic
QOTD: Best steak I have ever had is a tough call, but I would have to say it’s a tie between any T-Bone steak my Dad has ever cooked me. Wine and steak with my family – there’s nothing better!

Thanks for saying the new wristbands was a good idea – but I’m glad to at least have an original from the Thanksgiving pack – will there be one in the Christmas pack?
December 10, 2007

Loweeel
Best Steak — The 20 oz Strip Steak at Ray’s The Steaks in Arlington VA, cowboy style (chipotle peppers, sauteed garlic, fried onions).

Worst — I think my elementary school once tried to serve the steak from Steak-Ummms as a standalone meal. Appalling.
December 10, 2007

budnistink
QOTD: best steak was at Ruth’s Chris’ on my 18th birthday… i’ve probably had better steaks since then, but it was my first good steak, and the first is always the best. worst steak was when i was stupid enough to order steak at Denny’s…
December 10, 2007

DWildman
Best steak – collaboration between wife and me, flank steak marinated in ketchup and soy sauce (yep) cooked to perfection on my grill.

Worst steak..made the mistake of ordering beef in Basel, Switzerland. Overcooked, dried out.
December 10, 2007

Brooklyn Paul
QOTD:
Best steak I ever had was a Filet Mignon I had at Wolfgangs in NYC. The worst? Probably when my college dining hall attempted to serve steak for dinner one night.
December 10, 2007

Leo Brancazio
best – Morton’s Porterhouse; Las Vegas; early 90’s
worst – this summer; cheap sirloin; baked not grilled; last Summer
Leo Brancazio
December 10, 2007

ronguy
Thanks for the box ep. Too bad they weren’t better. Like bottle wines, box wines vary. There is a big selection out there and not all are bad. Best feature is that you can drink them over several weeks without deterioration.
Best steak – ribeye off the grill at home.
Worst – No Name Steak anywhere.
December 10, 2007

Gus
QOTD Best: I actually made the best steak I’ve ever had – on a gas grill too.

As far as the episode – I don’t know if anyone else brought this up, but can we assume that Gary didn’t decant and pour back in the box?
December 10, 2007

KNode
QOTD: Ironically, the best steak I’ve ever had was at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse last night. I had a Ribeye and it just melted in my mouth it was so delicious. The worst steak I’ve ever had was at this place in the middle of nowhere (near Huntsville, TX) that boasted that they had a 2 lb. steak for like $15. Let me tell you, that was NOT good quality steak, but it was definately an experience!
December 10, 2007

Scott EJ
Best: Dry aged ribeye from Paulina’s Meat Market here in Chicago. Grilled to fatty perfection and served with a light slathering of Roquefort. Side of baked potato w/sauted garlic and butter. Asparagus w/a balsamic vinegarette. Wine: something zinny.

Worst: Anything Ponderosa.
December 10, 2007

Bill H
QOTD – best, kona-crusted dry aged sirloin at capital grille in boston. worst, any time my sister doesn’t finish hers because she insists on having filet mignon butterflied and cooked well

excited about the christmas pack. also, gary, I went back and watched episode 18 over the weekend because I had a question about decanting, and couldn’t help but notice a few things. first of all you said it was your favorite episode at the time, you scored a barossa valley shiraz 96-97, and the show was entirely devoid of ‘the thunder show,’ ’sniffy-sniff’, ‘qotd,’ and ‘changing the wine world’
December 10, 2007

Brian Black
My mother seems to enjoy cooking with “Black Box” wine. I have not actually tried it, so I can’t really say if its good or not. Her food is damn good though which should say something about it. QOTD- Best: 10oz filet with a mustard/rosemary rub. Worst: Undercooked new york strip that gave me food poisoning. Not fun.
December 10, 2007

VinoPhilosopher
QOTD: Best steak? No doubt grilled rib-eye w/ salt and pepper only. Worst steak? Steakum (remember those frozen steaks your parents made you in the 80s???)

God bless the Chateau la Fleur!

Cheers
December 10, 2007

Dr. Mike
QOTD: Best: Lobel’s Madison ave. boneless strips (14 or 16oz) are always the best aged prime, gently messaged with flaked sea salt, black pepper and tuscan olive oil, 50-60 seconds each side at 600 degrees.

Worst: probably something I’ve been served at a wedding
December 10, 2007

FJDR
QOTD: I guess the best steak I’ve had was at Topeka Steakhouse in Richmond, because I never order steak when I go to “fancy” restaurants. The worst was at some place in Traverse City MI, don’t remember the name, it was a local place, they smothered the steak in some kind of cheese topping, and it covered up a “steak” that was almost all fat. Yuck.
December 10, 2007

downtnmark
The liner of that Cuvee de Pena is probably made from the same materials as most running shoes. Pour some wine into a new pair of shoes and see how it tastes in 2 years. I’ll stick to glass for now. Still, thanks for checking on this.

QOTD: My best steak ever was a fillet mignon (thin-sliced) cooked by my grandmother with great love. I was thinkiing that the worst was dorm food in college, but I believe it was some grizzled hunk of rock that would be more suitable for road resurfacing. I can remember the meat but not when – too unpleasent to recall.
December 10, 2007

Daniel Rosas
worst streak: sizzler’s steak I had was dry, rough and chewy (not a pleasant experience)
Best Streak: Ozumo’s (Japanese) in San Francisco, CA. I had a wagyu streak with mushrooms and a cabernet sauce…wow
December 10, 2007

The Adam Bomb
QOTD- Best- Prime, 30 day dry-aged, bone-in ribeye at Lumiere Restaurant. Worst- Applebees 20oz Porterhouse… I was hungry!

XBOX LIVE NOTICE- Anyone who has a Live account and a copy of Halo 3 or Call of Duty 4 should totally email mnos@winelibrary.com. We’re trying to get a game together.
December 10, 2007

Alex Diaz
QOTD – Best steak i Have had was a 12oz Mushroom Sauce Filet at the Capital Grille in Miami, Fl. amazing. Mtched Perfectly with the Gaja Promis Super Tuscan i had that night.

side note: I had last night a Cote Du Rhone that was smelling and tasted like Olives in olive juice all day long… hehe it reminded me of GV and his pickles…
December 10, 2007

BWicked
QOTD: Best:Cowboy Ribeye At Stephan Pyles
Worst:I have eaten too many overcooked steaks to count.
December 10, 2007

TennLee
QOTD: Bulgogi cooked on my parents grill. Unbelievable thin marinated steak. I’m gettin’ hungry…
December 10, 2007

Rani Haykal
Great Show!!!

QOTD: Best Steak: Filet Mignon from Pappas Bros. Steakhouse
Worst Steak: New York Strip cooked by a friend. Actully, thinking about it now that steak was horrendous….absolutely terrible.

–Rani H
December 10, 2007

Nick P
Best-Capital Grill in Orlando FL.
Worst-My friends house in New Jersey.
December 10, 2007

Chad Spacey
You will not believe it but the best Steak I’ve ever had was in a small town just 101 in central California. A restaurant called Twin Oaks Restaurant 645 Bell St. Los Alamos, CA 93440. Crazy good steak. The whole area of San Ynez has many places with wonderful to die for steaks another in the Famous Red Barn. For me though, Twin Oaks Restaurant is it.

It’s funny all the vineyards in the central coast San Ynez and Santa Barbara area, have you done a show on this area of California?

I can’t remember the place where I had some really bad steak but I do remember it being gray and yuck!

Great Show! Thanks!
Chad
December 10, 2007

Marshall
QOTD: I hate steaks, except maybe a fillet minon.
December 10, 2007

Linda Blakely
QoTD

Best steak: without hesitation, Matthew’s in San Marco, Jacksonville, FL
Worst steak: hopefully hubby’s not going to see this (sorry sweetie!), but it was one cooked by him. BUT, I will say that the one at Matthew’s was so superior that anyone else’s pales in comparison. (how’s that for diplomacy?)
December 10, 2007

Neil
QOTD – Best Steak: Prather’s Meats at thge SF Ferry Building. Good stuff. Worst steak: Tad’s Steak House in SF.
December 10, 2007

Baumgartner Ranch
My first was my best! Grandparents took me out to a real restaurant when I was about 8 yoa in 1969.
December 10, 2007

djs
QOTD: Best steak was a New York Strip for lunch at Ruth’s Chris twenty years ago with my Mom. Worst was a vile piece of something at my in-laws house recently.
December 10, 2007

DolFan Jon
QOTD: Best steak would have to be a filet mignon from Ruth’s Chris. Worst steak would be all the london broil my dad used to cook when I was a kid, just terrible.
December 10, 2007

Denise W
The Bandit pinot grigio surprised me. I’ll have to try that sometime soon.

The best steak I’ve ever had was a filet at Morton’s. Melt-in-my-mouth deliciousness.

The worst was many Christmases ago when my FIL severely over-grilled steaks for dinner. They were beef jerky tough. I choked down as much as I could to be polite. And, worst of all, we didn’t have wine to wash it down with! The FIL has since passed on, and I’d give a million Morton’s filets for one more beef jerky with him.
December 10, 2007

amgryger
QOTD: Best Steak: Bistecca alla fiorentina in Florence, Italy. Don’t remember the name of the restaurant.

Worst: One that I had a hand in preparing.

Sorry, still not convinced about box wine. Maybe I am overly cynical, but I avoid wine that is heavily marketed.

Furthermore, as a 20-something year old, I would like to say that all too often I feel like the wine industry talks down to me. I am not a “demographic to be branded to.” I am an individual who is very comfortable living life on my own terms and making my own decisions as to what I value. Maybe I am a little bit elitist, but I think that too-much anti-elitism breeds mediocrity and sameness, which, if you think about, makes life pretty boring.
December 10, 2007

Will
In college, we used to call box wine “box of game” because of the profound impact drinking a box of it had on one’s ability to talk game to the opposite sex. And by profound, I mean terribly negative.

QOTD: Best = dad’s BBQ. Love the filet, rib eye, or marinated flank steak.
Worst = Ruth’s Chris in Bellevue, WA.
December 10, 2007

Glen
Peter Lugers……steak for two. Nuff said?
December 10, 2007

19namath69
Best Steak – Peter Luger’s about 12 years ago.
Worst Steak – the day I got home and my wife said we need a new grill because the old one caught fire cooking the steaks for dinner.
December 10, 2007

Sarah L
QOTD: my favorite steak is a ribeye cooked on the rare side of medium rare over a charcoal fire with a little smoldering wood chips. The worst steak I’ve ever had was overcooked.
December 10, 2007

Jprva
QOTD: best steak: from, someplace in Minneapolis, forget the name.

Worst: Anything served rare.
December 10, 2007

caleb
QOTD: Best – Buffalo fillet I grilled myself, a little salt, barely seared on both sides.

Worst – A steak I had at a restaurant in Bodrum, my napkin had more flavor.
December 10, 2007

Tom T.
No wristband today?
QOTD…..best steak was a Buffalo steak out in Wyoming, worst was something that resembled a steak at
Ponderosa. There are tons of other really good ones too. The one in Wyoming sticks out because it was the first time I tried Buffalo meat.
December 10, 2007

Chuck
Worst steak – Every steak night at the college cafeteria. To this day I’m not convinced it was really beef. And we all clamored for more because hey, it’s steak…

Best steak – Some random restaurant at the banhof in Berlin. Topped with shallots and some mystery light sauce washed down with a super dark beer that poured like syrup. Don’t know what they did, but I’ve never found an equal.

GV, $17 shipping for the xmas pack? Ouch. Woulda pulled the trigger but my cheeks clenched up so tight when I saw that I just couldn’t. Yeah, those cheeks. Which leads me to my challenge for you. I’ve been drinking wine for a few years now and while I’m enjoying the exploration, I’m too cheap to try out things over a certain price point without some assurance of value. Not my fault, it’s genetic on both sides of the family. We invented copper wire when two of us wouldn’t let go of the same penny. Anyway, the challenge. Pick 3 wines around $50 that will convince us skinflints (’cause I know I’m not alone) to splurge every once in a while.

Love the show.
December 10, 2007

Junichi Fujita
Great show Gary. The best steak I had was a Kobe beef steak I had with my family in Tokyo. The worst was the steak from the dorm cafeteria. It was flavorless, overcooked, hard, just one depressing lump of meat.
December 10, 2007

Gary Hartmann
QOTD: Best steak ever was a cut of springbok I had at Belthazar wine bar (which claims to be the world’s largest by-the-glass wine bar) in Cape Town, South Africa. (Had it with a glass of 2003 Kanonkop Pinotage – WOW! what a great wine!) Can’t remember the worst for sure. The worst recently was when I over cooked one on the grill a year and a half ago.
December 10, 2007

Hugh
QOTD: Best…hmmm a tie….Match Steakhouse in Vegas….Peter Luger’s in Brooklyn
Worst- well-done slab of (supposed) steak at summer camp, circa 1978
December 10, 2007

Jon
Bd showing for the boxed wine…

Worst: Homemade in the oven, after it started to cook on the BBQ and I ran out of propane.

Best: Prime Steakhouse Las Vegas
December 10, 2007

bh
best steak was this porterhouse i had at ten steak in providence. it was ridiculous. worst steak… you know those ones people who can’t cook make in a pan, and it comes out all grey and cooked to death? let’s just say i’ve got relatives…

cool episode… i’d like to try the sneakers wine.
December 10, 2007

familydoc
Awsome show! I’m not scared to try the boxed wine….but it might take a little while because there so much good wine and life is so short.

Best Steak: At Duke’s in Kuaui on my honeymoon, bad wine, but dang that was awsome steak, can’t remember the cut.

Worst steak: A flank steak cooked by me on my little mini-BBQ, I always overcook the meat on that thing, until I got my big Weber I could never not over-cook the meat. Now I only overcook the meat about 75% of the time.
December 10, 2007

HawkeyeOeno
Worst steak was the time my best friend marinated a ton deer steaks in italian dressing. We had played basketball in the snow for about 6hrs that day and then grilled up af ew dozen small steaks. Somehow I got super sick first and then made his entire family sick. i couldn’t touch deer meet or italian dressing for two years.

Best steak would be t-bones grilled outside in colorado on a perfect day with the mountains in the background.
December 10, 2007

Andy
Best steak, Ribeye on the grill at a “grill n’ ill” with my friends. Worst, the 6th sizzler I took down in a sitting at Ponderosa in high school.
December 10, 2007

Norcal
QOTD â€“ Best: Prime Rib grilled over rosemary branches on the grill.

Worst: probably a steak I tried to cook when I was like eleven. Figured since it was thin, it only needed 15 minutes on each side to cook through. Plus, I hadn’t quite learned about the wonders of salt. It was rubbery enough that I could have patched a tire with it, or replaced it with a tire and not noticed a different taste.
December 10, 2007

Steven Wyatt
Hmm.. best and worst. The best is easy: a Kobe Ribeye at Craft restaurant in NY city. The damn thing was like 90 bucks, but my generous (and rich) buddy was footing the bill.

The worst? probably something I cooked myself. It either comes out raw or way overdone, and I can never seem to get somewhere in between. This is because you arent supposed to cut it, and I can never figure out what it looks like on the inside…. I am a crappy chef.
December 10, 2007

aktormedic
QOTD – A steak (can’t remember the cut) at Chez Pic in Valence, France (just got their 3rd Michelin Star again…. Served with salt and pepper…just amazing. Worst – At an Outback Steakhouse in California. It was shall we say, a little past it’s prime…yeah…yuck
December 10, 2007

aheadwithwings
QOTD: Best Steak, at the CN Tower NY Strip, Worst Steak..hmmmmm Applebees steak, actually got sick from it so that didnt help.
December 10, 2007

C.P. Shafdizzle
The worst steak I’ve ever had was at a friends house. It left me chewing for hours…. the best steak was a rare/medium rare Delmonico at a local family owned steakhouse. It probably could have been listed as the best meal I’ve ever had.
December 10, 2007

Rhonda
QOTD: The best steak I ever had was probably made by me on my own grill in my backyard. The worst was a beautiful steak that my neighbor grilled to absolute well done. I love steak as rare as they will serve it to me!

PS. I ordered my Christmas pack, thank you for doing that again!
December 10, 2007

Tgatesman
QOTD: Best steak is the druk’in Ribeye at Sweetwater Tavern in Dullas, VA. It’s an absolutely amazing piece of meat! Worst is the steak you get when you order steak and eggs at Denny’s. I’m not sure what that is?
December 10, 2007

Ray
Best steak was a black angus Ribeye with a dusting of mexican spices on my grill.
Worst steak was Emerils steakhouse in vegas.
December 10, 2007

TimF
You do the Goose-n-berry just for me, right?

Magnavox Odysey was before Atari — you should know that!

I’d like to make a bet with you: I bet you can’t avoid using the word “VERY” for a 24 hour period. Name the stakes!

Does Bruto give happy endings?

Please don’t tell us the worst thing you ever put in your mouth.

QOTD: Best — Berns Steakhouse. Worst — My wife, she can’t make steak to save her life.
December 10, 2007

billr
Nice show. I always wondered about how good boxed wine where.

QOTD: The best steak I ever had eaten was a “Cowboy Steak” on the Regent Mariner Cruise Ship. I am not sure what kind of meat it was but I have never tasted anything like it before.

The worst steak I have ever eaten was a sirloin steak that my wife cooked for me during our first meal of our marrage that consist of corn on the cob, macoroni and steak some 40 years ago. I should of had a clue when I was walking through the kitchen and saw that she was boiling a large pan of water on the stove that contained not only the macoroni, the corn on the cob but also the sirlion steak, all of it in the same pot of boiling hot water. What can I say, I was young, hXXXy and in love, so I ate it.
December 10, 2007

Tejash Patel
best steak – any filet mingon ever
worst steak – every other cut
December 10, 2007

Carolyn
Thanks for the episode today. I’ve only purchased boxed wine one time – I promptly emptied out the contents and replaced it with 3 bottles of good stuff and smuggled it into an MLB game!!

QOTD – best steaks/beef are in my freezer, steer raised by my neighbor. Favorite cut – Hangar steak – on the grill with some olive oil and garlic. YUM. There is a reason they call it the butcher’s cut! Worst – long ago at Ponderosa. Reminded me of leather.
December 10, 2007

KenP
Good ep.

QOTD: Haven’t had it yet! Will have to look into Montana Legend!
December 10, 2007

Julie Hache
QOTD: I don’t know what the best steak I’ve ever had is…. I’ve never had it!
December 10, 2007

Die-Lon
I’ve fallen behind in my Wine Library TV watching and saw the wine cellar episode only last night. Killer episode. Please, please do more like it. It was full of wine type information. And I always like looking at things I could never afford.

Box wine. Looking forward to watching that. Keep rocking the boat.
December 10, 2007

Alex
QOTD: Best Steak ever was at Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago
Worst steak ever was at Waffle House in G-ville, FL (GO GATORS).
December 10, 2007

Dave Grega
Hey what about potential heat damage to the Pena? Sounded like it might have been roasted!

Here I go again…can I make it back to back??? If I do I’m definetly buying steaks from those dudes!
December 10, 2007

jason carey
gary there is a store in Paris called Les Crus du Soliel, which only sells wines from the south of France. They have some of the best
southern producers make custom bag in box wines for them that are fantastic. Producers like Domaine des Schistes from Rousillion make wines for the boxes.
December 10, 2007

Michelle R
Very interesting episode! I haven’t had a boxed wine in years.
QOTD:
Best steak was in Calgary, AB at Nick’s Steakhouse — Peppercorn Top Sirloin steak.
Worst steak was one I cooked. I accidentally left it on the barbecue far too long, almost burning it completely.
December 10, 2007

MYoung
Best was the Steak au Poivre at Raoul’s on Prince St…love that place. Nothing too memorable as being the worst.
December 10, 2007

Douglas
Best steak was prime rib at Chicago Chop House (wwww.chicagochophouse.com)

Worst was first steak I prepared in my new apartment in Boston, (I burned it, set off the smoke alarms, etc.)
December 10, 2007

horndogld
I’m dissappointed a bit in the boxed wines, I had a boxed Pinot Grigio while in Italy (don’t ask) that was actually pretty decent -however a couple others were less than satisfactory. I’m a big supporter of eliminating unnecessary waste, but storage longevity (and stigma) may a be a hump that is difficult to overcome.

Best Steak: A bourbon marinated and basted NY Strip at a small town restaurant in Ohio.

Worst: Any second round steak at Tumbleweed’s AYCE sunday steak and ‘taters.
December 10, 2007

Fiorentina!
QotD –
Ummm…I really don’t eat red meat…..I have nothing wrong with it, but just prefer the taste of chicken or fish.
Best steak – Black Angus
Worst steak – any philly cheese steak sandwich….i know i know..it’s just not my thing
December 10, 2007

Scott F
Best steak was at Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse here in Cincinnati. Words can not describe how good it was. Worst steak was at some restaurant in Dayton, OH. The meat had what can only be described as “tendons” all throughout the cut and it was impossible to cut through. Absolutely gross.

Great show today. My wife is not a big wine drinker, and she likes to drink the pinot grigio and sauvignon blanc boxed wines from Target. They are ok, probably along the lines of the Bandit Pinot.
December 10, 2007

shugbear
QOTD – best steak was one a fried cooked the worst was a piece of shoe leather at a restaurant in New Brunswick.
December 10, 2007

ryushidr
QOTD: Best steak I’ve ever had is ginger and lime marinated steak. Worst steak was basically unseasoned and too fatty.
December 10, 2007

Penney
QOTD: Best steak was at a restaurant called Peninsula Grill here in Charleston. Worst steak was in high school when my dad managed to mutilate the poor steak to a point of inedibleness.
December 10, 2007

Donlindia
Best Steak:

Tie: wolfgang’s steakhouse in NY. Steak for two, medium rare, amazing AND acqua al due in Florence. Bistecca fiorentina from chianina cow. awesome

Worst:

All inclusive steakhouse at the Dreams hotel in Cancun. NOT a dream …
December 10, 2007

Darlene O.
Great episode, Gary. Boxed wines are definitely not my thang, but hey…you gave it a go. QOD: My best steak I have ever eaten was years and years ago at the Chart House in a little mountain village in SoCal called Idyllwild. AMAZING!! The worst…a friend’s. If you were to drop the steak on the plate, the plate would have shattered. Could barely cut the thing. It was when we were all newly married, and this friend had no idea how to prepare steak. We laugh about it today…
December 10, 2007

BYB
Cool episode. Thanks!

Best steak ever at “L’auberge du Poids Public” in Southern France.
Worst was at Ponderosa Steak House in Towson, MD circa 1996.
December 10, 2007

Mark
So far the best steak I’ve had was at a nice little place called Carlos’. It was a Filet with this wonderful peppercorn sauce. It was a really nice cut and perfectly cooked. MMM gonna have to go have another one. lol
December 10, 2007

DianneWalnuts
Worst steak, home cooked by early boyfriend
Best steak Ruth’s Chris Steak!!! Anytime! Great show!
December 10, 2007

RJ TEX
QOTD: Best steak was at Vic & Anthony’s in Houston. Worst was a “Bacon Wrapped Filet” I bought at the $.99 store. It actually looked decent when it was cooked, but I was still scared to take a bite. It lasted about 2 seconds in my mouth before I spit and ran for a toothbrush.
December 10, 2007

E-Rock
Best Steak ever = Peter Luger’s

Worst Steak ever = Everytime I have London Broil. I really do not enjoy the stuff, but you can’t be rude when you’re a guest.
December 10, 2007

Glen
opps….forgot the worst.

Best…. Peter Lugers, Brooklyn, NY

Worst… Chop Steak House, Englewood, NJ
December 10, 2007

TommyBoBo of WI
QOTD: worst… some piece of shoe leather in the Florida Keys… have you seen how cattle look in Florida?? BEST, my Dad’s Mayor cut, 1.5inch thick Iowa Angus Ribeye. Two Gin and tonics waiting for the coals to get ready,,, med rare, salt and pepper, hash browns!!!
December 10, 2007

JeffWalnuts
Best steak, Any steak from Ruth’s Chris Steak House
Worst steak Minute steaks from home, my. whole. life. Burnt. Thanks for the show today! Jeff
December 10, 2007

Mark T.
QOTD:

Best = Anything BBQ’d at home.

Worst = Once i tied to cook a steak over a campfire on a stick. It didnt turn out well.
December 10, 2007

Eric
Great episode idea! I have an intro video I will be sending you that I guarantee you will love!!!
December 10, 2007

Winelion
Boxed wine? Drink it all the time, when it’s just me. Hardy’s, Black Box, and Stonehaven have been acceptable labels with no surprises, and fairly consistant for everyday consumption for about $4 to $5 a bottle. With the money saved, I’m able to purchase and enjoy “the good stuff” with friends and family whenever we get together.
Would I serve it to guests? I did once, and they were pleasantly surprised.
Best Steak: Bedford Village Inn in Bedford NH. A perfect ribeye.
Worst Steak: Ponda-GROSS-a . ‘Nuff said.
December 10, 2007

Ryan R
QOTD: Best was a filet mignon I cooked on my grill. Worst was a t-bone that I overcooked on my grill.
December 10, 2007

Geoff
QOTD: best: filet on my birthday 3 years ago in boston, worst some unknown cut my ex girlfriend cooked which was pretty much a piece of coal by the time she was done with it
December 10, 2007

3dvw
QOTD: best Filet Mignon worst idk prob some microwaveable steak.
December 10, 2007

Rice
QOTD: Best steak… japanese Kobe beef eaten in Japan. Worst cut… Believe Or Not… at a Morton’s. Totally unacceptable (wow… I didn’t believe either) At home and friend’s homes – usually pretty good.
December 10, 2007

Bonzo
QOTD: Best steak was from Black Angus in Raleigh, NC. Worst steak was at a little dive in downtown L.A. – and they were so proud!
December 10, 2007

Dan B
Worst – Fatty end of the Filet at a Ruth’s Chris in Indianapolis. Got the meal comped, however.

Best – Filet at Bern’s in Tampa
December 10, 2007

AngioRanger
QOTD: Best steak: my mom’s (anytime; the lady can cook) Worst steak: Steak and egg breakfast at a Coffee house. I think they confused the steak for cardboard.
December 10, 2007

mikereyno
QOTD: A filet migon with blue cheese melted over it at a little restaurant in Lambertville, NJ called Mannon was the best; the worst had to be at Bonanza from way back in my college days.
December 10, 2007

spautz
Great episode. Episodes like this make it a lot easier to share WLTV: I have several friends who don’t watch WLTV, but who’ve told me to let them know if GV ever drinks boxed wine.

The worst steak I’ve had: The dining hall on campus served a large white glob of fat, with a vein of brown rubber running down the middle. I didn’t even realize it was supposed to be steak until the next month, when they served it again under the banner of “steak night”.

The best steak I’ve had, and also the best meal I’ve ever had: My roommate made filet mignon, stuffed with crab, wrapped in bacon, with a crab mushroom reduction sauce. We invited a large group of friends over for dinner, and had a Pinot Noir with dinner and an Asti Spumante afterwards. Wine + friends + good times = unforgettable.
December 10, 2007

Andy
Thanks for the box love G ,,,, very interesting .. have a French Merot in a box waiting to try it… QOTD—- The best steak ever was at Cattleman’s in Cali up near Napa — The beef in the is definitely better than what we get in the East….. The worst steak ever was the one that burned to a crisp on my gas grill one summer evening …… you know too many beers……
December 10, 2007

Peter T.
Best steak I ever had was just the other night at the Park Steak House in Parkridge NJ… Had a NY strip and it was AWESOME!

Worst was any steak I ever had at Charlie Browns… Love the waitresses, but the steak is a big pass…

PT
December 10, 2007

Kevin
Nicely done. I’ve been eyeballing them lately – something I haven’t tried.

QOTD: Best. Shoulder steak here, as I am a fat worshipper. Worst. Let’s just say that I love my family, but some guilty parties like their meat far beyond well-done into ‘burned’ territory.
December 10, 2007

Snowdog1
Best steak: Picanha at restaurant by the beach in Northeast Brazil (Porto de Galinhas). Setting had a lot to do with it…

Worst steak: Ruth’s Chris
December 10, 2007

ccsargent
The best steak I’ve ever had was a Tallgrass steak frites from Bistro Campagne in Chicago.
The worst steak? Probably from Ponderosa in my college days.
December 10, 2007

Colin Nicol
Gary, really excited for the Christmas pack now, can’t wait.

QOTD: Best Steak – New York Strip Medium Rare from the Chop House here in Chicago, everything I’ve had there has been amazing. Worst – Had a ribeye not long ago that was way to fatty and overcooked, lost most of its flavor uggh, I usually love ribeye too.
December 10, 2007

SS Chris
QOTD: Best was Porterhouse @ Wolfgang (Tribeca) in NYC…Worst was a really fatty Ribeye @ the steakhouse Restaurant in the Marriot in Bridewater, NJ…horrible restaurant!!
December 10, 2007

Kelly In South Dakota
Nice show on the boxed wine. I have tried a couple and I will stay with bottles for now.

QOTD Best steak Charolais porterhouse raised and cooked by a friend on his farm. Worst probably one on a Carnival cruise.
December 10, 2007

paul
QQTD: best steak- I’ve always been partial to the bone-in-rib chop at the Strip House. Worst- Mortons in Las Vegas.
December 10, 2007

jason carey
Best steak, the steak au poive I make at home with grass fed beef from upstate New York, the worst, steak was a paper thin gristle fest I had in a tourist restaurant once in Paris by accident.
December 10, 2007

Rick C.E.
QOTD: Worst- Definitely my own. I’ve destroyed some nice cuts of meat in my day just from a lack of attention grillside.
Best: Bone’s in Atlanta. Not only was the filet great but their wine menu is outstanding!

Thanks for the insight…
December 10, 2007

Mike
QOTD: Worst Steak – Ruth’s Chris Steak House. A steak should not be drenched in butter!
Best Steak: Lark Creek – Walnut Creek

My son and new daughter-in-laws first Christmas together with your surprise wine package….priceless.
December 10, 2007

mayra
QOTD- best: skirt steak my husband grilled on 10/31/2005. So good I still remember the date!
worst: sizzler. yuck.
December 10, 2007

Saftig
QOTD: Best steak had to be at the Pink Adobe in Santa Fe, great service, brilliant company, tree growing up through the floor next to me. Try it. Worst steak had to be at best friend’s BBQ. She can’t eat meat unless it’s gray and dessicated and that’s how she served it to all of us. Yum. Love her madly but she’s not allowed to grill anymore.
December 10, 2007

Mike E
QOTD: Best steak I’ve ever had was at Arther’s Steak House in New Brunswick. New Jersey.

Worst steak was at Outback.
December 10, 2007

amy
QOTD: My brother’s jack daniels marinated steak on the grill. The best!
December 10, 2007

amy
QOTD: Best steak: My brotherâ€™s jack daniels marinated steak on the grill. The best!
Worst: The $6 special sirloin at JD’s pub in Indy. $6 – what do you expect?
December 10, 2007

chrisb
QOTD: Best steak, peppercorn steak at a local country club
Worst steak, anything well done!
December 10, 2007

Ironian
best – thick prime club steak from local butcher, barbecued at home, consumed on the deck in late summer
worst – thick prime club steak from local butcher, inadvertently flambe’d at home, can’t recall the rest
December 10, 2007

ballzhey
another classic

but about half way I shed a tear bc I was like “no chillable red?”

best steak: flank steak cooked on an indoor grill with giant red peppers
worst steak: anything cooked over medium rare
December 10, 2007

Winosaurus
Three Thieves puts out several high-QPR wines. Gotta love their little jug bottles, too!

QOTD Best: Filet Mignon at the now-defunct Bacchanal Restaurant in South San Francisco. Their wine cellar was once a genuine speakeasy during the Prohibition years. They had several shelves filled with Turley’s Petite Sirahs, which nearly brought me to my knees.

Worst: A gristle-laden steak at a restaurant that my brother raved about. Apparently, beef wasn’t their strong point. I should have followed my brother’s cue and ordered the rack of lamb.
December 10, 2007

xboxfi3nd
The best I ever had was from Applebee’s Bar and Grill. It was a 20oz Porterhouse cooked and seasoned to perfection! It was so good that I couldn’t leave until I forced everyone at our table to eat a piece of grilled magnificence.
The worst steak I ever had was actually cooked by me. One day, after an intense workout, I was starving and decided to throw a steak on the grill. I forgot about it while watching TV and charred one side of it. This poor steak was also over seasoned,incredibly salty and just plain inedible.
Well almost…. I told you I was starving didn’t I?
December 10, 2007

Bill M
QOTD: Best steak – ribeye with my dad’s special seasoning. Worst steak – an overcooked steak from Outback
December 10, 2007

KAllardNYC
Best – NY Strip at Table 54 in Roanoke Va.
Worst – Virgina City Buffet in the Wild West Casino in Atlantic City.

Weird Virginia connection there.
December 10, 2007

Kristen
Gary interesting show! Although the Tetra Packs and Box-o-wines are marketed to my demographic (the CKC), I definitely avoid it. However, I might try that pinot grigio out even though I’m not the biggest PG fan. That was really fascinating that a French producer used a box of wine to sell in the US! I just did a project that will turn into my master’s thesis on wine in France and how they are loathe to adapt! And the MacGyver wine was great at the end! Thanks for the laugh cause I needed it today!

And I’ll have to get the Secret Xmas Pack! Another tasting along with GV? Sign me up!

QOTD: Best- Filet mignon at Sakonnet Fish House (ironic, isn’t it?) in Portsmouth, RI. Worst- A steak entree at a Thai restaurant in Orleans, France. I like my steak medium-well and up, but this was “a la francaise” and it came out on my plate practically still mooing. I ended up switching with my friend’s duck dish (cause at least that was cooked)!
December 10, 2007

cgatesman
QOTD: Best – Fresh Filet Mignon full tenderloin from Stew Leonard’s grilled to a perfect medium rare.
Worst – The first time I grilled a skirt steak, I had no idea what I was doing with it, and I treated it like any other steak (not slicing it properly). It was the toughest meat I’ve ever eaten! My jaw was so sore by the time I was done eating it!
December 10, 2007

Ed
QOTD:
Best – Filet, MR @ Morton’s steakhouse, Great Neck NY
Worst – Anything from Applebes/Fridays/Tuesdays/Outback/Chillis…
December 10, 2007

tarheel17
Did my comment not post?
December 10, 2007

Mark Tolerico
Best steak, has to be aged New York Strip from Wholefoods, yuuuuuummmmm!!!
December 10, 2007

Mike E
QOTD: Worst Steak – Ruthâ€™s Chris Steak House. A steak should not be drenched in butter!
Best Steak: Lark Creek – Walnut Creek
December 10, 2007

ERP
Best steak every: Fresh from the butcher hanger steak (Cooked at home)
Worst steak ever: Every steak I have tried with in Shanghai. (I live there and don’t have many options)
December 10, 2007

Steven Malone
Great show!

Best steak is the Riverwalk Steak at Shenandoah Restaurant…it’s a Filet with a mustard caper sauce.

Worst steak would probably be one of my mom’s pan fried mystery steaks.
December 10, 2007

HuskerJamie
QOTD: Best ever happened right here in Lincoln, Nebraska, at Misty’s Steakhouse. Worst was in Vegas at a restaurant at Caesars’ in Vegas.

Great episode of the Thundershow. We haven’t got the Bandit in Lincoln yet, but box wine is starting to kill off jug wine here.
December 10, 2007

Peter
QOTD – Best steak Donaghy Steak House in Riverdale, sizzling steak

Worst steak was at Outback
December 10, 2007

CC_Htown
Best steak: Actually was tonight. My wife and I are having are having hard wood floors installed on our living room and kitchen floors this week. The only way for us to get out the back door was over freshly floated slab. This wasn’t too much of a problem for us since we were used to camping. We grabbed up all of our veggies, steaks, and a bottle of wine and went around the house to the backyard. This was where the magic happened..see my history of cooking steaks isn’t that great. Typically they are either burnt and overcooked or lightly browned and squirting blood. This time was different… It came off perfect and tender. A wonderful pink medium finish with spicy crust on the outside. We will always remember it.

Worst: Unfortunately this is my own cooking as well. My wife and I lived in an apartment at this time so I had just bought a new Weber grill. We had a small patio out back on the third floor. As this was one of my first attempts at cooking steaks, I always remembered something that my father told me…”always cook your steaks on very high heat.” Ahhh…yes…so I did exactly what he told me, but before I knew it the grill had caught fire and I had fire coming out the top and bottom of the grill. This wasn’t your average white smoke from a grill. This shit was BLACK and it smelled like a house fire. That was because it was…part of the siding of the apartment had caught fire as well. Needless to say, the steaks were totally black on the outside while the inside was red and cool. The flavor was terrible like burnt paper. The funny thing is the whole time I was battling the blaze, there was a pool party going on down below my balcony watching the entire thing…
December 10, 2007

Scott S.
Hi Gary, QOTD: The best Steak, A 23 oz Bone in Rib EYE at Camron Mitchell Steak House in Columbus Ohio. A Magical evening with my wife and Friends. The worst was at the old Ponderosa steak houses years ago.
December 10, 2007

Kris J
Isn’t Bandit & 3 Thieves from Joel Gott? (really more of a question than a comment. I heard that’s the case. (that’s a comment)
December 10, 2007

Cabdrinker
Best steak I have ever had was probably at The Angus Barn in North Carolina. Filet with a beautiful shrimp and lobster sauce.

Worst steak was at an Outback Steakhouse.
December 10, 2007

cpd
QOTD: Best steak I’ve ever had would probably be from a local restaurant called El Coyote or one (grilled at home) purchased from a great neighborhood butcher. The worst was from some seriously overpriced steakhouse (can’t even remember the name) that made it about 9 months before going belly up.
December 10, 2007

Boog
Great show Gary!
I’ve had the Bandit PG and CS boxes at Ravinia Outdoor Music Festival in Chicago many times. They’re great for what they are.
QOTD: Best steak – Montana Legends (That ought to make me a winner), just kidding…
Best steak – A steakhouse in Rolling Meadows, Illinois which is no longer there called Ruperts. It was just charred perfectly on the outside and so juicy inside. Man! it was awesome!
Worst steak – Denny’s steak and eggs.
Love the show!!!!
Boog
December 10, 2007

Paul Gray
Great show Gary!

Worst steak. Boot leather on the grill. You cannot cook out and watch football at the same time.

Best steak. Snooker Pete’s Cajun Grille, in Pittsburg, CA, about 20 years ago. Blackened Fillet Mignon. I was able to cut it with a fork. Amazing!

Paul in the great white north/ Marquette MI
December 10, 2007

Wine Not?
OK, Gary, I’m totally hooked on your show! I just discovered you about a month ago and now I can’t wait to get home at night and see what fun things you’re tasting. The bad news is that you’re not shipping to Michigan yet and I’d REALLY love to get that Christmas 4-pack! Bummer…

QOTD: Best steak ever was in Chico, CA when the power went out but we made my friend’s dad’s awesome marinated London broil anyway….it is SO amazing!

Worst steak ever…the time my friends and I were uncorking a Chateau Latour and bought some nice steak to grill. Well, we sort of got distracted by the wine and the steak became jerky! Oh well…the wine was fabulous!
December 10, 2007

Justin E
Worst Steak: Outback Steakhouse (I was on a trip with a lot of people I had no choice)

Best: CC’s City Broiler, Overland Park, K,S they do a really good Steak au Poivre mmmmmmmmm……

Of the boxers The Black Box chard. is not bad for what it is.
December 10, 2007

daWineGuy
QOTD: Best steak in Chicago http://www.geneandgeorgetti.com get the aged T-Bone. Worst steak was in Vegas.

Great show Gary, nice to keep an open mind.
December 10, 2007

drew
Best steak I ever had was at Mortons steak house in downtown Chicago. A beutiful filet mignon with bernaise sauce. Unfortunatley Mortons has gone down hill since. They still have a great wine selection though.
December 10, 2007

John Spivey
qotd: best: grilled porterhouse at the duck club
worst: western sizzlin
December 10, 2007

JordanW
QOTD:

Worst was a $40 steak at a ‘classy’ restaurant that was swimming in black pepper.
Best is any steak marinaded in Dale Sauce (Google it). I order this stuff from TN via eBay.

JordanW, Canada Crew
December 10, 2007

Shawn Mariani
QOTD: Best steak I ever had is any steak my dad makes on the grill during the summer months. Usually accompanied by family hanging out on the porch, drinking some beers (or wine!) and maybe a cigar or two. I miss summer.
December 10, 2007

Sean McKesson
Best: Filet Mignon at a Cajun restaurant I use to work for.
Worst: I don’t know if it was her fault or if it was just a terrible steaks she chose, but my mother could never make a good steak.
December 10, 2007

John
At least it wasn’t a total washout- Thank God for the Bandit, eh?
QOTD: best steak? porterhouse that my dad used to grill-
worst? probably at Waffle House or someplace like it around 2 or 3 am back in the day…
Thanks for a great show.
December 10, 2007

HipandKneeDoc
QOTD:

Best steak is from a barbecue at my house; Porterhouse that actually came out right.

Worst is any of the various poultry substitutes that my wife tries to fool me with.
December 10, 2007

Senator
Best steak: Without a doubt was a tenderloin my wife made a few years back that was served with a gorgonzola cheese sauce. We’ve had it a few times since then, but as with so many other things, your first is your best, right?

Worst steak: Anytime my father-in-law cooks steaks on the grill. He has a very weird idea as to what constitutes good food. For instance, he sees no reason why you would pick green beans when they are small and tender, instead he waits until they are so large that a single seed would easily feed a family of four. Everytime he cooks steaks he cooks the living daylights out of them. I mean, I am talking “burnt offering” well done. They are extremely tough and dry. The kicker is he gets offended if you try to add BBQ sauce. I’m just trying to add moisture!
December 10, 2007

Don Y
Best: Actually last nights was pretty good….about a 2 1/2 inch think ribeye seared well on the outside and med. rare on the inside. Great stuff!
Worst: Any steak that is over cooked!!!

Great job Gary, love the show!
December 10, 2007

Dorothy
QOTD: best steak was at a steak restaurant El Gaucho in Seattle. Some friends of mine just decided to go out to a fancy dinner and picked this upscale place with a cigar bar and mink fur backed seats. I don’t even remember what type of steak I got but the whole experience was amazing and the steak unbelievably tender. It was my first experience at a restaurant with a sommelier which was fun too.

Worst: Probably one I’ve made. I’ve made some really bad ones. I tend to over cook them, and with inexpensive cuts it can make for a rather chewy meal.
December 10, 2007

Keith Brown
Breathed a sigh of relief because I’ve had the Bandit a long time ago and liked it, nice to know I’m not crazy. QOTD Best steak: A few months ago, a USDA Prime Porterhouse I Mesquite grilled myself. Worst steak: Somebody’s house, long time ago, way overcooked ROUND steak…like eating the sole of my shoe, and they were so proud, I just smiled and chewed, and chewed, and chewed…
December 10, 2007

Kev and Ams
Best steak: Cooked by my grandpa.
Worst steak: Cooked by me. =(
December 10, 2007

Yiannys
Fun Episode…

QOTD: Best Steak would probably be a steak from lonestar either that or one off my dad’s grill….worst probably from a small in town restaurant we have here that burnt every steak ordered even if it was supposed to be rare.
December 10, 2007

sobojosh
QOTD: Best steak a perfectly cooked prime rib with 3 glasses of ‘82 Chateau Margaux (thanks again Hapa! RIP) Worst steak… one time someone feed me rancid meat.

Nice show GV. I’ve seen the bandit a lot, guess I’ll buy it now
December 10, 2007

Martin
Very nice to see something different. I might like to try a boxed white for cooking if it keeps that long after opening.

QOTD: Best steak was in a carne asada burrito at a favorite mexican restaurant. Worst was a hamburger made by our hosts in Saudi Arabia. They tried so hard to give us a taste of home, but had no idea what they were doing!
December 10, 2007

JK from WV
QOTD: Best: A ribeye grilled on back deck with my bistro potatoes that came out just right, roasted garlic with olive olive and grilled homegrown red peppers.
Worst: A $40 peppered strip steak from an uppity steakhouse in my hometown.
December 10, 2007

Jeff Faust
QOTD: Best steak: Prime rib from St. Anne’s in Wisconsin.
Worst steak: IHOP prime rib. I was young. I needed the money.
December 10, 2007

Michael D
Great show, Gary. Thanks.

QOTD: Best steak: a pan-fried N.Y. strip from a local butcher with connections for the “good stuff”… Worst: the same steak cooked to my wife’s taste (”well” done…)
December 10, 2007

Howie K
This is my wifes picks. Best steak was at Ruths Chris and the worst was at Perkins in NJ.
December 10, 2007

paul
Worst Steak / TGI FRIDAYS / BEST STEAK JEAN GEORGE
December 10, 2007

Kale Knowles
QoTD: I decided I was going to start grilling steaks about a year and a half ago. I bought a grill and got all of the accessories. The only meat I was interested in grilling was steaks, burgers, and sausages. The worst steak I have had was one of my experiments with different types of wood and length of time on the grill. It tasted like a brick. The best steak I have had was once I figured out how to grill filet mignon correctly. The trick is high quality meat and keeping it rare. A good bottle of wine doesn’t hurt either.
December 10, 2007

Boog
Jeff Faust,
Are you talkin about Schwarz’s supper Club?
That place is awesome!
December 10, 2007

Seo
QOTD: Best steak was at the Hitching Post in Santa Barbara. Worst steak was ordering a filet from Ruth Chris for delivery through one of those delivery services. Horrible.
December 10, 2007

Candace Folch
La Bistecca alla Fiorentina, period.
December 10, 2007

Pinuck
Best steak: Half of a grass-fed hanger steak bought from Prather Ranch at the SF Ferry Building, taken home and seared only up to being blue/sub-rare. Port and demi-glace reduction in the pan with shallots, steamed broccoli, mashed potatoes. I guess all the ingredients put together cost no more than $7 for the whole meal.

Worst: An Applebees industrial rib-eye steak somewhere around San Jose cooked well-done (against my instructions) and costing more than twice as much as my homemade hanger!
December 10, 2007

Jenny C
QOTD: Worst – Butterflied well-done filet mignon. I was twelve.
Best – medium rare skirt steak in Napa. I was thirty
December 10, 2007

piercarlo
QOTD

best steak: i was 15, my parents were out for the night, my best friend and I bought two 3 pound steaks from the corner store, threw them on the grill with some cheap bbq sauce and ate them along with shots of bacardi limon from the parents liquor cabinet

worst steak: i was 15, my parents were out for the night, my best friend and I bought two 3 pound steaks from the corner store, threw them on the grill with some cheap bbq sauce and ate them along with shots of bacardi limon from the parents liquor cabinet
December 10, 2007

Cosmo108
QOTD: Best steaks are my own grilled on my Vermont Castings grill. Meat from Bob’s in Medford, MA.
Worst steak – Steak and eggs at Denny’s
December 10, 2007

Glenn F
OK, so I’m a lurker just now coming clean. Saw your Thanksgiving show…so, I just HAD to have your Christmas pack. But, to my surprise, you can’t ship to Washington State! BUMMER! Guess I won’t answer the QOTD either, since I can’t win that prize either. DOUBLE BUMMER!
December 10, 2007

tarheel17
OK, my comments (4!!!) didn’t post.
I’ll chalk it up to the site revamp.

QOTD: best: pepper steak I made ala WLTV forum recipe.
worst: overcooked steak. Yuck.
December 10, 2007

Carmen
best -conica 16 in guadalajara
worst – applebees
December 10, 2007

drew
Forgot to post my worst steak, definatley from Applebees. Absolutley horrible it was actually green!
December 10, 2007

Rodzilla
QOTD: Worst steak I ever had was in Nova Scotia, at the Grand Hotel. Thing was Flat gray in color and utterly tasteless, It looked like it was boiled. I believe it was a sirloin

Best Steak I ever had was a ribeye from Saltgrass in Irving Texas, was just cooked perfectly and not over seasoned.. quite amazing.
December 10, 2007

cobbpa
best: I’m a steak fan, but not overly selective, so primacy takes the rule…just last week I had a nice filet with my girl after a longgggg weekend with family. Just us, perfectly medium steak from a restaurant…delish.

worst: sometimes my dad gets too busy hitting golf balls around the yard and forgets to check the steaks. Charred blocks with crumbly t-bones in them make me cringe, but have happened a couple times in the past few years.
December 10, 2007

Mike In SLO
Best Steak: The 14oz NY from McLintocks in Shell Beach.
Worst Steak: A broiled slab of London Broil I got on sale…sad
December 10, 2007

mikeyrad
QOTD: Best steak: Peter Luger with Sue and Uncle Sy. Luger is sorta like that joke “How is sex like pizza? When it’s great, it’s amazing, and even when it’s not great it’s still pretty good.” So we had a 3:45 rezzy at the Luger in Williamsburg. That’s right, 3:45. Uncle Sy is in his 80s. Can u say early bird special? Well, anyhow, we had a table right across from the kitchen and ordered the steak for two for the three of us. It was an absolutely religious experience. The char, the tenderness and flavor of the meat — absolutely incredible.

Worst steak: I love my mom, BUT… When I was a kid she made steak “Bronx kosher-style.” That is, burnt to a crisp in a wimpy broiler so the texture was something like shoe leather and then doused with ketchup to hide the lack of flavor. Hmmm, too bad mom wasn’t a wine drinker. It would have been nice to have something to wash away the agony that she called a steak dinner. Sorry mom.
December 10, 2007

Harris
Best Steak:

Prime Rib from Morton’s Steakhouse or Bone-In Ribeye from Del Frisco’s

Worst Steak:

Anything I cooked on my skillet in college yet still finished.
December 10, 2007

Kristina Jessop
QOTD:
Best Steak (hands down) – Prime Rib from Wobbly Barn Steak House in Killington VT
Worst Steak (hands down) – Any steak at Outback Steak House!! They suck!
December 10, 2007

Rajiv Ayyangar
QOTD: I’m not a big steak eater in fancy restaurants, and while I’ve had some pretty good steaks when eating out, nothing really rocked my world. So for the best and worst, I’m going to have to with:

The worst: a steak my dad made when I was little. Burnt, tough, dry. I ate it though.
The Best: a steak my dad made a few years ago. He got better.

On a tangent, I recently had a tuna steak that fooled me into thinking I was eating an extremely rare, extremely tender beefsteak. It was one of the most perplexing meals I’ve had in recent times.
December 10, 2007

John Watson
Best and worst steaks, eh? Hard to say. I haven’t had a really great steak in a long long time. No, I take that back, last weekend I had a fantastic steak at Grolla in Portland. Worst? The line is so long…it’ll have to be some tough piece of something that we cooked up on the grill on the back porch.
December 10, 2007

Alos
Hey Gary the best steak I have ever had is Kobe, I actually found a place near to my house the sells it, the worst steak I have ever hard was a rib eye steak I had at the Outback, it made me sick . Great episode I thought of doing a costume party and having some really unusual wine like Vampire Pinot and maybe I will get the Bandit and have that there too.
December 10, 2007

Dennis Cox
Best steak, Lomo de Res cooked on my friends family asado in El Pinar, Uruguay.

Worst steak, I have a friend who worked at Frigid Meats on the south side of Chicago (I think they supplied Ponderosa). He got a box of t-bones. Shoe leather.
December 10, 2007

Tofferotti
My mom brought me a box of shiraz from Australia about ten years ago that was the size of a kids juice box. It was nasty but I did think it was an interesting concept.

Best steak was a friends bachelor party. It was just the two of us and we each had a 26oz NY strip nice and rare, then we shared a 30oz kobe ribeye washed down with cheese and a 1985 Lynch Bages. All at home and all great. Worst was at one of the high end chain steakhouses. The meat was ok but it was such a disappointment. I asked for a medium rare strip. One end was almost raw and the other end was beyond well done. I don’t understand how you can screw up a steak like that at such a “nice” place.
December 10, 2007

Mike Diz
QOTD; Best steak at Peter Lugars with my bro when he got back from Iraq.
Worst: Shop Rite London Broil.
December 10, 2007

Pinuck
QoTD

Best steak: Half of a grass-fed hanger steak bought from Prather Ranch at the SF Ferry Building, taken home and seared only up to being blue/sub-rare. Port and demi-glace reduction in the pan with shallots, steamed broccoli, mashed potatoes. I guess all the ingredients put together cost no more than $7 for the whole meal.

Worst: An Applebees industrial rib-eye steak somewhere around San Jose cooked well-done (against my instructions) and costing more than twice as much as my homemade hanger!
December 10, 2007

cptranman
Well, I am finally de-lurking. The Christmas pack sounds awesome, but alas, I live in Pennsylvania where my local state store has more varieties of vodka than Cabernet. But I’m not bitter .

QOTD: Best steak would probably be one I had recently at the Cock and Bull in Lahaska, PA. Just perfect, melt-in-your-mouth goodness.

Worst steak is tougher (no pun intended) as usually bad steak is still better that no steak!
December 10, 2007

AmandaM
QOTD: Best steak was a fillet mignon that I had probably about 4 years ago. I know, that’s a pretty generic answer, but it’s true.

Worst? I’m not even sure. Maybe one that my Mom cooked once(no offense to her) because she often cooks steak a little too long and it gets tough.
December 10, 2007

Eric S.
QOTD: Tender juicy filet with crumbled blue cheese and a butter sauce was best. Worst was any number of well done (burnt, charred, etc) chewy steaks on my parent’s grill growing up!
December 10, 2007

Jeff
QOTD: Not a big fan of a chunk of red meat…sorry! hehe!
December 10, 2007

CyberTLH
Worst steak: Inlaws. Filet on the George Forman.
Best Steak: Smith and Wollenski’s Chicago.
December 10, 2007

cma82
Nice show, I’d like to find a good wine in a box. Why not?

Qotd:
Best: Porterhouse at Chicago Chop House
Worst: Jeez..its soo hard to choose, probably Applebee’s yuck
December 10, 2007

E
Love the steak at Misty’s, but the wine list left a little to be desired …

QOD: inch thick porterhouse with herbes de Provence on the grill, on the front porch, with an ‘85 Krug cabernet that held up just beautifully. Good enough to evoke tears of joy, just about. Ain’t no steak like the one you don’t have to leave home for.

Worst? Who thought you could get a bad steak in IA, but when I was a kid I ordered a T-bone once in Le Mars that looked like it had been in a 350-degree oven for 5 minutes. Grey on the outside, raw on the inside. Feh!
December 10, 2007

Jimmy S
Best Steak – Bern’s Steakhouse in Tampa. The quality of top-tier steakhouses can be argued, but there is no place like Bern’s for the overall experience.

Worst Steak – A friend cooked steaks over charcoal, but the lighter fluid had not burned off when he put them on, and the top was on the grill the whole time. Also, they were well-done. It was like eating gritty gasoline drenched crap.
December 10, 2007

steve
Best was at a friends bbq that was marinated for 2days and just fell apart in the mouth.The worst texas road house first it wasn’t cooked right then when the brought the new one out it was 60% fat no meat at all
December 10, 2007

GregO
Best Steak: A ribeye at a steakhouse in Antigua Guatemala.
Honorable Mention: Filet Mignon at Joes, the Brontesauras Ribeyes we cooked up at Dave’s, and some ribeye steaks we had at a co-workers house when we were hosting the Mexican Beef Delegation…they made they own sauce from chilies they brought with them from Mexico.

Worst Steak: Any well done dine steak
December 10, 2007

stevek1510
QOTD:
best, Peter Luger’s with “the bacon”
worst, local place called Murtha’s Steakhouse
December 10, 2007

JustinL
QOTD: Best was a Ribeye at Ringside in Portland. Worst was a piece of shoe leather and gristle at Sizzler when I was young.
December 10, 2007

Doug in Waterdown
(delurk)
Love the vidcasts. Kudos for keeping it up!

Best & Worst steaks: Both cooked on my own BBQ, the worst was because it really embarrassed me – I accidentally cooked it to “medium” (heresy)… and I was cooking for friends, woops. The best was because the meal was the best: Great friends, great wine, great accompaniments, great mood, everything just worked. (juicy, cooked to perfection… mmmmm…) Steak, like wine, is about the experience, otherwise it’s just a chunk of meat!
(relurk)
December 10, 2007

ChrisR
QOTD:
Best – Porterhouse my Dad cooked up on the grill
Worst – “Prime Rib” from Hometown Buffet
December 10, 2007

onemore
Boxed wine: I was scarred in college by a box of wine. Can’t remember which brand, but I do remember it as one of the worst white wines I’ve ever tried. I haven’t tried another box of wine since. I’ve been too afraid of bringing home a box of—well, something similar to that Bota Box you tried.

I’m not big on pinot grigio but I know someone who is. If I see a Bandit box, I’ll pick it up and sneak her a glass to get her reaction.

QOTD – Best steak: Does it have to be a red meat steak? I mean, I’ve had some great medium-rare beef steaks, but the BEST steak I’ve ever had was made of swordfish and prepared by the host of a dinner party. He marinated it in a homemade sauce of soy, oranges, honey, cloves, blackberries, ginger, and other things I don’t recall right now. It was perfectly grilled. It rocked.

QOTD – Worst steak: That’d be either (1) the chewy overly-well-done “beef” shoe I had at a catered social event last year, or (2) every overcooked tuna steak I’ve ever been served. I like my tuna steaks seared on the outside and raw on the inside, not cooked through & through til they’re dry, thank you very much.

A Menu For Hope: Great cause! I’m already an annual United Way and Toys for Tots donator, but I might have to enter that raffle. I’ll definitely spread the word about it.

MacGyver wine label: Awesome.

And now I’m off to watch all the older episodes I’ve missed lately.
December 10, 2007

Christopher J
QOTD: Best steak I ever had is a tie between a restaurant in Chicago called the Char House (don’t think it is there anymore, but Fillet Minion was outstanding), and my best friend cooks a ridiculous steak on the grill, not sure what he does but it is tremendous.

Gary, I think you should start drawing prizes from comments left the episode before a drawing announcement. This will ensure a lot more comments, and that way the lurkers will be forced out of hiding. It seems unfair to the dedicated comment posters.
December 10, 2007

Sky M
QOTD: Best steak ever. Wow, tough one. In recent memory I’m going to have to go with the bbq I hosted this summer. We butchered a whole beef tenderloin, and grilled the filets out on the deck. Nothing beats good medium rare filet with rum sauce, wine, and friends.

Worst steak. I saw Applebees in the comments, and that brought back some bad memories. I’m going to have to jump on the Applebees bandwagon.
December 10, 2007

ScottyZ
QOTD:Both pretty recent…Worst, last weekend i ordered some carne asada from this “authentic” mexican place called El Vaquero in Columbus. Toughest, stringiest piece of grey flank steak ever. Jaw hurt for a few days afterward.

Best: Got a petite filet trio at Wildfire in Chicago, and you could pick the 3 different crusts you wanted on them. I think i got gorganzola, mushroom, and horseradish. Horseradish was king.
December 10, 2007

Tom Cihil
Best steak – ribeye on the backyard grill, of course with a couple botles of nice red wine (say a zin and a rhone blend) and a few friends to share stories and laughs.
December 10, 2007

Carly
My friend swears by boxed Sangria…she always brings it to parties with a can of fruit cocktail. Very tasty Thanks for an “outside-the-box” episode…(sorry, couldn’t help it)!!

QOTD: Best steak: my first Filet Mignon, age 18, Valentine’s Day at Atria’s restaurant in Pittsburgh, PA. Accompanied by stuffed prawns and a gorgonzola-stuffed roasted tomato. if only t-bones could taste that good.
Worst steak: (Sorry, Mom!) Until she discovered marinade, every steak my mom made was the worst steak I ever had: dried out and full of gristle. Could you blame me for looking forward to chicken, pasta, and potatoes?

Cheer,
Carly
December 10, 2007

Christopher J
OOPS, don’t count me twice for the drawing, but QOTD Worst steak: was at a VERY nice seafood restaurants in Chicago, I don’t want to mention the name because I love their seafood, and the staff is extremely nice and friendly. However the steak was very bad; huge disappointment.
December 10, 2007

pomace
Finally, the box show! – too bad things didn’t work out better…

QOTD: Best: Peter Luger’s Porterhouse, no question.
Worst: Longhorn. nasty.
December 10, 2007

Karl
I agree with you, the bandit wine is a very good PG for the price.

QoTD:
Best steak: The best steak I’ve ever had was an dry-aged sirloin at Renee’s restaurant in Greenville, SC.

Worst steak: The worst steak I’ve ever had was when my college decided to be “fancy” and have a steak dinner night, more like grilled rubber night! Terrible, absolutely terrible.

-Karl
December 10, 2007

Malarkey
QOTD:
Best: one I made myself: thick ribeye with a bearnaise sauce scented with white truffle oil.
Worst: a small frozen grey blob from Schwan’s.
December 10, 2007

dano
qotd: best steak was from a restaurant in Seattle where I had steak frites with an old friend
worst steak was from a local English pub
December 10, 2007

Vincent D
QOTD: Best steak: at this French restaurant near our place, very nice, simple, but delicious. Worse one was the first time I tried to cook a steak on my own. Burnt and chewy. Not good.
December 10, 2007

Grapedigger
I’ve never been interested in box wines but recently my wife bought a 4 x 187.5ml pack of “Bistro Mundo” red wine from Spain (8$) for the purpose of using it for cooking. I was curious to taste this wine and to tell you the truth it was good!! tasted better than many 10- 15$!! An 86 pointer in my opinion. I think the 187.5ml format is great as it could pour 2 glasses and could come handy for casual weekday drinking.
For the QOTD, best steak that I had was a filet mignon at the 401 WEST restaurant in the West island of Montreal. Worst steak, was a bloody NY sirilion, which I ordered medium well, in some chain restaurant.
Cheers
December 10, 2007

Nanook 37
Best steak – The Yard Club in Hilliard Ohio made fresh bernaise everyday and the steak was always perfect – The worst??? everytime I order from a chain resturant and the meat is burned to a crisp when you order medium rare
December 10, 2007

Joel Walker
Great Show. I have finally caught up through the old episodes to watching them as they come out. It’s kind of like I have been time warped up to the present day after more than a years worth of episodes.

This is my first chance at a contest, so my answer to the QOD.

Best steak: As noted above in other quotes, I have to say my best steak is Kobe beef. In particular I had filet mignon at Chamberlain’s in Dallas with my beatuiful wife on our aniversary. May have been the occasion as much as the beef.

Worst: My beautiful wife tried grilling an old freezer burned venison steak on the Foreman grill and served it to me. The thing should have been thrown away and cooking it was just cruel and unusual punnishment.
December 10, 2007

tom dimelow
I like my meat on the rare side, so the worst beef steaks are those that have been essentially well done to burnt with no beef flavor at all, these are at cookouts. I’ve had some extremely good steaks, generally from high-end restaurants, to actually say which one was the best is difficult to ascertain but a top flight wine certainly capped the meals.
December 10, 2007

Travis
Best – Nick and Sam’s (Dallas) Longbone Dry Aged Ribeye
Worst – Anything from Sizzler…
December 10, 2007

James P
The best steak I ever ate was in Kuwait waiting for Operation Iraqi Freedom. We’d been sitting in the desert for a couple months already when my civilian contractor/counterpart and I finagled a trip off base and into town to this really surprisingly new age mall. We scored some steaks, hamburgers and hotdogs from a grocery store. Back on base we improvised a grill, stole some salt and pepper from the mess hall and had a great bar-b-que. Nothing like fresh red meat after months of crap.
December 10, 2007

Mynutia
Soooo disappointed in the boxed wines! I was hoping for some good ones to bring to workplace holiday parties. :*(

qotd: My dad’s filet mignon made with soy sauce and lots of garlic! Beats any steak I’ve ever had at restaurants.
December 10, 2007

Stanvh
QOTD: The best steak I’ve ever had was a hanger steak with pomme frites in a little bistro in Paris — simple, elegant, a good provincial wine –> Heaven. the worst, was also in France — stringy, barely chewable, supposedly topped with “truffles” (aka rubber bits) in a restaurant open for tourists on a National Holiday. If you are in France during a holiday, find a good cheese shop, get a baguette and a bottle of wine and have a picnic.
December 10, 2007

Marc
I’ll try that Bandit! Tried to order the 4pack, but your website failed!!!!

QOTD: Best Steak.. gee, don’t remember when or where but cut it with a fork. mmmmmmm good!
Worst Steak. Norm’s restaurant in Van Nuys, CA (circa 1975…never went back)
December 10, 2007

cheapchuk
Great show as always Gary!

QOTD:
Best steak: Rodizzio restaurant in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Worst: Boulder Creek, Anytown, USA.
December 10, 2007

Jason Chu
Worse Steak: I visited Hong Kong and the meat these wasn’t tender and juicy as I wanted it to be.

Best Steak: Good old homemade on my own stove using my dad’s marinade when he use to work at a steakhouse.
December 10, 2007

Smith MBA
QOTD:

The greatest steak is the porterhouse for two at Peter Luger’s. I had it when my brother graduated from high school.

The worst steak I ever had was an overcooked one a Charlie Palmer’s steakhouse which was promptly replaced.
December 10, 2007

Robert Ryan
My best steak was a Porterhouse at Pace’s in Hauppague New York.
My worst was a New York strip steak that fell into a in-ground pool. My uncle Harry was grilling near our pool and he went to put it on a plate and it slipped off into the pool. He assured us that if he grilled it for a few more minutes we would never know the difference. We didn’t have the heart to tell him that it was the worst steak ever. It was as crunchy as tree bark. Sometimes you do what you need to do for family!!!!
December 10, 2007

David M Roberts
Before the QOTD, wanted to comment on the show – really interesting, but believe you touched upon a key point which is that boxes cannot replace glass bottles if only for the aging component. For drink-now mass market wines, sure, a box may work. Anything else, no way.

QOTD: Best steak was at a jazz lounge / restaurant in Pewaukee, WI called Piano Blu – It was a bone-in rib-eye topped with Roaring 40s cheese. Perfection! (Runners up go to Coeper’s Five O’Clock Club in Milwaukee, followed by Smoky’s in Madison).

Worst steak was had on the isle of Huahine (rustic Pacific island near Tahiti). I don’t know if it was beef…
December 10, 2007

Zachary Dackery Dock
vury vury nice, i enjoyed this episode to the fullest. wakka wakka.

(QOTD) hrmmm, i mean the best is a title that i would have to rack ma’ brain for……well…… i guess the best steak i ever had was when i went to arizona and my uncle put a few steaks on the grill and slightly smoked them with a mixture of apple wood and dried rosemary. perfect char and perfect red coloring on the inside.

(QOTD0 The worst would have to be a steak i found in the freezer that i ended up broiling. and me not knowing if it was legit to eat or not………..well i ended up re-tasting it that night so i guess the moral to this QOTD is to check your meat….and check it good.
December 10, 2007

Grape Expectations
QOTD: Best steak I’ve ever had was in a little cafe in Denton, Nebraska, just south of Lincoln. 5 or 6 formica-topped tables, a lettuce wedge with orange-colored French dressing and saltine crackers for sides. Willie Nelson on the jukebox. The guy who ran the place butchered and aged the beef himself. It would just melt in your mouth. And the price was 1/10th what you would pay for the same size piece of meat in New York City.

Worst steak? Hmmm. So many to choose from. I’m sure it came from Sizzler and was cooked to within an inch of it’s life.
December 10, 2007

Ben S.
QOTD:
Best: A prime rib from a restraint in Virginia Highlands (I can’t remember the name)
Worst: Every time my Son forgets to check on the grill (gets lost in his computer)
December 10, 2007

BobM
Okay, best steak ever was a Porterhouse from a friend who raised cattle on his ranch in the hills above Napa Valley. It was grass fed and cooked on a grill, followed closely by a Chateaubriand (I think it was actually a Tenderloin) at a restaurant when I was stationed in Germany many years ago.

Worst? Wow, I’m sure I’ve had a bad one, but it’s been so long, I can’t remember, or else I’ve simply erased it from my memory.
December 10, 2007

Snarf
QOTD: best steak? From “The Chanler” restaurant in Newport RI. Worst steak? just about any Appleby’s!!!
December 10, 2007

Lare B
qotd!?!?!!? Best steak will have to be a RIB EYE WITH a little Pappys Rub (free plug for pappys seasoning) cook at my backyard…worst steak will be applebees….what was i even thinking ordering that….!?!?!
December 10, 2007

DirtWineKen
QOTD:
Best Steak: The Cowboy Steak (30oz bone-in ribsteak) at Ruth’s Chris
Worst Steak: Any steak cooked by my grandmother.

DirtWineKen
December 10, 2007

Paul M
QOTD: Best steak is from Cafe de Paris in Geneva Switzerland … think thin flank steak smoothered in an herb butter sauce with french fries … no menu, no point they only serve one thing, all they ask you is how you want it cooked and what you want to drink … you have to try it to believe it

Worst: I have plenty of bad ones but just went to Applebee’s and they are trying to do a steak house thing but it is not good
December 10, 2007

kevin
Gary can’t wait to win that bottle. Any ways just like to say i really enjoyed the Chateau Bellfont belcier. Now it is time for a paulhobbs pinot noir.
December 10, 2007

Rico
QOTD: Best steak was a Ribeye cooked at home and worst was on texas can’t remember where exactly was on a road trip it was a small place between Houston and El Paso remember it had lots of clock on the wall had a really bad steak
December 10, 2007

Gotsha
Best – Filet mignon stuffed with foie gras at Hillebrand Estates Winery in Niagara on the Lake, Canada
Worst – Over-cooked Ribeye at Gene & Georgetti in Chicago
December 10, 2007

Wine Lush
QOTD
Best Steak: Steak at Chez Robert & Louise in Paris. Didn’t know the cut, didn’t care. I just pointed to it. It was heaven.
Worst Steak: In Belgium at friends house and they didn’t tell me the steak used to be part of a horse.
December 10, 2007

2thdr
QOTD: Best steak was a filet that was perfectly cooked to medium rare as part of a steak Oscar dish at the Aberdeen Barn in Norfolk VA. Worst was also a filet that came in a boiling pouch from Home Bistro that my wife(love her) over boiled as was totally unedible. Jerry the 2thdr
December 10, 2007

WhiskeyLima
QOTD Best: It’s a toss up between the ribeye at JOE’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab in Chicago or the ribeye at The Capital Grille in Vegas. Worst: Omaha Steaks…way overrated (and I’m from Nebraska).
December 10, 2007

trauma-junkie
QOTD: Best steak…Surf n turf at the Keg! Worst steak…mmm…was in my Navy days!
December 10, 2007

Patrick
Best – Butter covered ribeye from Ruth’s Chris.
Worst – Anytime the meat looks grey and well done… before you cook it.
December 10, 2007

MattyO
very interesting show! didn’t even know wines came in boxes. crazy! but! i’d be willing the try the pinot grigio. i want that christmas pack soooo bad but can’t afford it. pinching the pennies these days. maybe next year…

QOTD:best steak i ever had was at an Applebee’s, with mushrooms and tons of other veggies. worst steak ever was done by my dad on the grill…have you ever eaten your grandpa’s leather wallet with katchup? yeah that was it, not tasty.

ROCK ON GV!
December 10, 2007

trauma-junkie
Gary…Xmas four pack eh!!! What about us crazy Canucks????
December 10, 2007

Mark Antonio
Best: Bistecca de Lomo at La Estanca in Buenos Aires (and countless others there)
Worst: Cheap frozen minute-steak as a kid in England
December 10, 2007

baald
best steak: peter luger
worst: some thin 7-bone or shoulder steak from denny’s or something with a steak & eggs breakfast

re: the La Pena: are you sure it just wasn’t reduced? give it some air and see if the funk blows off

baald
December 10, 2007

Travis H.
QOTD: Best: Angus T-Bone grilled with an Argentinian tilted grill at a family get together. Worst: Boston Pizza’s sir loin steak, their medium is more like well-done for me.
December 10, 2007

Drewine
best: Sullivan’s in Austin.

worst (due to psychological reason): At a friend’s house when I was probably 8. He lived on a farm with a small number of beef cattle and I could see my dinner’s former friends out the dining room window as I tried to chew and swallow. I think I would appreciate the home grown aspect today but almost became a vegetarian at that moment.
December 10, 2007

miked36258
qotd, the best steak i ever had was at the harris steakhouse in reno, nv. the worst steak i ever had was at claim jumper.
December 11, 2007

Cameron Ghazzagh
QOTD:

Best. Bought from Costco, we went out on a survival outing expected to cook the food ourselves…I accidentally dropped mine off the grill onto dirt and leaves. I cleaned it off by hand and took a bite. I was HELL of hungry so maybe that’s why it tasted so good.

Worst. While in San Francisco me and my family ate dinner at a very high-class restaurant in Pacific Heights. I ordered the 60 dollar steak meal. Maybe it tasted that bad because it was so effing expensive.
December 11, 2007

Harold
Best steak: The Little Door in Los Angeles; it was a fillet that had the dimensions of a rocks glass and seemed tender enough to cut with a butter knife so I tried it out and as it turned out, I could cut it with a butter knife.

Worst steak: Ruth’s Chris in Palm Desert; technically it wasn’t the worst tasting steak that I’ve ever had but it was easily the most disappointing. This was the first time that I had been to a Ruth’s Chris and I had heard how good their steaks were supposed to be but the porterhouse I had was average at best.
December 11, 2007

Saubrey
Best steak= Bone-in buffalo ribeye baby! Beef’s got nothin’ on my bison bruthas!

Worst steak= Anything from Outback…(shiver). I’ve had worse tasting steak, but never from anywhere that puts so much money into saying how radool their product is.
December 11, 2007

montanasage
Best steak — no kidding — was from Montana Legend.

There’s an award-winning steak served at a restaurant near where Montana Legend is based, finished in what they call a “Cowboy Coffee” sauce. (The restaurant uses Montana Legend beef.) I made a fair version at home using “Mister Yoshida’s Original Gourmet marinade and cooking sauce” (from Costco) with some fresh ground black pepper, dark rum, and some very strong espresso. Marinated the steak in this beforehand. Reduced it down to a syrup, which I used to deglaze the pan after frying the steak. Killer good.

Worst steak ever: I was exhausted from a long, LONG mountain climb and couldn’t be bothered to let it sit on the grill long enough — it was completely raw, even though it looked nice on the outside. It actually tasted pretty good but was really hard to chew. I was so tired I just ate the potato salad and went to bed.

The Montana Legend people are good folks; liked and respected locally. And their products are absolutely first-rate.
December 11, 2007

Mark Antonio
Best: Bistecca de Lomo at La Estancia in Buenos Aires (and countless others there)
Worst: Cheap frozen minute-steak as a kid in England
December 11, 2007

JTS_Brown
Great show again, Gary. Still rockin fresh, new ideas. Making us rethink all we think we know about wines. Thank you.

This show had me a little nostalgic. I moved to Palo Alto from Cleveland, Ohio (Go Browns — sorry about the Jets loss) in 1996 when I was 24 and pretty much dirt poor. I was a good ol’ beer guy and never had wine in my life but my fiance told me I should give it a whirl. We bought a box of Franzia White Zin and I thought it was ok. We drank it. We then moved “up” to a bottle of Franzia’s Chillable Red. It tasted like a sumo wrestler took a dump in a burning tire. We dumped it.

We didn’t give up on wine. Instead we figured we should give the Parduccis and Rodney Strongs and the Dry Creek Vineyards a look at $8-10 a pop. A couple trips to wine country later and we were hooked and there’s no looking back.

Best steak: 40 oz double cut porterhouse at Mastro’s in Beverly Hills. A client function in their wine room. Bi ol’ fat cuts, with the black and red that I love. Seared on the outside and red and juicy in the middle. Big plates of sides of mashed potatoeswith lobster or asparagus for the less hedonistic of you. Surrounded by a pretty darn good colection of wines.

Worst Steak: Ponderosa sirloin from my childhood days. Eerily perfectly checkerboard grill marks on the steak, making you think they drew them on with a ruler and a magic marker. My pops would always make us order them medium well so we didn’t come home with a tapeworm. on a postive note, it came with a big ol’ baked spud and free soda refills (big deal back then)
December 11, 2007

Achilleas
Interesting episode. In the UK we used to have a Chilean Cabernet that was quite decent every day wine. I think that the box wine will be good for young ready-to-drink wines as I doubt that they will be able to age in the box as well as they do in glass and not take something (smell/taste) from the box itself.

QOTD
—-
Best – Huge T-bone had down at the casino is Johannesburg in South Africa – man that was delicious
Worst – The toughest rump steak that you will ever of had at a truckers cafe near Birmingham in the UK – rubber was more tender than this!

Keep up the good work.
December 11, 2007

BobMac
Best steak: I’m a little ashamed to admit it, but it was at Outback
The worst: a very expensive steak from from Morton’s.
December 11, 2007

Mr.Sato
QOTD: Best… Cracked pepper file mignon at Vida in Los Feliz (Los Angeles), which was sold and then went on as a “club”, which eventually failed. Worst… any steak at Sizzler.

I love that you did a box wine episode! I was laughing as soon as I saw the screen shot. Very entertaining. Hope you still have a box left for me! (maybe I should have bought one before I wrote this comment!)
December 11, 2007

Roy B
Best steak: A simple old sirloin cut, bathed in a Morocan marinade, and cooked to medium rare on coals. Consumed several years ago while sitting on a mesa over the confluence of the Green and Colorado rivers deep in the middle of Canyonlands NP.

Worst steak: The one I should have cooked longer.
December 11, 2007

Bryan Hall
Interesting show Gary, not quit the positive review I was hoping for but maybe some others are better.
December 11, 2007

Laika Rose
Best Steak/Worst Steak?
It’s all the same. Can you believe it, I have never eaten steak – I am a congenital vegetarian. But that doesn’t keep me from enjoying a fine bottle of wine when I see one, red or white.
December 11, 2007

H-Why
Wow, box wine. Okay, so I wasn’t screaming out for this episode, but thank you for doing it.

QOTD: Best steak – New Year’s Eve Y2K with friends, two of which went to the Culinary Institute of America. They cooked up one of the most amazing meals I’ve ever had. Fillet mignon done perfectly.

Worst steak – George Petrelli’s in Los Angeles, CA – kind of tasted like a combination of old shoe leather and dirt, but then burnt to a crisp.
December 11, 2007

Ed-Phx
BEST STEAK – Ribeye at Island Prime in San Diego
WORST STEAK – An unidentifiable piece of beef served at a neighborâ€™s house several years ago. Tasted like it had been boiled before being placed on the grill!!
December 11, 2007

monkuwino
Best steak: skirt steak I did at home on an indoor grill and got the house all smoked up but the meat sure was good. Worst steak: “london broil” I did at home that was tough as a leather coat.
December 11, 2007

Chris Voigt
The best steak I had was a buffalo steak while sitting in a heard of buffalo in Utah.

The worst steak I cooked myself.
December 11, 2007

Johana S
I’ve never eaten a steak I didn’t like.

I’m really glad you reviewed the Nora last week. It’s my favorite wine (partly in homage to James Joyce’s wife Nora).
December 11, 2007

Fibonacci
Best steak was a filet in…. Oxford, Mississippi ! Yeah I know,…(I’ve been to Ruth’s Chris and to Morton’s) Worst was at a steakhouse at Praia da Victoria, Azores. I really think it was from a dairy cow that had quit giving milk!
December 11, 2007

Santa Lurker
Worst Steak: horrible steak chain restaurant somewhere near Palm Springs, CA…chewy yuk, probably old saddle meat from some poor desert horse.
Best Steak: Venison filet mignon at Petra’s in Mammoth Lakes, CA….yum, Bambi steak…I believe I washed that down with some lovely Malbec/Cab from the Argentine among others.

The Show rules…
December 11, 2007

HO
best steak is from my dad’s bbq worst was a local resturant (outback like)
scott
December 11, 2007

C-Lo
Nice show today GV. I actually managed to get myself a secret pack this time; I’m pumped. I can’t decide whether to give it to my dad for Christmas, or wrap it for myself and put it under the tree! The best steak I have are always made by my dad. The man knows how to marinate a flank steak like it’s his job, and he’s a wiz on the charcoal grill. The worst steak? Probably one I made in my college apartment, using the broiler for the first time. Bad idea. Keep it real.
December 11, 2007

Donald Dibbern
Gary,
Since you said that eMails don’t count as a “Comment”, here’s some more feedback on your great show:

Having grown up in Nebraska, I know and can make a mean steak (preferably dry-aged bone-in ribeye rubbed with olive oil, gray salt, and cracked black pepper cooked over a hot charcoal grill). A friend gets a Wagyu-Black Angus crossbreed quarter of beef from an Idaho rancher each year, and those steaks are pretty impressive too. But for best steak ever, I would give the edge to Gaucho’s in Adelaide, Australia, just ahead of La Brigada (San Telmo, Buenos Aires). I’m a steak purist, so really don’t believe in any kind of sauce or toppings to a great steak, but have to admit Gaucho’s chimi churri is delicious.

Worst steak? Well, just yesterday I saw flames about four feet high enveloping my Vermont Castings grill (sadly, I had long ago switched to gas for the convenience factor) and the two USDA Prime ribeyes it held. No, I was not the one cooking, and actually those turned out surprisingly decent apart from a nice thick layer of char. Actually, the worst was as a kid, we had to go a couple of times to a certain steak chain, a favorite of some beloved relatives. I’d rather not name (or remember) the place, but it’s gotten a fair number of votes here already….
December 11, 2007

joseph rueter
best stake :: Off the grill in the Colorado Mountains

worst stake :: Salisbury at lunch in the public school system – Awful!!
December 11, 2007

BrianS
Best steak?

Has to be the T-bone I had at The Weber Grill just off the Miracle Mile in Chicago. I know, sounds gimmicky, but damn. Inch and 1/2 thick beef with a kickass rub cooked over charcoal in some of the BIGGEST Weber kettle grills in existence. The fillet was buttery and it was perfectly cooked (pink but not moo-ing. Even the grill crust (you know the black stuff you used to have to scrape off with a knife after your dad overcooked your burgers as a kid?) tasted amazing.

Worst steak has to be the crappy, greasy-ass rib eye I had a Longhorn “steak” house here in KC during a club meeting. Take that rubber cement that they use to glue those little subscription cards into magazines, ball it up, grill it, then dip it in Astroglide and serve it with A1. That’s how bad this steak was. The bad thing? It was only about $10 less than the best steak up above. I wanted to headbutt the waitress!
December 11, 2007

Joe W
Best – St. Louis Strip, Bambino’s Restaurant in Imperial, MO
Worst – (insert name of dish) Ruby Tuesday, PERIOD!
December 11, 2007

Paulo
QOTD – Best steak: any decent, fresh piece of meat at least 1 and 1/2 inch tall medium rare to rare.
Worst steak: any frozen piece of meat less than 1 inch tall well done paired with a box wine.
December 11, 2007

Jesse (PatsFan) G.
Glad you did this episode GeeVee, but seriously… boxed wine!? Trying to pull in some new ratings with the poor drunk college kids? Just ordered my X-Mas 4 pack!

QOTD: Best Steak has got to be Ruth Chris Filet Mignon… just kickin!

Worst Steak ever is the crap that they server at just about every Applebees or Chilli’s across america. I may be stretching when I say it’s even a steak.

Cheers!
December 11, 2007

Jaybird
I am a seafood person so when ever I order out it is always a filet mignon but I would like to try a dry aged porterhouse. I was out Thursday and ordered an excellent filet since I brought a bottle of 2002 Merryvale Profile. Cork charges are great when you know you’re going to get a great meal, it is the perfect time to open that $100 bottle that has been sitting in your cellar.
December 11, 2007

Robin C
QOTD: Best steak: quite a few years ago while passing through Iowa. It took hours to get that steak but it was beautiful and buttery and I could cut it with a fork.
I don’t eat steaks that often, and can’t remember a truly awful steak.
I can see that box wines might evolve into something OK – they have to work on the shape though. They look awfully clunky.
December 11, 2007

Jason Henderson
QOTD: My best steak was a pepperloin from a restaurant called Tony’s in Metro East St. Louis. My worst steak is pretty much anything I have been served from Ponderosa.
December 11, 2007

Nancy A
Best steak
We used to buy a side of beef from our slow-food friends at Straus Ranch about once a year. Every cut was tender and tasty.

Worst steak
Oddly, this was at the cafe at the cattle auction in Amarillo Texas. The meat was beyond chewy.
December 11, 2007

AWT
Best: Seared Ostrich “filet” or Wisconsin “Kobe” Strip Steak

Worst: Tyler Florence’s Applebees Steak — It Couldn’t have tasted more like rubber
December 11, 2007

Flavio
QOTD: That’s like asking which one of my kids I like the best… the runner-up is a toss up between

(i) the beautiful and buttery Porterhouse for two at Peter Luger in Brooklyn;
(ii) the very well dressed and rather inexpensive entrecote at the Relais L’Entrecote in Paris;
(iii) the incredibly tender real Kobe steak (with the 3 dipping sauces) at Nobu; and
(iv) a nice salty Brazilian top sirloin cap churrasco at Oasis (rodizio) in Rio de Janeiro.

Th best piece of meat in the world, though, is the cote de boeuf (bone-in center-cut ribeye) for two at Balthazar in NY – it was a somewhat recent surprise after frequenting the restaurant for almost 10 years, and I’m 100% hooked. There’s nothing better in France, NY or anywhere else in the world.

The worst one? Probably anything served at these horrible cookie-cutter casual dining places in strips all over the US (TGI’s, Bennigan’s, Applebee’s, etc). Thankfully, I try my best to stay away from those.
December 11, 2007

Yargh!
Best steak: NY Strip at Prime 112 SoFi South Beach.

Worst steak: Huddlehouse at 3 am somewhere in Georgia.
December 11, 2007

DanEpp
Best Steak_ This was actually a steak I prepared, the cut was a fillet mignon, which obvious is a jump ahead, but it was simply pan seared with ground peppercorns around the side. By far the juiciest and most delicious steak I have ever had.
Worst Steak_ Would have to be one from a restaurant, name escapes me, obviously this event has not sent me back, but the cut was a Kansas City Strip and what should be a good slice of meat was full of gristle and really uneatable.
December 11, 2007

Todd Kasper
QOTD: Best steak ever, bone-in ribeye at Mortons in San Jose. Worse steak by far was a t-bone at Denny’s on Christmas day. Don’t ask.
December 11, 2007

The Original Marc
QOTD: Best was a marbled something-or-other at Capital Grill at the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City. Worst was at Outback Steakhouse on my 21st birthday. I ordered rare and they gave me well done. I sent it back, and they returned with something that was still mooing. And they didn’t even ID me when I ordered a drink! That’s the whole thrill of turning 21!
December 11, 2007

Bobby T
Best steak I ever had was at this little French restaurant in Paris(forgot the name).
It was bloody and delicious!

Worst steak was at a Denny’s off the 5 freeway in the middle of California.
December 11, 2007

Yoplait
Best steak- Fogo de Chao in Atlanta, the bacon-wrapped filet mignon. There goes the bacon again, making everything taste great, eh?

Worst steak- Had a roomate that grilled in an oven pan on our apartment balcony, didn’t turn out well.
December 11, 2007

Sim
I grew up on a ranch so my best steak was outside the kitchen window.

My worst steak was the mystery meat they served in the dining hall in college.
December 11, 2007

Withnail
Best Steak ever: Surrey Keg

Worst Steak ever: Swanson’s Hungry Man TV dinner
December 11, 2007

kaidog
My best steak (Waikiki) Hawaii can be found at DK Steakhouse. Secondly, they’ve got good wine to go with their AGED BEEF! Brock da Mouth, they know their stuff. Worst, a thin N.Y. strip that I had last week at a local lunch wagon (name withheld to protect the guilty). Worst part was that I finished the plate lunch! I was hungry:(
December 11, 2007

Alex
best steak= chops by the lake. in southeastern WI
Worst= father on the grill lol.
December 11, 2007

The Original Marc
Wow, reading some of these responses disheartens me. I thought this was a snob-free zone. I guess not. I spent an entire summer eating Applebee’s sirloin steaks for most of my dinners (courtesy of HyVee for anyone familiar with the midwest) and I think they are extremely delicious. But if you need to spend $35 on a steak to be satisfied, fine, I guess that’s your problem.
December 11, 2007

flippy
Best: Sirloin at 529 Wellington here in Winnipeg.
Worst: The first time I ever tried to cook steak on the barbecue at home – which was early this past summer.
December 11, 2007

Bob K
Best Steak: Porterhouse at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse cooked medium rare melted like butter in your mouth.
Worst Steak: Denny’s in Ohio tasted like leather.
December 11, 2007

C-Fiddy
Much Love, Thunder Man!
QOTD: Worst, I grilled it myself on a cheap hibachi in college. CKC Livin’ Large!
Best: Bobo’s in San Francisco, 6 weeks dry-aged bone-in filet.
It’s now a Thanksgiving tradition with my family!
December 11, 2007

graz
The best steak was a recent meal in Las Vegas at Craftsteak. The Ribeye was cooked to medium-rare perfection with a jerusalem artichoke side.
The worst was a Thai restaurant treatment that was billed as lemom but tasted rancid. Even the $850.00 Bordeaux would not have helped.
December 11, 2007

David L
The worst steak ever is the one I marinated in Kiwi for way WAY too long. A quick marinade in kiwi will tenderize, I now know that a long kiwi marinade will pre-digest meat.

Disgusting!!

The best at Mortonâ€™s in Portland Oregon, New York cut.
December 11, 2007

donnie g
Best – Wallie G’s restaurant in Texas.
Worst – My brothers first real attempt at cooking steak, bless his little heart.

Great Ep Gary, keep it up man!
December 11, 2007

Stu S
Best Steak: Carmen Anthony’s porterhouse. A steak bigger than my head!
Worst Steak: Anything cooked more than medium rare.
December 11, 2007

Jx
QOTD:
Best Steak – Downtown Denver at Willie G’s, where my now fiance’ semi-jokingly professed, “I’m really just a filet girl” after trying my filet minon.
Worst Steak – backyard bbq at my now fiance’s father’s house in Chicago, Ill. The guy cooks EVERYTHING well done, including the $10.99/pound FILETS I bought for dinner!!
Great show, GV. Love the effort today.
December 11, 2007

Eric Ov
GaryV, the best steak would be one of several at Daniel’s Broiler in Seattle coupled with a beautiful full-bodied red head; I mean red wine …
The worst my wife (who is blonde) charred beyond recognition on the BBQ.
Don’t worry, we both know how to appreciate fine wine! Eric
December 11, 2007

sonnybobiche
Best: Filet Mignon from Charthouse.
Worst (by far): I cooked it.
December 11, 2007

Toke-Dawg
QOTD: Best steak was a fat juicy Chateaubriand from a New York steakhouse, charred crisp on the outside and red as a rose on the inside. Worst was probably one of those rubbery supermarket cuts roasted in the oven.
December 11, 2007

DanielJ
Great show Gary,keep up the good work. I missed out on the Thanksgiving pack but I’m in for the Christmas one. QOTD: MY cousin BBQ’d some filet mignon steaks while we were watching football on Thur. night a few weeks ago. That was the best steak I have had in recent memory. I had a steak at my parents house that my father overcooked(sorry dad)tasted like shoe leather,it was bad.
December 11, 2007

Wes C
best steak: ribeye @ harris in sf
worst steak: sirloin @ sizzler
December 11, 2007

AlanH
Best steak–probably a George Diamond Steak House steak in Chicago, but I don’t order steak much when I am out.

Worst steak–probably some scrawny ribeye I overcooked in my college days but was too hungry and too broke to throw out.
December 11, 2007

ChadD
The very first wine I ever had was out of a box back in my college days-tasted like sugar water with some alcohol thrown in but my girlfriend (now my wife) loved it. I completely forgot to comment about the thanksgiving pack-it was the first time I ordered from WL and we loved the wine. We even saved one bottle to drink around Christmas. I’m light on cash, but hopefully I’ll order the Christmas pack before you sell out (it you haven’t already!)
QOTD: Best: Prime rib in college with friends at a little pub Worst:I worked at Pondarossa one summer-had several nasty steaks.
December 11, 2007

tnfdude
QOTD: in recent memory, my favourite steak is a Bob Blummer-inspired seasoning (salt, cayenne, water) on a nice rib-eye. it’s my no-fail steak for the bbq.

the most disappointing was at the Keg about 2 years ago. it wasn’t awful, just bland and boring…
December 11, 2007

Garrett C.
Best: Filet Mignon from Spark’s on 46th

Worst: Texas Steakhouse, Topeka, KS…charcoal briquette
December 11, 2007

Brady Boll
QOTD: Best – Bone in Ribeye from Michaels Steak Chalet in Osage Beach, MO
Worst (don’t ask me why I bought this twice) – $6 sirloin pack from Walmart

Great episode. I’ve always wondered if there is a kernel of truth behind the wine when I see people shoot glares at those looking at the boxed section. Though I must admit to buying 5L of Franzia white zin a few years back and getting completely bombed with college friends. -Good Times!
December 11, 2007

t_moderne
QOTD: best steak: the one I won on Wine Library TV.
Worst steak: The one I didn’t win on Wine Library TV Dot Com.
Actually, I had a very good grass fed beef tenderloin the other day; it was raised locally and was delicious.
December 11, 2007

KAHUNA
QOTD: Porterhouse BLT Steak right up there with the best – the worst- Porterhouse I charred recently by mistake
December 11, 2007

David Ngan
Best Steak: Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Virginia Beach, VA – USA.
Cowboy Ribeye Medium Rare Oscar Style (Lump of Crabmeat + Asparagus on top)
2001 Opus One

Worst Steak: Applebees, San Diego, CA – USA
New York Strip Medium Rare
Sam Adams Boston Lager

Thanks Gary! I really enjoy your daily shows!

Dave – San Diego, CA
December 11, 2007

flavasauce
QOTD: Best: Filet Mignon my friend Stephan made for me after midnight just beacause I said I was craving red meat!
Worst: Most restaurant steak is tough so I almost never order it and go with Rack of Lamb if I want the meat.
December 11, 2007

Jon A.
Honestly, I tell myself I’m not a wine snob by any means…but I cringed when I saw “box wine tasting.” I may have to go buy a few boxes of wine as penance.

QoTD:
The best steak I’ve ever had was at The Rockcliff, in Rocky River, Ohio. They cook the steaks in a wood-fire oven, and mmm are they delicious.

The worst steak I’ve ever had was probably this summer from a golf outing where the caterer served a dry, tough, crappy little steak. I didn’t even finish it (and I’m not a picky eater).
December 11, 2007

EdKoo
Best Steak: The steak for two at Peter Luger’s.
Worst: The dry thing that I cooked.
December 11, 2007

CIA grad
QOTD: Best: skirt steak…I’m a steak frites kinda guy. Worst: anything that I ate growing up. My mother…I love her…can not cook. I thought well done cube steak was all that was out there for a long time.

Christmas Pack here I come!
December 11, 2007

Trevor
Well I can’t afford a steak in a restaurant, so the ones I have are made by me. I’ve had good and bad experiences with it. Sometimes I’m on my A-game at the grill, other times not so much.

Best: By me. Tasty and succulent.

Worst: By me. It might as well have been a brick!
December 11, 2007

bob curtis
QOTD: Best steak i ever had was at a friends daughters wedding where they served TWO filet mignons for dinner.worst steak I ever had was at a seafood buffet in South Carolina….THEy said it was steak…i’m not sure…
December 11, 2007

Andy
QOTD: The best steak I’ve ever had was a fillet from Flemming’s, the worst was a horribly undercooked steak I tried to eat at a BBQ recently.
December 11, 2007

Fred
Best steak – Ribeye bone in…aged and cooked just right
Worst steak – Flatiron in Vegas after an all night session at the tables…losing my A**

Great show Gary…
December 11, 2007

A.Spain
QOTD:
Best Steak – little baby Filet Mignon prepared by my husband and i on our honeymoon
Worst Steak – tenderized with a wooden meat mallet (for an hour) then burnt on the grill
(chef shall remain nameless)
December 11, 2007

Hotshot162
Interesting episode. I’m newbie on wine, so didn’t even know they sell wine in a box.

QOTD: Best steak I had was a ribeye at Delmonico at Las Vegas. Worst steak oh I would say the steak I cooked using a microwave when I was in college. It was pretty gross…
December 11, 2007

SacramentoCharlie
I guess when you say try new stuff you mean it…Who else would do a box wine tasting ? Great Show.

QOTD: Worst- My overcooked version a few years ago. (I’ve improved since)
Best- My wife’s perfectly cooked version.
December 11, 2007

Alex Haag
QOTD: Best steak? My dad made NY strips like he does every so often, but that summer day last summer, for whatever reason, the steaks were more succulent than ever, and were cooked perfectly. Nice bottle of beer to go along with it made for a great summer meal.

Worst steak? I made the mistake of ordering a steak/fish combo at Friendly’s. It was overcooked, but not grey. It was brown, tough, and tasted like a sofa cushion.
December 11, 2007

Alex Wolfe
Gary, win or not please try:

Bushi Tei (Japan Town San Francisco)
Tender loin of Washugyu beef

The best piece of beef I’ve had in my life. It’s not big, but it’s worth it will leave you in amazement.

Worst steak:
Sizzler
December 11, 2007

Atreyu
QOTD. Best: lamb steak in Italy
Worst: thick veal in an Ohio restaurant

Good show Gary V!
December 11, 2007

Marcus Mendelson
Best steak: Filet Mignon from Cafe Soriah in Eugene Oregon. The first time I had it was amazing, as perfect as they get.

Worst steak: Filet Mignon from Cafe Soriah in Eugene Oregon. When I told my father how amazing this steak was and we went back something was wrong and the steak turned out terrible, off night in the kitchen…The wine we drank was great though (forget the name, something French).
December 11, 2007

bfrankphoto
Best Steak: Steak DeBurgo at J Benjamin’s in Des Moines, IA

Worst Steak: Topp’s Steakhouse in Des Moines. This is not a steakhouse, as what I was served was not steak. A friend of mine from work told me we had to go there for lunch. It was the best steak in townâ€¦for $7â€¦including salad, potato, and texas toastâ€¦seriously. I was scared, but was reassured that it was great, and only $7. We roll into this joint, and as we come in, I see a menu on the back wall stating prices for different “steaks”. The “Steak Nazi” (much like Sienfeld’s “Soup Nazi”) never turned around, but just kept yelling “NEXT!” If you weren’t ready to yell out your order, you missed out. I yelled out (Still 10-deep in line) that I wanted sirloin. He reaches into a large plastic bag of meat-like substance, and throws and handful of whatever’s in the bag on the griddle.

While that’s cooking, you continue down the line, and grab your salad (avoiding the dressing with a nice film on top), baked potato, and texas toast. When you pay, you get a number, that gets yelled out when your “steak” is ready. I’m not going to cover the detail of the self-induced torture that follows, but suffice to say that the meat tasted as bad going down as it did coming back up. Three months later, Topps steakhouse was shut down, only to reopen a few months later.
December 11, 2007

T. Holland
Fun episode. You really “took one for the team today.” Almost as funny as the “2 buck chuck” episode.

QOTD: Best first time at Morton’s in Boston had 24oz Porthouse Medium. Worst: BBQ’ing steak on our enclosed porch in Brookline, Mass with a fan sucking the smoke out of a window. The fan fell on the grill, knocked over the charcoal & we almost got evicted. Needless to say, overcooked the steak from the local Star Market covered in apt porch dirt was not good.
December 11, 2007

bfrankphoto
Another great steak I’ve had was one I made:

New York strip, grilled medium-rare, topped with mushrooms and onions sauteed in butter and garlic, then topped off with a bit of mild cheddar. MMmmmmmâ€¦you can feel the arteries hardening!
December 11, 2007

Jensen
QOTD: Best steak: Ruth’s Chris fillet, it was beautiful. Worst steak: Carvers. They turned a beautiful cut of fillet mignon into jerky.

Hey GV – cool show. Maybe I’ll give the Bandit’s a whirl
December 11, 2007

mrzitro
QOTD: Worst Steak: an overcooked t-bone at my brother-in-law’s house last summer.
Best Steak: Smoked sirloin from Texas Land and Cattle (mainly located in TX, I found them in San Antonio on the river walk).

—-
I will give the THREE THIEVES BANDIT PINOT GRIGIO a try.
December 11, 2007

Jeff Dubois
Best steak: Hanger steak grilled myself, topped with some home-made compound butter and servered with a nice barbera!! YUM! Worst steak: My old school’s cafeteria: well-down, chewy, and leathery… tasted like cardboard. Had to down it in steak sauce! YUCK!
December 11, 2007

Panoca
QOTD: Best Steak: “Bife de chorizo” in any good restaurant in Buenos Aires. Unbeatable.
Worst: any steak in Sizzler. Too much sauce to mask the poor quality of the meat.
December 11, 2007

StÃ©phane
QOTD: Best steak was in Belgium at a small restaurant between Brussels and Ghent, served in a Roquefort and Rochefort 8 sauce. Amazing.

I remember having steaks in college, they served them like it was a special dinner but they were definitely some of the worst steaks I’ve had.
December 11, 2007

Mason
Gary, love the wine bottle at the end of the show. Box wines…well, it will take a heck of a lot to get me to try one, but I have a friend who always teases me about box wine, so maybe one day.

QOTD: The best steak that I have ever had was a ribeye that I grilled myself at home with my dad a few years back. Just melted like butter in your mouth. The worst steak that I have ever had was one that was grilled by my stepfather, who consequently likes his meat well done. Blasphemy!!!!
December 11, 2007

Ivan C.
Best steak was at my friend’s house: He has a beautiful ceramic wood-charcoal grill, which heats up to 900F. That baby sears better than any grill I’ve ever used. It was a beautifully marbled rib-eye Nice and thick, I cooked it rare, then drizzled it with some nice aromatic extra virgin olive oil and fresh lemon. Served with a side of roasted baby root vegetables, and a bottle of 99 Brunello.
Worst: A failed attempt to rescue a freezer-burned striploin. Texture was mushy, didn’t sear properly, and tasted funny. To top it off, it was on my old crappy bbq, with a badly rusted burner. Not a good combo.
December 11, 2007

Kevinatfieldsound
QUOTD:

Best: Porterhouse at Peter Luger’s
Worst: Sirloin at The Prime Sirloin in Jefferson, NC. SCARY!!!!! THINK DAVID LYNCH MEETS A CHARRED PIECE OF PETRIFIED MEAT!

Ewwwwww

K
December 11, 2007

Jon Kurey
The best steak was one that my brother grilled. He knows how to pick the meat and cook it right! Medium rare and juicy! The worst steak was something full of grissle and very hard to chew, something cooked on the stove at home I think. One of those memories that was stuffed as far back in the memory bank as possible.
December 11, 2007

Jim Sargent
QOTD: Best steak – Filet mignon on a Princess cruise in Alaska. Worst: When I threw freezer burned steak tips on the George Foreman Grill, and felt like I was eating a leather jacket.

Great show. I was about 2 days from requesting the boxed wine episode.
December 11, 2007

OldVinesJim
Great energy today, GV, and a fun topic.

Worst steak: 1/4-inch thick “sirloin” at a truck stop somewhere in Virginia during a 23-hour bus trip from Charleston, SC to Montreal Canada (high school French class trip). No amount of A1 could make it tolerable.

Best steak: best in recent memory was one I grilled at home. 2-inch thick bone-in ribeye rubbed with olive oil, black pepper and salt, grilled to a perfect medium-rare.
December 11, 2007

MagnumGourmet
QOTD – Best steak was a seared tenderloin of Wagyu beef, I could have cut the meat with my tongue.

Worst was a rib eye that I got from the local grocery store, there was a piece of gristle the size of a walnut in the middle. I rarely will not eat every piece of a steak, but this one made me leave almost half of it uneaten.

Good box wine – Tefft Cellars from Yakima Valley.
December 11, 2007

Jose1978
The best steak I had was on my honeymoon in Hawaii (Maui). Best surf ‘n turf ever. The steak practically melted in my mouth. The worst steak I had was at a local restaurant. It was brown all the way through which is a real shame considering I’m in Texas.
December 11, 2007

Kent I
Best steak I ever had was from some restaurant somewhere off in the desert in Utah. Don’t remember where, don’t think I could ever find it again, but man, was it G-E-W-D, gewd.

I’m not gonna go into the worst steak. I’m not negative like that
December 11, 2007

mike landucci
nine in vegas has the best steak ive ever had.
December 11, 2007

Elias Gordon
Best: Steak prepared by my mother. It brings back great memories.
Worst: Grilled steak in the dining center in college
December 11, 2007

Greg B
Big G, Can’t do the Box stuff just yet. I’m having too much fun trying all the other types of wines I never had before WLTV. Wines like Bandol…

QOTD: Really want to tell you my best, but I know it is yet to come. The worst, wow, so many choices, because I’m on the spot let’s say Sizzler Steak. LOL
December 11, 2007

John Hanna
QOTD:

Best Steak: At The Mill in McCall, Idaho.

Worst Steak: Mystery meat in Oaxaca.
December 11, 2007

Barry
QOTD: The best steak I ever had was a recipe I found from the food network for a 40day dry aged Tbone with BBQ glaze on mashed sweet potatoes, it was the best thing ever! And the worst steak I had was an overcooked dry strip steak from TGI Fridays.
December 11, 2007

Jeff
Best steak ever is at Harris Ranch
December 11, 2007

Michelle
Best steak ever was at my friends house and I don’t know how they made it!!
December 11, 2007

Craig Mann
Best steak: I’m a very picky person nowadays when it comes to food. I will go out and order a steak at a steak restaurant often enough, but nothing compares to the NY Strips that I cooked up for my family on Father’s Day 2005. Five of the best NY Strips that you could find, lightly seasoned with salt and black pepper and rubbed with a clove of garlic; pan seared and then finished in the oven until medium rare and topped with a tiny dollop of whipped garlic butter. I also had twice-baked potatoes with grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, and habanero jack cheese whipped into them for a side, and a butterleaf lettuce, carrots, red onions, walnuts, and gorgonzola salad with a dried tomato balsamic vinaigrette. I will say that I am very proud of this meal and I obviously haven’t forgotten about it. The thing I have forgotten about though is what kind of wine my parents drank for the occasion. My parents have always been huge wine people; My mum being from New Zealand, and my dad being a traveling Air Force brat when he was young. It wasn’t until recently hearing about your show by way of Diggnation that I started partaking in the wine consuming tradition that my parents enjoy so much with their friends. Thanks for that.

Worst steak: Let’s set the scene. I was at the State Tournament for little league soccer in Beaumont, TX when I was 9 years old. I played through epic amounts of standing water in every game up to the championship match where I rode the bench, we lost 0-1, and came second in state. Afterwards, all the parents and the coach decided that we should go to a place called Golden Corral. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of this fabled restaurant, but it’s probably the most disgusting place on earth. That is where I had the worst steak of my life. I think it might have been due to the fact that I had just sat through the most depressing thing in my life so far, but looking back on it, I probably just wanted to throw up afterwards because of how terrible it was.
December 11, 2007

Jerry
After looking over all the prizes at Menu for Hope, I have to say WLTV offers the best no-strings attached value. The lucky winner will truly get a priceless prize.

QOTD: Worst steak was of my own doing but only after caving to peer pressure. I had seasoned and marinated a bacon-wrapped roast overnight in preparation for a BBQ. I skillfully grilled the roast to medium rare while etching the cross-hatched grill lines. The bacon drippings covered the roast. However, my dinner companions could not appreciate true medium rare beef, forcing me to throw it back on the grill and robbing it of all juices and flavor. Best steak was at Pinnacle Peak Steakhouse in Los Angeles. The cuts of beef are nothing special, but the peppercorn seasoning along with mesquite charcoal grilling adds incredible flavor.
December 11, 2007

KC Dan
Great ep G . I bet your right on about box wine needs to be consumed young . To much time in plastic means to much plastic in the wine ? Qotd : Best a fillet mignon at a place called Prime Place ! Awesome Steak ! Worst Any steak over cooked ! Nasty !
December 11, 2007

TheThriller
QOTD: Best was a filet from Copeland’s (I think its a chain). Worst was probably at one of the chow halls in Al Asad, Iraq.
December 11, 2007

elliottf
QOTD – Best steak would have to be a bacon wrapped 8oz filet mignon I had at a steak restaurant in Dallas. Nothing like a steak that melts in your mouth.

Worst steak I’ve had would probably be one of my first attempts at grilling steak on my own. Cheap charcoal and inexperience led to a tough steak that tasted like lighter fluid.
December 11, 2007

L
Wow, what a disgusting episode. Just because you can put wine in a box, doesn’t mean that you should. Following this logic, I’m going to use a prophylactic as piping bag to ice the cake I’ve made in honor of today’s progressive approach to wine!

QOTD:
Best: Bj’s of Selinsgrove, a 100% Black Angus, superior choice, center cut dry-aged Sirloin. Typically washed down with a $4 pitcher of Yuengling lager.

Worst: A man driving a US BEEF truck stopped me along the side of the road and unloaded 50 lbs of meat into a bag which he sold to me for the bargain price of $100. He further recommended that I “grill them frozen” for the ultimate experience. The single piece actually attempted appeared to be, in retrospect, part of the steer’s genitals, which although impressively large, was someone difficult to chew and swallow. Had i known what this organ would taste like beforehand, I would certainly have paired it with one of the fine wines showcased today….
December 11, 2007

Tim R
Best: Lugers Porterhouse and a Farniente Cab
Worst: Fake steak when I was veggie.
December 11, 2007

Trevor M.
Best steak I’ve ever had was a top sirloin I picked up at the butcher on the way home from work this last summer… just threw on salt and pepper… cooked it to perfection and had a corona with the steak. Nothing special as far as ingredients… but it was the best ever.

Worst… a london broil that I tried to cook on the George Forman grill a few years back in college. The steak was tough as hell… burnt on the outside and bleeding on the inside… like an idiot I put barbeque sauce on it (on the Foreman) and the bbq sauce ended up sticky and hard… MAN… IT WAS AWFUL! I think I ended up giving it to my roomates dog. Not sure if all Foremans cook like that… but it was the worse steak… no, the worst PEICE OF MEAT PERIOD I’ve ever had.
December 11, 2007

Joseph M. Kennedy
QOTD: The best steak I have ever had was over my friends house when he made garlic potatoes alongside for the first time for me.. It was amazing. The worst would have to be at this local place where we waited too long. not only was it over cooked, but it was cold as well..
December 11, 2007

ï¼£ï½ˆï½’ï½‰ï½“
Best steak I ever had was at The Grill in the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Shanghai. The worst was at a The Steak King also in Shanghai. I’m not even sure it was beef.
December 11, 2007

David James
Great episode. I’ve never actually seen any wines in the tetra pack style. And people only tend to buy boxed wines for parties and stuff. I like the old style bottles but it might be more realistic in the future that we’ll have mostly boxes and tetrapacks. I am concerned though about whether the box does affect the wine…think how even MORE expensive old wines would become when bottled wine becomes rare…I say listen to Gary and buy as many bottles as possible before they don’t exist any longer…

QOTD: The best steak I’ve ever had was in a restaurant in the Costa Del Sol of Spain, this very expensive thing I had when I was young (my dad paid for it), and obviously I was too young to have wine with it at that age.

The worst steak I had was also in spain, on the island of Majorca. We were celebrating someone’s birthday and having steaks, but they all turned out quite bad…I don’t think the restaurant had ever had to cook for such a big group of people all at once. I gave them a big tip though
December 11, 2007

Garret Nagle
Perhaps I should cook with some boxed wine?

QOTD: The worst steak I’ve ever had might have come from someone’s backyard during college. The best? Montana Legend no doubt… Just kidding – I have yet to try them out. Bar none the best steak I’ve ever had was a filet mignon grilled over a real oak fire at the Hitching Post in Beulton, CA. They are the real deal.

The secret to a good steak lies in the quality of the meat, a high heat source for searing, and not doing things to it. Not turning it like a compulsive idiot, not marinating it in liquids or lots of spices that distract from the meat’s natural flavor, not over-cooking it….

Just a little salt, pepper, a tiny tiny bit of olive oil, and perhaps rub a half garlic clove on it just to get a little bit of garlic essence. Also, make sure the meat is brought up in temperature a bit before searing and make sure it is dry.
December 11, 2007

ZyggyWylus
QOTD: Best steak I ever had was a bbq party me and my friends threw one summer. The coals didn’t heat up enough and it ended up taking almost 1hr to cook my steak (hmmm…slow cooked steak). Meat was sooo juicy and tender.

The Worst steak I ever had was dinner at a friend’s house where his family insisted that I’ve never had a real steak until I had one bloody. Let’s just say that it induced my gag reflex.
December 11, 2007

J.Rice
The sad thing is, I have had too many bad steaks to count, so I really can’t say where I’ve had them. I’m from a small town with mediocre restaurants, which might explain why. One local restaurant served me a piece of rubber that had quite a bit of gristle on it, which is unfortunate. However, the best steak I’ve had (among the Grade A cuts my dad buys and puts on the grill ’till they’re just rare) was probably the dry aged steak I had at Emeril’s in Atlanta. Could have cut that thing with my fork, and the succulent flavors were lovely. I would have responded to this question even if Montana Legends hadn’t offered free wine for it, but I’m honestly going to wet my pants out of excitement if my name is drawn. That’s a freakin’ generous reward.
December 11, 2007

Justin in WA
QOTD: Best steak ever: The steak-frites at this little place near my house called Cafe Presse. Oh dear, dear lord… So succulent… Plus, when you say ‘rare’ they actually give it to you ‘rare.’
Worst steak ever: Out camping once when we didn’t have a big enough fire, but were all starving and grilled steaks anyway. Twenty minutes on the grill and I’m shocked I didn’t get food poisoning.
December 11, 2007

Steven Roy
Best Steak -Ruths Chris steakhouse aged t bone
Worst – Thomas Lewis cooked it on a grill that would not sear the steal, was floppy and grey.
December 11, 2007

Oregon Jim
I like so many others are shamelessly in it for the booty! Best Steak – Cincinnati, Boomers place, Rib Eye Blackened. Hung over both sides of the plate. Midwest corn fed.

Worst steak? IHOP sirloin. That is livin’ just a bit on the low side.

The best box wine is something needing to be drunk right away, by a drunk! Please. Leave this stuff to the volume not quality crowd. Great show though! Gary you never fail to entertain and enlighten.
December 11, 2007

Kevin C.
The best steak I ever had was a New York steak at AP Stumps here in San Jose. And the greatest party was.. I didn’t have to pay for it! I was doing an internship interview and it was on the firm.

The worst steak.. I really don’t think I’ve had a bad steak before! (I don’t eat a lot of steak in the first place )
December 11, 2007

yourfrienddownunder
Best steak was an eye fillet marinated overnight in red wine, pepper and morrocan spice and cooked on the rare side of medium rare with those lovely little chargrill stripes on it. The worst was a dry no fat piece of t-bone broiled to overdone… it was a massacre.

Loved the cask wine show. In Australia only 3 types of people drink cask wine: 16 year olds who end up regretting it; bums; and oldies as they chase it with $5 2 litre bottles of bulk sherry. Nice. There are some good white casks around though (e.g. debortoli verdelho in 2 ltr).
December 11, 2007

Shaggy D
QOTD: Best steak ever Harris Ranch Porter house. Worst steak, some 2 dollar tv dinner.
December 11, 2007

Eric C
QOTD: Best steak I’ve had was at a little restaraunt just off the strip in Vegas, 4″ thick filet seared medium rare and topped with a blue cheese and butter sauce, just awesome. Worst steak was an overly fatty, overcooked ribeye at an outback steak house. I’ve never been back, yuck.
December 11, 2007

Tom L
QOTD: Best steak ever was a NY strip at Capital Grill in DC. Worst steak ever was one from a NY steak house whose name I have purposely forgetten.
December 11, 2007

YoungDave
BOX WINE! I haven’t gotten up the courage to venture into that realm yet, but maybe the Bandit could turn me in that direction.

QOTD: Best: Filet mignon, BIN 8945 restaurant, LA, CA, served over garbanzo beans and English peas in veal jous, alongside some spaetzel. Worst: I have a memory of extremely thin steak cooked WAY too long over my Mom’s grill (bless her usually-fantastic-chef soul) in the middle of summer, and I worked up a sweat just trying to cut a bite-size piece…then it came to chewing. Let’s just say that consuming a piece was a thoroughly exhausting ordeal.
December 11, 2007

Fred Liu
QOTD: mine answers are….
Best: black pepper grilled steak in Peter’s at Beijing, a Mexican Restaurant
Worst: Over-cooked “rare” steak served with some BBQ source, in Athena Restaurant, Beijing.

Thanks for the episode, enjoying it with my dinner and table wine.:)
December 11, 2007

John Witherspoon (J DUB)
Hey Gary
Funny question of the day for a Vegetarian – haha!!

QOTD: I have to think back about 6 or 7 years or maybe 8 now – filet mignon from Delmonico Steak house at the Venetian in Vegas – I don’t remember the worst steak.

I was excited to see you doing box wines tonight – but dissappointed that most of them got slammed. I am really hoping that wine quality picks up with the boxxee box, because I really do appreciate the reduced evironmental impact as well as the increased value. I don’t think they will look as pretty in my cellar but oh well.

See ya
J DUB
December 11, 2007

Justin
QOTD: Best steak was a free-range all natural filet from a local specialty butcher in Westboro, MA who unfortunately is no longer in business. You could cut it with a spoon. Worst would have to be and one of the way too many steaks I’ve had at the Golden Corral.
December 11, 2007

Annapolitan
QOTD: Best Smith & Wollensky T-bone NYC. Worst: Me and a grill at age 20.
December 11, 2007

Tzahi
QOTD –
Worst steak ever, sorry to say, but probably my dad’s … oops.
he is just killing them and making sure again and again they are dead. love you pa…

Best steak, happy to say, mine – ha ha, yes!
Gary you are welcome for a dinner to try it out and if you don’t like them I’ll pay you the air ticket back.

BTW,
when will you be doing international shipping?

Great show,
Tzahi
December 11, 2007

antony
Cool show! I’m always surprised when in France or Spain to see how many boxes of wine are in the supermarkets. Big with the CKCs I guess and people on route to a picnic. I’ve also seen lots of places where locals just take their empty bottles and get them filled from a selection of big plastic barrels. I love the way that people who grew up with wine and see it as part of their every day life are less hung up on detail and the peripherals. Seems they just want a drink to enjoy with a meal and the family. No big deal.

Steak… Has to be the one I had from butcher friend John on my 40th birthday. John was born above his butchers shop in a small Yorkshire market town where I lived and served the community all his life. Prices varied depending on how much money you had – guys in suits paid more, little old ladies on a pension paid less. Many times I’d drop in and find myself carrying great hunks of meat around for him or making a cup of tea at the back of the shop, chatting to the traffic warden and an old farmer who dropped in with some rabbits. John passed away unexpectedly a couple of months ago. Over 1200 people went to his funeral.

Worst steak. Can’t think… Most disappointing was one marketed by Jamie Oliver.
December 11, 2007

Medo
QOTD:
Best: @ a Maredo Steak House in Berlin last year!
Worst: @ a BBQ in my friends garden – puh, that wasn’t eatable at all!
December 11, 2007

Steve B
Best: A huge steak grilled by Mel Coleman Sr., one of the legends of the meat industry, at his family’s ranch in Colorado. My teenage son ate two. Runner-up: The prime rib I’ve cooked for the past four or five Christmas dinners. All were superb.

Worst: An unchewable slab of leather I idiotically bought at a discount supermarket because it was on sale.
December 11, 2007

Fingerlaker
QOTD: best – steak i grilled for my bday last year.. wegmans fyfga prime dryaged ribeye.. cut like warm butter.. worst – the steak my wife “tried” to cook earier the same day.. (sry)
December 11, 2007

NicoleE
Best steak: NY strip from the organic butcher in Charlottesville, VA.

Worst Steak: The filet I threw up all over the table at a restaurant on my 16th birthday. The steak, I believe, was just the unfortunate victim of something toxic eaten earlier in the meal.
December 11, 2007

Ken T
Best Steak – Wolfgang’s New York City
Worst Steak – Charlie Brown’s – Carlstadt NJ
December 11, 2007

Bocse Robert
hello
QOTD: The best steak i had was a medium-raw hanger steak in southern france at a friends house, they call it “onglet”,served with simple baked potatoes, the worse was in a restaurant back home, overkooked, very very dry.
December 11, 2007

Lars
QOTD: Premium Steak grilled at home, with the fam, just can’t be beat. The ugly…Sizzler.
December 11, 2007

Ryan D
QotD: Best steak I’ve had was a veal steak at a restaurant in Italy. Worst steak was at 230 Fifth in Manhattan, not recommended at all. Your basic overpriced and gimmicky food with miniscule portions.
December 11, 2007

ciaobarbara
best steak….dry aged steaks from Lunds and Byerlys. On the grill.
Also a fillet in Tuscany with melted Fontina cheese and Black Truffles…yum
December 11, 2007

organicguy
Can’t really put a finger on the best steak I’ve had but it must have been devoured with family and/or friends and wine here at home, right off the grill with fresh from the garden sides. Worst was from a discount retail store and so chewy that the dog wouldn’t eat it either.
December 11, 2007

jwhi
QOTD: best steak was in the parking lot at the Meadowlands before a Giants/Eagles game in 1995. I t was a perfect October day and the steak was grilled perfectly, dipped in melted butter, and served with a side order of German beer! Worst steak was in my own back yard this past summer – extra well done and tough as nails.
December 11, 2007

misswinegirl
QOTD: The best steak I have had…we have a “grill your own” steak house in the area! I would say, hands down, they have the best steaks…maybe because we end up drink several bottles of wine while we are there. After 2 hours with 8 of your greatest friends, 8 juicey steaks, and at least 8 bottles of wine…priceless!

Thanks gary for the awesome show…and the Christmas 4 pack!!!
December 11, 2007

Matti
The best stake is absolutely a medium minus entrecote stake in Bordeaux in a restaurant called EntrecÃ´te!!!!
December 11, 2007

Slappy
QOTD: Best Steak was three days ago at the Strip House in Houston Tx. Fillet was pricey but worth every penny. Worst Steak was a shoulder steak marrinated in A-1 sauce and grilled over an open pit of pine. Tuffff and horrible flavor. I have heard these Montana Legend steaks are good. Maybe someday I will mail order fresh meat.
Loved todays theme.
December 11, 2007

BotaBag
QOTD: Best steak was from Jack Fry’s in the Ville, worst steak was probably from Sizzler.
December 11, 2007

Kevin More
Great episode and for thank you for continuing to think outside the “box”!

QOTD: The worst steak would have to be a Swanson Hungry Man Salisbabury Steak – What was I thinking when I bought this?
The best steak beside my own would be the Rib-eye at the Palm in Boston – Cheers
December 11, 2007

joe p
Best steak- Trip to the mountains of North Carolina with my son. On the porch of the cabin beside a small stream , grilled two steaks and just enjoyed the time together. The worst was from a family style buffet resturant called golden corral. Nasty!
December 11, 2007

Kirk
QOTD: The best steak I have ever had was at Ruth’s Chris in Seattle. It was a ribeye…the ost that just melts in your mouth and went wonderfuly with the wine our waiter (yes, waiter) picked out for us. The WORST steak ever was while I was in the Philippines….but then again what can you expect when you are so far away from the butcher shop? Or maybe it was just because it was a hostile environment and we couldn’t drink wine with our steak????
December 11, 2007

OhioPride
Nice episode. The preservation of the wine in the box would be a great concept for quality wine producers to investigate. I wonder if it does retain freshness for a month. To see how the wine would react, I would love to have the ability to put a good wine in a bladder, without oxzidation during the transfer of course. My never ending experiments.

QOTD: Lannings, in Bath, Ohio. Extra cut 12 oz filet. Everytime I go. Love the hot, hot grill You could spread that filet on bread. And their signature sauce matches great with a variety of reds.

Worst: Two come to mind. Yoeswki resorts strip steak, pure shoe leather. Berns Steak House (yes Berns) Chateaubriand. Not trimmed and flavorless QPR Bad, Bad, Bad.
December 11, 2007

Scott G
The best steak that I ever had was actually recently at Ruths Chris. I don’t tend to eat a lot of steaks, but that was pretty darn tasty. The worst steak I had was probably one that my friends and I made earlier this year. It may have been the grade F meat, or perhaps the the quasi-functional camp stove, but either way they tasted unlike meat.
December 11, 2007

Jesse
Best steak… not from a restaurant… straight from the local, organic farm.
Worst steak… Lone Star steak house. Ordered a steak medium-well… they said they were all out of medium-well steaks and only have medium steaks left. Can’t you just leave it on the grill a little longer!? No, they’re pre-cooked and only heated up before serving… yuck!
December 11, 2007

Justin L Ove
Best steak I ever had was a Painted Hills Filet out of Oregon. Had a criminini mushroom Bordelaise. Paired that with an 05 Pride Merlot. Yes. I’ll take two thank you.
Worst stake was the one I had to drive through my girlfriends heart after she turned into a vampire.
December 11, 2007

JerseyGirl turned CNY vayniac
Great show today Gary! I have a friend who loves Pinot, so I might gift up some Bandit for him for Christmas!

QOTD: Best steak I ever had was at my parents’ house. My dad got some great Omaha steaks and my brother grilled thme up for us the day after Thanksgiving this year… AWESOME! my brother can grill like no other and they came out amazing! Worst? I dunno.
December 11, 2007

cgf
HA great ep. I am insy on this one!

such good enthusiasm today. You are in the holiday spirit my man.

QOTD: im a big fan of the usual suspect chains like mortons and palm. ruth’s chris was not bad either. I think the BEST however, was a filet mignon i had at the ritz in naples a couple of years ago for my birthday. it was divine. Worst steak was anytime someone overcooked it on the grill, because i like my steaks BLOODY.
December 11, 2007

Erich rockman
Best: Ruth’s Chris NYC (I know it’s hard to believe)
Worst: Ruth’s Chris Puerto Vallarta, Strip House Livingston, NJ
December 11, 2007

Pardus
I sent off that email while I watched the show. You should have it already.
December 11, 2007

scvarsity7
QOTD: My friend and I went to the local butcher and got our own filet mignons to grill. We cooked them medium rare with some grilled onions, garlic mashed potatoes, and cheese rolls. Absolutely delicious.
December 11, 2007

Chris Davis
QOTD – This is tough. Best – Bennett’s NY Strip in Greenwich, CT. Worse – by me when i badly overcooked filet on the grill. It was barely edible!
December 11, 2007

Lindsey
Nice episode! IÂ´m 2 years out of college, but still totally down with the CKC. WhatÂ´s next? Handles?

QOTD:
Best: Steak Bordelaise with the whipped cauliflower instead of the frites at Mon Ami Gabi in Lincoln Park, Chicago.
Worst: Any one from the number of times Dad forgot about what he had going on on the grill. BOO.
December 11, 2007

Daniel
QOTD: Best steak ever: the fillet from Cabo’s Corner Bistro in Richmond, VA – it was the rehearsal dinner for my wedding.

The worst? Ugh…Golden Corral for sure. D-sgusting.
December 11, 2007

Teresa
QOTD: The best steak I ever had was a filet cooked on my Big Green Egg. The Big Green Egg is wonderful… you can sear a steak at 800 degrees or slow cook ribs at 250 degrees.
The worst steak I ever had was a new york strip that was cooked on a old lava rock gas grill. The outside of the steak was charred from the flame ups and the inside was very dry.

By the way… loved todays show on boxed wines. Wish you would do more shows on boxed wines.

tk
December 11, 2007

brooklyni
QOTD: i’m a vegetarian, but i had a great grass-fed ribeye two years ago that i still think about!
December 11, 2007

Philip
Had a cold steak at Saint Elmos before my bachelors party. Best steak, cajun filet on the grill by the pool with a cabernet.
December 11, 2007

gayle
Best: Barclay’s in Anaconda, MT. Worst: over-cooked T-bone at a backyard party.
December 11, 2007

JohnnyC a.k.a. SmokinActuary
The best steak I have had was one that I grilled myself that I bought from a Greenwich CT butcher who dry ages on the premises.\

The worst in recent memory was a prime rib from the Outback that tasted as if it was steamed – it was watery and flavorless.
December 11, 2007

kevin D
QOTD: Beast steak ever my pops cooked on our grill at the house filet by the way. Worst ever would have to be a steak that i shared with my grandma. She is old school and loves them done to a crisp style which i hate beacause i like med rare. Stil love the grandma though.
December 11, 2007

Chad Wright
The best steak I’ve ever had was at my parent’s house. Last year around this time we stayed with them for a couple of days and had steak. All my favorite people in my favorite place on earth eating steak my Dad cooked. You can’t beat that with any restaurant, ever.
December 11, 2007

SaraMHCRU
Don’t remember specifics, but the best would have to be a long time ago, backyard bbq with family and friends. Worst would probably be something at a mediocre restaurant trying to be fancy.
December 11, 2007

Mike T
QOTD – Best steak – A restaurant in Ames Iowa called Cafe Northwest. The midwest has the best steaks!
Worst Steak – A steak I ate at an ex-girlfriends parents house.
December 11, 2007

JamesW
Nice show – although you may have seemed a bit too giddy about relieving the Bota.

QOTD: BEST – Ann Howards Apricot’s NY Strip with green peppercorn cream; WORST – Skyline Filet.
December 11, 2007

Jeff Rodriguez
Coming out of my lurkdom…
QOTD: Worst: A steak I bought at the grocery store that got wrapped in foil and left in the freezer for about two years.
Best: I can’t remember the name of the place, but it was at a restaurant in Indiana.
December 11, 2007

Paul Sampson
The best steak NY Strips from Barths in New Providence, cooked on the coals in my backyard, medimun rare with a great Duckhorn Cab. Umm, Umm, good! Screw those NY steak places…can’t touch that!

The worse steak I’ve ever eaten…..it was call Prime Steak in Watchung. Over cooked, cold plates, grainey, it sucked. And to make matters worse it was NYC prices!

Gary -you’re invited to my backyard……bring some wine!
December 11, 2007

Skip
Great show today!

QOTD: Best steak I had was from a restaurant called Rino’s on Las Olas Blvd in Fort Lauderdale, Floria. Rino is a “celebrity” chef and has the most tender meat I have ever tasted! You could cut this steak with a fork. Worst steak I ever had was at a friends house and they had bought some cheap grocery store stuff. Unlike a restaurant where you can return it or complain to the manager, in this case I had to sit there, eat it piece by piece and compliment the cook.
December 11, 2007

VinoVixen
Good show…I have been wanting to give these a try….but now I know there is no rush

QOTD: Best steak: A filet from a local organic farmer, grilled at home.
Worst: Capital Grille a couple years ago. Very disappointing.
December 11, 2007

wannaBconnoisseur
Interesting show!

Q:Best steak recently, a great strip, grilled to perfection by my dad at my parents house. Worst, a fillet at a pricey restaurant in Savannah, GA.
December 11, 2007

Soldaddy
QOTD..is there such a thing as the “worst” steak???

Best…The Dabney at Dan Tana’s in Los Angeles
the worst…. pork…pretending to be a steak…or that mish mash they serve at Lowrey’s..
December 11, 2007

Patrick L
QOTD Best Steak Peter Lugers in NYC Great place…..Worst at my Brother-in-laws house he thinks that he can grill…..He trashed some NY Strips

Pat
December 11, 2007

David Johnson
Best steak I’ve ever had was on Sunday night at a restaurant in Seattle called Canlis. It was a Wagyu steak (Kobe beef) with a light red fruit sauce with mushrooms. It was paired with a bottle of 2004 Beudrau Cellars Reserve Cabernet. So perfect, I almost wept!
December 11, 2007

James Conley
Great episode, being one of the C.K.C. I definitely can vouch for the need for good boxed wines!
QOTD: Chamberlains Steakhouse in Dallas Texas was the best, I had an amazing 16 oz. strip steak. The worst I ever had was at a buffet in Albany, it was super tough.
December 11, 2007

Ian Bliss
Best Steak in the world is the 42 OZ Porterhouse at Maxwell and Dunnes Steakhouse on Long Island…. The worst steak has to be my moms attempt to making a good porterhouse.
December 11, 2007

jared
the best steak i had camping, cooking over an open fire, probably on my birthday; I like eating in the wilderness and cooking with sticks because you get that good dirt flavor … mmm dirt! The worst steak i had was in front of a museum in london. I was really hungry and bought this steak sandwich out of a truck – which i later heard you should never do – the meat was thin, tough, and sweet and then i got really sick.
December 11, 2007

Chippewamike
GV- great show. Good to know all the options in wine.

Best steak, last year, at my parents on a lake in northern Michigan– added a peppery rub– I cooked.

Worst steak, two years ago, also at my parents at the lake, no rub–dad cooked. Burnt the steak and we took his “bbq card” away.
December 11, 2007

Matt N.
QOTD – Best Steak evAr – The “Churrasco” Filet @ Americas in Uptown Houston, TX. Yeah, we do steaks down here. Worst steak??? Probably the chicken fried steak that you get @ IHOP during the witching hour. Great show today….fun packaging!
December 11, 2007

paul
Worst steak: sirloin at Outback
Best steak: Filet mignon at Sullivan’s in Raleigh, NC
December 11, 2007

Ricky B.
QOTD- Best steak was at a hole in the wall cantina in Loreto, Mexico (after a long day of fishing), it had a lot of interesting spices on it along with a big of scoop of guacamole. Worst steak is any that is overdone so that it resembles chewing shoe leather with little if any taste.
December 11, 2007

Big Nick
Great ep Gary. I think that I stated a few episodes ago that I had a great steak at the English Inn. Nice NY Strip, tedner with wild mushroom sauce. Also they serve a Trio of Fillet Medallions that is top notch. Each with their own sauce.
December 11, 2007

Michael
Go Browns…WOOF, WOOF!!!!
December 11, 2007

Chris Bartell
Best Steak: A Really Expensive Steak that my Dad made for my Birthday last year. Or a Fillet Mignon at a nice restruant that my Girlfriend and I go to near my college called “The Yard of Ale.”

Worst: A Steak that I had Thanksgiving Weekend this year. I don’t know what exactly happened, but it was like eating a hockey puck
December 11, 2007

rob in indy
Great Episode.. I’m out there trying new things and haven’t done the box wines yet.
QOTD: Best steak by far is at Sullivan’s in Indy, worst, had a bad experience at a small restaurant in Zionsville, IN.. don’t know if they are even still there. I have to look away everytime I pass by.
December 11, 2007

Jules
I’ve always thought boxed wines are all bad until i saw this episode. What’s the proper way to storing boxed wines? Thanks Gary!

Trying to be a vegan
December 11, 2007

Dave lurk M
QOTD: Best steak I ever had was grilled this summer, (never a bad summer grill). We cut our own steaks from a rib roast so they were extra thick. Worst was when a friend had several over to try try his new grilled flank steaks.
December 11, 2007

Matt N.
The best steak I have ever had was about a year ago at the Morton’s in Bethesda, MD. It was a filet, ordered medium rare, came completely rare but not chewy at all, just amazing. The worst would have to be an overcooked sirloin I attempted on the grill at home.
December 11, 2007

jasmurph
QOTD: Best steak was a stannard farm ribeye made at home. Worst steak? How about Steak-ummm, as in, “Ummm, is that even meat?”
December 11, 2007

Jon K
Qotd: Best steak was on my grandma’s grill in Akron in, oh, around Summer 1988. Worst steak was Friday, December 7, 2007. It was forgotten for about a half hour as I cooked the latkes and ended up totally inedible.
December 11, 2007

Dominick Mack
Best steak – A London Broil I cooked this PAST weekend…WOOOO!

Worst steak – Hoss’s Steakhouse sirloin tips – blah….
December 11, 2007

Thomas Gaskill
The best steak that I had: Mancy’s in Toledo, OH. Worst, the Pondarosa special YUK!
December 11, 2007

JSC1
Best- New york strip from Ringside in Portland, OR Worst- wine poached fillet well done.
December 11, 2007

Diogo da Silva Santos
Best one: Filet Mignon form a special portuguese cow from the north of the country called “Boi CharolÃªs” that looks like a yak (whatever that means) everytime I eat it!!!

Worst one: An awful steak that looked more as a shoeleather than meat in Hong-Kong last year.
December 11, 2007

Sara L.
The best steak of recent memory was the on I had for dinner last night. It was unexpected after a hard semester of grad school. I came home, and my partner had grilled and bought a bottle of the the wine I’ve been dying to try to go along with it. It was the best because it came with some much thought and love, and I awoke this morning still thinking about it.

The worst steak? Probably one I had years ago at Sizzler.
December 11, 2007

Brenton Drakeford
Gary,
Great show on boxed wines. I have only bought them for big parties, and usually for good reason. Thanks for the enthusiasm and good insight.
Brenton Drakeford
December 11, 2007

Scott Anderson
The worst steak I ever had was in a small restaurant we endured in Pecos, Texas, right smack dab in oil country ourside of Midland/Odessa Texas. The steak tasted like oil, the potatoes tasted like oil, the water tasted like oil, and the restaurant was jammed with people. It was horrifying!

The best steak? Not Ruth’s Chris, which for the money was okay, but not a religious experience like most say. No the best is ALWAYS The Keg, a Canadian chain that makes perfect steaks every time you go there. Roughly half the price of Ruths, and phenomenal steaks with amazing consistency.
Their only weakness is a half-ass wine list. Their idea of fine wine is J. Lohr Cab. We part ways there.
December 11, 2007

Brenton Drakeford
Gary,
The best steak I have ever tasted was a dry rub from Costco that I sealed in a food saver bag, froze and put in an ice chest for a 7 hour trip to a lake house. It was unbelieveable! I always cook them black and blue, char on the outside and rare inside, try it some time.
Thanks
Brenton
December 11, 2007

JennQ
Best Steak: Bistecca alla Florentina in a restaurant called Antica Taverna, Casa Grande in Tuscany. Thick cut, simple preparation, perfectly grilled – finished off with a spritz of lemon.
Worst Steak: United Airlines (when they still served food on planes) – piece of bad “pleather” with some fake grill marks, covered with sauce.
December 11, 2007

Wade
Great show. Please, do more shows with wines in at least the $10-$20 range, for the people who lunch on brown-bagged peanuts, waxpaper-wrapped hunks of homemade cheese, and oil-slicked stale bread, for the struggling puppeteer gastronomes who eat and drink beyond their means, all those wine-crazy mimes out there, and for the abundance of wine-fetishists in the non-profit sector! And the sad bureaucrats spinning wild dreams in drab cubicles. I’ve been so broke lately I had to turn a trick in Long Island City en route to the office to get a Metrocard, so it’s good to know I can use what’s left over buy a little something to drink with dinner.

Best steak-I guess a hanger I salt for forty-eight hours, sear and serve rare/medium rare with a vulgar overabundance of red wine sauce.

Worst steak-an enormous, malaise-inducing, almost willfully overcooked veal chop that I had forgotten about until today.
December 11, 2007

MrTaz
Another lurker gets flushed out by the big prize!
Best steak — Bistecca Fiorntine in Florence, Italy. Worst @ Tad’s Steaks in Times Square, NYC.
December 11, 2007

Scott S
Qotd: The worst steak I’ve ever had was at O’Charley’s. It tasted like liver! The best I’ve tasted was a filet I cooked on my grill!

Give me a big shoutout for my birthday on News Years Eve!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks
Scott Snyder
WV
December 11, 2007

MtnCharlie
Years ago it was at the encouragement of a very good friend, who is now a professional winemaker, that I abandoned the box (and jug) and start to consider buying wine not by lowest price per volume. Maybe it is time to consider “alternative packaging”

QOTD: Best steak: A fillet mignon at Morton’s Steak House in Las Vegas. Worst steak: Oooh, I am thinking it was at a company function or some similar event. Burnt, bitter practically inedible, because I didn’t want the burnt chicken.
December 11, 2007

Jake Hathaway
I thought the Bandit wine said “LOL” on it, but it actually said “1.0L”
December 11, 2007

Julava
The best steak was probably one my dad grilled for a family dinner. Always love those steaks.

The worst steak I ever had was probably one grilled by my dad…he has blackened a few during his long record of grilling!
December 11, 2007

Lev M.
QOTD: Best steak… skirt steak I made for myself in North Miami Beach on an outdoor grill while drinking Malbec. Cumin, garlic, lime, tequila.
Worst steak: well done tuna steak. Might as well eat it right out of the can.
December 11, 2007

Frank
The best steak I had was camping in Nh a ribeye my friend cooked on grill
the worst was ribeye at a well know eatery
December 11, 2007

Gersh
The best steak I’ve had was some file mignon that was left over at folk’s house. It was really good when it was first cooked (my mother is a chef), but the next day in a sandwich was amazing. Absolutely blew my socks off. The worst was at a diner in NYC (BigNick’s) which I usually go to for hamburgers, but one day I was craving steak and it was a mis-steak. Just really tough and had way to much “seasoning” which was just garlic salt. Gross.
December 11, 2007

DavidB
QOTD – either mortons or possible a Tri-tip from the local meat market (Iowa Meats) here in San Diego….both very good
December 11, 2007

RichG
Good show G! Box wine…LMAO

QOTD – I will start out with the BEST!!! PLAZA III in Kansas – OMG…. right from the start, you walk in to an old world style joint…they wheel out the MEAT TRAY… and ask you which cut you would like then BAM…on a grill it goes…into the mouth…and OMG…almost better then (fill in the blank)

Worst – I am always afraid of trying to order steak from places that dont specialize in it…but there is a place around my home town that after a while…there prime rib went into the sh1ter…and I mean that….

Cheers!
RichG
December 11, 2007

Colin
GV – Thanks for looking into box wine. Good option for everyday quaffing! QOTD – Best steak? My brother’s backyard BBQ always brings the love. Worst steak? At a steakhouse in Allston, MA on my birthday many years ago…
December 11, 2007

Marianna Eyzerovich
Best steak I’ve ever had – porterhouse steak in Argentina, unknown restaurant name, but the setting and company made it one of the best meals of my life
Worst steak I’ve ever had – when my boyfriend cooked it on your grill that other time, and he was too lazy to even marinate
December 11, 2007

JeffC
Great show GV! Thanks. I’ll give the Bandit a try if I can locate. My wife loves PG.

QOTD: Best steak, ordered Wagyu beef filet from Lobels in NYC. Cooked at home on the grill. Salt, pepper, hot grill, med rare. Very tasty.

Worst steak, Peddlars Steak house chain, in Tenn. Shoe-leather liver. Dont remember the cut. No matter it sucked.
December 11, 2007

Mojave Joe
qotd: Best: A steak I had at Ruth’s Chris, New Orleans, 1983, with my soon-to-be wife (and still married and loving her even more).
Worst: I have too many to pick from: my wife, whom I love very much (see above), is a terrible cook.
December 11, 2007

David
Best steak: my first filet mignon (When I was a boy, my father took the family out to eat every Wednesday night, whether we could afford it or not. He always encouraged the children to try something new. I still remember my first filet mignon at “The Steakhouse”; good not just for the steak itself–which was buttery soft and delicious–but for the lessons involved in those family meals.)

Worst steak: “chopped steak” burger (Home from college; no one home; went into the fridge; found what I thought was hamburger; made a “burger”; cooked it on the gas grill; turns out, chopped steak does not taste so good if you do not know what the hell you have or what you are doing; part burnt, part raw, all nasty. Suffered a good talking-to on that one, too, for a number of reasons…)
December 11, 2007

Jay T.
QOTD: Best steak I had was the Porcini Rubbed Delmonico with 8-year aged balsamic from the Capital Grill in Manhattan. The worst steak I had was at my Uncles house. I don’t know what he did, but he absolutely killed it.
December 11, 2007

"J.R."
QOTD: Worst steak: At a bachelor party in Iowa, cooked by the groom’s dad in his backyard. Not exactly an awesome bachelor party or a good steak.
Best steak: At La Cabrerra, a restaurant in Buenos Aires’ Palermo neighborhood. So good it defies description.
December 11, 2007

Adam Euans
The best steak I’ve ever had was at Smith & Wollensky in Columbus, OH. It’s tough to find a bad steak, but I guess the worst I’d ever had would be a Demetrios, in Cleveland, OH.
December 11, 2007

Daniel Heath
Best steak: A Sterling Silver KC Strip from the Dillons meat case.

Worst: Some faux filet bought at Walmart.
December 11, 2007

KTF
Best steak is a tenderloin that I make myself using Garlic Pepercorn seasoning and cooking on the grill. The worst is probably a roundsteak cooked in a frying pan.
December 11, 2007

Bobby E.
QOTD:

Worst steak: At a bachelor party in Iowa. Cooked by the groom’s father. Very awkward company, very unusual bachelor party. Very poorly cooked meat.
Best steak: At La Cabrera, a restaurant in Buenos Aires’ Palermo neighborhood. So good it defies description.
December 11, 2007

DavidB
QOTD – forgot the worse steak – had to have been the one I had yesterday, left over from last week and I think it probably should have gone out with the trash instead of into my gullet! Not good!
December 11, 2007

Brian V
QOTD: Worst steak, my wife the vegetarian made a steak for my birthday, it tasted like a rubber toy. Best steak was Black Angus’s filet mignon. Thanks for showing the MacGyver bottle I made, you’re the best
December 11, 2007

Kapers
Mmmm meat!
Best steak ever – A lamb chop at ‘Prins Ferdinand’ in Aarhus – Denmark. The worst… a highly suspicious looking piece of meat (I hope!) at an absolutely no-go place in Copenhagen called “Fars koekken” (DaddyÂ´s kitchen).

A bottle of wine would set my mind and stomach at ease again

//Kapers
December 11, 2007

Valerie
QOTD: Best…Medium Petite Filet Mignon with red wine sauce over a portobello mushroom, and garlic mashed potates. Worst…burnt sizzler steak on the grill at home.
December 11, 2007

Gman
Best Steak: Tough call, either Peter Luger’s for my brother’s birthday, or Old Homestead. I really like the Sirloin on the bone. Worst steak, is there such a thing? Probably some steak I had on my flight to South Africa.
December 11, 2007

ryang
Best steak / Porterhouse at Sir Scott’s Oasis Steakhouse in Manhattan, Montana. That was 14 yrs ago for me and I still remember it.

Worst steak / “Prime rib” that I had last week at a company xmas party.
December 11, 2007

Obama_Man
I want to rating you’d throw on a Franzia! Interesting to see that you rated– maybe out of pitty, though– Two Buck Chuck Syrah an 87 and these wines sooo much lower!

QOTD: I make the best steaks… and they’re always good, usually a Rib-Eye or Kobe. Worst? The list goes on… some NYC Diner steaks are pretty horrendous though.
December 11, 2007

CWarriorX
QOTD: Best steak, as has no doubt been mentioned already, was from Peter Lugers back on my 13th birthday. Worst would have to be my former college roommate’s attempt at “steak” on a George Foreman Grill. He liked his steak well-done but not only did it look like shoe leather it tasted like it too-after a day spent shoveling out the horse stables…
December 11, 2007

Michael Goldfine
QOTD: In Saudia Arabia I had grilled baby camel steak. Unbelievably tender and very meaty. It was like a great buffalo steak in the wild flavor but a fatty marbled cow texture but without the fat. There are few types of wine that would not go well with baby camel steak. I ordered a x-mas 4 pack. Thanks.

Cheers,
Michael
December 11, 2007

Achilles Mike
Great show-right out of the box. Best steak I ever had was at the Brambles (near Hearst Castle) with a great Chateauneufdupap over 35 years ago. Keep up the great work Gary! I appreciate your energy and especially your big heart. from Mike a Chargers fan and now a former lurker!
December 11, 2007

Skol
The best steak I ever had was at the Taverne du Passage in the Galeries Royales Saint Hubert in Brussels. I was working there 10 years ago and I had a fantastic steak aux poivre which was cooked to perfection that was bloody but had the consistency of butter. The sauce with fries was out of this world and the filet must have been top grade. Service sucked, but it was crowded.

The worst steak I had was at Dylan Prime. Very expensive, not tasty, meager portions of sides and sauce. Kind of crazy. The Dujac Morey St. Denis 2001 made up for the experience.
December 11, 2007

Deano
Well the box episode didnt turn out as planned. The first sounded pretty good for the price.

QOTD:
-A steak made by me on the grill with a home made marinade.
-Black angus steak house EWWW
December 11, 2007

Mitch Thompson
Best steak: Any of my grandfathers porterhouse steaks, I normally eat two
Worst steak: Was an overpriced heavly charred steak from Ruth Chris steakhouse.
December 11, 2007

Juicy Jesse
QOTD: The best steak – at a restaurant in Myrtle Beach (”Umbertos”, I believe), and it was my favorite cut, beef tenderloin. The worst steak – one that spent too much time on the barbeque (my bad!). Interesting show, today…I think I’ll stay with bottled wine, for the time being.
December 11, 2007

GregStefos
Best Steak – Large Ribeye at Ruth’s Criss in Minneapolis, July 2006. Worst steak – Bennigans ribeye. I should have cooked one at home.

Great show, again GV.
December 11, 2007

Mott T Hoople
Best steak – an easy one. It was recently at CraftSteak in Manhattan. Shared a corn fed porterhouse for two. Sourced from the Niman Ranch in CA. Wagyu is great for the first 2 or 3 bites – just too rich for me to be more than an appetizer.

Worst steak – also easy. Flat-iron steak sandwich at Hooters in Union NJ. Absolutely awful! Couldn’t even chew it. If you go there, stick to the burgers and the scenery.
December 11, 2007

Canadian Chris
QOTD: Best steak ever – flat iron black angus marinated, vacpac sealed for a couple of days and cooked over an open fire in Utah on a 300ft cliff overlooking the Green River. Bottle of Stratus 2001 Red. Stellar. Worst steak ever – run of the mill striploin steak marinated in a kerjumble of crap I put together myself. Didn’t marinate long enough, I overcooked it, and no wine with it to wash it down. It was tough, disgusting flavours – I learned my lesson!
December 11, 2007

Doug S
QOTD: Best steak: Probably Kinzie Chophouse here in Chicago, but there are a lot of great steak houses here so it is close.

Worst steak: Without a doubt one that I tried to grill in college. Burned to a crisp on the outside and still that red/purple on the inside. It took me a while to figure out that grills have more than one temperature.
December 11, 2007

Paul Pavlish
Question of the day response:
The absolute best, hands down, most juiciest, flavorful steak I ever had was on my 21st birthday at Mccormick & Schmidts. I know what you are thinking, Mccormick & Schmidts is known for Seafood, what is wrong with you Paul? But this was when I just turned 21 (last October) and had wine, a Merlot, for the first time with my meal, a filet mignon steak. They even had the wine decanting before they served it to me, and I am telling you, that experience (being 21, my birthday, out with a date, restaurant service) cannot be replicated.

The absolute worst steak I ever had was last Christmas when my brother was in the ICU at Mass General Hospital. The hospital happened to have an early Christmas dinner with steak. And believe me, steak and hospital don’t mix. Dry, tough, and sad feelings all rolled into a very
disgusting steak.
December 11, 2007

Hinrgman
qotd

best steak was at the outback restaurant

and the worst was at waterview diner in HB
December 11, 2007

Monstrose
Best steak: a little restraunt near Salida, Colorado (real beef country). Recent contender: NY strip sliced and topped with truffel oil.
Worst steak: I can’t say because it was made by someone I don’t want to offend, but it was REALLY bad.
December 11, 2007

Jeff Josenhans
Best steak I ever had was Kobe filet in Bangkok. Worst was all the times steak was ordered medium rare and came from the kitchen medium well – at least. Unfortunately, it happens too much and it mostly depends on cooks pre-grilling orders and/or trying to guess/time when guests will finish their appetizers. One phone call and you leave the table equals overgrilled steak!
December 11, 2007

mikemc
Worst Steak: first time I tried to grill on my Weber Q
Best Steak: District Chophouse in Washington DC
December 11, 2007

amm3rd
Best ever: Sparks NYC or Rod’s Convent Station in NJ
Worst ever: Across the street from Shopper’s Discount Liquor @ Scotty’s “A Place for Steak”. Horrible!!! AMM
December 11, 2007

Guy Gridley
Gary,

Great show as always. I’m fairly new to WLTV but in a very short time I already have about 50 shows under my belt. Bought a case of the Bandol you recommended. Loved it and I now know what “barnyard” means.

All the best,

Guy Gridley
December 11, 2007

wayno da wino
QOTD: BEST…Pops cooked da best steaks on da “Barbie”!!
WORST…Pops when he was goin’ for “extra well-done”
and burned them into oblivion….
December 11, 2007

Dan H
Best Steak: Peter Luger’s in Brooklyn, NY
Worst: one that I cooked on the grill for a little (a lot) too long.
December 11, 2007

Mike Calmus
QOTD: I’m a vegetarian and haven’t had a steak in like 15 years. The worst? The one I had after two years of being a vegetarian – I haven’t had one since. The best? No idea.
December 11, 2007

MB Dallas
Best: 8oz Filet at Perini Ranch in Buffalo Gap, Texas (http://www.periniranch.com). This is a terrific restaurant; their Mesquite Smoked Peppered Beef Tenderloin can be ordered & shipped. Amazing.

Worst: Tough to say. Typically only order steak if it’s at a top notch place, or grill at home with good quality product. Otherwise, will stick to other dishes.
December 11, 2007

Joe Bonk
Best steak – from our local meat shop – comes off my back yard grill better than any local steakhouse (plus I can raid my own cellar for old stuff to pair with it!)
Worst steak – Gene & Georgetti’s downtown Chicago. No flavor!

Thanks for reviewing the 2004 Cuvee de Pena box. I sell this wine in Illinois (very well, too). I probably need to retaste it to see where its at, but it was still drinking well when I last worked with it about 2 months ago. The 2005 vintage will be packaged in the box very soon. (It’s already in the bottle.) Hopefully, you’ll try a fresh version of the box when its released in January or February.

Joe
December 11, 2007

Ken in Vancouver
Off-hand I can’t think of a really bad steak that I’ve had, although I know there must have been at least one time. Most likely it was one that I cooked myself. My best steak memories are from family events. On a special occasion my dad will sometimes will cook up an enormous amount of meat; the amount being a necessity, as my parents produced eight children, all of them boys. It’s the taste of these steaks that stick out in my memory. I’m sure at some point in my life I’ve probably had a better steak somewhere, but those times are overshadowed by the family occasions; warm summer days, lots of laughter, and the smell and taste of my father’s barbecued steak.
December 11, 2007

Brandon T.
Best steak ever was also my first great steak, a filet mignon at some restaurant in los angeles… a new experience, melt in your mouth, great flavor, etc. Worst steak ever, have to say, was from my mom… chewy rubber, a workout for my jaw muscles really… So, anyway, can I please have that nice bottle of vino? thanks!
December 11, 2007

Cuse Wino
QOTD- BEST- Ruth’s Chris if I want butter, Stack Las Vegas (Mirage Hotel) without
WORST-Arthurs in Hoboken

Send me the WINE PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
December 11, 2007

Mr. Cabernet
Best, prime from the butcher in my mall, cooked fast and served with fries.
Worst, Steak and eggs at the Rio, in LV, for $3.99, also came with hash browns, pancakes, and ham!
December 11, 2007

Agnes
COTD:
worst – last night – at home – I killed it
best – there were a few!!!
December 11, 2007

Bal H.
The Best – I grew up on a farm and the best steak was porterhouse from an animal my father had raised and butchered.
Cooked on a charcoal grill and matched with home grown potatoes, sweet corn and green beans. The flavor of that meat cannot be found today!

The worst was in an IHOP – thin, overcooked, tough – did not deserve to be called steak.
December 11, 2007

Marc Bienvenue
The best was a Rib in Montreal at Moishe’s, the grateast jewish steak house in the world!!!
December 11, 2007

JimVarney01
Best steak: Gotta be Ruth’s Chris Filet. Worst steak… Broiled a cheap chuck steak in my little toaster oven to see if it would work. Talk about rubber…

Great ep again gary, I give love for “Real Sangria” in a box. Great stuff! Had some other very questionably alright wines, but nothing to write home about.
December 11, 2007

Kdawg
QOTD: my best steak that I’ve ever had was a nice 12oz angus that I picked up from omaha steaks. My worst, a cheap steak that I picked up at the grocery store and then proceeded to over cook. I suck at cooking
December 11, 2007

Sam
worst: had to be an attempted “cheese steak wrap” using some cube steak

best: a surprise free filet mignon at the end of a long night. not because it tasted so good, but because it was so unexpected.
December 11, 2007

dannykam
Best steak I ever had was at Strip Steak in the Mandalay Bay Hotel Las Vegas NV by Chef Michael Mina. Kobe Filet with seared foie gras.
Worst steak I ever had was steak and eggs at IHOP.
December 11, 2007

Brad
Gary,
Just wanted to let you know that Bota Box is made by Delicato. They just revamped the packaging and I hadn’t noticed until I saw the show that the Delicato name had been removed.
December 11, 2007

Michael
QOTD – best was this steak house in san diego right before entering the service in 2000.
Worst – was a cheap vegas buffett.
December 11, 2007

Christopher of Canada
The best steak is T-Bone was grilled on the BBQ, and the worst steak was high end cut was taste like low end cut.
December 11, 2007

salvatore
Best Steak= Porterhouse on the grill salt & pepper only. The best!

Worst Steak= Flat Iron Steak, grizzle mania—Yuk double yuk!!

Gary, the Bandit Pinot looks clearer than our drinking water here in Leicester, Ma.

Just as I thought; box wine sucks!!!! Next you’ll be doing Carlo Rossi and other Jug wine.

If you ever, ever do a show on Rosso Di Montalcino; I pledge not to watch !!
December 11, 2007

Tiny Enemy Crab
Woot, go Christmas pack!

QotD: Best – Flank steak with the family, some baked potatoes, and love all around.
Worst – Reheated flank steak by yourself.

ps. Mott rules!
December 11, 2007

redmon
Best steak – stick to the basics- steak for 1, 2, 3, 4 ………or even 10 at peter lugars….cooked the way you want it and the quality is always there

Worst steak – I think it was actually dog, but in the interior of the island of Naxos in Greece, my wife and I chose poorly……very poorly.

comon’ give me that bottle!
December 11, 2007

Jayhitek
QOTD: Abe & Louie’s Boston MA – Best
Applebee’s – Worst
December 11, 2007

jim
Best Steak: Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse Fillet, Crystal City VA
Worst Steak: Marinated Skirt Steak, some lame Miami Restaurant
December 11, 2007

Rick morranis
When you put that on the grill it’s the best, those grill marks…mmm
December 11, 2007

Rob A
Best Steak: Home grill rib-eye last summer. Grilled with Sraracha, Caribbean Hot sauce and Caribbean bbq sauce. Add a little salt at the end. Med-rare. Delicious.

Worst Steak: A so called “steak-burger” from Steak and Shake.
December 11, 2007

de Las
best-lomito con chimichurri raised in Argentina, grilled by an Argentine, in traditional fashion, over perfect coals, in puerto viejo- south Caribbean costa rica. Honeymoon. Shared an incredible reserve malbec.
worst-twice frozen nasty meat. grilled. smelled like fish. two bites-just to make sure it was the worst thing i’d ever eaten.
December 11, 2007

Sherry
Worst steak, without a doubt was at Las Palmas, down the road from our house in Naples Italy. It was called a Barolo steak…we figure it was stray dog that drank cheap Barolo only hours before it made it’s way to our table.
Best steak, hard to say…I’ve had a lot of good meat
December 11, 2007

Jeff Orr
GV. I am sad that we poor Canadians can’t order the xmas pack
QOTD
Best Steak: Filet Mignon with Parmesan crust at Nove steakhouse at the Palms in Las Vegas
Worst Steak: First attempt at using my George Foreman grill (not pretty)
December 11, 2007

Pete V
Best – Kansas City cut filet from Casa Mia near Ottawa, IL
Worst $2 bacon wrapped filets from Walmart (They actually look good in the package) terrible
December 11, 2007

Andrew Garber
Hey Gary! I’ve been a lurker since August (I heard about your show on Diggnation), and figured it’s high time I leave a comment
Keep up the great work!

BTW, here’s a fantastic Petit Verdot to try: Pirramimma McLaren Vale Petit Verdot 2004 from Australia. It’s around $30 up here in Canada, but our prices are ridiculously high so I’m sure you can find it for less.
December 11, 2007

Robertico the singer
Best: Filet Mignon, Top of the World, Stratophere Tower, Las Vegas
Worst: Overcooked Cuban style steak at home
December 11, 2007

hasbeen
Best steak, beef medallions over arugula done to perfection on my grill with a good bottle of bordeaux and best friends.

Worst, filet mignon at Kincaidâ€™s, grisly and tasteless. Paid 70+ dollars for 12 dollar bottle of BV cab.
December 11, 2007

Cliff A
QOTD: Best steak that I’ve every had was an aged Fillet from Whole Foods that I prepared “Fillet au Poirve” from recipes inspired by Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa in Paris) and Evan Goldstein (Perfect Pairings) at a lady friends house. Paired with the Leeuwin 2002 Art Series Cabernet Sauvignon.

Ordered the XMAS Pack.
December 11, 2007

Michael Miles
Worst steak ever: outback, terrible beef and slammed with seasonings

Best steak ever: Alexander’s steakhouse in Champaign Il. Tiny town off a highway, great place. Alexander’s has refrigerator’s around the room full of meat. You chose your steak. I like the tenderloin, it is supple and melts in your mouth, but I love a good ribeye, the cut is just so much more “beefy”.
December 11, 2007

Andrew Garber
Oh ya… I guess I should enter the contest

Best: a New York strip at this place in Victoria, BC, called Rick’s Grill

Worst: one time when I was little, I decided to reheat a steak in the microwave. Bad idea!
December 11, 2007

habeen
Best restaurant steak, filet mignon at the Octagon in Groton Ct.
December 11, 2007

Mike S.
Best Steak – At a restaurant, I’d have to say the tri-tip from Woodranch in Agoura Hills or Morton’s NY Strip in mid-town DC. At home, easily the London Broil from Whole Foods with an Old Bay, garlic powder and black pepper spice rub.

Worst Steak – small bistro in Bordeaux, right by the train station. McDonald’s would’ve been better than that.
December 11, 2007

Lawrence Leichtman
Best steak, Kobe Steak in Yokahama at $350 for the steak alone, worst, at a Scottish Steak Restaurant in London. Scots apparently don’t know what to do with a steak, thin overcooked with watery mashed potatoes and soupy peas.

This episode did not change my opinion of boxed wines. I have tried over 50 different ones so far and not one beats a $6 bottle of wine. If this is a movement, it is a poor one.
December 11, 2007

Richard Werbin
The best steak was at Cite restaurant in New York, years ago when they were good, at one of their “wine dinners”. 5 Terrific wines with a 3 course steak dinner. It was $40 / person. You can’t go there anymore. The price kept going up, the quality declined, and then they closed this year.

The very worst. Outback Steak house special steak in Lansing, MI. I couldn’t eat it.
December 11, 2007

Fred Schechter
QOTD: best steak,, easy,, Land of Magic dinner club,, logan montana,, BEST.

worst,, a few,, don’t want to think about wasting good meat.
December 11, 2007

trevor corso
can’t remember having a bad steak or a good one sticking in my mund
December 11, 2007

ilikepopcorn
I believe the best steak I’ve ever had was a filet, rare, wrapped in bacon, with sides of asparagus and mashed potatoes at the California Cafe. mmm.

worst steak… filet from texas roadhouse, was supposed to be rare, was butterflied and medium well. blach. It went back and i waited on another.
December 11, 2007

Luke Holtje
Gary awsome show. I never really think of drinking boxed wine…. I guess I’ll try the Bandit. Yo me and my friends had a college wine tasting party the other week. Lots of fun. Later
December 11, 2007

Noontime
I gotta say I’m a bit disappointed about the box wines…although finding one good one could be considered a suprise by some. Too bad I’m not into the white wines…I was hopeful about the sharaz. Oh well.
QOTD- Best steak I ever had was a filet mignon in the Bahamas. It literally…and I mean literally melted in my mouth. The worst steak was one I made myself. Just out of the house and on my own, made a marinade out of whatever I could find in the fridge behind the beer, and fried it up in a pan on the electric stove. It tasted like hot dogs.
December 11, 2007

Luke Holtje
Best steak I ever had was the 5$ steak at this bar. Never had such a good juicy steak for so little money.
December 11, 2007

sky
I have yet to have the best steak ever so someone should tell me a recipe or a restaurant to go to …..no steak has ever blown me away in recent memory but ya know my brain cells are dyin’ fast so……how about local organic kinda stuff or bal H said his dad raised the animal lhimself… right on that souds good. Ive had sausage from pigs raised by close friends of mine but never steak, gotta work on that one. thanks gary for going out on a limb for us with the cheap stuff. go bandit!!!! can you redo the french stuff with a more current vintage, im courious. i think im ight go out seek ouyt and byu buy that one and try it. love ya!
December 11, 2007

sky
what the fk is a goosenberry???
December 11, 2007

SImike
lurker…

i would have to say my best steak was in a rest in Florence. about 3 inches thick, almost raw, covered in lemon and parsley and garlic. It was during a trip after college touring around europe. Young and stupid we were back then, i was traveling with 3 girls and we orderd white wine, the server gave us red and refused to let us drink white with it …ha

next best bet would def be peter luger, best overall steak houe exp
December 11, 2007

H.E. (Butch) Darnell, Jr.
Best steak – a 2 inch filet off my grill last weekend, served with a zin reduction sauce!!!
Worst steak – Ponderosa Steakhouse (anytime)!!!!
December 11, 2007

Vinnie Baum
My best ever steak is one that I have grilled myself, usually a NY or prime rib cut with salt, pepper and a dash of cumin and/or garlic. Sometimes I’ll add a home made garlic or bleu cheese butter dollop on top and serve it with mushrooms in a marsala wine reduction. One of the worst, if not the worst was a recent dinner out with the wife for our 37th anniversary at a “quality” restaurant here in town. The steak, supposedly medium rare, came out curled up at the edges and filled with grissle. It was also a NY cut and was dry and no flavor and they had the nerve to charge 34.95 for the meal. Ugh! Since I have started cooking most of our meals 4 years ago it just is not worth it going out. We also spent 40 bones on a 12 dollar bottle of syrah. What a rip off!
December 11, 2007

ryan
Qotd:
Best steak: From the Wynn hotel in vegas filet, crusted with black pepper.

Worst steak: from a restaurant in palm springs. It was rubbery and bland.
December 11, 2007

Jack
Best steak was at Hal’s in Atlanta. Aged perfect and the fact that it was on what was the best date of my life… couldn’t have hurt. Greatest restaurant in the country… Hal’s is also the only place to go in Atlanta to cheat on your spouse! Dark out of the way dead end road in Buckhead where they take your car two blocks away to park. I have friends that refer to this place as the McDonalds for the very rich! Great food, no occasion needed.

Worst steak ever was the on a business trip to Oklahoma City and my boss made us eat at a Sizzler. I question if anything bovine was even in the steak. New job and a boss with much better taste, life is good.

Love your show!
December 11, 2007

Daithin
It’s been a while, I’m veggie now. But the best I ever had was at some fancy family dinner when I was younger. Worst, though, was a gross little dive restaurant that tasted like liver, and not on purpose.
December 11, 2007

Darrell T.
The best steak I’ve had was a Porterhouse steak prepared medium at the Chophouse in DC;
The worst steak I’ve had was a NY strip that was thin and overcooked prepared at American Diner in Bensalem (it was 2am and I should have gotten the club sandwich).
December 11, 2007

Dusty
had a god-awful steak from Longhorn the other night…would have rather eaten my shoe. best would have to be a 24 ounce porterhouse (if i remember right, i was in a meat coma) from this little hole in the wall restaurant in KC. Orgasmic just thinking about it. Although to it’s credit, the new Weber Grill Restaurant that just opened up a few months ago here in Indy is giving that place a good run for it’s money.
December 11, 2007

J_Kersley
best stake … well, all the steaks in Italy seemed to be great – but that could have been simply because it was in Italy. Lately I’ve found bonefish grill to have great steaks, so that is my answer – the bonefish grill.

worst stake … sirlion i got at a bar a few years ago. i knew it wouldn’t be great, but this thing was down right inedible.
December 11, 2007

sky
according to dictionary.com and wikipedia it aint no goosenberry,gary. no such thang.???
December 11, 2007

Barbara
QOTD –
Best – anything other than what I can cook
Worst – anything I cook
December 11, 2007

Lee Watkins
Thanks for the secret Christmas wine, I am looking forward to it. Best steak was a rib eye from Costco grilled at my home. Worst was from Sizzler.
December 11, 2007

Joe Po
Gary,

“….not appalling” what a great way to describe a nasty wine!
QODT: Best: Bife de lomo en Buenos Aires. So succulent!!
Worst: My brother-in-law on his grill!
December 11, 2007

sky
reading all these discriptions is making me drool……yummy. i think my best bet is to go buy a good cut of organic steak and bring it home to cook it-that seems to be a consistant plus from todays comments., ill let all the vayniacsknow when it happens (probably not till this weekend)
December 11, 2007

chris afzal
worst: parish diner in brooklyn. stringy and soggy and way under cooked.
best: pdc in cali.
December 11, 2007

Cassie
I don’t eat a lot of steak, I really don’t cause I’m very picky and steak is filling so if I’m gonna eat it its gotta be good. The worst steak ever was probably something my mom cooked cause she overcooks stuff like that. However, the best steak I ever had was the steak I myself, along with a friend from the culinary institute cooked on Friday. Lightly salted and peppered, seared perfectlyon the outside, still a little pink on the inside, with a blueberry sauce made with bordeaux wine, fresh blueberries and blueberry port. Delish.
December 11, 2007

eltejano
best-
La Cabrera in Buenos Aires Argentina

worst-
at an un-named company/work event catered at a nice hotel in SF
December 11, 2007

Matt
QOTD: Best: NY Strip steak at Manresa in Los Gatos. Worst: Grilled over a fire while camping (got sand on it)
December 11, 2007

BPlague
Best steak I have had was a 3 inch thick Porterhouse from Prime Quarter here in Wisconsin and the worst is any place that thinks a 1/2 in. to 1 in. thick steak is a true steak.
December 11, 2007

Nathan Valchar
QOTD: Best steak: Strip Steak,Tavern Restaurant,State College,PA(Penn State Football!) . Worst Steak with eggs at Denny’s

Box Wine Story:
Since this was about boxed wine, I will share a great college wine drinking story, shortened. A friend and I were poor, bored and sober. We took an adventure to the liquor store and decided to go with a 5 liter box of Franzia to be â€œsophisticatedâ€ students. To spice up the drinking procedure we added a beer drinking twist and power-houred the wine. To those who donâ€™t know thatâ€™s an ounce/ounce.5 a minute for a given period of time, usually and hour. Well itâ€™s a big box, so we went longer. We actually ended up finishing 5 liters of wine between the two of us in just about 2.5 hours. Use your imagination as to how this ended. Breakdown: 84 ounces of wine in one short sitting. To this day I have not again drank boxed wineâ€¦
December 11, 2007

Dionysus01
Best steak ever: Big Texan. Amarillo, TX. Worst steak ever: My own failed attempts……
December 11, 2007

David Dadekian
QOTD: Best was more than likely (more than 99% likely) at the original Palm on 2nd Ave. in NYC. The worst was probably at a Vegas “special” price. Oh boy.
December 11, 2007

zach migliozzi
QOTD: Worst steak is anything from Outback Steakhouse, they over season everything. Best steak, Filet Mignon from The Precinct a Jeff Ruby Steakhouse here in Cincinnati.
December 11, 2007

Carol
QOTD: Best steak is at the Grizzly Bar in Roscoe, MT…a melt-in-your-mouth T-bone as big as the plate, perfectly seasoned and grilled. Second runner up was at Chico Hot Springs, out of Pray, MT. (Great wine list there, by the way.)
Worst steak was at a now-defunct restaurant in Modesto, CA called Happy Bees. Needed lots of steak sauce and lots of dental floss!
December 11, 2007

Rick Fischer
Best steak: Don Shula’s Steak House, Orlando FL.
Worst steak: Howard Johnson’s, travelling through Penn.
December 11, 2007

Bryan Engblom
Best Steak – By far – Bone-in Rib eye from Delmonico’s in Las Vegas.

Runner Up – The bacon-wrapped tenderloin at The White House Supper Club in St. Lucas Iowa. It’s this modest little old-style supper club in a tiny little town in northeast Iowa we ate at during a motorcycle trip with friends. The combination of the atmosphere, the friends, the end of a perfect day and a great steak put this steak on-par with one of the finest restaurants in the country.

Worst Steak – - a hole in the wall called “Best Steak House” in a Minneapolis suburb. Pass the Ketchup.
December 11, 2007

Fevernova
QOTD: Best – The flank steak au poivre at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon in Napa. A very underrated cut of meat IMHO.
Worst – Ponderosa.
December 11, 2007

careyd
QOTD: Best steak ever: Tied between the strip at Schula’s (Orlando) or the Filet Mignon at Drai’s (Las Vegas).

Worst steak ever: In Jordan, MT at the only restaurant in town (other than the Hell Creek Bar). Truly, cardboard tasted better. I proved it to myself after dinner there.

No lie!
December 11, 2007

wtvLurker
qotd: best – a ribeye in a simple place called orourkes in driggs idaho.
worst – airplane dinner.
December 11, 2007

JasonH
Best steak: Large cut Omaha Filet at Gorats in Omaha Neb., so tender you can cut it with a fork!

Worst steak: New York Strip that came with a steak and eggs breakfast, ordered medium rare, served well crispy.

Another good show!!! Keep up the great work!
December 11, 2007

Justin Thorp
Question of the Day Answer… I don’t really eat steak that often. I don’t know why. I’m more of a fish and chicken kind of guy.
December 11, 2007

Denis Malin
Gary, I agree on the Bandit Grigio… nice. Cuvee de Pena taste like a sneaker? Was that hightop or like a running shoe flavor?
December 11, 2007

Dr. Dan
QOTD: I don’t eat many steaks, but I did have a venison steak on New Year’s Eve a couple of years ago that was like butter. I could have chewed it without any teeth–thankfully that wasn’t necessary. Just about any supermarket, plastic-wrapped steak would probably be the worst, if I bought one.
December 11, 2007

Duane Adamson
Best: Lydia Bastianich’s Becco in Manhattan. An aged steak that I could cut with a fork and it melted in my mouth.

Worst: Golden Corral in Indianola, IA. It is now closed, Thank God!
December 11, 2007

rick k
Best steak, Filet at Flemings. Might have had something to do with the good Caymus wine. Worst, Filet on Delta.
December 11, 2007

Ferrigno
QOTD: best steak is very juicy and marbled and the worst steak is thin and dry! sorry:(
December 11, 2007

Sassodoro
QOTD. Best was probably the one that Christie served at her house when my wife and I came over for dinner one night about 15 years ago. She had some special supplier and it was great. Worst — just about every other steak I’ve ever had. Maybe Montana Legend can change my mind, but most of the time my feeling is that the steak would have been better if it had been ground into hamburger. If the steak isn’t perfect, the texture bothers me.
December 11, 2007

Mr SHY
Best steak – Ruth’s Chris, worst an all you can eat buffet in a casino in colorado
December 11, 2007

Greg
I prefer to do my steaks at home, dry aged and grilled over natural wood charcoal.

Some of these box wines, like the Bandit, may be ideal for having handy for use in cooking.
December 11, 2007

mjhch1
thanks for enlightening episode on the box packs. I am skeptical, but I am also hoping that it will be a positive thing.
Best steak… um I really loved a little place in Portugal, El Brazoa. Their house specialty was a bistec,really delicious with hand cut fries.
Worst… steak off the grill at a party; many of you know what I mean..too much lighter fluid and beer. nuff said.
cheers!
December 11, 2007

Kyle L
Best Steak – Has to be the Bone-in Ribeye from Bonnell’s Restaurant in Fort Worth, TX. They use cattle from this one Burgundy Pasture where all the cows are grass-fed and dry-aged. I believe there was a Tequila Blueberry Demiglace on it. It was just fantastic.
Worst Steak – Probably one that my dad cooked, he can’t do anything without making it well-done. haha
December 11, 2007

Gary Atkinson
Gary,
1st time caller…long time listener…not really, just heard about you…you’re a hoot…I really want that La Fleur…Best steak I ever had…Ruth Chris, Indy…it’s just hard to beat…worst steak, MCL Cafeteria, West Lafayette…what was I thinking…
Have a great story about my wife’s best friend and a 1986 Chateau Latour…wanna hear more…?
All the best,
Gary
December 11, 2007

Dick
Really liked the Thanksgiving pack and ordered the X-Mas one. The worst steak was in Los Almos, New Mexico…best at The Palm in NYC…$$$$. Dick
December 11, 2007

Andrea Kirk
Freshly shot porcupine in North Ontario . . . I’m a vegetarian . . . but will be polite under duress.

Love you show.

Andrea
December 11, 2007

Lois and Greg
Best steak (recently), the Yachtsman Steakhouse at WDW last month. It was our last day of vacation before returning to NJ. A nice cabernet with it and all was good.
The worst, probably the one that wound up over-well-done on my grill last summer.
December 11, 2007

vange
Pete Lorenzo’s in Trenton, NJ. The dry aged sirloin, hearty and so damn good! Most overrated, Longhorn Steakhouse. They should have called it Salt Mignon! Awful!
December 11, 2007

Michael Dunn
The best steak i ever had was a peppercorn new york steak cooked to medium rare chicago style at canyon creek. The worst was definitley with steak and eggs at a greasy spoon.
Love the show.
December 11, 2007

Kara E.
Best steak ever was the filet at your sister’s wedding. Like butta… Worst ever…prime rib at a different wedding…gave me food poisioning!
December 11, 2007

Dan Young
Don’t eat animals
December 11, 2007

boegemann
QOTD:
Best… Hmmm… I’d have to say in Autumn of 1995 in a little workman’s restaurant behind the Duomo in Florence. We sat down, didn’t know enough Italian to order lunch and they didn’t know any English. Luckily, they were only serving one thing… bistecca (with salad and mushrooms).

Worst… last weekend I thought I’d save some $$ by buying a steak from Ralph’s instead of Whole [paycheck] Foods. After wrestling with the gristle for half and hour and finally giving up, I re-assembled the inedible bits only to discover that over half of what I bought couldn’t be eaten by a homo sapien. That translated into $10 for 4oz. of steak, or $40/lb. Never again.
December 11, 2007

Mr.Ambassador
Interesting take on boxed wine, though I’m still not convinced. I do like the stelvin (screw-cap) closures and perhaps, with time, the boxed wines will get better…

QOTD – Best steak was at Phillipe’s where a triple preparation of beef tenderloin was presented (each with it’s own sauce); fantastic flavors and sauces. Worst steak was the one I found frozen from two-years ago in the garage freezer and still decided to make (ACK!).