Most Expensive Steaks

If it’s a fine steak you’re after, look no further. Though American cattle have for years provided the traditional filets, ribeyes and hamburgers we’ve all grown to love (save the vegetarians among us), the Japanese beef industry has captured the pinnacle of the pyramid. “Wagyu” or Japanese beef cattle, provide high end steaks that secure the tops spots on high end steak menus around the world.

While Wagyu cattle are raised both in and outside Japan, the Kobe varietal which is raised specifically in the Hyogo prefecture is the most elite. Employing the most traditional production methods, Kobe beef comes from cows that are allegedly fed only beer and massaged by hand to ensure a tenderness and marbling beyond compare. These dishes can be out of range for the average restaurateur, carrying an unhealthy load of fat and a price tag to match. An eight ounce cut of Wagyu steak at Wolfgang Puck’s Beverly Hills restaurant will cost you a whopping $160.

When going over the top, it’s best to head straight for the source: the city of Kobe, a short ride west of Tokyo itself. The Renga-tei Restaurant in Kobe will take a fine cut of Wagyu, wrap it in rice paper, sear it on an iron grill serve with Salomn and salad for a cool $206, or 24,000 yen. This goes to show that much of the price is not in the importing of the beef, but the care put into the cattle themselves. Despite this, the demand for Wagyu beef in and outside Japan is on the rise. Organizations such as Snake River Farms in Idaho profess to raise “American style Kobe” with the same patient process as their Japanese counterparts, and at a similar price. Non-Japanese expensive steaks can still be quite costly, though the price of American beef is derived not through the raising but the dry aging of the steak, which improves the texture and taste, and also reduces the amount of usable product from each side of beef.

For your next after-work social, you might try taking your associates to New York City’s Craftsteak, where a full Wagyu rib eye was recently served up to a private party for $2800. At that price, you might be better off raising your own than trying one of these most expensive steaks.

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