Steakhouses never went away in the United States, but recently they’ve taken over the dining landscape. Now, everything is steakhouse. The continued cultural cachet of martinis, olives, and shrimp cocktail: steakhouse. The prevalence of tableside carts that turn all kinds of dishes into dinner and a show: steakhouse. The rise of the “swankstaurant”: steakhouse, just made more exclusive. Brooklyn dive bars offering $20 steak frites: steakhouse-ish. The splashy new restaurants from José Andrés, Kwame Onwuachi, and Daniel Boulud: steakhouse, steakhouse, and steakhouse. Molly Baz’s Thanksgiving spread: steakhouse. Even Cake Zine’s next issue is “Steak Zine.” This year, the steakhouse continued to expand beyond its traditional lens, the category previously defined by establishments like Musso & Frank Grill in Los Angeles and Keens in New York City. “Can [the steakhouse] evolve?” the New York Times’ Ligaya Mishan asked in September, pointing to openings with international influence, like the Korean Gui, with its prime rib crusted with shio kombu, and the Mexican Cuerno, where $38 steak tacos are prepared tableside. Across the country, as once-undersung cuisines reach new echelons of cultural interest, chefs have looked to the steakhouse as a way of presenting their foods in more luxe fashion: the rise of the bougie Korean barbecue spot Cote in NYC, Miami, and Vegas; the new, glamorous Thai barbecue Unglo in NYC. Not all of these renditions aim to be so highbrow: In Philadelphia, Chance Anies’s new Manong is a Filipino American steakhouse that’s inspired by Outback and LongHorn. With his first restaurant,…
