An Amazing Steak Dinner

The boy has been asking for steak for a while now. Kelly and the girls don’t eat steak, so I make it infrequently, and when I do, I usually grill it. But I told the boy I’d make steak on Friday and on Friday, I made steak. I bought a nice thick rib-eye to split between us, and rather than grilling it, I opted to pan-sear it, and made a red wine pan sauce to go along with it. I also made fries and fry sauce.

Now (to paraphrase Dr. Seuss), I don’t like to brag, and I don’t like to boast, but this steak turned out perfect. Of all the things I’ve made over the years, I rank this steak the best. We both like our steaks medium rare, and I seared this steak until the center was 120°F. After that, I let it rest while I made the pan sauce. I’ve eaten in good steak joints in my life, but in recent memory, I can’t remember having a steak as good as this one. This is unusual for me because when I cook, I am usually my harshest critic. Over the last few months, I made rosemary chicken three times, and it was only on the third try (after making numerous notes from the first two attempts) that I felt it came out reasonably well. But this, this steak and the accompanying sauce was perfect.

One measure of success was the boy’s first bite, after which he said, “Wow! This is really good!” Another measure of success was that he asked for seconds, something he rarely does. But perhaps the best measure of success was the smile on his face while we ate.