Why This Old-School Steak Preparation Method Fell Out Of Style

When was the last time you saw steak Diane on a menu, or have you even heard of it at all? This retro dish, once a blazing display of luxury, is now a relic of the past. It's made by pan-searing a tender steak (filet mignon is considered the best cut for steak Diane), then while the meat is resting, its dripping is mixed with butter, Worcestershire sauce, and seasonings, and is flambéed with Cognac. Finally, a splash of cream thickens it into an à la Diane sauce, all set to coat the meat. If made well, it's everything you could want in a steak — savory, buttery, and sauce-drenched in flavor complexity.

Such an enticing description should have guaranteed Diane-style steak a long reign. Alas, that is not the case. It showed up and disappeared all within the 20th century. During this ever-evolving time, restaurants changed in many ways, especially since the 80s. Customers started growing weary of saturated fats found in butter, dairy, and red meat, due to their potential link to cardiovascular diseases. This led to restaurants slowly taking heavier beef and pork dishes off the menu. Inevitably, steak Diane's appeal dwindled — but that's not the only reason.

This dish's allure also lay in the way it was cooked directly at the customers' tables, over portable wheeled carts. Over time, this practice was employed less and less because of an increase in rent prices, leading restaurants to add more tables and leaving no room to move the carts around. Furthermore, sprinkler systems were implemented as a fire safety measure, making it even less practical to serve steak Diane due to its pyrotechnic tendencies. With so many odds stacked against it, steak Diane hardly stood a chance.

Steak Diane's name, which is inspired by a Roman goddess, might have some believe it's an Italian dish, but in fact this dish's history is blurred with time. Its origins are scattered over major cities like London and New York, as well as countries including Australia and Belgium, dating back as early as 1939. What we know for sure is that in the 1950s, it took the New York fine-dining scene by storm, becoming a signature dish at iconic culinary landmarks including the Drake Hotel, Le Pavillon, and 21 Club. There, it was set afire every night, giving customers an up close and theatrical view into the impressive craftsmanship typically hidden behind the kitchen door. However, by around the 70s and 80s, through a series of unaccommodating changes, this dish was slowly taken off menus until eventually, it fell into relative obscurity.

Today, you can still find steak Diane in certain diners and restaurants. Surprisingly, the Cheesecake Factory is one of them, although its mushroom-heavy version might not offer the most faithful interpretation of this dish. Across the U.S., you'll find it at a small number of restaurants and steakhouses, some even serve it tableside, just like back in the day. Of course, you can always make it at home much like other steak dishes; the Diane sauce, in particular, can elevate just about any steak recipe.