Why You Probably Won't Find A1 Sauce At High-Quality Steakhouses

For those who grew up slathering their steaks with it, finding out that A1 Sauce is a controversial ingredient is a bit surprising. After all, who wouldn't want to have their meat doused with that tart, sweet, spicy goodness? But steak lovers are often a dogmatic lot. Each one thinks their way of eating steak — how well done it should be, what cuts of steak to use, and what seasonings go on it — is the "correct" way to do it. And while chefs can't afford to be quite as choosey in dictating how their customers eat, even they will sometimes draw a line in the sand. And if you've made the steakhouse mistake of asking for some A1 sauce, you know that's one of them.

The reason is pretty simple, even if you don't agree with it. The best steakhouses have done a lot of work to serve you the highest quality steak and A1 sauce basically cancels that all out. One of those dogmatic rules of the steak world is that a good steak should stand on its own. Salt and pepper is usually all the seasoning used. They source the best steaks, with better marbling for more flavor. They dry age steak to make it more complex. A1 Sauce may taste good, but it is very punchy, and even a little bit can overwhelm all the flavors a steakhouse chef worked to develop.

Another reason you won't see A1 often is that many steakhouses will offer their own sauces specifically created to complement their steaks' flavors. There are lots of classic steakhouse sauces, from peppercorn sauce to Bordelaise, that have been developed over time to partner with fine steak. High-end steakhouses are curating an experience, and those house-made sauces tailored to their specifications is a part of it. We may think that the customer is always right, but luxury dining is the rare industry where that goes out the window. So you might get offered a bowl of delicate, herbal chimichurri that's been made fresh, but A1 is out of the question.

And honestly, that should be fine. The way most of us grew up eating A1, at home on cheaper cuts of steak, is exactly what it was made for. You don't want to spend money on ribeye and then cover it in steak sauce when that would make it taste exactly the same as cheap steak. There is a time and place for almost every ingredient, and at home you should use your favorite steak sauce with as much reckless abandon as you like.