Food - Drink
The Real Reason Steak Sauce Has Become Less Popular
ByEMILY BOYETTE
Many food aficionados agree that steak sauces, such as Heinz 57 or A.1., are an eating trend of the past. Though steak sauce is still being produced and some obviously still use it, these bottles of sauce are now quite uncommon on steakhouse tables, where they once were a staple alongside salt and pepper.
Some chefs, including John Tesar of Bravo's "Top Chef," believe that a customer's request for steak sauce is an insult to the dish. When a customer requests sauce, it means the meat isn't up to their standards, and having a steak sauce on a restaurant table could be an unfortunate implication that the cook's dishes will require it.
Another reason steak sauce has become less popular is that more ranchers are producing meat of a higher caliber. Back when meat production was much slower and beef quality was lower, steak sauce may have been necessary to cover up the meat's less appealing qualities; today, this kind of concealment simply isn't needed.