Steak

Q: Is prime rib the same thing as a rib-eye steak? If so (or if not), would I prepare them the same way? I enjoy listening to your NPR radio show. Your expertise is greatly appreciated. - Thomas C. A: Thomas, you have brought up an issue most people do not have a clear understanding of that is the subject of much debate. Wars have been waged over less. I'm not talking about the difference between prime rib and rib-eye, I'm talking about my expertise. That being said, and since I have your vote of confidence, let's get down to the bare bones here.

CERTAIN MENU items make me sad. Take the Caesar salad, for instance. The contemporary Caesar salad is a depressing thing indeed. You can find them anywhere and they're generally lousy. When I see one listed on a menu - usually hovering somewhere near the bottom, making its lame pitch to add grilled chicken or buffalo shrimp - it's too often a tip-off as to what sort of banal, unimpressive restaurant I'm sitting in. I can immediately feel a sigh forming. Progress is usually a good thing.

WHAT EXACTLY is Steak-umm? In his ruling, Judge Lawrence Stengel describes it as made "from chopped and formed emulsified meat product that is comprised of beef trimmings left over after an animal is slaughtered and all of the primary cuts, such as tenderloin, filet, and rib eye, are removed. . . . The emulsified meat is pressed into a loaf and sliced, frozen and packaged. "

Steak-umm, a national brand of thinly-sliced frozen steak, has lost its trademark infringement fight against local restaurant chain Steak 'Em Up in a David and Goliath battle of the steak world that's played out over the last three years in federal court. In 2009, Steak-umm filed the suit against Michael Lane, owner of Steak 'Em Up, which has locations in South Philly, Old City, Collingdale and Ridley Park. Steak-umm claimed that the name of Lane's store was trying to capitalize off Steak-umm's national brand and that it would confuse consumers.

If you're a steak-lover, you're favorite fish should be fresh tuna. Barbecued or broiled, a tuna steak has many of the qualities that make beefsteak so popular: robust flavor and the meaty texture of a fine tenderloin. Think of it as steak with fins! Although tuna has more fat than delicate fish like sole and flounder it's still much lower in fat than beefsteak. And the fat it contains is the healthy kind: the omega-3 fatty acids that help clear arteries of cholesterol's waxy build-up.

When people fire up their grills, it's often to cook steak, which tops our list of grill favorites. Cooking a steak so it's seared and crusty on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside, and grilled to the exact doneness desired is the mark of a master. Unfortunately, many steaks come off the grill undercooked, overcooked, dried out or tough. If these are familiar problems, this guide to grilling the perfect steak is for you. Select the right steak The high dry heat of a grill requires a relatively thin, tender, well-marbled cut. The best are super-tender filet mignon, flavorful New York strip, generously marbled rib-eye, and tasty T-bone.

A steak-shop patron who had complained about slow service was stabbed to death by a cook early yesterday, police said. The victim, who carried no identification, was pronounced dead at Albert Einstein Medical Center of a stab wound in the left side of his chest. The Medical Examiner's Office was trying to determine the victim's identity last night. Police said the victim, a man in his 20s, had quarreled with the cook, Herbert Saxton, 44, of the 4400 block of North Broad Street, about poor service.

I must confess up front that the prospect of a 24-ounce steak for $9.95 did not dispatch me to Montana with high expectations. I was certain that a steak that size, at that price, would give a restaurant critic plenty to chew on. The new steakhouse on Front Street proved me half wrong. Montana turns out a respectable, beefy-tasting charcoal-grilled steak for the price, along with a decent baked potato. Another surprise was the charcoal-grilled swordfish ($8.95) - a hefty serving, 2 inches thick, and succulent throughout.

As any beef lover can attest, a strip steak is a tender, flavorful cut of beef. It is cut by stripping away the tenderloin muscle from the porterhouse and T-bone sections of the short loin, leaving the top loin muscle, bone and a portion of the sirloin called the tail. This steak is sold as shell steak, New York strip or Kansas City steak. No one, however, has ever thought to call it a Philadelphia strip - and for a good reason: Not only is Philadelphia not credited with creating the strip steak, but it took an act of the federal government before it made its debut here.

Sandwiches vary with the seasons, and this is the time for a springlike, hearty feast. For this hefty sandwich, you don't want to use spongy white bread. The choice of a holder for this steak sandwich is yours: sourdough, French bread, pumpernickel, rye or onion rolls all work perfectly. You'll also need a spicy sauce to smother the sandwich, something other than just plain mustard. Cube steak, which admittedly looks meager on the shelf, comes into its own as the centerpiece of this generous sandwich - if you build it up. All you have to do is top it with onions, pack it in a hunk of French bread, and slather on some Chili Con Queso - a hot, rich cheese-and-salsa concoction.

A dozen places to get your cheesesteak on, kinda: Sampan: Bao buns (Cantonese dumplings), $7. 124 S. 13th St., 215-732-3501, sampanphilly.com. Iron Hill Brewery: Egg rolls, $10.95. Multiple locations, ironhillbrewery.com. Noir: Pot pie, $12. 1909 E. Passyunk Ave., 267-319-1678, noirphiladelphia.com. Del Frisco's: Dumplings, $16. 1426-1428 Chestnut St., 215-246-0533, delfriscos.com. Sullivan's: Egg rolls, $13. 700 W. Dekalb Pike, King of Prussia, 610-878-9025, sullivanssteakhouse.com.

To a steak shop in Philadelphia's Wissinoming section that remains pretty much as it was when it opened 64 years ago, big change is coming Monday. Chink's Steaks on Torresdale Avenue is taking on a new name: Joe's Steaks & Soda Shop. Some will consider it a long-overdue act of racial sensitivity at a business whose name - the founder's nickname since childhood and a slur against Chinese - has drawn fire from Asian Americans. Others no doubt will protest the switch, including regulars who have griped about any shift in how things are done at the retro-1950s eatery, even the addition of french fries to the menu about four years ago. Some might even think it's an April Fool's prank.

To a steak shop in Philadelphia's Wissinoming section that remains pretty much as it was when it opened 64 years ago, big change is coming Monday. Chink's Steaks on Torresdale Avenue is taking on a new name: Joe's Steaks + Soda Shop. Some will consider it a long-overdue act of racial sensitivity at a business whose name - the founder's nickname since childhood and a slur against Chinese - has drawn fire from Asian-Americans. Others no doubt will protest the switch, including regulars who have griped about any shift in how things are done at the retro-1950s eatery, even the addition of french fries to the menu about four years ago. Some might even think it's an April Fool's prank.

SAME GREAT cheesesteaks, now with 99 percent less controversy! That, in so many words, was the gist of Thursday's announcement that Chink's Steaks in Wissinoming will debut a new name, Joe's Steaks & Soda Shop, on April 1. And no, it's not an April Fools' joke. "I've been here for 35 years, and I've owned [Chink's] for 14. We've had some controversy," Joe Groh, the shop's owner, said by phone Thursday night. "We just decided it was time for myself, my family, my employees to get with the times.

Here is an excerpt from Craig LaBan's online chat: Craig LaBan: First, a big congrats goes out to all the local chefs and restaurateurs who were nominated as national semifinalists for James Beard Foundation Awards: Vernick Food and Drink (best new restaurant); Marc Vetri (outstanding chef); Vetri (oustanding service); Fountain Restaurant (outstanding service); Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co. (outstanding bar program); Andre Chin and Amanda Eap, Artisan Boulanger Patissier (outstanding pastry chef)

Here is an excerpt from Craig LaBan's online chat: Craig LaBan: First, a big congrats goes out to all the local chefs and restaurateurs who were nominated as national semifinalists for James Beard Foundation Awards: Vernick Food and Drink (best new restaurant); Marc Vetri (outstanding chef); Vetri (oustanding service); Fountain Restaurant (outstanding service); Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co. (outstanding bar program); Andre Chin and Amanda Eap, Artisan Boulanger Patissier (outstanding pastry chef)

TO THE VICTORS went the cheesesteaks. But first to the kids who helped them. Lunch periods last Friday at Roman Catholic High were rather amazing, according to rising basketball star Rashann London. "When they made the announcement, guys were cheering and screaming," he said. "They were going off. Everybody was excited. " Even against rivals, Sunday games can be tough sells for students, so Roman coach Chris McNesby told the school to inform the students he'd pay for cheesesteaks for the first 50 to show up for the Catholic League battle vs. St. Joseph's Prep.

Super Bowl Sunday surely is one of the meatiest eating days of the year. And some recent trends on the butchering side of things are offering whole new ways to raise your meat game, so to speak. Until recently, shopping for meat at the grocer generally meant you were limited to just a few mainstream cuts, says meat guru Bruce Aidells, author of last year's The Great Meat Cookbook . Part of the problem was the standardization of the meat industry. Butchering skills waned because so much was handled at the industrial level.

CARMELO ANTHONY was hungry, and not just to end the Knicks' losing streak. He wanted something to eat. Anthony, struggling to keep his energy up while fasting for 2 weeks, snapped out of a slow start by scoring 18 of his 27 points in the second quarter, and New York ended its season-high, three-game skid with a 100-87 victory over the New Orleans Hornets on Sunday. Anthony missed seven of eight shots and scored two points in the first quarter of the noon start he dislikes, then outscored the Hornets by himself in the second period as the Knicks took the lead for good.

Mark Harris works the grill in the cafeteria at Abington Memorial Hospital. Jack Lawlor's wife was dying. He was at the hospital day after day, hoping she'd get better, and every day he'd go into the cafeteria for a steak sandwich. Mark knows all the regulars, the doctors and nurses. He noticed Jack after a few days in line and concluded that he was visiting a sick relative. Mark tried to be cheerful to him in line, and do what he could - give him extra steak on his sandwich.