All that dough for one steak? Blame ethanol
By John Kessler
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Wagyu strip steak at Chops restaurant is a thing of beauty —- marbled, juicy, long on flavor. Everything a steak lover could desire. It’s also $85. You want potatoes with that? Yep, $8 extra.
The going price for steaks around Atlanta has climbed to an all-time high —- to numbers that would signal a joke were they not in plain print on menus. Joel offered a $58 filet mignon before closing for renovations last week. The dry-aged porterhouse at the new Kevin Rathbun Steak goes for $64, and while it should feed two, more than a few diners go solo. The porterhouse for two at chain steakhouse Ruth’s Chris tops out at $79.
Even a 16-ounce New York strip —- the little black dress of the cow palace —- routinely fetches $40 at Atlanta steakhouses serving USDA prime beef. When it comes to steak, $40 is the new $25.
