The Only Way You Should Be Buying Grocery Store Steaks, According To Morton's Steakhouse - Tasting Table

Morton’s Steakhouse recommends buying beef from a butcher, reputable catalogue, or online service. It advises shoppers who go to a supermarket to ask the butcher to cut the meat instead of buying pre-packaged cuts. Grocery steaks can be good, especially where skilled butchers work, but there is a meaningful difference between selecting shrink-wrapped cuts and getting direct expert help. Historically, specialized businesses handled specific tasks, and modern retail consolidated many roles into large stores optimized for speed and scale. Butcher shops and dedicated supermarket counters still provide conversational expertise and tailored products. Customers can request thicker cuts, more marbling, fat trimming, and preparation or recipe advice, making steak selection more informed and enjoyable.

"Morton's Steakhouse claims to serve "the best steak anywhere," but if you're not ordering it at one of its restaurants, the chain offers some surprisingly old-fashioned advice for buying steak: "Buy your beef from a butcher, reputable catalogue, or online service." Basically, go to those who know. "If you end up at the supermarket," Morton's advises that you "ask the butcher to cut up the meat for you instead of buying the pre-packaged cuts.""

"Grocery steaks are not automatically bad, and many supermarkets employ skilled butchers. But there's a meaningful difference between selecting a shrink-wrapped cut from a refrigerated shelf, and speaking directly to someone whose expertise can help you make the best dinner possible. For most of human history, businesses specialized. Cobblers repaired shoes, fishmongers sold fish, and butchers broke down animals, all from their own storefronts."

"The modern, big-box retail system gradually consolidated those roles into centralized spaces, optimized for scale and speed. You can now conveniently buy socks, batteries, strawberries, shampoo, lawn chairs, ribeyes, and a bouquet of flowers all under the same fluorescent lights. But butcher shops (and dedicated counters at supermarkets) still exist, and even though it may require an extra stop, they're worth it."

"Butchers preserve an older form of commerce, offering conversational expertise and bespoke products. You can ask your butcher questions, request a thicker cut or more marbling, have them trim the fat, and even ask advice about preparation and recipes. There are a lot of different cuts of steak, and it's fun to explore them; having a skilled guide makes it even better."

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