whipping up seared ribeyes and pasta with tomato sauce. "I didn't know that you cook the noodles separate from the tomato sauce," he recalled on an episode of "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" in 2025. "I was eight. I just remember cooking [the steaks] in the pan with butter and soy sauce. And I made the pasta in the tomato sauce, probably not the most al dente."
To gain some sense of what diners should consider when ordering steak, we got insight from experts who prepare (and conceptualize) steak dishes for a living. Michael Reed, owner and chef of the Michelin Guide-recommended and James Beard Award-nominated Poppy & Seed in Anaheim, California, and Oliver Lange, corporate executive chef of Next Door Astor Place in New York City, shared their opinions on the mistakes they most frequently observe. Their view emphasizes what can go wrong with steak, but also how we can build a memorable experience when we order with a bit more thought.
