American Wagyu at Turner's Cut. Credit: Brian Kennedy

Why the Most Expensive Steak Isn't Always the Best

10 Minute read

06 Jul 2026

Stacey Lastoe

Writer

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From Wagyu to hanger steak, chefs explain why flavor, balance, and occasion matter more than the highest price on the menu.

The Wagyu options at Turner's Cut, a luxurious steakhouse in Houston, outnumber the restaurant's other steak selections, but executive chef Pablo Peñalosa isn't steering guests toward them right away. Kobe beef, served in four- or six-ounce portions, is the crème de la crème at the restaurant, which specializes in premium meats from Japan, Australia, and the United States. But the pricey, world-renowned Wagyu variety can be "overwhelming," Peñalosa explained.

At $340, the 6-ounce Kobe ribeye is the most expensive item on the menu, even surpassing the Golden Osetra caviar. "The amount of Kobe you can eat is not a lot," said the chef.

Along with dry-aged porterhouses and thick tomahawks, Wagyu has become emblematic of the modern high-end steakhouse. These steaks, some portioned for two or more people, also tend to command the highest prices, yet they are rarely top chefs' personal picks. The consensus seems to be that too much Wagyu, with its intense marbling, buttery flavor, and decadent richness, is not necessarily a good thing.

What Makes Wagyu Different?

Wagyu, which translates to "Japanese cow," refers to four Japanese cattle breeds renowned for their exceptional marbling and rich, buttery flavor.

While Japan continues to produce the world's most sought-after Wagyu, including regional specialties such as Kobe beef, a small number of live cattle and breeding genetics were legally exported to countries including the United States during the 1970s and 1990s. In 1997, Japan designated Wagyu a national treasure and effectively ended exports of live cattle and breeding genetics. Today's American and Australian Wagyu programs trace back to those earlier exports, helping explain why Wagyu now appears everywhere from fast-food burgers to premium steakhouse menus.

Unlike USDA Prime, Choice, and Select, which are quality grades assigned to American beef based primarily on marbling and the animal's maturity, Wagyu refers to the breed itself. Japanese Wagyu is then graded separately on a scale from A1 to A5, with A5 representing the highest combination of yield and quality, including marbling, color, texture, and fat quality. Those intensely marbled steaks are prized for their richness and are often served in small portions, a key reason many chefs prefer them as an occasional indulgence rather than an everyday steak.

Why Chefs Don't Always Order Wagyu

Chef Melissa Rodriguez of Crane Club isn't anti-Wagyu. While the current menu doesn't include the luxury beef, and there are no plans to add it at the moment, Rodriguez said the "delicious" meat is best enjoyed "in small quantities and in special moments." For an ordinary night out, it's not the chef's pick.

When Rodriguez has the opportunity to dine out at Hawksmoor New York, the acclaimed British steakhouse with a Manhattan location, she's not likely to be tempted by the Wagyu selections. On a recent visit, Rodriguez and her husband turned down the Wagyu and ordered a strip steak and a filet, both from the Midwest and both "very good." A ribeye will often get Rodriguez's attention as well.

Similarly, Chef Andrew Carmellini, whose restaurants include Carne Mare, The Dutch, Locanda Verde, and Café Carmellini, said he never orders Wagyu as a steak, preferring Wagyu tartare to better showcase the high-quality beef.

"If I'm going to sit down to eat a steak one time a month or something," Carmellini said, "I'm going for the hanger steak," which "has some chew and some liver kind of flavor to it." An unadorned Wagyu steak "by itself is almost too rich," he said.

Carne Mare has two American Wagyu offerings: a 10-ounce bavette steak and a 12-ounce Gorgonzola-cured Wagyu striploin. With the latter, Carmellini adds another layer of flavor to an already rich cut. Although American Wagyu isn't nearly as prized as its Japanese counterpart, it is still inherently richer and fattier than your average USDA Prime strip or bone-in filet. "Beyond the richness, there's a lot of stuff going on," he said of the cheese-aged steak.

But while Carmellini is a proponent of dry-aging, beyond a certain point, "it's just silly," he said. Twenty-eight days is the sweet spot for developing a "kind of mushroom quality" while naturally tenderizing the meat.

That said, the chef's favorite steak, the hanger, requires no aging, although it benefits from thoughtful accompaniments, as is the case with the version served at another of Carmellini's restaurants, The Dutch: Black Angus hanger steak with kimchi fried rice and a farm egg. The $45 dish is the restaurant's top seller, Carmellini said.

While chefs may disagree on the ideal steak, many gravitate toward cuts that offer bold beef flavor without the often overwhelming richness of Wagyu. Portion size matters, too. As Rodriguez put it, Wagyu is often something diners want "a slice" of rather than an entire steak.

The Underrated Cuts Chefs Love

Peñalosa, whose menu does not include some of the more approachable cuts of meat, including hanger, Denver, and picanha, is also a fan of the hanger steak.

Peñalosa calls the hanger steak "beautiful ... tender and fatty, and meaty." He praises its deep, intense flavor and its "distinctive" taste. It's also versatile, something the chef appreciates. "So you can put it in a grill with no issue, right? You can put it in different ways inside of a taco, or you can put it even just with mashed potato on the side and it's going to shine anyway," he said, adding that it's a "good eating experience."

The Denver steak, cut from the chuck, is another favorite of the chef's. Generally well-marbled, tender, and full of flavor, it's perhaps a little less known than the hanger steak and underappreciated, according to Peñalosa, who said it "delivers a premium eating experience at a more approachable price point."

In fact, the Denver steak made its public debut around 2009 after researchers at the University of Florida and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, working with Beef Checkoff, identified an overlooked muscle that proved remarkably tender. According to Chris Calkins, who helped lead the project, muscles traditionally destined for hamburger or pot roast turned out to be surprisingly tender and flavorful when separated into individual cuts.

For Chef Bryan Caswell of Latuli, the Denver steak is not only delicious but also a strong value proposition for the restaurant. "It has to be cut perfectly on the bias against the grain," said Caswell, who has had success featuring it on his menu.

"It's a deal for a diner," he said. "They can have steak for dinner and walk away feeling really good about it.”