By Dan Myers
These aren’t just steaks, they’re works of art
The Capital Grille has locations in 25 states.
Steakhouses hold a special place in the hearts of American diners. They’re the restaurants we go to to celebrate birthdays, promotions, and other special occasions; they’re where high-rollers with expense accounts close the deal; and they’re a top choice whenever we’re looking to splurge. While there are wonderful stand-alone steakhouses from coast to coast, there are far more high-end chain steakhouses, and today we’re honoring the top ten.
When it comes to steakhouse chains, there are two main camps, casual and upscale. The first includes restaurants like Outback and LongHorn, and you can find our ranking of those here. But the second category includes some of the most expensive and refined chains in America — and these best high-end chains are just as good as, if not sometimes better than, some of the best stand-alone steakhouses in America, a ranking that you can find here.
MORE ON STEAKHOUSES
In order to compile our ranking, we assembled a list of all the steakhouses in America with five or more locations and graded them according to the variety of steaks on the menu, the sourcing and quality of the meat used (dry-aging is always a plus), the quality and variety of side dishes and other menu items, the quality and variety of the wine list, the décor, special promotions, and the overall dining experience. We assigned each of these categories a point value and tallied them up, and in the end a clear winner rose to the top.
A meal at a high-end steakhouse is an expensive undertaking, and all of these chains are working hard every day to make sure that your experience is worthy of the expense. Each of these chains is very good in its own way, and while some people might think that a steak is a steak, a great steakhouse is about a whole lot more than a piece of meat on a plate. Click here to learn which chain steakhouses are America’s best.
CLICK FOR SLIDESHOW America’s Best High-End Steakhouse Chains
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