Steak Knife embarrassment

[lady topaz]

Whilst on holiday the butler and I went to a posh steak house. Once we had ordered, the head waiter chap came to our table with a large wooden box. With a flourish he opened the lid to reveal ten different steak knives. We looked on blankly until he put us out of our misery by asking us to choose by length of blade and weight, the type of knife we desired.
Now I do eat out quite a bit but not come across this before.
Anyone else had their ignorance of cutlery or other restaurant etiquette shown up?

[Funk]

There's different knives for steaks..?

[Odie]

I'd be insulted, if you need a steak knife to eat steak then its cooked wrong. It should be tender enough that you can use a normal knife...

[PaulHogan]

Where was that and what was it called? I would LOVE to go there and out-ponce them. You could either decline all their selection on the grounds that none are made in Sheffield/Osaka* or that they don't have any hand folded blades available OR (and even better imo) you could produce your own blade.

• Delete as appropriate

[lady topaz]

PaulHogan said:

Where was that and what was it called? I would LOVE to go there and out-ponce them. You could either decline all their selection on the grounds that none are made in Sheffield/Osaka* or that they don't have any hand folded blades available OR (and even better imo) you could produce your own blade.

• Delete as appropriate

Bit far to go, it was called MJ's in a hotel in Dubai.

[shirt]

i'd have declined the offer and used my hands

[A911DOM]

Or:

'Run along and sharpen me a spoon would you ol boy'

[Don]

Crocodile_Dundee said:

Call that a knife? THIS IS A KNIFE!

Produce your own with a flourish from inside your leather jacket. Place on table. Hand bloke the unnecessary knife.

[Lefty Two Drams]

Odie said:

I'd be insulted, if you need a steak knife to eat steak then its cooked wrong. It should be tender enough that you can use a normal knife...

Not necessarily cooked wrong but maybe not a great bit of meat.

[HereBeMonsters]

If it was a decent restaurant, the waiter would have explained what he was doing beforehand. Making you emabarrassed is not the way to a good tip.

[calibrax]

Lefty Two Drams said:

Odie said:

I'd be insulted, if you need a steak knife to eat steak then its cooked wrong. It should be tender enough that you can use a normal knife...

Not necessarily cooked wrong but maybe not a great bit of meat.

True... fillet shouldn't need a steak knife, but rump often does.

[TIGA84]

I would have done one of two things I think, either simply picked the biggest and heaviest one, or sent the steak back for being overcooked and/or crap.

I think the biggest knife would have won that battle, regardless of meat quality.

Were there any really massive ones, you know like Gurka knives, or anything with a curved blade and a hand guard?

[Papoo]

Odie said:

I'd be insulted, if you need a steak knife to eat steak then its cooked wrong. It should be tender enough that you can use a normal knife...

Simply not true. It's not a case of being able to cut the meat, steak knives exist because steak is optimally enjoyed with clean, incisive cuts, not lascerations.

You will get a steak knife at the finest Kobe establishments.

[fadeaway]

lady topaz said:

PaulHogan said:

Where was that and what was it called? I would LOVE to go there and out-ponce them. You could either decline all their selection on the grounds that none are made in Sheffield/Osaka* or that they don't have any hand folded blades available OR (and even better imo) you could produce your own blade.

• Delete as appropriate

Bit far to go, it was called MJ's in a hotel in Dubai.

Never been offered a choice of knives, but I think Dubai is the answer to the question!

[tomw2000]

fadeaway said:

lady topaz said:

PaulHogan said:

Where was that and what was it called? I would LOVE to go there and out-ponce them. You could either decline all their selection on the grounds that none are made in Sheffield/Osaka* or that they don't have any hand folded blades available OR (and even better imo) you could produce your own blade.

• Delete as appropriate

Bit far to go, it was called MJ's in a hotel in Dubai.

Never been offered a choice of knives, but I think Dubai is the answer to the question!

+1

[RichB]

Was going to ask if it was in France because these steak knives are poular there... but obviously not

[Big Al.]

lady topaz said:

Whilst on holiday the butler and I went to a posh steak house. Once we had ordered, the head waiter chap came to our table with a large wooden box. With a flourish he opened the lid to reveal ten different steak knives. We looked on blankly until he put us out of our misery by asking us to choose by length of blade and weight, the type of knife we desired.
Now I do eat out quite a bit but not come across this before.
Anyone else had their ignorance of cutlery or other restaurant etiquette shown up?

Sounds like you paid quite a lot for the embarrassment, it also sounds like utter bollicks IMHO.