Lava Steakhouse - Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada

Filet Mignon	The tenderest, lean, and more subtly flavored cut.
New York	The classic steakhouse cut: tender, flavorful and juicy.
Rib Eye	Rich and buttery, greater marbling than most cuts.
Bone in New York	A very rare cut, found only in the finest steakhouses. To order this steak is making a bold statement. You won’t find this cut in your grocery store or even in most butchers

Tenderloin
The tenderloin runs along either side of the spine, and is usually harvested as two long cuts of beef. If the short end of the tenderloin is cut into portions before cooking, that portion is known as Filet Mignon, or the filet. The filet is considered to be the most tender cut of beef, and one of the most expensive. The average steer provides no more than 4 to 6 pounds of filet. The tenderness of the filet comes from it being a non-weight bearing muscle so it receives very little exercise.

New York Strip
The New York cut comes from the second tenderest muscle in the steer; it is an especially juicy cut, giving it a lot of flavor. The New York is the classic steakhouse cut of beef. Order this steak ‘medium rare, Chicago’ and you will enjoy a piece of heaven; pink on the inside, charred on the outside.

Rib Eye
This superb steak is cut from the rib, the same meat used for Prime Rib. The butcher trims away the fat and bone, leaving a perfect, tender portion that’s great for grilling. The Rib Eye is a little chewier than a filet mignon, but every bit as luxurious.

Aging
A process used to make beef taste better. Fresh beef can be wet-aged in vacuum packages or preferably dry aged for several weeks in a well ventilated walk-in cooler. Aging releases amino acids that bread down the muscle fibers of the steak, tenderizing it and giving it a heightened flavor.

Marbling
Intramuscular fat that collects between the red muscle fibers of beef. Generally, the more marbling, the juicier the steak and the better the flavor.

Blue Rare or Very Rare - Cooked very quickly; the outside is seared, but the inside is usually cool and barely cooked. The steak will be red on the inside.
Rare - The outside is gray-brown, and the middle of the steak is red and slightly warm.
Rare Plus - The outside is gray-brown, and the middle of the steak is mostly red and warm, with some pink. Often ordered by those who prefer medium rare and don't mind rare but worry about overcooking towards medium.
Medium Rare - The steak will have a fully red, warm center. Unless specified otherwise, upscale steakhouses will generally cook to at least this level.
Medium - The middle of the steak is hot and red with pink surrounding the center. The outside is gray-brown.
Medium Well - The meat is light pink surrounding the center.
Well Done - The meat is gray-brown throughout and slightly charred.