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Let's start at the beginning: the popular strip steak is a tender cut of beef that hails from the short loin of a steer. While the National Cattlemen's Beef Association notes that the dish is known by a variety of quirky names across the U.S.—hotel-style steak! Boneless club steak! Veiny steak!—the most widely recognized is New York strip steak.
In case you didn't know, the iconic Delmonico's Restaurant in NYC is credited with coming up with the moniker. When it first opened in 1827, one of the eatery's signature dishes was a cut from the short loin, dubbed the Delmonico steak. The rest, as they say, is history—although Texas seems keen on rewriting that history.
A few days ago, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick took to social media to announce his plans to file a resolution to officially rename the New York strip as the “Texas strip” within the state.
Just because a New York restaurant named Texas beef a New York Strip in the 19th century doesn’t mean we need to keep doing that," the politician wrote on X. "We’re asking restaurants to change the name of this cut the next time they reprint their menus, and grocery stores to follow suit. We want this to catch on across the country and around the globe. In a world full of serious issues that we tackle every day at the Texas Capitol, this simple resolution will help better market Texas beef. And that’s great for the Texas cattle industry."
As New Yorkers, we have our own thoughts about this (namely: how dare he?) but we figured that reaching out to the source—Dennis Turcinovic, the current owner and managing partner of Delmonico's Hospitality Group—might offer even more juicy commentary.
"Delmonico's pioneered these cuts of steak, which are still found on menus and in butcher shops across the U.S.," Turcinovic said to Time Out New York. "The name pays homage to a culinary tradition that dates back to the 1800s. You can change the name to whatever you want, but there’s a genuine history behind these steaks that we will continue to honor."
It’s clear Turcinovic won’t be hopping on board with Texas’ ambitious rebranding.
As for what makes Delmonico's steak the gold standard in the country, according to the owner—it’s all about tenderness.
"This specific cut offers a rich flavor and an ideal balance of fat and meat," he explains.
As he puts it, every steak used to be a Delmonico steak in its prime.
So (and these are our words), back off Texas: you can't steal the spotlight from our culinary legacy.