No one knows exactly how marble, soft boneless shortloin steak has become known as a New York strip. But I agree that nomenclature wasn't at least controversial until last Friday when Texas Lt. Colonel Dan Patrick proposed a new name, the Texas Strip.
Noting that Texas is leading the country to the head of the cows, Patrick announced in X's post that he is working with state senators on a resolution to officially rebrand Cut.
Patrick revealed in his post that he wanted the Texas-centric name to boost cattle ranchers in his state. At the same time, the way he framed this issue carried more than the whims of red meat politics.
“Liberal New York should not gain the credibility of our hardworking ranchers,” he wrote.
New York meatpackers and steakhouses appear to be hampered by following the Texas lead.
“Oh my god, that's so ridiculous,” said Harry Shinanaji, president of Ben & Jack's Steakhouse on East 44th Avenue. “Even if they change it, I'll leave it as a New York strip.”
The exact origin of the term is vague, but it is often associated with that of Delmonico, founded in 1827 and considered the first restaurant in the United States. The cut, known as the Delmonico Steak, may have once referred to strip steak, but it is used on the current menu to mean ribeye. Either way, Cut got caught up in the city.
“I don't think there's any room for politics for this,” said Dennis Trusinovich, owner and managing partner of Delmonico's hospitality group. “It's the history of American cuisine.”
Patrick is not the first politician to attempt to rebrand popular groceries. Before the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the House of Representatives cafeteria began to protest against its opposition to the French attacks by selling “Freedom Fries.” Anti-German sentiment during World War I led to the “free cabbage” of sauerkraut. Neither name lasted longer than political moments.
The term strip in New York is so well established that it is engraved in The Meat Buyer's Guide, a long-standing industry bible issued by the Meat Institute, a Washington-based trade group. The book lists “romo, strip loin (New York), desheude” as synonyms for boneless strip loin.
“When restaurants call you over the phone and say, 'Give me one New York strip,' they know that it means boneless strip loin,” said Mark Solas, vice president of Master Farbees, a Bronx wholesaler.
“The Texans will probably change it to the Texas Strip, but I don't think New York will change,” Solas said. “I don't think this will cross the border.”
Mark and Greg Shelley, who own the city's longest-running steakhouse, are extremely proud of the cut, calling it “Sherry Brothers 16 oz.” “New York Prime Sirloin” is on the menu.
“I think the lieutenant governor is looking for some PR, but the steaks in New York are New York steaks,” Greg Shelley said.
Growing up in Montenegro while Yugoslavia was still under communist rule, Shinanaji recalls his mother's story about a village man who went to prison for criticizing the government after complaining that the bread he bought was old. If you put a partisan spin on the steak's name, he rubs it the wrong way, he said.
“In my personal opinion, calling it free or conservative is ridiculous,” he said. “People's stomachs have nothing to do with politics.”
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