What is with the Beef in Santo Domingo?

DRNED

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3 attempts and still unable to enjoy a steak. Tried a place on Churchill, the Steak place up from the Melecon Centre on the Malecon itself, and another place somewhere beside a hospital in the centre of town (we were lost and stumbling around trying to find ourselves so who knows where we were) and my oh my, they are pretty damn nasty lumps of meat.
Can we get a good steak anywhere in Santo Domingo?
 
Sep 22, 2009
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davey crockett is a good steak? c'mon!

Everything is relative Adrian. Everything. It's not David Burke Townhouse, but the OP asked for the better steak in SD, did he not? You didn't even offer one up now, did you?

Tisk Tisk.

I think DC is not bad at all for the price.
 

DRNED

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So which one is DC?
Like the numbers on doors here, it is quite difficult to know where you are sometimes.
 

jaguarbob

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3 attempts and still unable to enjoy a steak. Tried a place on Churchill, the Steak place up from the Melecon Centre on the Malecon itself, and another place somewhere beside a hospital in the centre of town (we were lost and stumbling around trying to find ourselves so who knows where we were) and my oh my, they are pretty damn nasty lumps of meat.
Can we get a good steak anywhere in Santo Domingo?

Chef pepper
Gustavo Mejia Ricart 62
Av Gustavo Mejia Ricart, Naco, Santo Domingo, Santo Domingo
(809) 565-4068


Don Nestor
Direcci?n:
Lope de Vega No. 13 Plaza Progreso Business Center
Telefono:
809-412-1386
 

zoomzx11

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Jan 21, 2006
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you wont find one

In this hot island climate the quality of the grass is poor and the beef are what is called utility grade. The only good steak you will find here will be imported beef. In the US the best beef comes from Nebraska and a few other cold climate states. Florida has the same circumstance as the DR - its beef production is very poor for a high quality steak. Even to make hamburger beef they have to add fat to the meat to give it some flavor. The DR has lots but good steaks are not on the list. Try Buenos Aires next time if you really like beef.
 

Adrian Bye

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Jul 7, 2002
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i'd go with chef pepper. its not a high end place, but the quality is good and consistent. porterhouse used to be great but its gone downhill. davey crockett isn't worth mentioning in my opinion, the place is old and tired and coasting on some reputation they seem to have established 20 years ago
 

DavidZ

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Aug 29, 2005
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Davey Crockett is on Gustavo Mejia Reichert, near Tiradentes.

I would choose Porterhouse over David Crockett's anyday. Chef Pepper is probably the best deal in town for US Angus steaks. I went to a place on Enrique Urena (I think) off Tiradentes right in the middle of the road where it splits heading towards Maximo Gomez. I believe the place is called Don Antonio? It was on par with DC, maybe even Porterhouse, a little cheaper, much less pretentious...its an Argentinian place.

If you want a good Angus steak on the Malecon, try Vesuvio (not really that expensive especially considering the atmosphere and service and comparing to DC or PH) next to the Hilton...speaking of which, there's a Tony Roma's in the Hilton...haven't had a steak there but the baby backs and hamburgers taste exactly like the US versions, I assume the steak would too...

Bottom line, just look for, or ask for a place that sells US Angus and you've got a pretty good shot at a good steak...anything else, IMO is just not worth it, the beef here is just not what most of us think of as great for steaks...or burgers for that matter.
 

pyratt

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Jan 14, 2007
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Florida BEEF hahaha...they were fed orange peels too back when Florida was a major producer of oranges and juice.

It's been a while but I had good churrasco at a steak house in the Colonial Zone. It was on Hostos, a block or so south of Conde....Chateau Briand (sp) was good too....dinner for two was "a Benjamin", but I admit to having a few cocktails included in that.
 

Adrian Bye

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If you want a good Angus steak on the Malecon, try Vesuvio (not really that expensive especially considering the atmosphere and service and comparing to DC or PH) next to the Hilton...speaking of which, there's a Tony Roma's in the Hilton...haven't had a steak there but the baby backs and hamburgers taste exactly like the US versions, I assume the steak would too..

hmm i never had a steak in vesuvio, i will try that out, thanks for the tip. i've had the steaks in tony romas and they don't compare to porterhouse, etc at all.
 

cobraboy

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Disagree on the Florida beef (of course, I'm a FL boy...;)).

A good friend raises beef that is consistently graded US Prime and it's as fine as any beef I have ever had. 'Course he does the whole corn fed thing and it ain't cheap. We've had conversations about importing it to the DR but I'm not sure of the demand. I'd have to bring it in by the 20' refridgerated container and set up storage. But I could bring in prime filet, ribeye/rib roasts, strips, porterhouse/T-Bones, flank/Skirt (Churrasco) and other cuts.

Bern's Steak House in Tampa raises their own beef in FL and it's been cosmic for many years. Check out their menu: Bern's Steak House

One "problem" I have with Dominican beef is how it's slaughtered. I go into a supermarket, look at the beef, and have no clue where it came from. PLUS much Dominican beef is "free range", so whatever the animal ate-weeds, crap grasses and certainly no high carbo grains-is what flavors (fat) the meat. I've had beef that wouldn't even make a good baseball glove it's so tough and tasteless....
 
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bienamor

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Steak House at the fair grounds on the Malecon. just before Nunez de Carceras. Clear at the back. Angus beef
 

bienamor

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Disagree on the Florida beef (of course, I'm a FL boy...;)).

A good friend raises beef that is consistently graded US Prime and it's as fine as any beef I have ever had. 'Course he does the whole corn fed thing and it ain't cheap. We've had conversations about importing it to the DR but I'm not sure of the demand. I'd have to bring it in by the 20' refridgerated container and set up storage. But I could bring in prime filet, ribeye/rib roasts, strips, porterhouse/T-Bones, flank/Skirt (Churrasco) and other cuts.

Bern's Steak House in Tampa raises their own beef in FL and it's been cosmic for many years. Check out their menu: Bern's Steak House

As far as what it is or part of I cant tell most of the chicken or chivo either. let alone beef.

Being a Kansas boy and a long way from home, I quit looking for steak here except for a very few, and went to Pincho's from Don Pincho they are not bad but a good steak hard to find.

One "problem" I have with Dominican beef is how it's slaughtered. I go into a supermarket, look at the beef, and have no clue where it came from. PLUS much Dominican beef is "free range", so whatever the animal ate-weeds, crap grasses and certainly no high carbo grains-is what flavors (fat) the meat. I've had beef that wouldn't even make a good baseball glove it's so tough and tasteless....

cobra there is noway you can disagree on the florida beef, I mean its great if your in need of a hammer. I never found good beef there in 6 years, that covers from St Pete to Orlando and Sarasota up to gainsville. and they were fed orange peels, then there were the free range stuff at the preserves. More like jackrabbits than beef.

Berns thats a different deal, them and their Kobe beef methods. you won't buy that at Publics.
 

cobraboy

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cobra there is noway you can disagree on the florida beef, I mean its great if your in need of a hammer. I never found good beef there in 6 years, that covers from St Pete to Orlando and Sarasota up to gainsville. and they were fed orange peels, then there were the free range stuff at the preserves. More like jackrabbits than beef.

Berns thats a different deal, them and their Kobe beef methods. you won't buy that at Publics.
Publix is a big supermarket chain. There are many other places to find really good beef.

There are fine cattle ranches in FL that raise excellent beef stock. The problem is corn and other grains do not grow well there...like they don't grow well in the DR...and it is more expensive to be brought in.
 

bienamor

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Publix is a big supermarket chain. There are many other places to find really good beef.

There are fine cattle ranches in FL that raise excellent beef stock. The problem is corn and other grains do not grow well there...like they don't grow well in the DR...and it is more expensive to be brought in.

was referencing the Bern's steak house, they do import the grain.and you wont find it in Publix. and agree with the beef stock but if you want good florida beef you have to buy it after its been feed out in Nebraska or Kansas.

Even when I bought beef by the Half in Lakeland/Plantcity. it did not compare to back home.

Same problem here its mostly free range. and the Grass here don't have much in it. You can grow good beef on good grass but it takes longer. and it will be more lean. Brahma is good stock here due to the heat, but they need to cross with something to be good eating.

Lots of good ranches in florida, they are in the top 5 beef producing states. but most are shipped for finishing.
 

bob saunders

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Interesting that corn, a tropical grass doesn't grow well in the DR. I believe that sweet corn will grow well in the DR. Best beef I've ate was fed organic dry oats for six weeks before butchering.
 

cobraboy

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Interesting that corn, a tropical grass doesn't grow well in the DR. I believe that sweet corn will grow well in the DR. Best beef I've ate was fed organic dry oats for six weeks before butchering.
I thought it had more to do with too much moisture and not the temperature.
 

cobraboy

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I believe another issue is that the beef here is not aged which causes it to be very tough.
This is correct. I often wonder why meat isn't aged and many veggies and fruit is picked well before it's ripe. Perhaps the need for money NOW? Waiting has a cost...

windeguy said:
I have seen other suggestions to "age the beef in a tea cloth" for a week at the bottom of your refrigerator to remove that shoe leather consistency. I had to find out that a tea cloth was equivalent to a dish towel but I have not tried the technique.
I mask some fresh papaya and encase meat in it in a freezer bag in the back/bottom of the fridge for 10+/- days. Makes a noticable difference.

But mainly I buy imported beef except for carne molida...then I buy the 80/20%. Domestic pollo and cerdo are fine. I just wish domestic baby back ribs were more common.