‘Send It Back To The Cabinet’: Woman Picks Steak From Behind Glass At Texas Roadhouse, Asks For Medium-Rare. Then She Cuts Into It

Ordering steak at a mid-range restaurant can be a gamble. You specify the kind of cook you want (from rare to well done), cross your fingers, and hope for the best.

But your food may not turn out quite as expected. For this woman, that wasn’t a problem, but commenters were up in arms over it.

Was This Steak Medium-Rare?

In a viral video with more than 741,000 views, Monique (@themoniqueelyousfi) documents her Texas Roadhouse dinner experience, where she hand-selected her own steak from the restaurant’s display case.

“We’re in the Texas Roadhouse for dinner tonight, and I ordered a 18-ounce rib eye from the cabinet,” she says.

She explains that at Texas Roadhouse, customers can pick out their own steak before it’s cooked. She ordered hers medium rare and was eager to see if the kitchen delivered.

“Let’s see how they did. Hopefully, they got it right,” she says.

When her 18-ounce ribeye arrives, Monique grabs her knife, noting it’s not as good as her steak knife at home. The moment of truth arrives as she slices into the thick cut.

“Take a look. What do we think? Is that a perfect medium rare?” she asks, revealing a beautifully pink center.

However, the steak appears to be rare rather than medium-rare. The center is clearly a cool-to-warm red, not the warm red with slight browning that characterizes medium-rare.

“I think they did absolutely amazing.”

Before taking a bite, she reaches for additional seasoning.

“I will say that I do need a little bit of extra salt.”

“That’s a good piece of steak. Perfectly medium rare. Oh my gosh. That is absolutely delicious. 10 out of 10,” she rates it.

Steak Doneness Guide

According to Omaha Steaks, steak doneness directly affects texture, flavor, and juiciness. Here’s what each temperature level delivers:

• Rare (120°F): Cool-to-warm red center with soft, tender texture. Excellent for leaner cuts like top sirloin or filet mignon.
• Medium-Rare (130°F): Warm red center with perfect texture and nice brown crust. The fat renders and adds buttery, rich flavors—this is the ideal doneness for a juicy, flavorful steak.
• Medium (140°F): Hot pink center with slightly firmer texture. A longer cook time makes the steak slightly drier with a less tender bite.
• Medium-Well (150°F): Mostly brown center with firm texture. Significantly drier as water evaporates during cooking.
• Well Done (160°F+): No color left, very firm, and much drier. The meat loses fat and moisture, resulting in a tough texture.

Omaha Steaks recommends medium-rare for most steaks, noting that this temperature allows the marbling to render properly while maintaining optimal juiciness.

How To Cook The Perfect Steak

Tasting Table breaks down the best and worst cooking methods for steak.

Best Methods:

• Reverse-Sear: Start in a moderate oven, and finish with a hot sear. Minimizes the gray “gradient” and gives a superior crust with better doneness control.
• Sous Vide: Cook in a water bath at a precise temperature, then sear. Delivers perfect edge-to-edge doneness with almost no gradient.
• Grilling: Use the two-zone method with one hot side and one cool side. Start on a cool side, and finish with a high-heat sear for even cooking and rendered fat.
• Cast-Iron Skillet: Retains heat well for top-quality sear. Flip frequently and baste with butter for memorable results.
  Broiling: Delivers intense overhead heat for great edge-to-edge crust, especially good for that crispy fat rim.

Methods to Avoid:

• Nonstick Pan: Can’t handle the high heat needed for a proper sear, and aluminum doesn’t retain heat well enough.
• Grill Pan: Only sears a small portion of the surface on ridges, resulting in poor overall browning and a large gradient.
• Roasting: Difficult to control doneness, creates larger gradient with more gray meat.

Umbria North End adds that pan-searing provides excellent temperature control and allows for complementary flavors like butter, garlic, and herbs. Reverse-searing is particularly effective for thick cuts, delivering uniform doneness from edge to edge with a crispy exterior.

Commenters React

“Nooo that’s definitely rare,” a top comment read.

“Was I the only one that heard that moo?” a person said.

“‘Get some of those juices’ No, ma’am…that is blood,” another wrote.

BroBible reached out to Monique for comment via email and Instagram direct message and to Texas Roadhouse via email.