The Single Menu Item That Indicates A Steakhouse Has Quality Seafood

There's something luxurious about Saturday night at the steakhouse for scallops and a tomahawk (a challenging cut of steak you're better off enjoying at the restaurant) with someone special. You know you're likely to get a great meal, but what signs should you look for to know the steakhouse is about to serve you seafood that'll hold up to expectations? It might feel right to look to the seafood tower to judge the quality of the ocean creatures on the menu, but we talked to an expert who said that's not the right move. Chip Carter is the producer and host of "Where The Food Comes From," and he explained the seafood tower is more of a showy money-maker than anything.

"At a great steak place, the seafood tower, because it's so simple, is always going to be delicious –- and ridiculously overpriced," Carter said. "A seafood tower's not that hard: Start with quality product, don't get carried away in the prep (think about it –- seafood towers are served cold and are mostly just shellfish that have been steamed and chilled) and put it in front of people in a way that makes them go, 'Wow!'"

If a restaurant messes up the seafood tower, the whole place is likely a lost cause and you should find somewhere else for dinner. But, there's another menu item you can use to tell if the seafood is worth eating at a steakhouse – the lobster. "Look first at lobster – it's the classic surf-and-turf," Carter said. "If they're serious about their steak, and also offer seafood, the lobster is not going to miss."

There's a rule about seafood and steak that's pretty cut and dry. It's a standard that Carter echoed when he said, "Don't order fish at a steakhouse. Don't order steak at a seafood restaurant." Still, lobster is a great seafood choice at a steakhouse, especially if you see where it's been living from your table. The presence of the ocean or a lobster tank in the restaurant is an indicator you've chosen a good spot to eat (here's how to eat lobster like a connoisseur).

"The closer proximity to fishing the greater the likelihood of great seafood at a steak place," Carter said. "Some great steakhouses –- there's a very famous one in Tampa, for instance, always in everyone's top five –- actually keep a live seafood tank and harvest the evening's selections from that, sometimes on-demand. That gets your attention."

Chat with the restaurant staff about their seafood selection to get an idea about the quality as well. They should know the origin of the lobster and have a general understanding of the rest of the seafood on the menu. Restaurants have training programs dedicated to keeping their staff brushed up on important ingredients (like the lobster). So, if an establishment claims to have knock-out seafood, it'll likely be underlined by the staff's in-depth knowledge — not by a flashy tower of shrimp and oysters.