[central_va]

The reason why your steak and beef dishes just never really seem to taste as good as restaurant beef is because the "professionals" have access to the best meats ( US Prime) and the public always gets second best.

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U.S. Prime

This is the highest grade of beef with the most fat marbling. This meat is very tender and only accounts for about 2.9 percent of all graded beef. U.S. Prime is usually reserved for high-end dining establishments. Because this grade of beef has such a high level of fat marbling, it is excellent for dry-heat cooking methods. These include roasting, grilling, frying, broiling, and baking.

[PrincessB]

I can get prime at a local grocery store. I have a bimonthly splurge on a strip or ribeye. It is completely different beef than what I buy elsewhere.