The Dallas Filet: What $3.67 an Ounce Actually Buys
The Dallas Filet is $21.99 for 6oz and $24.99 for 8oz — $3.67 and $3.12 per ounce respectively, the two most expensive figures on the steak page.
That is more per ounce than the 23oz Porterhouse, which is the most expensive single item on the menu. Understanding why explains whether it is the right order for you.
What you are paying for
Filet comes from the tenderloin, a muscle that does almost no work and sits protected along the spine. Muscles that work develop connective tissue and toughness; this one does not.
It is also small. There is very little tenderloin per animal relative to the rib or loin sections, so scarcity compounds the texture premium.
The result is the most tender beef available, at roughly 45 calories per ounce — lean, because the same lack of work means very little marbling.
What you are not paying for
Flavour intensity. Marbling carries flavour, and filet has little of it. Compared side by side with a ribeye, most people find the filet milder — which is exactly why it is the cut most often served with a sauce.
This is the honest disappointment people run into. Ordering the most expensive steak expecting the most flavourful one, and finding it subtle, is a common experience and not a sign that anything went wrong.
On the menu, Filet Medallions at $21.99 offer the same cut as three medallions with peppercorn or portobello sauce over rice — a format that acknowledges filet wants accompaniment.
The mistake that wastes it
Ordering it well done. Filet is lean, so past medium it loses moisture with nothing to compensate, and the tenderness you paid a premium for is the first thing to go.
If you do not eat steak pink, the filet is close to the worst value order on the menu — you are paying $3.67 per ounce for a property you then cook away. A ribeye at $1.92 will give you a better plate.
Ordered medium rare, it does what it is supposed to and the premium makes sense.
- 6oz — $21.99, 270 cal, $3.67/oz
- 8oz — $24.99, 360 cal, $3.12/oz
- Most tender cut on the menu
- Leanest per ounce alongside sirloin
- Never order it past medium
Frequently asked
Is the filet worth the money?
If tenderness is what you want and you order it medium rare, yes. If you want the most flavour per dollar, the ribeye or a large sirloin beats it comfortably.
What is the difference between the Dallas Filet and Filet Medallions?
Same cut. The Dallas Filet is a single steak; Filet Medallions are three smaller pieces totalling 9oz with a sauce over rice, at $21.99.
Why is filet lower in calories than ribeye?
Almost no marbling. It is around 45 calories per ounce against roughly 80 for ribeye.
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