The Ultimate Guide to Steak Cuts at Tavern On Clark
Tavern On Clark has held the #1 Steakhouse title in Rockford on TripAdvisor for three consecutive years and topped Google's steakhouse rankings in 2017 and 2018. That kind of reputation gets built one plate at a time and it starts with knowing what to order. The steak menu at Tavern On Clark has something for every kind of eater, from the casual diner who wants a satisfying meal to the serious steak lover who wants the full experience. The difference between a great night and a good one often comes down to picking the right cut. This guide makes that decision easy. Browse the full menu before you head in then come back to this guide so you know exactly what you're ordering when you sit down.
Why the Cut Matters
Every steak on the menu comes from a different part of the animal, and each location produces a different eating experience. Muscles that work hard develop deep flavor but firmer texture. Muscles that don't work much stay tender but milder in taste. Every cut decision is a trade-off between those two things and knowing where you fall on that spectrum is how you end up with the right steak on your plate.
Here's every cut available at Tavern On Clark, what makes each one distinct, and who it's right for.
Chopped Sirloin
The most approachable steak on the menu and the right call when you want the steakhouse experience without the steakhouse price tag.
The Chopped Sirloin is 10 oz. of Certified Angus Beef char-grilled and smothered with caramelized onions and sautéed mushrooms. It's the cut that converts people who think they don't love steak the onions and mushrooms bring a richness that ties everything together and makes this one of the most satisfying plates on the menu for what it costs.
Who orders it: first-timers, anyone watching their budget without sacrificing a real meal, or someone who wants a hearty, comfort-driven plate over a fine dining experience.
Tavern Steak
An 8 oz. center-cut Certified Angus Beef sirloin, aged 28 days and char-grilled. Served with a demi-glace sauce.
The aging process is what separates this from a standard sirloin. Twenty-eight days of dry aging concentrates the beef's natural flavors and breaks down the muscle fibers, producing a more tender, more flavorful cut than a fresh sirloin delivers. At $29, it's one of the best value plays on the menu for a diner who wants a proper steak without committing to the premium cuts.
Who orders it: the diner who knows what they want, appreciates the craft behind aged beef, and doesn't need the biggest cut on the menu to leave satisfied.
Filet Mignon
Seven ounces, char-grilled to order, served on a grilled portabella mushroom in a demi-glace sauce with roasted parmesan potatoes.
The filet comes from the tenderloin the least-worked muscle on the animal, which makes it the most tender cut on any steakhouse menu. It cuts like butter. The trade-off is intensity: the tenderloin doesn't develop the bold beefy flavor that more active muscles produce. What you get instead is a clean, refined, elegant plate where texture is the story.
The portabella mushroom base and demi-glace at Tavern On Clark add the savory depth that lets the filet's delicacy shine without feeling underwhelming.
Who orders it: someone who puts texture first, a first-time steak diner, or anyone who wants a sophisticated plate that isn't about richness and weight.
Best cooked: medium-rare to medium. Cooking past medium on a filet starts to work against the tenderness that makes it worth ordering.
New York Strip
Fourteen ounces of Certified Angus Beef, off-the-bone and over the top.
The strip comes from the short loin a moderately worked muscle that produces a steak with real character. More flavor than the filet, leaner than the ribeye, with a satisfying chew and a clean, beefy finish. The fat cap along the edge adds flavor during the cook without the full richness of a well-marbled ribeye.
At 14 oz., it's a substantial cut that serious steak eaters gravitate toward when they want a full meal with clear, defined beef flavor and none of the heaviness of the ribeye.
Who orders it: experienced steak diners who know exactly what they want and come back to it every time.
Best cooked: medium-rare. The strip holds up well across a range of temperatures but delivers its best at medium-rare.
Ribeye
Fourteen ounces, Certified Angus Beef upper 1/3 cut. Well marbled and char-crusted.
The upper 1/3 cut designation matters. It means the ribeye is sourced from the section of the rib with the highest marbling concentration the fat running through the muscle, not just around it. That fat melts during the cook and bastes the meat from the inside, producing the richness and depth of flavor that makes the ribeye the most celebrated steak cut in any serious steakhouse.
The char crust at Tavern On Clark adds texture and contrast a bold outer sear that holds the juices in and creates the kind of crust that stays with you long after the plate is cleared.
Who orders it: the steak lover who wants maximum flavor, someone celebrating something, or anyone who's ever described a steak as the best they've ever had because it was probably a ribeye.
Best cooked: medium-rare. The marbling needs heat to melt properly. Going past medium renders the fat differently and changes the texture the cut is known for.
The Porterhouse
Twenty ounces. Center cut Certified Angus Beef. Served with Lyonnaise potatoes and charred carrots.
The most ordered steak at Tavern On Clark, and for good reason it's the cut that refuses to make you choose. The Porterhouse is positioned from the rear of the short loin, where the tenderloin runs at its widest. That placement puts a full tenderloin section on one side of the T-shaped bone and a complete New York strip on the other.
Two cuts. One bone. One plate. The tenderness of a filet alongside the bold flavor of a strip, with 20 oz. of Certified Angus Beef tying it all together.
The Lyonnaise potatoes and charred carrots that come with it are the right call substantial enough to anchor the meal, simple enough not to compete with the steak.
Who orders it: anyone who wants the full steakhouse experience, a table that's celebrating something real, or the diner who's learned that ordering anything else is a decision they'll second-guess on the drive home.
Best cooked: medium-rare. The Porterhouse is thick medium-rare keeps both sides of the bone juicy and gives the marbling in the strip side room to do its work. Let it rest a few minutes before cutting in.
Make It Your Own — Signature Crusts & Add-Ons
Every steak on the menu can be elevated with a signature crust or addition. Blue Cheese, Blackened, and Peppercorn crusts are each $6. Add a lobster tail for $16, shrimp for $8, crab oscar for $9, mushrooms for $3, or sautéed onion for $3.
The Blue Cheese crust on the ribeye and the Crab Oscar on the filet are both worth knowing about before you sit down.
