Live Fire or Bust: How America's Elite Steakhouses Are Rethinking the Kitchen
Across the country, prestigious steakhouses are making a costly and deliberate pivot away from gas-fired ranges in favor of live charcoal and wood-burning hearths. The decision is neither simple nor inexpensive, yet the chefs and owners driving this shift argue that the rewards — in flavor, identity, and competitive distinction — are impossible to replicate with a gas valve. We examine what is fueling this quiet revolution inside America's most storied dining rooms.