Surf And Turf: America's 25 Best

Founded in 1947 by Angeline Cortese and her sons, this Binghamton mainstay is renowned for its surf and turf, which encompasses an entire section of its menu. Their flagship surf and turf is a petite filet mignon with lobster tail, but you can also mix it up and get any combination of scallops, haddock, salmon, fried shrimp, shrimp scampi, lobster tail, prime rib, rib steak, filet mignon, or even veal piccata. 

This clubby and old-school Key West steakhouse specializes in seafood and prime, char-broiled steaks, so if you're looking for surf and turf you've come to the right place. Their variation pairs a 10-ounce filet with a fresh 8-ounce Florida lobster tail. 

An Arkansas gem, Riverfront may not look like much (it's tucked in next to a Benihana inside a hotel), but don't be fooled: The steaks here are USDA prime and darn good (they're heavily salted and peppered, seared in an infrared broiler, basted in butter, then placed back in the broiler to crisp up the crust). Their surf and turf is a six-ounce filet served with a six-ounce lobster tail, roasted and served with ample butter.

In a town known for great steak, Jess & Jim's stands apart from the pack, and did so even before Calvin Trillin put it on the map in 1972, when he named it one of the country's best steakhouses in Playboy. Family owned and operated since 1938, this no-frills, casual steakhouse is no pomp, and all steak. The beef is from Wichita-based Sterling Silver, and is hand-cut daily. Want to partner it with some seafood? You can add on a six-ounce lobster tail, fried shrimp, or shrimp scampi. 

When you order your filet, sirloin, or rib-eye at The Drover, they soak it in a marinade made with whiskey and a handful of secret ingredients for 15 minutes before it hits the ripping hot grill, adding a whole lot of flavor. The Drover has been "whiskey-soaking" steaks for more than 40 years, and it's one of the great old-school Omaha steakhouses. Order the surf and turf called simply "Steak & Lobster" on the menu, perfectly in character for this rugged spot, and your steak will come with a lobster tail and a ramekin of melted butter. Crab legs are also available instead of lobster. 

Bern's is renowned for its huge menu (seven different cuts, in a total of 51 different sizes) and 7,000-item wine list, but even one of the longest steakhouse menus in America still has its share of daily specials. There's a nightly surf and turf option that changes according to what's fresh and available, ranging from one that includes a bacon flan-topped steak (pictured) to char-grilled filet and roasted spiny lobster with butternut squash pave and anchovy hollandaise.

Setting foot into St. Elmo is like stepping back in time, to 1902 to be exact. The saloon-style décor hasn't changed save for a '90s-era expansion, and neither has the menu: there's a wide selection of wet-aged steaks and chops, a classic shrimp cocktail with sinus-clearing cocktail sauce and saltines, a wedge salad, a loaded baked potato, and of course a prime specimen of classic surf and turf, a filet and a perfectly cooked lobster tail that's a wonderful throwback, especially when joined by that baked potato. 

Paul Bartolotta is a renowned restaurateur, best known for his 21-year-old Bartolotta Ristorante on the Milwaukee outskirts, but he's proven that he's mastered the art of steak with his nearby Mr. B's. At this classic Italian steakhouse, the steaks are aged for up to 35 days, and are flown in fresh from Nebraska or Colorado. The surf and turf here is a South African lobster tail served alongside an 8-ounce filet, but you can also order a six-ounce filet topped with scallops, shrimp scampi, salmon, or crab cakes.

Chef Jeremiah Bacon, who's spent time in kitchens including those of New York's Le Bernardin and Per Se, might have a porky last name, but beef is the star of the show at his Charleston steakhouse. The dry-aged certified Angus steaks come sizzling on a hot platter. If you're looking to add some turf to your surf, you can opt for jumbo lump crab cake, lump crab Oscar, scallops Oscar, grilled shrimp, an eight-ounce lobster tail, or (if you ask nicely) a half fried lobster. 

A zig-zagging white and black floor and ample Art Deco touches greet you upon entering Osso, and this Nob Hill newcomer takes its steaks very seriously. How seriously? Steaks are "dry-aged four to six weeks in a large, specialized facility that provides a sanitized and closely monitored environment; the temperature must be maintained at 33-34 degrees F, the humidity must be precisely 82 percent, and there must also be a constant air flow of fifteen feet per second around the open meat at all times, all of which takes place under the watchful eye of a highly-skilled butcher." They don't mess around with their surf and turf either; Dungeness crab comes straight from Fisherman's Wharf, and any steak can be supplemented by either a half or whole crab. 

A New York institution since 1926 (even though the original location unceremoniously shuttered last year), today The Palm has 26 locations across the country. If you have a hankering for surf and turf in your city, check to see if there's a Palm, as it's a signature item of this old-school chain. All their beef is Prime and aged for a minimum of 35 days, and available steaks include filet, New York strip (from 14 to 24 ounces), and ribeye, and you can add a half broiled Nova Scotia lobster to any of them.

Part of TV star and famously good cook Tom Colicchio's ever-growing Craft empire, the clubby steakhouse centers its menu around eight different steaks, mostly dry-aged Angus, variously grilled or roasted, and also offers a wide choice of both domestic and Japanese Wagyu (an eight-ounce Japanese A5 Wagyu New York strip will set you back $260). Order their surf and turf and you'll get a six-ounce filet from RR Ranch and sea scallops or a whole roasted lobster. Pro tip: you want the lobster. 

Browse the menu at this super-popular Miami steakhouse (which also has a Cleveland location) and you won't see any surf and turf, but chef Peter Vauthy has an off-menu item waiting in the wings that will knock your socks off. It starts with a 28-day dry-aged prime tomahawk ribeye that's broiled and brushed with the restaurant's signature "steak oil" (herbs, chiles, garlic, and olive oil); as for the lobster, that's a 16-ounce Maine lobster tail (yes, 16 whole ounces) that's placed atop its shell and topped with fresh red Alaskan king crab that's been tossed with a mixture of Dijon mustard, mayo, chipped chile, and herbs and broiled until golden brown and delicious. The whole platter will set you back a hefty chunk of change, but there's nothing else like this dish on earth.