Eating meat satisfies our primal need to be at the top of the food chain, while the steakhouse that serves it satisfies our social need to be seen at the best restaurant in town. New and re-born steakhouses are popping up all over the country and don't be surprised if you see your favorite movie or rock star slicing into a thick filet mignon at the table next to you. From Nick & Stef's Steakhouse in L.A. (which has customized meat lockers offering a choice of 12 steaks) bringing in celebrities like David Duchovny to Michael Jordan's Steakhouse in the newly refurbished Grand Central Station, the place to be seen is in a booth of an upscale wood paneled steakhouse.

Eating beef isn't just about taste and style. Recent studies show that as one of the most nutrient-packed foods available, it provides significant amounts of protein, B-vitamins, iron and zinc in their most absorbable forms.

Weigh your choices. A three-ounce serving of beef contributes to less than 10% of calories (in a 2000 calorie diet) yet supplies more than 10% of the Recommended Daily Allowance of protein, iron, zinc, Niacin, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12.

Researchers have found that when part of a low-fat diet, lean red meat can lower your levels of bad cholesterol (LDL). This doesn't mean you can drive-thru your local fast food burger joint for lunch everyday. You should choose butcher cuts of meat with the words "loin" or "round" in their name, i.e. sirloin.

For those of you looking for the best cut of beef, it can't be found in America's Wild West or even on the farms of Argentinian cattle ranchers. The world's best steaks come from Kobe, Japan. These pampered bovines are fed Japanese grain and beer followed by a daily massage, while sake is brushed through their coat. Their meat can cost between $120 to $300 per pound -- but for those prices you get a piece of meat that has a lacing of thinly marbled fat, making it the most tender and richest-flavored steak you'll ever sink your teeth into.