It can even make asparagus appealing.Photographed at Sopranos Italian Kitchen in St. Louis Park, Minnesota.

Steak can speak for itself.The Gotham Rib Steak on the Bone, photographed at the The Old Homestead in New York.

And other times as a fillet.Photographed at the Edge in Denver, Colorado.

Which is sometimes best realized in cubes. Photographed at Taste of Dallas: Day 2 in July 2011.

Each piece of steak has a lot of potential. Owner Louis Backstone and the Baitz family took a risk, banking that the art of butchering is here to stay, when they opened Smitty’s Old Fashioned Butcher Shop in Oakland Park, Florida.

Steak can be good for hangovers. The ultimate guilty pleasure sandwich, this decadence is served by chef Jason Smith in a nod to Philly native and restaurateur Stephen Starr of Steak 954 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Steak can be fancy.Beef Short Ribs: Stella espresso rub, pickled beets from Lecosho in Seattle, Washington.

Every once in a while steak is actually vegan. Mongolian beef from Loving Cult in Phoenix, Arizona.

Sometimes steak is thin. Photographed at the 2011 State Fair of Texas.

Steak can start the day. The steak and eggs at Liluma’s Side Door in St. Louis, Missouri.

Or even a salad.Rachael Ray’s Sliced Steaks with Sweet and Spicy Salad on Top, made by an Eating Our Words blogger in Houston, Texas.

Sometimes steak wishes it were chicken. Chicken fried steak with Kool-Aid from Brooklyn Star in Brooklyn, New York.

New York steak with truffled tater tots and glass of cabernet sauvignon

Steak can go well with fries. Photographed at Morgan’s on the Beach in Miami Beach, Florida.

Sometimes the best thing about a steak is its onion. Filet Mignon with onion ring, cauliflower and potato puree, watercress, caramelized onions and shallot jus from The Hanger Room in Willemie, Minnesota.

Steak can go well with vegetables.A pepper steak photographed at Dal Rae in Los Angeles.

What are you trying to hide there, steak? Pepper-seared steak next to a cheesy potato galette with a mixed green salad covered in a truffle oil vinaigrette from Chow Bella in Phoenix, Arizona.

But other times, steak prefers to leave something to the imagination. Photographed at Market 17 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Steak can keep it real.Photographed at Pittsburgh Blue in Edina, Minnesota.