All About Filet Mignon - National Filet Mignon Day
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All About Filet Mignon – National Filet Mignon Day

Celebrate with Christner's this August 13th
Read Time: 2 minutes
Aug 13, 2022

Filet mignon is a particularly tender and delicate cut of steak that is taken from the tenderloin. August 13th is National Filet Mignon Day, so it’s the perfect time to not only order a filet mignon from your favorite steakhouse but to learn more about this delicious dish.

What Does Filet Mignon Mean?

The name filet mignon is French. Filet comes from the French word for a strip or thread and is now used in English to refer to steak. Mignon is the French for cute, pretty, or small. The words came together to mean a small cut of tender steak.

What Kind of Meat Is Filet Mignon?

If you live in North America, filet mignon is a cut of beef tenderloin. However, filet mignon outside of this region is typically a slice of pork tenderloin instead. What we in the United States know as filet mignon is called by varying names elsewhere, for example:

  • Eye fillet (Australia and New Zealand)
  • Fillet steak (Ireland, the UK, and South Africa)
  • Filet de bœuf (France)

If you enjoy filet mignon and wish to order the same thing while traveling, it’s important to know what to expect.

Where Does the Filet Mignon Cut Come From?

Filet mignon is a tenderloin cut, which means that it comes from the psoas major muscle, which is located next to the backbone inside of the ribs. It’s so tender because this muscle doesn’t bear the cow’s weight and therefore never develops the toughness that comes from exercise.

Other cuts of steak also come from this muscle as well, including T-bone steaks, Porterhouse, and Chateaubriand. T-bone and Porterhouse actually include the filet mignon cut within the steak. Filet mignon in particular comes from the center of the psoas major muscle.

What Kind of Filet Mignon Does Christner’s Serve?

Christner’s is proud to serve only the best: USDA Prime Filet Mignon.

How Should You Order Filet Mignon?

a cut of filet mignon on a plate shown from above

Filet mignon is known to be a very tender cut of meat. For this reason, it’s typically recommended to order it either rare or medium rare. Cooking filet mignon for longer could cause it to lose that famous tenderness.

What Should You Pair With Filet Mignon?

When you order a filet mignon steak, you can enhance your meal with an salad or a side dish.

Salads With Filet Mignon

Salads that go well with filet mignon include:

  • Classic Caesar salad
  • Blue cheese lettuce wedge salad
  • Dinner salad

Side Dishes With Filet Mignon

Some side dish options that pair well with filet mignon include the following:

  • Potatoes au gratin
  • Chateau potatoes
  • Baked potato
  • Fresh vegetables
  • Asparagus
  • Sauteed mushrooms
  • Osage spinach

National Filet Mignon Day

National Filet Mignon Day is August 13th. What better way to celebrate than by ordering a delicious cut of filet mignon at your favorite steak house and pairing it with fresh vegetables or creamy potatoes?

Enjoy Filet Mignon at Christner’s

If you’d like to try our delicious filet mignon, visit our location in Orlando. Our sommelier will be happy to help you pick the perfect wine pairing to go along with your dinner. Make your reservation today.

For informational purposes only.