Does picking your knife make a steak taste better?

Barclay Prime was a conversation-starter at its 2004 opening on Rittenhouse Square. There was the hushed, library-like vibe, defying many people’s visions of the traditional, boisterous steakhouse. There was the $100 cheesesteak, topped with black truffle, foie gras, and lobster (and devised by a chef from Utah who had never tried a Philly cheesesteak before).

And there was the wooden knife box. Order a steak, and your waiter proffered five knives — a variety of high-end cutlery from bladesmiths around the world — to slice it.

Two decades later, the plush surroundings are the same and the $100 sandwich is now $140. The tableside knife show — which fell by the wayside in 2020, when the restaurant was idled by the pandemic — has recently returned.

Regulars “consistently told us how much they missed it,” said Todd Rogers, Starr Restaurants’ director of restaurants. The knife program was “something small but memorable that added a thoughtful and personal touch.” In the interim, staff sent steaks to the table with any number of fine knives, perhaps a Chroma Type 301, designed by F.A. Porsche, or a Saladini, an Italian knife with its curved handle.

After deciding to bring back the presentation, Starr executives sat down recently to curate a new knife box. Rogers said the idea was to balance craftsmanship, performance, and global perspective. “Each knife was chosen to reflect a different approach to blade-making — some rooted in centuries-old traditions, utilizing techniques once reserved for crafting samurai swords, and others embracing modern innovation with award-winning design and advanced materials,” he said.

Here’s the lineup:

Crafted in Seki, Japan, it’s made of SG2 micro carbide powder steel, a high-carbon stainless steel known as Super Gold 2. The core is encased in a hammered Damascus stainless steel and undergoes a Cryodur ice-hardening process. The blade is hand-honed to a 9- to 12-degree angle and finished with a Micarta D-shaped handle. It was created using the Honbazuke process — a three-step method involving whetstones and leather polishing that has been used for more than 1,000 years.

The Yangjiang, China, maker forges this knife from Swedish 14C28N steel. It won the Red Dot Design Award in 2016.

It’s an American-made knife crafted from BD1N Nitrogen stainless steel, and its blade is strengthened by high levels of carbon and chromium. It features an oversized handle, and its distinctive second point design helps prevent the blade from touching the plate, keeping it sharper for longer.

A Chinese knife forged from 67 layers of Damascus stainless, it features a Japanese AUS10 steel core and a hammered finish blade, and the handle combines stabilized resin with stabilized birch burl wood.

This French-made knife is crafted from 12c27-MOD Sandvik stainless steel sourced from Sweden. The blade is cut from a single strip of steel and heat-treated to strengthen its internal structure. Its laminated birchwood handle gives it a rustic vibe.

Also available, but not part of the knife box, is a Town Cutler Carbon Pommel, an American-made piece that features a stonewash-finished blade and a black burlap Micarta handle.

Ultimately, the main differences are the handle and the feel. If it cuts, it cuts. According to a sign posted in Barclay Prime’s waiter station, the knives undergo a regular sharpening schedule: the Nexus on Sunday, the Miyabi Mizu on Monday, the Maankitchen on Tuesday, the Opinel and Town Cutler on Wednesday, and the Cangshan on Thursday.

Asked to choose a favorite, Rogers opted for the Mannkitchen, “as it pairs beautifully with our recent additions of bone-in filet and New York strip steaks.”