A great steakhouse steak is not about the steak. It is about three things working together: a hot, heavy pan, an unhurried sear, and a quiet rest before slicing. Get those right and you can buy a $14 strip from your grocery and beat the $48 plate at the place downtown. We have taught this method to hundreds of new home cooks and it never fails.
Start with a steak that is at least one inch thick and at room temperature. Pat it bone dry with paper towels (moisture is the enemy of a crust) and season aggressively with kosher salt and cracked pepper, then let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes while your cast iron skillet heats over medium-high for a full 7 minutes. The pan should be smoking lightly when you add a tablespoon of neutral oil and lay the steak away from you.
Do not move the steak for three minutes. Trust the pan. Flip once, add a knob of butter, a smashed garlic clove and a sprig of thyme, then tilt the pan and baste the steak with the brown butter for 90 seconds. Pull the steak when an instant-read thermometer reads 125F for a perfect medium rare. Rest 8 minutes (this is non-negotiable), slice against the grain, spoon over the brown butter, and finish with flaky salt. That is the whole game.