The Steaklover"s Companion by Frederick J. Simon, executive vice president of Omaha Steaks, the mail order meat company, serves up information as plain and unadorned as a slab of meat in a steakhouse. There"s some history in the introduction written by Merle Ellis, a.k.a. "The Butcher," a food personality who focuses on meat. He also explains where steaks come from on the steer and how the various cuts differ. The meat of the book consists of 170 recipes, many contributed by chefs. These tend to be kind of gussied up for steak, including dishes like Thyme and Fennel-Rolled Strip Steaks with Pickled Okra and Creamy Coleslaw. Better bets are the regional and international steak dishes such as Philadelphia Cheesesteak Sandwiches and Japanese Beef Teriyaki