You were served a low quality steak.
I buy my steaks from Goldberg’s on 18 Avanue (you can get nice steaks there for under 10 dollars). First, you need your steak to be at room temperature; I let mine rest at room temperature for 1 hour. I heat up some canola oil in a cast iron pan and let it get very hot. I season my meat liberally with fresh cracked black pepper (don’t add salt before cooking, because the salt will cause the juices to leak out of the meat). When the oil is wisping, add your steak and DO NOT MOVE IT. Let it just sit there and sear on a high flame for 5 minutes. Flip it over with a sturdy pair of tongs. Cook another 5 minutes in this manner. When done, transfer steak to a plate and cover with foil; let it rest for 10 minutes, as this allows the juices to redistribute in the meat.
If you want to make a pan sauce at this point, you can do so. I’d add a minced shallot to the pan drippings, add Earth Balance (vegan butter), some mushrooms, and let this sautee for a few minutes. Deglaze the pan with dry red wine, and let the sauce simmer. Add more Earth Balance to thicken, and top yous teaks with this.
Alternatively, I like to top the steak with some parve garlic herb butter (Earth Balance mixed with minced garlic and chopped parsely and thyme) and with A1 Sauce.
In short, I’d make steak at home, unless you’re spending an arm and a leg at Wolf and Lamb.
I wouldn’t recommend eating meat before a fast, anyways. Not meat, nothing too sweet, or too salty. Bland, simple foods are best before a fast.