You should be able to get a reasonable steak stovetop using a cast iron grill pan, if you have a strong enough exhaust. Oil the cast iron pan (with canola or such), then heat it very hot, until it starts to smoke. Make sure the meat is completely dry on the outside (wipe with a paper towel, water will prevent browning) and gently place in the pan. Leave it there for a minute or two (it'll smoke quite a bit!), rotate 90° to get the nice grill marks. Leave for another minute or two. Flip, and repeat for the other side.
It may splatter, have a splatter screen handy. It will smoke, quite a bit, make sure the exhaust is on high.
You will probably have a medium-rare steak now. Using a thinner cut will make it more well done (you can cut a thick steak in half with your chef's knife, making two thin steaks); so will plopping it in the oven (not sure if you want the oven before or after searing, I like 'em medium rare...).
Remember to let the meat rest for 5 minutes or so before serving.
Also, if your steaks are coming out ridiculously tough, you're probably using the wrong cut of meat, or some terrible grade. What cut are you using?
[edit: I should note that, in case it wasn't obvious, the burner should be up pretty high]
Edit by rumtscho There is a reason this answer specifies a cast iron pan. If you are limited in your cookware choice, pay attention to the maximum temperature your pan can tolerate. If you are using a non-stick pan, you have to go on medium heat and wait longer, else you'll damage the pan. (And sorry, but you can't get it as tasty as on high heat that way).
Even if you just pull them out for about 30 minutes once you get home that will be better than not letting sit out at all. The main benefit is that it will cook easier and you'll have a natural gradation from brown to pink on the inside rather than the gray color that often occurs. I myself don't typically pull meat out an hour before cooking it.
But
As long as they haven't previously been sitting out for an extended period of time, most likely you'll be ok for 1 1/2 hours since the steaks will be cold when set out. Make sure that they remain tightly wrapped/covered to minimize exposure to air.
Best Answer
This will come across as sacrilege to some: One way would be to brine the meat in the fridge for half to one day before cooking. You probably need to experiment a bit with brine concentration, say somewhere between 0.25% and 1% weight of salt to weight of water water. Weigh the meat, use the same weight of water, add the salt. Wash and dry the meat afterwards before cooking.
Salt intake might be something to watch out for though.
Alternatively, sous vide the steak at your desired temperature. If you need to be careful about food safety, sear the meat on all sides for 30 seconds before bagging it for sous vide.