Series ‘The little pleasures of life’ – What is your little occasional luxurious home dining habit?

Mine is this:

I am a massive fan of beef. I am particularly partial to the popular Aberdeen Angus, but I also like the Rubia Gallega (Galician beef), the Belted Galloway, the Hereford, the Chianina, the Blonde d’Aquitaine and the Holstein. Nowadays, thanks to E-commerce, everything can be shipped to you from anywhere in the world, therefore there is no need to fly to a specific destination in order to enjoy their beef. Just order them online through reliable sources.  And if you know how to search properly, you also have ranches and butcher’s shops across North America that can supply some of these meats . Anyways, once every 2 or 3 months, since I currently live in North America, I love charcoal grilling a nice  2-inch-thick  dry-aged (the best effect, for me, is when it hits 35 days of Dry aging) 20 oz Bone-in rib eye steak of USDA Prime quality, cooked medium-rare with bold beefy flavor  and a superb glass of red wine.

If a quality beefy steak of that sort is right up your alley, and you happen to live in Montreal, then buy it at a serious butcher instead of ordering it at restaurants because it’s now ridiculously $$$ to eat a proper 20 oz  Bone-in rib eye steak at most restaurants in Montreal (they will actually, for the most part, charge you in between $50 to $70 ….not even for 20 oz..Lol..Nah…but for an 8 to 12 oz steak that is dry aged….absurd, I am telling you!!..)

 

 

And you, what about you? What is your little occasional luxurious home dining habit?

Wagyu Beef – Round 2

My 1st round with Wagyu Beef was during my visit in Japan (the birth place of the Wagyu) in 2014.
Back then, I did embark on a journey dedicated to some of the best Wagyu of Japan, namely the Kobe Beef, Hida, Omi, Sanda and Matsusaka. The journey ended with a visit to one of the better steakhouses of Tokyo, Dons de la Nature (that review can be perused here), and I was not impressed at all as/per the  conclusion of the review of my meal at Dons de la Nature:
“What struck me most was how the praises about its superlative flavor had absolutely nothing to do with what I have enjoyed. If the flavor of meat is going to be almost as subtle as the one of tofu….then I’ll take the tofu! Meat needs to be flavorful no matter how hard you have worked its quality“.

But as the saying goes, ‘Only fools and dead men don’t change their minds’. Therefore, 5 years later, I was ready to give it a second chance as I was … still alive…and not a fool yet …….. ;p

 

I grew up on  some of this globe’s most  stellar beef  and have, since, spent decades of passionate tasting of this world’s better examples of that, consequently I had my share of memorable  pieces of beef, but Wagyu is not one of them. As a beauty, what a beauty! That marbling (of the Japanese A5 Wagyu, particularly),  WOW…what a beauty! But I do not “eat …beauty”, so to speak. I taste …flavours. If Wagyu was the most flavourful meat I ever had (fortunately, for Wagyu, taste is subjective …) , then I would  be at peace with its inflated cost. There are levels to any game, and there are,  indeed, levels  to Wagyu’s game (up to now, it is the only meat “designed”  to have its fat evenly distributed) — I am not stupid enough to deny that — But I am not stupid, enough, neither, to believe that this warrants its rididulous $$$ …

This time, my strategy was different: instead of ordering a 20 oz of Wagyu (the common size of a piece of steak by North American standards), I ordered smaller portions of this luxurious produce. Furthermore, I did not stick to Japanese Wagyu only as I also tried Australian Wagyu as well (Aside from the observation that the Japanese Wagyu tends to have more marbling, both Japanese Vs Australian Wagyu are, of course, not to be compared,  as, they are from different lands, climates, etc. Their grading systems are also different). For the Australian Wagyu, I made sure that I was having fullblood Wagyu (and not the crossbred sort). I also had no interest in any Wagyu-style meat (for eg, Kobe-style beef, etc). At those prices, I need the real stuff (which is why I did insist on having a proof of traceability, such as a copy of the certificate of authenticity,  for every single of  the cuts I purchased), or else, I am not interested.

The meat I tried during this round:
–Blackmore‘s fullblood Australian Wagyu (from Alexandra, Hume region of Victoria in Australia); Grade 7-8 ; cut =  ribeye

-Kobe beef ( from the city of Kobe , Hyōgo Prefecture  in Japan); Breed =  黒毛和種 Japanese Black Pure Breed. Grade A5; cut = tenderloin

MY  VIEWS & NOTES:
Listen, I will skip the usual advertising slogans —i.e., “melt in your mouth tender” or “the rolls-royce of all meats” – as well as the widely repeated characteristics of Wagyu, and convey my most recent appreciation.

Different cuts, different Wagyu, therefore there is no direct comparison to make in between those pieces.
All I am doing here is to tell you what I liked and did not, which is, obviously, purely subjective.

–Blackmore‘s fullblood Australian Wagyu (from Alexandra, Hume region of Victoria in Australia) ; Grade 7-8 ; tasted cut = ribeye
More familiar beefy flavor, as expected from Australian Wagyu, which I prefer. But NOT at those prices (regardless of the fact that it is less expensive than the next item).
The fullblood is hard to find – only 5% of all Wagyu in Australia (95% is crossbred), therefore I had to pay a hefty price for its scarcity.
To people who are looking for more meat than fat or a better balance between fat and meat, it is commonly recommended to stick to Wagyu that is a bit less marbled than the Japanese A5, but I still find it hard to justify its high cost (there are many breeds of beef cattle with meat that tastes as great if not better than Wagyu, across the world, sold at a fraction of what you pay for Wagyu – They just happen to lack of the marketing power of Wagyu). Do not get me wrong: Wagyu  is top quality meat. That is undeniable. My problem is with its high $.

-Kobe beef (from the city of Kobe , Hyōgo Prefecture  in Japan); Breed = Japanese Black Pure Breed. Grade A5; tasted cut = tenderloin.
Less familiar beefy flavor and more of the advertised buttery sensation, as expected. Which the carnivore, in me, does not rail against …anymore …. as much as he  once did (perhaps because I went with smaller portions of  the meat, which is what you should do with meat with such extensive marbling). During this tasting, I got the “foie gras” flavour that some have mentioned, but that I did not …somehow… experienced with the A5 Wagyu tasted in Japan during the previous tasting.  It is called the “champagne” of meats by its advertising crowd. That makes it a luxury. I happen to know how to appreciate luxury, but this one luxury does not do anything for me. Of course I respect the  work and the thoughts that its industry has invested in it, which led to visuals and a texture that would take your breath away … but I am not in love. I am not the kind of person who thinks that food tastes better when  it is free, LOL, but the inflated price of Wagyu seems to be exaggerated as far as I am concerned. It is just not as…SPECIAL…as its $$$ may suggest ………….
That said, if you are curious about Wagyu, then start with the highly marbled Japanese A5 Wagyu (as a reminder: that level of  intense marbling  was the main point of Wagyu, in the first place). Just remember that the Japanese A5 Wagyu is rich, very rich, in taste, obviously (meaning, it is meat that you have to taste in small portions) and it is … oh well… extremely expensive.

 

BOTTOM LINE: Wagyu is a clearly one of the most lucrative strategies of the food industry. A product costs X amount  —  oh well, let’s find a way to sell less of it at 10 times that price  and here is how — .and you have right there the  genesis of Wagyu.  That is how you create luxury, one of the many ways to “milk the cow”. Wagyu excels at that.  And …there is nothing wrong with that: if you were in Business, that is exactly what you would do. There will always be a niche for that. I am not  not part of that niche, but I am passionate about what the food industry has to offer to us, therefore, once in a long while, I try products that the food industry do market. Now, some may have harsh words for that niche, but If you are a member of a capitalist nation and you think that you are smart enough to thrive without supporting capitalism through material consumption (luxury is, as a reminder, one mechanism of material consumption…  ) , then think twice:  the only reason you are getting away with that …has nothing to do with you being smart … it has to do with the fact that others  are not doing like you, and that is why the vast boat (on which you are living, btw) is not sinking ! As simple as that. It would be utterly delusional  to think that you are smarter than the system that is feeding you (Luxury, as one tool of making more capital,  you can live without, that is for sure. But the boat you are living on would sink without such mechanisms) …
As for Wagyu, I continue to appreciate its quality but I am turned OFF ………….by its  absurd price tag….because IT IS JUST  NOT …THAT $$$ SPECIAL!

Emily – West Village’s Burger, New York, NY

Emily’s in West Village is a pretty and comfy restaurant,  barely decorated. Loved their small bar, which I can also positively qualify as simple and comfortable. The staff is young, friendly and service is nice. The overall is  ” casual – cool “,   if you will.

I did appeciate the fact that even if I was eating solo, they still had a table ready for me since I did book a table. I ate at the bar. It is me who did insist to eat at the bar as I found it selfish and unfair (sniff, sniff) to take a table for myself when they could have seated 2 pers at that table. In this money making world, even the most ambitious restaurants charging you an arm and a leg will force you to eat at the bar if you are eating solo.

I came here for their Burger which is widely advertised as one of the best of World’s Capital of the Burger, NYC. I went to find out:

–Emmy Burger Double Stack (LaFrieda dry-aged beef, EMMY sauce, caramelized onion, American cheese, & pickles on a pretzel bun – with curly fries. The first thing that hits you is its sweetness (the caramelized onions). You get that, loud and proud, on your first bite. Then your palate gets used to it and you litterally do not feel that sweetness anymore. Normal, it is the « been there, done that » effect.

After that, it is stage 2 that ensues: you feel the dry aged effect of the patty. The funk, the blue cheese effect that most patrons are looking for, these days, in their dry-aged meat.

The thing about dry-aging beef is that the industry has no other choice but to follow what most patrons want, obviously. The majority of diners are so obsessed by the dry-aging funk / blue cheese feel that they confuse funky tasting with the real point of dry aging.

The point of dry-aging is to make your meat beefier, folks! That is it! But you put so much pressure on the industry with your damn «I need to feel tha funk » in my dry-aging beef that the industry is ensuring that you get your damn funky feel in evidence. So Emily too had to oblige. Yes, the dry aging funk was there. Happy now? But you know, at the end of the day, it is how you made that beef beefier and tastier that counts. Remember my 2 reviews of Quality Meats and Gallaghers. QM ….poor them, they went all the way to please the customer with the usual dry aging effect and its usual blue cheese alike aroma. Your well praised funk, dear average patron! Then you had Gallaghers  who did dry-age their beef, too. But the G was busier exploring the real point of dry-aging, which is to storm your palate with delicious meat flavour and all other great aspects that counts such as its tenderness. No, the blue cheese flavour was not there at the G, and Yes, they too have dry aged the beef, and it was for the better…obviously!

So, back to Emily. I loved Emily’s burger. It is indeed a world class burger.

I was a bit apprehensive about the bun soaking up all the juices in a blink of an eye … but Nah, that never happened. Naturally, if you sit there and just wait for that to happen, it eventually will, Lol. But you are suppose to eat your burger right away and not to look at it eternally or to let it rest. And if you get that basic principle, then No, that bun will not soak anything. It is actually a well designed bun, designed so that it does not soak all the juices …in a blink of an eye.

A word about the dry-aging funky effect of the meat. Their burger, without it, would have been even more tasty (it was delicious, even in its current incarnation, btw. And indeed, this is  one of the better burgers of NYC, and by ricochet, in the World, for its superb bun, patty, overall festive taste).  But hey, they are doing what they have got to do: the trend is about dry aging the meat.

Oh, BTW, my dear Emy, one  observation before I go… you do not need Pat Lafrieda’s meat  to make burgers of the quality that you are offering. I am a fan of Pat, but any butcher with quality meat will do the job. That said, I can understand that, marketing wise, it is better for you to be associated with a name that sells. For sure, it drums up some excitement. Anyways, who cares? I love your burger and I can’t wait to devour some more.

++You can find additional  notes about my review of this Burger,  here.

Overall rating (Categ: World class burger): 8/10 – Emily West Village Addr: 35 Downing St, New York, NY 10014, United States Phone: +1 917-935-6434 URL: https://www.pizzalovesemily.com/menus-west-village/

A tale of 2 World Class Burgers – New York City

According to most connoisseurs of the Burger, New York has some of the very best burgers in the nation. It is an american food staple and you cannot visit NY without  trying its finest burgers. They have all sorts of Burgers from the gourmet to the classic ones. I know my classic burgers well, but when I go out it is to enjoy how far a Chef did push his craft. Not to content myself with a basic classic burger. Therefore, I maintained the focus on some of the elaborate burgers among the most celebrated burgers of  New York.

Admittedly, this is about the Burger. Not a landing mission on the moon. And we can all make world class burgers at home, too  . And Yep, prices are inflated as we came to expect from NYC. But this post is not about that. This post is about some of the best Burgers offered at the restaurants of NYC, which the below  mentioned burgers are reputed to be.

 

Emily – West Village‘s Emmy Burger Double Stack (LaFrieda dry-aged beef, EMMY sauce, caramelized onion, American cheese, & pickles on a pretzel bun – with curly fries).
-Did the house fulfilled the basic « ideal » requirement of having neither the bun, the patty nor the cheese being too disproportionate in quantity to one another? Nothing disproportionate (you take the bun and the patty -a big thick patty — and you put that in your mouth and you really feel the presence of the meat and the adequate quantity of bun that is necessary to call it a burger and not just a patty.
-Intensity of the flavour of the meat/patty when sampled with the bun and all the elements of the burger, without any condiments: ( ) barely noticeable ( ) Mildly beefy (x ) Densely beefy, and the flavor intensity is amplified by the delicious caramelized onions and aged Grafton cheddar cheese from Vermont.
-Doneness of the patty by default: medium rare
-How was the taste? Big chunk of patty that is more juicy than most of its competitors with a beefy taste that is at the fore. Amplified with their sweet caramelized onions and that cheese. Then the pretzel roll that contributes to the overall taste with its unusual (for a burger’s bun) pretzel flavour that’s actually adapted to a Burger in that sense that the bun is soft and the strong pretzel flavour that you came to expect from your classic pretzel is not in evidence (which is exactly what is required here as the normal pretzel flavour would have clashed with the taste of the patty) . So, as expected, lots of relatively (to your usual ‘white buns’) unique flavours.
-did it taste too ‘steaky’ for a burger given that it was dry aged? Well, it tasted of dry-aged beef, indeed. And I did not care about that. A quality  fresh meat’s taste is better, IMHO, than  the dry-aged flavour of meats used to make a burger’s patty. That said, this took nothing away from the top tier Burger that Emily’s Burger is. Indeed, one of the best Burgers of NYC.  Emily West Village Addr: 35 Downing St, New York, NY 10014, United States Phone: +1 917-935-6434 My full review, here.
Overall rating:  8/10

Red Hook Tavern‘s Dry Aged Red Hook Tavern Burger (American cheese, white onion, frites)
-Did the house fulfilled the basic « ideal » requirement of having neither the bun, the patty nor the cheese being too disproportionate in quantity to one another? There is just a big piece of patty with its bun. And Yep, here too, the burger is designed to have a reasonably balanced ratio of patty to bun.
-Intensity of the flavour of the meat/patty when sampled with the bun and all the elements of the burger, without any condiments: ( ) barely noticeable ( ) Mildly beefy (X ) Densely beefy
-Doneness of the patty by default: They did ask me what doneness I wanted. I told them to go with medium rare, which happens to be what they also recommend.
-Did the dry-aging of the meat led to a taste that is more adequate for a steak than to a burger? NO! And there was  no need for that, neither. Instead of annoying my nose and my palate  with that damn useless aroma of blue cheese (aka the ‘funk’ fragrance of dry aged beef  — yeah, I know, most want that nowadays), their dry aged meat  delivered what superb dry aged beef should focus on: some superb beef flavour!
-How was the taste? They did what needs to be done to intensify the beefy flavour of a burger: blending several cuts of meats. Dry aged New York strip and chuck, in this case. They did opt for the American cheese as the sole adornment of the patty, a cheese that had proven to be a fine companion to the patty. The result is that it was  flavour-packed with great pure flavour of beef enhanced by the fine slice of cheese. Apparently, this was inspired by the Burger at Peter Luger and the Burger experts of NYC do argue that the apprentice has surpassed the Master. I cannot talk to that because at PL, I always had the steaks. But RHT’s Burger had the bare essentials reviewed, covered and  perfected (a bun that’s a benchmark of its kind, a patty that is using prime quality beef, a delicious cheese designed to elevate the patty’s flavour and not overwhelm it, an overall taste that stood out among the finest burgers of the city). My fully detailed review here.  Red Hook Tavern Addr: 329 Van Brunt St, Brooklyn, NY 11231, United States Phone: +1 917-966-6094 URL: https://www.redhooktavern.com/
Overall rating:  9/10

 

Bottom line: All the burgers of this round-up fulfilled the basic « ideal » requirement of having neither the bun, the patty nor the cheese being too disproportionate in quantity to one another. Of course, this cannot be always respected in an obsessive fashion (for example to the mm), lol, but common sense was applied in their judgement of the ratio of those components as to avoid to bury the flavour of the meat. The meat was always served medium rare (the ideal doneness that allows the meat flavour to express itself at its best– as per my request), as it seems ideal to our North American palates, generally juicy and beefy and seasoned with the welcoming (not distracting, in these instances) flavour enhancer kick of salt most burger fans in North America are expecting from their Burgers. When there was cheese, it was always melting soft and adequately served as a enhancer to the burger experience. The above 2 burgers were created with an attention to detail of world class mention for a Burger. 2 world class Burgers. Interestingly, their respective restaurants do offer some superb non-burger items as well. The overall /10 ratings are to convey the level of joy that was invading my palate at the time of biting into those burgers.

 

 

Keen’s Steakhouse – New York, NY

Keens is an institution of NYC, a piece of restaurant  history that started in the  19th century (established in 1885). Its dark wood walls are covered with a tasteful  display of  memorabilia (time-honored paintings, photos, cartoons).   This restaurant could be an incredible shooting location for a movie.

The avid fan of history that I am  had to find himself in this charming old world  decor, espying what could have possibly been the pipe of Roosevelt over here (thousands  of clay pipes of  patrons who dined at Keens are on display on the steakhouse’s ceiling), climbing the same stairs as Einstein over there.   Nowadays, Keens is one of NYC’s most popular steakhouses, attracting tourists, locals as well as many connoisseurs of North American steaks (as you will see below, their steaks did not « rest on their laurels »). But, with legendary places like this one, I am on my guard, always ensuring that  the lore shall never be part of the lure.

On a previous visit here, over 2 years ago, I did try their fabled slow roasted lamb loin‘s saddle  chop (aka the ”mutton chop“). It is not mutton, anymore. It  is  lamb  that they do serve nowadays. The lamb is raised in  Colorado,  some of the  most sought after lamb  in the nation. Colorado does offer to its  free-ranging sheep,  vast swathes of vegetation to feed on, thanks to the numerous mountains and hills of the state. The sourcing of this piece of  pasture raised lamb was  of high level , its subtly earthy lamb flavor  (milder than, say the flavour of lamb from New Zealand)  dazzled. Boasting an enticing color, definely tender, this  was as great as your roasted lamb loin‘s saddle  chop  will be if served to you at a top tier  steakhouse. 9/10

Then last year I dropped by with a long time genuine connoisseur of North American steakhouses and we had the porterhouse.  For anyone truly familiar with beef aging, it was easy to enjoy the great effect of the dry aging (they dry-age and butcher the meat on the premises) process that went into that piece of meat (great concentration of beef flavor). The thing about aging meats is to think about the right effect for the right meat. Sometimes, you see people dry aging then wet aging their meat (perfect recipe to cancel the benefit of dry aging that meat …), dry aging meat that has fat that is so delicate that it cannot  ‘age’  well (highly marbled wagyu as in this case at Dons de la Nature, one of Tokyo’s leading steakhouses. It is the sort of fat that is way too delicate to   benefit from dry aging — I will write, later on, a detailed article on what type of fat benefits from the aging process and why), dry aging fishes that have the taste of nothing if you age them (few fishes do benefit from the dry aging process, most do not…most fishes that are aged do simply fit in the ridiculous trend of aging the flesh for the pleasure of following a trend, as stupid as that – ). Not all steakhouses do master the dry aging of meats as  obsessively well as, at, let us say, Le Divil in Perpignan, but the concentration of flavor of that porterhouse steak  at Keens revealed some serious mastery of the dry aging of their meats.   8/10

This is my 3rd visit here, and this time I ordered the prime rib of beef  (king’s cut – meaning that it’s bone-in),  the  medium rare doneness that I wanted was precisely achieved,  and it came charred at my request ( I suggest that you do not order a charred prime rib. I did request it charred as I was looking for that specific  effect on that evening, but prime rib is better in its non charred version IMHO), served with au jus.  The loin end   rarely fails to be flavorful once cooked,  and yet, you realize how, in the USA, they have perfected its cooking  with no shortage of dazzling renditions of the  prime rib such as the ones you can enjoy at  establishments such as the House of Prime Rib ,  Lawry‘s or   Dickie Brennan‘s  to name a few. But this prime rib at Keens was not out of place in that fierce competition, as here again, you had all the qualities of a stellar piece of North American steak (the quality of the meat really high as you would expect from a North American steakhouse of this reputation, the standing rib roast timely cooked, its delicious fat properly rendered, the seasoning competent, the steak craveable ).   8/10

I love Keen but I was NOT  in love with my platter of a dozen of oysters: all had their superb maritime flavour in evidence, true, but some of the oysters were served a bit too cold than expected at a restaurant serving seafood. The shucking could have been better, too.

Our sides of creamed spinach , sautéed mushrooms and cooked broccoli did not tantalize both the Missus and myself :  for both of us,  this preparation of their creamed spinach  did not  enhance  the taste of the spinach. And they did add a bit less cream than I would have preferred.  Still, their way of doing it is one legit classic way of cooking the creamed spinach and I am fine with that.  The broccoli,  I need them to retain a vivid fresh appearance  (I am not here to talk about cooking techniques but there’s a technique for that, there is a technique that allows your broccoli  to be nicely cooked while retaining its perfect crunch and vivid looks, a technique that is widely documented. There is no doubt that the kitchen brigade at Keens knows how to do that, but, again, their choice is to remain classic, therefore they did use a more classical approach  and that is to be respected. As for the mushrooms, they  looked and felt as if they were sautéed a bit too long  and served a bit too late,  the taste of the mushrooms not in evidence.

The crab cake of the Missus featured   fresh crab flavour, the seasoning well judged. The crab came from Maryland and it is in season right now, consequently its depth of flavour was remarkable. Of her crab cake, she said that it was about “”the full taste of the crab and not a lot of filler””, which was a good thing.  7/10

Bottom line: This article of the NY Mag had its author arguing that   « The meat isn’t first class anymore, especially by the standards of today » at Keens…another one of the absurd and senseless suggestions of our so-called food journalists. A steak is first class if the quality of the meat is great, the cooking accurate, the flavours on point, the extra steps to elevate the taste of that meat making a difference (for example, my pieces of steak, here, at Keens, did benefit from the nuances that an educated palate would detect as nuances that can only come from a competently dry aged piece of quality meat). And you do all of that better than at most other steakhouses, which is the case of Keens.  You stop being first  class the day your steak costs an arm and a leg only to have the taste and feel of a generic-tasting piece of meat that you  would buy at the supermarket (the case of one so-called legendary steakhouse right here in The old Montreal …). Keens has nothing to do with an outdated steakhouse.  For his  steaks, Keens is still one of NYC’s very best. I was not in love with the sides, but again, this was (more of) a matter of preference (at the exception of the mushrooms) rather than the sides being faulty. They need to control the temperature of those oysters, though. My number 1 North American steakhouse is still Peter Luger (the one in Brooklyn) , but that takes nothing away from the superb steaks of Keens. The service and ambience at Keens are  also  great. One of my preferred chophouses in NYC. I loved Keens steakhouse! Steaks (9/10), Appetizers (7/10), Sides (6/10 ), Service (8/10 ) –  Keens steakhouse Addr: 72 West 36th St. New York, NY 10018 Phone: 212-947-3636 URL: http://www.keens.com

Quality Meats, New York City

Quality Meats NYC (Addr: 57 W 58th St, New York, NY 10019, USA Phone: +1 212-371-7777)   is a restaurant  backed by Smith & Wollensky, a steakhouse institution in NYC (that now has several branches across the US as well as abroad). It is part of a  group of restaurants that include some of the most successful eateries of NYC such as Don Angie, Smith & Wollensky, Park Avenue, etc. They do offer a contemporary take on North American familiar dishes  such as their take on the North American steaks . It  is hip and does have a social vibe. The decor features  several   elements  pertaining to the  neo rustic chic interior design, elements such as marble, wood, and stainless steel. Chandeliers and white ceramic tiles completing the decor.

I went there because not all steakhouses in NYC do offer great  bone-in rib eye steaks, my preferred cut for a steak. They do stellar Porterhouse steaks, at virtually all the great chop houses  in NYC. But rib eye steaks are either absent from their menus, or do come in meager size, and are rarely dry aged (it is pointless, for me, to splurge on wet aged meat, my palate  associates it with just a generic piece of steak).  On this particular occasion,  I was also looking for a steakhouse exempt from the usual  potential “”dry aged” or mixed  type of service (However great is the food, if the service has the potential to make me vomit, the food is worthless) . I heard that QM has fine  hospitality standards and that they  do  an excellent rib eye steak. I went  to find out.

My expectation was the usual expectation of any steak lover: I needed my steak to be a fully flavoured juicy slab of prime beef, exquisitely  seasoned, unleashing   a great deal of umami sensation in mouth. Did the steak meet that expectation? First, a description of the steak I did order:   a 24 oz. long-boned Black Angus Prime, dry-aged rib steak.  Aged for 40 days. My rib eye had a delicious seasoning, but it was cooked  past the requested medium rare doneness. Dry and tough here and there, as well. Disappointing 5/10

Other items that I did sample here :

With my steak, I took the creamed spinach, which was Ok (the spinach was fresh, its seasoning judicious)   6/10

The other side dish I did order was their popular crispy potatoes, which are blanched in duck fat, seasoned with garlic , thyme, and bay leaves and dressed at the last minute  with a hot sauce of butter seasoned with garlic , thyme, parsley, chives  and rosemary. Ok, though nothing to write home about.  6/10

Bottom line: I had mixed feelings about this eatery ….yes, the service, in the dining room was stellar, BUT  at the entrance, a  young lady with long straight black hair seemed to have suffered from some serious attitude problem, to the point that I thought that I was  heading into a  ghetto-style establishment. When I complained to their high Management, about that , I  received no follow up…which left me with the impression that they have no problem with that….So, as a serious long time diner who has indulged in flawless dining experiences in NYC, I can say that …NOPE… this eatery really DOES NOT  deserve  my hard earned money. It is a  NO REPEAT  for me, especially considering that NYC is a world class dining destination with plenty of stellar steakhouses offering world class service from the minute you push open their doors  up to every single second you will spend in the dining room..; Consequently, of QM…I would say…NAY…I am not the type of person looking forward to poor experiences at restaurants (my hard earned money has no room for that), and I do my best to go to places I believe can provide a quality dining experience, but sometimes such disappointments will happen even to cautious diners like me.

 

Le Divil, Perpignan

Le Divil (Addr: 9 rue des Fabriques D en Nabot, 66000, Perpignan, France Phone: +33 4 68 34 57 73)

 

 

According to  the international experts of the steak, the best restaurant of France, for meat, in 2017 is le Divil –  Franck Ribière and  Vérane Frédiani, authors of Steak in France as well as internationally acclaimed  experts of the steak have awarded le Divil with the title of France’s best restaurant, for meats, in 2017. Franck has also a movie  about steaks called Steak Revolution in which he documents his trips  around the world in search of the finest steaks possible.

Aging beef : an art or a just a trend? –  Beef aging is nowadays a trend in the restaurant world, but as it is the case with everything that is lucrative, many are aging their meat but rare are those who are delivering an aged beef that lives up to the hype. That is because it is not …lucrative enough to go through what it takes to get the job done properly: months of trial and error, matching the right technique….to the right cut of meat… at the right storing temperature, etc. It is a complex combination of know-how (that few can have because the most are busy running without taking the time to learn walking…) and genuine passion (the attitude of a true artisan, but that is too old school/too time consuming by the standards of the most, nowadays).

Aging beef is  also another strategy of the restaurant industry to ‘milk the cow’. But when done properly, I will admit that it’s a luxury (because …. obviously … properly aged quality meat will not come cheap) that is worth the hype.  Earlier on, I argued that it is rare to find people, in the food industry, that have the right know-how of aging meat, and that could not have been more accurate: just look at how, most of them, do store their aged meats and the lack of proper know-how is an evidence for those in the know. Another proof of the total lack of proper know-how: have you noticed that most restaurateurs do recommended the same doneness no matter the cut, no matter the marbling…that’s absurd as anyone with proper understanding of the science of meats should know that the doneness needs to be adjusted to, as an example, how marbled or not the meat is. Absurd is actually an understatement: many do mix wet and dry aging to…inevitably…an ordinary effect. Why? Well, again….the basic principles of ‘ science ‘ is misunderstood by most of those people aging meat: when you put something wet on something dry… guess what…the dry effect is cancelled. Aging beef is sublime when it is an art. Sadly, it is generally  no more than  just a trend in the hands of the most.

What  I ate at Le Divil – I ordered a bone-in ribeye of Baltic Beef (tasting a bit of  nuts, saline), dry aged for 100 days days, from Poland as well as a 70 days dry-aged Montbéliard (France) bone-in ribeye (to the smell, before they cooked it, it had the smell of  dry cured ham) . Both were examples of world class dry-aged pieces of quality red meat.  Just remember that they do not serve them to you as  whole steak the  way that a steakhouse would serve it to you in North America, but as meat that is sliced  in pieces (a bit like how they serve your red meat at a Japanese teppanyaki). With meat of this quality, always opt for the default suggested doneness of the house as they know what they are doing (indeed, the doneness ‘bleu’, which the Chef did strongly suggest, was the best doneness for both dry-aged meats as the texture of the meat as well as its flavour were at their best).

Bottom line: In the industry, many mix dry and wet ageing, and you are punished with a meat with no real beefy character. Both the Montbelliard and Baltic beef were dry aged meats (as well as all their aged meats at Le Divil), and it was obvious that the meat was aged in perfect conditions (finding the right temperature, and not just using the defacto recommended ones is key to a beautifully dry aged piece of meat, which is what was achieved here). And I am traditionally fond of red meat grilled on open fire, which is the cooking method they use at Le Divil. But next time I will go there, I will insist to get my 20oz bone in rib eye steak…The Chef finds it (a whole piece of 20oz of bone-in ribeye) too much, for 1 pers, but in North America, we are used to it. When meat is superbly dry aged like these, a chunky 20oz bone-in rib eye is what I am looking for. I will go back. Steaks (9/10), Appetizers (N/A), Sides (7/10 ), Service (8/10 )

Gyu-Kaku , Montreal

 

 Gyu-Kaku is a  Japanese BBQ (Yakiniku) chain with over 600 locations in Japan as well as abroad. It has now a restaurant  in Montreal on Crescent street, in between Ste Catherine and Rene Levesque (closer to the corner of Ste Catherine).

 

I tried a Gya-Kaku the last time I was in Tokyo, as well as one of  their branches located in NYC. Gyu-Kaku Montreal has a tasteful dark wood / grey walls  interior decor, almost chic for a table top grilling restaurant, but that is standard for a Gyu-Kaku, and superb friendly service.

 

I will go straight to what you need to know:  Gya-Kaku is, in Montreal, the best table top grilling restaurant in town right now. How come? They use the best meat  and the best marinades you will find at a table top grilling restaurant in Montreal.

I ordered the Harami miso skirt steak as well as the Bistro hanger steak. Both are  miso-marinated and  will be crowd pleasers. I also ordered the Kalbi short rib, which, for my taste, has always been   less ‘festive’ than the Harami miso skirt steak/Bistro hanger steak, but that is a matter of personal taste (lots of people love it) and again, Gyu-Kaku is offering one of  great quality.

Was everything perfect? NO! The chicken karaage was not in the league of Nozy‘s (as explained here, I always keep the comparison “local”, meaning that I compare Japanese food items in Montreal to other Japanese food items in..Montreal) but it was  fine, and  I  am not a fan of  the spicy kalbi ramen.  That said,  a Yakiniku IS a Japanese Bbq restaurant, so if you are going there for ramen, then you may as well start the trend of going to the  hospital to shop for clothes, attend a wedding expecting a birthday party, etc. A nonsense what I just wrote? You are right: it would be a NONSENSE to head to a Yakiniku for your fix of ramen.

I hope Gyu-Kaku keeps its Yakiniku in Montreal to the serious Yakiniku level I found on the evening of my visit. This has the potential to work really well as we have an important local community of young Asians in Montreal and Yakiniku is one thing they love. In facts, the Yakiniku was not empty when I was there. Just ensure you know the difference between Japanese Vs Korean BBQ as to avoid inaccurate expectations and , consequently, inaccurate judgement, as well as grossly ignorant statements such as “why should I go to a restaurant to cook my own food”.

Some may find it a little far-fetched  to call a table top grilling restaurant one of the best restaurants in Montreal, especially a chain restaurant, but Montreal is NOT a destination city for restaurants (to the contrary of what our local tourism authorities and their annoying endless web of  friendly food bloggers and food journalists are working hard on trying to make you believe) and, at the end of the count, Gya-Kaku has the edge on anything that’s doing table top grilling meat in town. As such, and at what it is delivering (it is a Yakiniku, therefore I am talking about its table top grilling meats, NOT its non-table-top grilling food, obviously),  it is one of the best restaurants  in Montreal.  Gyu-Kaku Gyu-Kaku, Addr: 1255 Crescent St, Montreal. Phone (514) 866-8808

Strip House Steakhouse , New York, NY

Strip House Steakhouse is considered as one of the very best steakhouses of New York by the big majority of the city’s  most serious  steakhouse connoisseurs, some of them even  considering the steaks more flavorful at Strip House than at the legendary Peter Luger. It would be a nonsense to eat an average piece of steak in the Mecca of North American style steakhouses, New York, so I did a lot of searches and Strip House ended up ranking high on my list of steakhouses to try in New York.

West coast met East coast in a platter of perfectly well shucked quality oysters, with a dazzling mignonette, and an equally dazzling home made sauce, some tabasco. Oysters have to be great at a steak house of this reputation and they were. Where I needed them to excel was in their homemade sauce and mignonette. They did. 7/10

Lobster bisque , maine lobster, pearl couscous tasted enticingly of fresh lobster flavor, which it has to, indeed. It paled a bit, though, in comparison to the finer lobster bisque that could come from a fine French restaurant (its way-too-thick texture just not as refined, the flavor just not as complex) but that was to be expected at a steak house. 6/10

Filet mignon was the pick of the Missus. She thought that the  char was not necessary for a filet mignon (well…honey, it is a North American steakhouse, lol!! Not a French restaurant …) but thought that it tasted fine enough. 6/10

 

The strip  is their signature steak , but I went for my preferred cut , the bone-in rib eye. The USDA prime meat is wet-aged for at least 21 days.  I usually prefer the effect of a 35 to 40 days dry-aged cut, which was not the case of this steak I was having.  They use a 1800 degree broiler to cook the steak and coat it with olive oil and pepper and that allowed for a nice tasty brown crust. I chose the 20 oz bone-in rib eye . Not much to say about my steak, as a steak house of this quality will usually get the requested doneness right (medium rare to my request), the meat certainly well sourced. Which is exactly what happened here. But the 20  oz bone in rib eye is wet aged, and for someone like me who has long embraced the hype of the dry aged meat, this wet aged piece left no impression (just not enough umami sensation on the palate, just not as meaty and flavorful, I find). Great char, nice  salt and pepper rub, though. Still…game, set and match: dry aged meat wins, for my taste. 6/10

Crisp goose fat potatoes came in the form of a big croquette (6/10), quality asparagus retained a superb crunch (good, but somehow Wolfgang does a tastier rendition)

 

Creamed spinach was fine, but I found the one at Peter Luger a tad more exciting in mouth. Still, this was tasty and had an enticing cheesy-alike taste that I kinda liked. 6/10

Ice cream and sorbet were good,  coffee (Rwanda single origin) was watery and not as flavorful as its enticing description (Silky body, lemon acidity, notes of pineapple and dark chocolate)  may suggest.

Pros: A classy steakhouse, with superb service and its own cachet
Cons: No serious quibble to raise, but as a diner you need to know that they have wet aged as well as dry aged cuts. If, like me, your ideal North American style steak is a 40 days expertly dry aged bone in 2″ inch thick 20 oz cut, then their 20 oz bone in rib eye is not what you are looking for. But they have other steaks that are dry aged such as the 14oz rib eye, 14oz new york strip, porterhouse for two.

Bottom line: a service and an overall dining experience that far surpassed what I have experienced at Peter Luger and Wolfgang. However, they need to fix the issue of the watery coffee. It is easy to make great coffee, so no excuse there. On the topic of the food, I was not blown away. True. But it would be accurate to underline  that no wet aged steak has ever impressed me, so,  obviously,  just a matter of personal taste. 6/10 as an overall rating  for the sides (fine sides, though a tad less impressive than at Wolfgang, for the sake of comparison). I won’t rate the steak – it was a perfectly well executed steak of the wet aged sort, but wet aged  steaks  are not my cup of  tea. 10/10 for the service and overall dining experience.

 

 

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Moxies, Montreal

Moxies is a chain of  bar and grill . As much as I am partial to artisan Chef cooking (that personal touch of the cook cooking his own food will always remain the standard to beat in my opinion), as much as I have no problem at all with chains of restaurants. As long as it tastes fine to my palate, a chain restaurant will please me. Moxies food was quite tasty  (I ordered their  peppercorn sirloin with  peppercorn brandy butter sauce – the brandy butter sauce superbly executed —rich as it should but judiciously seasoned—, the sirloin cooked at requested doneness, which was medium rare in this instance. My dining companion went on with a faultless pizza — Rustic italian pizza |  grana padano, pulled short rib, caramelized  onions, prosciutto & pancetta– , as tasty as they come).

PROS: By Montreal standards, in the context of a chain restaurant, I think that Moxies offers a fautless bar and grill experience.

CONS: Sirloin steaks have rarely dazzled, for my taste. And it is their reigning steak.

Bottom like: 7/10 (Category: Grill and bar in Montreal) I liked Moxies as it succeeds where many failed- the ” cool-place-to-chill  with friends while munching on some tasty bites and good drinks” scene is prosperous in town, but few manage to offer both Moxies relax ambience as well as something that can appeal to the palate. My dining companion suggested that the  peppercorn sirloin is an overpriced and overrated affair and indeed,  steaks can easily fall in the category of the most overrated food items. But based on that delicious Pizza my dining companion was having, I trust that Moxies is one place that perfectly understands what appeals to nowadays palates (aging the meat of their steaks, adding “punch” to their pizza, etc) – enjoyable  festive   bites by chain restaurant standards. In the  category “Grill and bar” , Moxies clearly pertains to the top 3 in Montreal (NOT to br confused with my top 3 restaurants in Montreal) . Moxies   1207, boulevard Robert-Bourassa, Montréal, QC Phone:(514) 393-1207