Today we travel to New Zealand to try a bavette steak. A bavette steak might be called a flap steak here in the states. This steak also claims to be Wagyu beef. Companies have been taking liberties with the definition of Wagyu and really am not sure what to expect. This steak also boasts that it is grass fed and finished. Grass finished is not high on my list of purchases and was bought by my wife Ms. Goofy.
This steak was cooked on a high heat over a charcoal grill. I cooked it for about 5 minutes a side. It was rested and sliced against the grain. How did it taste you ask? It was very tender. It had a deep rich beefy flavor. My only critique it had that vegetable twang of a finish assosiated with grass finished beef. Overall it was not terrible. I never mentioned the price. This cut was 12.99/pd. Into days market that is a bargain and comparable to its American counter. Would I purchase this? Proably not. While it was good, I am still not a fan of grass finished beef.
I picked up this Maple Bacon Jam on my recent trip to Virginia. It was sold in the gift shop at the Civil War Museum. This is my kind of souvenir. It actually tastes very good. It is sweet, mapley, smoky and fills the bill in the sweet department. I like it but question if there is any bacon here. I am afraid to read the ingredient list.
According to Ms. Goofy there is never enough cheese. She would of been happy at the Buon Tempo Italian Club. They do not scimp on the cheese. There is a slight problem of her participating in this cheese laden lasagne; this was a stag dinner night and women were not allowed. There was also a cheesy bread to add on to this cheese pile.
Do not worry, Ms. Goofy can go to the co-ed dinner later this month and get her fill of cheese.
My steak was cooked to order and was enjoyed. The service was great. There was a lot to like about this place. One nice thing was the bill. It was about half the price of any big city steakhouse. The locals know where to go.
Edit; I almost forgot the deconstructed cheesecake I had for dessert. How could I forget that? I know, it was not that remarkeable. Put it all back together is what I say.
I never realized Cracker Barrel was actually a popular restaurant back East. It seemed to be the butt of parody and jokes of Late Night T.V. shows. My hotel in Harrisonburg Virginia was right across the street from said restaurant and it was time to experience a Cracker Barrel meal.
Here is what I see the mass appeal of Cracker Barrel is; with tip my meal was thirty dollars. This is a fun restaurant. The service was great. The food was pretty pedestrian but you did get a lot of it. Thirty dollars might by you a pre-dinner cocktail in San Francisco. I was satisfied and fufilled a curiostiy itch at Cracker Barrel.
Edit; after re-reading my post, I forgot to mention the salad. The salad was fantastic. I usually do not get to excited about salads but this one was superb. Lots of fresh lettuce, with chopped vegetables, cheese and real honest to gosh bacon. Yes, I enjoyed it.
I am back on the west coast and in Eugene, Oregon to see if the Crumbsweeper is still alive. I am happy to report at Kennedy's she is and representing fine dinning at her best. Kennedy's is located downtown and I was only visiting. Online it seemed almost impossible to get a reservation but arriving at the beginning of service I was seated immediately and when I left there was only a dozen patrons. Except for this glitch I was treated to the most fantastic steak. The service was fantastic and my beloved Crumbsweeper was present.
This was a 30 day wet-aged New York strip steak. It rang all the right bells. It was properly seasoned, cooked perfectly and aged just the righ amount of time. This steak is what I crave. (I was dissapointed at my last steak house in Wash. D.C.). I was very happy with my meal.
The Capital Grille is located in Washington D.C. several blocks away from the Whitehouse. This was my destination tonight. Parking Karma was present if you count a valet service. Come with me and visit a swanky steak house in the Capital city.
I was visiting Virginia to attend a knife show and had 24 hours to kill before my flight home in Washington D.C. I played the tourist roll with gusto. I researched steakhouses and this one fit my criteria of swank and old school elegance. I was not dissapointed. (almost). The interior is dimly lit but you can see all the wood paneling. This restaurant screams elegance, warmth and the place to make politcal deals. They had a room dedicated to dry aging steaks. I was in the right place. I dined early and the place was not very crowded. The waiter took my order and I ordered a dry aged bone-in New York strip steak and several accompaniments.
The meal started off with a bread basket of rye, sourdough, pita and the most decadent carmalized onion topped bread. My Caesar salad was a great starter course. The main course arrived and it looked fantastic. More on the steak a little later. The asparagus (probably from California) and mushrooms were great. I was not done and ordered the brulee topped cheesecake.
I do love a good dry aged steak. This restaurant had so much potential for greatness with just a few small tweeks. My steak was ordered medium rare. It was cooked a tad too long. It also had not been properly seasoned. An addition of more salt would have thrown this steak into the Presidency. Lastly, the steak had not been properly rested. This was evident by the juices flowing out of my steak when I cut into it. Do I sound over critical? I do not think so when I am paying very high San Francisco prices. Maybe when I am in San Francisco I am paying Washington D.C. prices? Who knows?
A local pop-up purveyor of multi flavored cheesecakes has opened a brick and mortar restaurant. They serve an eclectic mix of menu items that include bbq, latkes and cheesecakes. Crazy Block Cheesecakes located on Lakeshore Avenue in Oakland California serves two of my favorite food groups; cheesecake & bbq. I had to give them a try. My parking karma found me a metered spot a block and ½ away. If you know the Lakeshore area this is considered a win.
Crazy Block had only been open for a couple of weeks. It has that freshly opened look. They have a graffiti type slash skateboard vibe inside and out. The servers were young and very friendly. The enthusiastic owner was also present and was more than willing to assist with any menu questions. I ordered a three way combo of smoked chicken, lamb and brisket. It came with several options for a side and I chose macaroni & cheese. I had to order a cheesecake and I got a mini chocolate and caramel offering.
You want to love a new restaurant. You hope for their success. Hopefully I caught them on an off day but my meal was very unspectacular. The meats were over smoked. The chicken was tough. I am glad I knew this was lamb because I would have never guessed. The presentation of the chopped meats had a cat food type look. The brisket was meh. One nibble of the mac & cheese and I stopped abruptly for fear of being overwrought with melancholy. The cheesecake I had such high hopes for. It was not terrible and I am possibly being generous. I will not return.
Angleo makes the best beef jerky. He is pretty spry for being in his 90's. He is at work 6 days a week and stays very busy. I visited him last week and picked up a sampler pack of his jerky. So good!
Angelo’s Meats
2700 Adobe Road
Petaluma, CA 94954
707-763-9586
Saint Patrick was not Italian but we celebrated his day at the Colombo Italian Club. We had some of the most fantastic pesto pasta with a side of corned beef. This beef was boiled and served with cabbage. This is not my favorite way to cook this traditional faire. It does make it easy to serve the hungry club and with a good dosing of mustard it is very tasty.
It was a fun tasty day. Let the bbq season begin.
Last night we celebrated our 32nd wedding anniversary and my birthday. We went to the swanky steakhouse in San Francisco called Harris’. They advertise; acclaimed dry-aged steaks served in a posh, wood-paneled dining room, plus live jazz in the bar. There is a dress code of ‘Business Casual”. We have certain high expectations of the night. Food, service, ambiance and importantly will the ‘Crumbsweeper make an appearance? The Crumbsweeper is a very important aspect of service extraordinaire. The Crumbsweeper is the crescendo of a fine dining experience. The simple act of crumb sweeping is a gesture which cleanses the table after the entrees. It is not an act of finality but a ritual to prepare you for the decadent courses to follow.
The Crumbsweeper magically appeared twice. The photo is blurry because the Crumbsweeper was so fast and would not slow down for a silly photo. The steaks last night were high and lofty with a price tag to match. My bone-in dry aged N.Y. Strip steak was a buttery/umami bomb. The aging process added certain funkiness and the most beautiful savory flavor. Ms. Goofy had a prime rib that put the “House” down the street on notice. It was tender and beefy which was enjoyed.
Overall, this was a wonderful celebration. All our expectations were met and we had multiple visits from the Crumbsweeper. I love you Ms. Goofy. To quote “The Great One” (Jackie Gleason); ‘Baby, you’re the greatest!!’
