Thanks to the many #aussome chefs we met at the Mise conference earlier this year, we got firsthand intel on why our meats made the menu. We start at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge in Phoenix, AZ, and the Tia Carmen signature restaurant. Chef de Cuisine Penny Tagliarina uses Aussie “Black Opal” Wagyu in showy tomahawk style, seasoned with a southwestern spice blend and served with bone marrow butter & tepary bean mole negro. Wow!
At the Seagate Hotel & Spa in Del Ray Beach, Florida, Chef Gordon Maybury features Aussie Wagyu Flank Steak as a steak frites preparation. It’s a 10oz portion, served with chimichurri and fries, priced at $38; it’s good value for the guest, and good margin for Chef, too!
We’re thoroughly entranced by what chef Mark Grant at Hotel Laveque in Columbus OH has going on at The Keep Kitchen & Liquor Bar. He gives an Aussie grassfed skirt steak a rubdown with a koji paste he makes in house, then lets it dry age in the walk-in for 1-2 days. Then it's washed off and left to air dry before firing on the grill, but the miso sweetness and a bit of that dry-aged, fermented funk remains to add depth and layers of flavor to the meat. You might not need the red chimichurri, made smoky with banyuls vinegar, smoked paprika and chipotle chilies…but you definitely want it! Nice one Chef!
Over in Miami, our mate Chef Aaron Brooks has quite the array of Aussie proteins on rotation on his menu at Edge, recently re-concepted as a “modern American brasserie.” The steak tartare is a mainstay, done in a traditional style with the quail egg, etc.; but taken over the top with an 8/9 marble score wagyu eye of round from Queensland’s Westholme brand.
Another is the lamb burger – given a bit of a “Mediterranean banh mi” treatment with pickled cucumbers and heaps of fresh herbs, but also a whipped Greek yogurt + feta spread on a whole wheat bun. Lamb also shows up as a meatball appetizer on the bar menu, a “chops and sausage” duo on the lunch menu, and pops in and out as kofte-style skewers as well.
Have you spotted Aussie meats near you, or have them on your menu? Let us know, and we’ll give you a shout in an upcoming edition!