Beef (Heritage Breed and Humanely Raised). It’s What’s for Dinner.
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Tuesday, September 15th, 2009
Several years ago my husband called me from Mendoza, Argentina and exclaimed, “I’ve just eaten the best beef I’ve ever had in my entire life!” The phone call was a bit muffled not because of the distance the phone signal was traveling, but because I could still hear him chewing on a mouthful of sinewy flesh with the delight of a small child stuffing himself on Easter morning with chocolate bunnies and jelly beans.
Well, yesterday I got the chance to make my own phone call about resplendent beef, albeit from a much closer locale in Upperville, Virginia where the Second Annual What’s the Beef? Tasting sponsored by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy occurred yesterday at Ayrshire Farm.
Would be tasters ran the gamut from fellow farmers, to press, to a professor from the University of Virginia, as well as a celebrity tasting panel including Nora Pouillon of Restaurant Nora, Jordan Wright (The Georgetowner) and Akiko Katayama (a food consultant who also moonlights as an Iron Chef judge). We all put our tongues to the test as everyone got the chance to assess ten different heritage breeds of beef.
The top two winners were the Ancient White Park and the furry-fringed Scottish Highland. Both displayed good flavor and texture but the Ancient White Park pulled ahead as the judges’ favorite due to a more resilient texture that provided a little more mouthfeel. The Scottish Highland’s mouthfeel was a tad flimsier, though it was my personal favorite of the ten. The beef this breed produced had a taste I classified as “retro” because it sparked memories of family cook outs in the backyard on special summer occasions; a base flavor of muted grass, which finished with a balsamic tang.
But more than the beef was on display at yesterday’s tasting. Tasters were as eager to know as much about the beef as the farms’ practices as a designated sustainable, humane-certified farm. The fact that they raise heritage breeds on the farm is not just mere preference for a specific color of animal or the wish to achieve a desired meat taste. The use of heritage breeds represents a reclaiming of sustainable farming methods. Whereas hybridized beef cattle on industrialized farms mature at twice the rate and are fed a diet of corn or grain-based feed filled with antibiotics, the heritage breeds at Ayrshire mature at a normal rate and eat a grass diet where they are finished with grain in the last 100 days before slaughter.
Heritage breeds also provide a genetically diversified gene pool that has been critically depleted in the scramble for factory farms to process ever increasing quantities of cows at a faster and faster clip.
An Ancient White Park (center) contemplates getting a drink. Photo: Amy Loeffler
For butchers like Tanya Cauthen of Belmont Butchery in Richmond, however, raising cattle for ease of processing is like telling a winemaker, “you can only grow Merlot grapes and you can only process them in this type of tank,” she says. And similar to wine, beef she continues displays subtle nuances that demonstrate terroir according to breed. “We need to raise awareness of the nuance [in different breeds].”
But why bother with humane practices at all if the ultimate destination for farm animals is the butcher’s block?
Adele Douglas is CEO of Humane Farm Animal Care and thinks the issue of humane farming practices has been “bubbling up” for a while as evidenced by books such as Fast Food Nation and films like Food Inc. that have endlessly chronicled the horrors of factory farming. “For however long [the animals] are here people want to know they can express their behaviors. Imagine living your life in an airplane seat,” a reference to some farm animals that are so cramped they can’t turn around in their own stalls.
Critics of humane farming say that the term is a misnomer and that killing any sentient being for food is not humane. On this issue Douglas’ organization is philosophy neutral but points to the reality at hand. “10 billion farm animals are killed in the United States each year. Our goal is to improve the lives of those animals.”
Yesterday at dinner I cut into a pork chop I purchased from the Home Farm, a retail establishment that sells Ayrshire Farm products. The taste? An uncommon earthiness almost like bacon and a buttery texture like lamb. For me the proof that sustainable and humane farming works was in the pudding, or pork rather.
–Amy Loeffler
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, September 14th, 2009
The powers that be at the Goodstone Inn have confirmed that chef Tarver King has stepped down, paving the way for yet another regime change at the troubled Middleburg estate.
King’s departure caps a string of high-profile defections from the tumultuous property, including general manager Simon Smith (left September 1) and sommelier Neal Wavra (decamped in July). And many online gawkers had nervously been waiting for the final shoe to drop.
A Goodstone spokesperson said William J. Walden–a French cooking vet who spent several years at L’Auberge Chez Francois before branching out on his own with La Fleur de Lis (now defunct) in Lovettsville–will slide behind the burners effective immediately.
The spokesperson added that Goodstone owner Mark Betts is hoping to broaden the restaurant’s base by adopting a la carte offerings (Goodstone had adhered to a tasting menu format under King and his predecessor, the Wine Kitchen’s Christopher Carey) and instituting a Sunday brunch option.
“I think he [Betts] thinks locals think it’s too expensive,” the Goodstone spokesperson said of the latest dining overhaul.
No word on whether King plans to remain in the area.
–Warren
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, September 14th, 2009
I’m actually a big vegetable lover.
I’ve dabbled in vegetarianism (took up the mantle for six months after exploring an anti-animal cruelty installation while in graduate school). To this day, my cooking still relies heavily on a solid foundation of produce (go-to contributors include smashed garlic, sauteed onions, minced mushrooms, blistered peppers and slow-simmered beans).
Over the weekend, NPR host Lynn Neary and food writer T. Susan Chang delved into the world of hard-to-love vegetables, touching on taboo comestibles like okra (love the stuff, but have never tried to make at home) and beets (another dish I enjoy, but only at the hands of a capable chef).
I was particularly intrigued by Chang’s advocacy of the “add bacon” philosophy:
“What you do is you overpower it [the vegetable] with something that’s irresistible, either in texture or in flavor. And it happens to be with bacon that you get both.”
In this era of “sneaky chefs” (another vegetable-masking program Chang endorses), it seems somewhat juvenile to dilute healthful foodstuffs (beets) with fattening camouflage (chocolate cake).
How do you feel about these types of “ends justify the means” cooking strategies? What sweeteners/additives, if any, do you use to weave otherwise unwelcome vegetables into your dining routine?
–Warren
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Friday, September 11th, 2009
Chef Anthony Chittum is no stranger to working with fresh vegetables (that’s some of his farm-to-table handiwork below):
(Image: FoodieTots)
But he’d now like to make the leap to full-on friend of the meatless masses by adding a dedicated, four-course vegetarian tasting menu to Vermilion’s seasonally inspired carte.
Chittum said carving out a degustation experience for vegetarian guests just makes sense, particularly since the kitchen has begun fielding requests for alterna-preparations (vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free) with more and more regularity.
“Any type of request that’s physically possible, we’ll try to do,” he said of staffs’ predisposition to custom-tailor every meal to the best of their ability.
According to Chittum, the vegetarian menu is unlikely to be published within every menu. But there will be a line urging diners to inquire about the daily offerings and staff will routinely relay the most current tasting configuration.
Chittum said his menu will include a quartet of “composed dishes”–i.e., a carefully choreographed meal rather than a slapdash arrangement of culinary afterthoughts and warmed-over sides–drawn from the freshest produce of the day.
Check this space next week for a report from Chittum’s 9/16 preview dinner–a feast poised to include: spicy pimento dip and crispy okra canapes, carpaccio of summer squash accompanied by smoked mozzarella and pureed red peppers, corn-, potato- and smoked lobster mushroom-stuffed pasta, pesto-roasted cremini mushrooms with yukon gold potato gnocchi and a malted chocolate ice cream-espresso-homemade chocolate donut closer.
–Warren
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, September 10th, 2009
The hobby of wine collecting is a perfectly capitalist diversion. And what I really mean by that is that it’s a disease. You can never collect enough to be satisfied and no matter how many ducats you bring home on a monthly basis there is always one bottle just out of reach of the wine budget.
And then there is all of the “stuff” that goes along with wine collecting.
Namely, the glassware involved in consuming said wine.
For example, though it hardly qualifies as dizzying, the stemware collection on retailer Williams-Sonoma’s Web site is a haughty enough gathering of delicate-lipped glasses to sufficiently make novice wine drinkers nervous about choosing the “right” stemware, and conversely more serious drinkers go into OCB mode, or Obsessive Compulsive Buying mode. Even Target has a Riedel collection that differentiates between just plain red, Burgundy, Bordeaux and Merlot.
So does it really make a difference if you drink a Merlot out of a Burgundy glass? Is this a matter of pre-eminent importance?
Depends on whom you consult. Max Riedel of the Riedel stemware empire would say, yes. But frankly, folks, there are people out there who drink Champagne out of everyday wine glasses and make no apologies for it (including yours truly).
Gut Check spoke to New York-based wine writer and knower of all things vinified, Alice Feiring, about the need for all those darned glasses.
“I love glasses, I’ve always loved glasses,” she says. And while she is a fan of having the right glass on hand for the right mood, when it comes to compulsion about using a different glass for every obscure varietal out there, Feiring says not necessary.
“I’ve never bought into a different glass for a different varietal… the idea of correcting wine to a glass is ridiculous.” She muses it might have been worth it if stems were your fixation in a more flush economy, “maybe back in the day when people were looking for excuses to spend money.”
The current economic doldrums excluded, however, there really is no need to have more than two types of glasses on hand.
“A wine glass is like a bow to a violin. It’s almost about the way [the wine glass] feels in your hand.”
How about you folks out there? Have you had to pair down the wine glass collection to match the economic downturn or have the cupboards continued to burst with stemware at a steady pace?
As for me I won’t be updating our rag tag wine glass menagerie culled from chain stores, thrift stores and wine festivals any time soon. But I wouldn’t say no to a nice set of six Zinfandel glasses from the Riedel Vinum collection. Y’know, to suit my everchanging moods.
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, September 10th, 2009
What is wrong with people?!?!?!
–Warren
Rocklands Embraces Rib Tips, Bourbon Appreciation
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, September 9th, 2009
Barbecue aficionado John Snedden is turning brunch into a wood-fired bonanza this September 27, serving up all-you-can-eat smoked hog, snipped ribs and hand-crafted bourbons as part of Rocklands new menu roll-out.
Rocklands’ general manager Brad Yoder helped launched the restaurant’s nascent “Bourbon Club” (163 members and counting, including 16 folks who’ve sampled all 60 bourbons and one intrepid soul who’s completed the circuit twice) back in January and said the upcoming brunch would celebrate the natural attraction between charred meats and smoky booze.
Alongside the centerpiece swine (Yoder said Snedden is currently on the hunt for a 125-pound porker to slow-roast and lovingly dissect), guests will also be treated to a pair of new additions to the Rocklands carte–rib tips (those saucy snippets of cartilage and meat) and a peanut butter dessert pie.
Brunch attendees will also enjoy four, 1-ounce samples of different bourbons–Yoder said staff are still vetting the final candidates but suggested that Jim Beam Distillers Series, Booker’s, Knob Creek and Blanton’s were all strong contenders–as well as a trio of 8-ounce microbrew pours to be provided by Rick’s Wine and Gourmet.
Yoder suspects the new rib tips–”Some people think they’re the best part of the rib,” he stated–will likely reappear as some sort of weekly special at the Arlington store (possibly as another AYCE enticement on Tuesday nights?), while the peanut butter pie will become a static offering.
Tickets for the 9/27 brunch will run $55 per person. Reservations can be made by calling 202-337-1925 or emailing anne@rocklands.com.
–Warren
Hast du etwas Steins fur mich?
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Tuesday, September 8th, 2009
Photo: Courtesy Rustico
When the air in metropolitan D.C. changes from an asphyxiating solid back to a breathable vapor, it’s time to dust off your dirndl, launder that lederhosen and fête the fall.
Yes, Gut Checkers, I am talking about the time of year devoted to German delights like beer, bratwurst and strudel: Oktoberfest.
No time to head to Munich? Thankfully getting your wienerschnitzel on in Northern Virginia is as easy as eins, zwei, drei. As you can see from the list below we’ve got three recommendations to get you started satisfying your inner Heidi or Hansel for this season’s Wiesn.
Euro Bistro – Sept. 10-13
Kick off the Oktoberfesten happening throughout the region at Euro Bistro in Herndon (this way your Alpine dance moves will be in full effect by the time October actually rolls around). Area favorites the Heidi and Heimat Echo band will perform oompah classics in all their embroidered suede finery, as well as polka veterans, The Continentals. If the Continentals’ motto “polka ‘til you puke” is any indication of the serious stein-swinging they’re likely to induce, the festivities will be one for the record books. A tri-fecta of traditional German beers such as Weihenstephaner, Hofbräu München and Paulaner will be on hand, and let’s not forget the requisite German festival fare: apple strudel, wienerschnitzel, the classic combo of bratwurst and sauerkraut, roast pork, German potato salad and pretzels.
Capital Ale House – Oct. 3
The festivities start in September at Capital Ale House locations in Richmond and Innsbrook, but the non-stop polka party that is Oktoberfest culminates October 3rd in downtown Fredericksburg.
As the host of this giant blocktoberfest, Capital Ale House is providing each guest (appropriate drinking age please) with a complimentary 1-litre, regulation- size Oktoberfest Capital Ale House stein! (Paulaner or Hacker Pschorr beers will be on draft.)
Too young for a stein? The Kinder can enjoy family friendly activities like the balloon twister and performances by The Hirschjager German dancers as well as music by Die Dorf Musikanten & a redux of the Continentals .
Fill your gullet with more German favorites including giant pretzels with sweet mustard, bratwurst, knockwurst, sauerbraten and dumplings with ginger snap gravy, roast chicken, German potato salad, red cabbage and sauerkraut as well as regular menu offerings from the Capital Ale House restaurant. The frolicking starts at noon and ends at 10:00pm.
Rustico – Oct. 10
Beer is the name of the game at this haven for hopheads, so if you’re still feeling the need to belt out a few German drinking songs, round out the Oktoberfest gestalt at Rustico. Honor all things Alpine and autumnal with 20 Oktoberfest-specific beers, not to mention tasty morsels you won’t find scrawled on the dry-erase board at the neighborhood “schnellimbiss,” like last year’s pumpkin ravioli for example. The event is free and food and beer can be purchased separately. Food prices range from 4-8 tickets (each ticket is $1); beer prices range from 5-8 tickets. It’s not just Deutscher debauchery at this event either. Kinder of all ages are welcome to come and enjoy the atmosphere, live music (no less than six bands) and a raffle drawing for a Harley. True to Rustico’s mission to serve as stewards of the community, all of the proceeds from this year’s raffle will go directly to the nonprofit, D.C. Central Kitchen.
–Amy Loeffler
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Friday, September 4th, 2009
(Image: Etiole)
As loyal Twitter users already know, at the end of every week many folks engage in friendly cross-pollination by branding fellow Tweeters they think everyone else should keep any eye on with the seemingly inescapable #FollowFriday tag.
I’ll be the first to admit, I’m terrible at this.
Not because I don’t wish to promote the most clever/interesting/charismatic Tweeters among us. I simply believe the crux of the service is self-selecting the voices you wish to invite into your personal stream.
Granted, I understand the value of having your friends/colleagues/confidants recommend Tweeters you “should” enjoy/identify with.
But who am I to say if your stream (or mine, for that matter) has universal appeal?
Rather than simply regurgitating a meaningless soup of characters and hash tags into the online ether, I’m going to celebrate the Twitter-based food and wine commentary I find most engaging each week via this blog.
For this inaugural Tweat Cred column, the honors go to:
* Purcellville’s Hillsborough Wines (@HillsboroWine) – for settling the score sustainably;
* Government watchdog Eddie Kohan (@ObamaFoodorama) – for keeping food policy front and center;
* Austin food blogger James Francis (@jameseats) – for making me ravenously hungry; and,
* Tampa Tribune food writer Jeff Houck (@TheStew) – for the barrage of rat-tat-tat-tacular snark loosed during this week’s Top Chef.
Your words/thoughts/observations made my week.
And I can honestly say, you’ve all inspired me to become a better Tweeter.
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, September 3rd, 2009
Summer is waning and that is bad news if you’ve become addicted to the regular pleasures of the flesh. The luxurious nectars and succulent flesh of summer fruits that is.
Take heart, however. As the dwindling crop of summer’s stars (stone fruits like peaches, plums and cherries, or anything from the berry family) is mourned, you can always keep a little bit of the season nestled safely in a glass jar on your cupboard shelves to get you through the long, bleak winter.
By what sorcery you might ask allows you to cram all the sensory experiences of summer and its bounty into a stubby glass jar?
Nothing less than the wizardry of Charlottesville-based jam maker Daniel Perry (just FYI “jam maker” is the technical term). According to the tag line for his Web site jamaccordingtodaniel he muscles “one pound of local fruit into every jar” of jam that he crafts.
When you speak to Perry about the process of preserving fruit, it does seem more like an act of alchemy than mere cookery.
“I get to take a moment, freeze it, and put it in a jar,” he muses in regards to the ephemeral nature of working with seasonal fruit. He isn’t so much making jam the way you think of your grandmother dutifully filling infinite rows of glass receptacles as he is “preserving the fruit in its own essence,” which sounds much more philosophical.
Procure your own bit of seasonal wonderment through Perry’s Web site, at the farmer’s market in Charlottesville or at Blacksalt in D.C. His Web site states that his jam, “will last for up to a year in a cool dark place; once it has been opened, a jar can sit in the refrigerator for a very, very long time.” (A very, very long time is also a technical term.)
Perfect. We actually just need to sustain ourselves until next May when the summer cycle repeats itself and we can again indulge in the fleeting pleasures of the, ahem, flesh.
Photo: Daniel Perry