Where to buy the best cut of steak

You can cook your own steak if you have exceptional meat

My first exposure to delicious steak was at our then French restaurant Au Bon Vivant in L. Guerrero, Ermita, Manila. It was a local tenderloin steak with our most delicious Bearnaise sauce. That was one of our bestsellers. Every time I went to our restaurant, no fail it was to get Chataeubriand Bearnaise. I didn’t realize it then but that there were other steaks around.

In my dating years, I would sometimes dine at Alfredo’s along Tomas Morato and have their steak with the background music of Tadao Hayashi. Good, but I guess I was more focused on my date.

I had no experience with good steak when I lived in Paris, but that all changed when I went to Cornell University in upstate New York. Our school had an outstanding restaurant that served delicious roast prime rib of beef with au jus, Yorkshire pudding, and mashed potato on the side. The restaurants meat was supplied by our animal school and I later on learned, it was a USDA prime grade steak (there are five grades in US beef. Then, at least). This was the best. No wonder. This time, I was no longer focused on my date but on the delicious prime rib. It was that good.

At the hotel school in Cornell, we had a meats class. I barely passed Chemistry or even Engineering but in Meat Science, the valedictorian of the class would ask for my help. I loved the subject so much. We had whole slabs of beef, pork, and lamb and we had to identify each cut. We would go to the meat shops and groceries to identify the cuts. We even went on a field trip to Philadelphia where I witnessed how kosher meat was being slaughtered. I excelled in this subject.

Fast forward two decades—I experienced a most delicious dinner of roast prime rib in San Francisco at the House of Primerib along Van Ness Avenue. Best I’ve ever tried. This has become a must-visit whenever I visit San Francisco.

I love steak so much I studied hard on how to cook it. Today, if I may say so, I bake a mean roast prime rib of beef with au jus and mashed potatoes. Or I sous vide a three-inch slice of prime beef to medium rare, slice into three, and  just char the outside to form a crust for a minute on both sides. I then serve that with just freshly grated Himalayan salt and Japanese pepper. No frills! I just want my family to taste the quality of the beef. The best! This is a staple in all my kids’ birthdays!

I get my beef from a local importer, Vicky Choi. She sells the best quality USDA prime beef. She has whole prime rib roasts. This you buy by the slab but can request her to cut them into the thickness of your desire (I like mine 3/4 thick) then vacuum packed. A whole slab comes out sometimes to 21 pieces.

One day I got this idea. I personally prefer a New York cut or strip steak to a rib eye steak when eating a slab of charred steak (roast prime rib is different). I suggested to Vicky to import USDA prime strip steaks because like I do, many prefer this cut for steaks. And she did.

Oh my. They are the best. In my daughter Ali’s birthday dinner, she begged me to have the steaks with Bearnaise sauce. Normally, I don’t do this, I just like salt and pepper. But it was her birthday, so Papa gave in. For that birthday dinner, I started with Melba toast with jam on the side and the foie gras of Chef Martin Gaspar of L’ Entrecôte in BGC. Then we had a grilled New York cut steak, each with creamy buttered mashed potatoes and crusty baguette. On the side, I made Au Bon Vivants’ Bearnaise sauce—a secret recipe of the family. Sorry, I can’t give out the recipe! With that we drizzled white truffle oil all over the steaks and potatoes. Oh my! Heaven! This had to be the best steak dinner of the year. The steak was medium rare, well-marbled, super delicious, and tender. From every bite came out an involuntary ooh and ahh. Outstanding meal!

The secret of this steak dinner? My USDA prime strip steaks or New York cut steaks (strip steak means stripped of the tenderloin) from Vicky! I always have a stock of 3/4 inch vacuum-packed steaks in my freezer. I just thaw them.

When my son Franco from Cebu saw this, his request was a repeat on his birthday, which is coming soon. I am a slave to my kids! And I love it.

You can make this meal at home too. Just make sure you get the best steaks. Have them cut into one-inch or ¾-inch thickness and have them vacuum packed. Then enjoy culinary heaven! This to me is the perfect definition of “Bon Appetit!”

When I started appreciating steaks, I was happy with local tenderloin with Bearnaise. Today I still love the same but with a leveled up steak in a USDA prime grade New York cut steak. Check these out! Vicky Choi +63 917 521 0523. — Sandy Daza

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Credit belongs to: www.mb.com.ph