So a good friend of mine, Alex, moved from the California Bay Area to Texas a while ago. He has settled into his new home in Dallas, so I thought it would be fun to pay a visit.
But what to do in Dallas? My first night there, Alex’s wife Naomi served a tasty chicken dish, and I marveled at her ability to find Chicken in Texas.
Yes, Texas is about beef. So my battle plan was to get some interesting local experiences, some real Texas BBQ, and maybe work in a Kobe beef burger somewhere.
Mission: Accomplished.
I will detail some of these culinary experinces in The Meatery in future posts. For today, we will detail one of the highlights, a 22 oz. Bone-In Rib-Eye steak. Battered and deep fried, that is.
This was acquired at a restaurant called Jasper’s, just outside Dallas, in Plano. http://www.kentrathbun.com/
The neighborhood was pleasant, reminiscent of Walnut Creek in the Bay Area. Jasper’s had a nice ambiance so we put our names down for a table. A glance at the menu….$45. I’m thinking, “I think I’ve paid $48 for a Porterhouse, so I’m not breaking any records….”. The price tag was a bit steep for the budget, but Alex was good enough to point out that this was more than a meal, we were paying for an experience.
I generally try to get a feel for the menu to get a feel for the venue. Gotta be honest. No idea what else was on the menu. There may have been a non-deep fried rib-eye. Perhaps a couple other steaks. Some other food, I guess. To be honest, like a poor high school quarterback, my eyes were locked on the deep fried rib-eye.
When you complain about $6 for a restaurant hamburger, paying $45 for a steak leaves expectations high, even if it is rib-eye. It was a nice novelty idea. But would that be it? Would it be paper-thin? Would it be the standard well d0ne chicken fried leather? This better be good!!
No worries. Tender. Juicy. Crispy. Garlic mashed potatoes coated with a sweet whiskey gravy. The steak was medium rare. Had to write down the name of the Chef: Kent Rathbun. I almost asked for the recipe, but was not strong enough to fight off the urge to request extra gravy.
The nice thing about deep frying, if it is done correctly, is that the end result is a very juicy meat. When you are heated, you sweat. Same deal for the animal in the boiling oil. So the moisture in the meat rushes to the surface, counterbalancing the oil trying to push it’s way in. If cooked at the right temperature, the oil never has enough time to penetrate the meat before it reaches serving temperature, resulting in a clean, juicy and flavorful experience. When you subject the watermelon of beef to this process, my friend, the joy is immeasurable.
The underrated part of this dish, however, was the gravy. A nice balance of sweet and savory, it was a nice compliment to both the garlic in the potatoes, and the steak itself. The breading tended to crack off the meat, but provided that extra element of texture.
So I have made the decision. I don’t live in Dallas. Therefore, I must create my own version of the deep fried rib-eye, complete with whiskey gravy. There will be trial. There will be error. And as a true cook, I’ll be forced to consume my own mistakes. But I will do so in the name of The Meatery, for my carnivorous bretheren.
If I am able to re-create some of the magic, I shall post a recipe both for the beast and the gravy. Stay tuned...
The other impressive experience was a Brazilian BBQ, or Churrascaria. I will detail this experience in another post soon… Photo by Alex Calle via iPhone.
