Archive for the Meat and Steaks Category

It was Saturday. That means Belmont Butchery on Belmont in Richmond is open! Time for some good, quality meat.

Oven roasted asparagus with garlic was one item up for the plate; another was some butter-basted garlic potatoes. More attention was devoted to the mushroom sauce.

• crimini mushrooms
• butter
• salt, pepper
• 1/4 sweet onion
• garlic
• dried thyme
• 1 strip bacon
• red wine (in this case, Shiraz)
• honey mustard

Start cooking the bacon, cut into smaller pieces. Next, you brown the mushrooms, after already wilting the onion in the pan with the bacon. Add the garlic. Add some wine; reduce; add the herb and mustard, and keep warm while you cook the steaks.

I used prime filet; it was heavily dowsed in salt and pepper, and cooked with a crusty finish in a lightly oiled sauté pan. I added the mushrooms on top of one, and a seriously thick slice of Maytag blue cheese plus mushrooms on another. It warmed in the oven for 5 minutes while I plated the garlicky vegetables. A little truffle oil might have found its way on the plate, too.

If you’re a Richmonder, please try Belmont Butchery. They sell some good stuff.

Bohanan’s Steak House is located in San Antonio, Texas. I had the opportunity to dine there recently while away from home, and found a very satisfying experience.

You can purchase a high-$20s steak up to the most expensive $135; there’s seafood, some old fashioned favorites (escargot), and a casual yet very professional demeanor to the service and setting. Folks go to Bohanan’s no doubt to relax, enjoy a good meal, and be spoiled by tasty simplicity, knowing everything will be “just so.” Just so, it turns out, is darn good.

I had their “special” carprese salad with heirloom tomatoes, basil, and the typical olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It’s an easy treat to make at home, for sure, and at $15, it seemed overpriced. But you’re also paying for the substantial table, the (again, I know) professional service. And that was one exceptional tomato. It only needed salt, and they thankfully brought me “sea salt” upon request. It wasn’t just Kosher salt, either; it was fleur de sel. Nice touch.

I opted for their pancetta-wrapped diver’s scallops which arrived after some pause. They were perfectly cooked, and served with a perfect size accompaniment of mashed potatoes and bok choy. Substantial, without going overboard. I wasn’t the only pleased one at the table, either. From the appetizers, to the entrées, and the sorbet and excellent bread in between, Bohanan’s has a formula down and hits on all points.

Dessert, shared between three, was appropriate; chocolate is always a fitting dessert: this one featured tiramisù in a chocolate shell. Rich, satisfying, and a fine ending.

I figure people go to Bohanan’s to have an above-average steak, and to be ‘treated’ to a special time. Their food, I felt, was ultimately overpriced. Yet, rarely do you find service that was as well done: not too stuffy, not too much; just right.

Eleven Maple Street is located in Jensen Beach, Florida.

This was my second visit to 11 Maple, a gourmand’s destination in the so-called treasure coast area of southeastern Florida. Located in a small cottage among more touristy destinations, this quaint, eclectically-styled restaurant serves creative interpretations of excellent cuisine.

Two menus were presented to us; one a long list of “small plates” and another of entrées. Our server Joy was a pleasant host. Our only real complaint for the restaurant was its choice of tap water. My parents informed me this was “Florida tap water” which smells smokey and is not palatable. We were not offered any other water choices for the evening.

I had their kobe hanger steak small plate, served with fried onion rings and a mayonnaise-based sauce. The beef was excellent, and the flavors all combined nicely with the wine choice of the evening, a Shiraz/Cabernet blend from Lake Breeze in Australia.

My larger plate of duck breast and confit duck leg was also tasty. The confit leg was less well executed; the breast was good, and the accompanying sauce (with smokey sweetness) was great. Other entrées and dishes included sea bass, elk, tofu soup, and a calamari salad.

Two desserts were ordered: pear cake and their white chocolate bread pudding. Both were very well received by all at the table. We of course left too full, but everything on the plate was enjoyable, and as my dad remarked, “A work of art” (referring to presentation).

I have no reservation in recommending your visit to 11 Maple Street in Jensen Beach. From the decor, to the variety of dishes, to the relaxed atmosphere, there is bound to be a good time for all.

N.B. For those reading and paying attention to the star ratings, I felt I could not give 11 Maple a full 5-star recommendation. The level of service(s) offered, one wrong order, etc., eclipsed the restaurant from a designation of full, top-quality in rating. With small adjustments, this location could attain a 5-star rating based on the criteria we use at MessyCuisine. This visit followed an earlier one in 2005. Our impressions the second time around were more favorable, and we wish the outfit on a continued course for success.

Here is my review from December, 2005, detailing my first visit to 11 Maple Street. I awarded it 4 stars then.

After Christmas this year, my family and I dined at 11 Maple Street in Jensen Beach, Florida. My parents had chosen the location, and deemed it “the best we can offer.” It had supposed been rated #1 in the “Treasure Coast” area of south-central Florida, on the Atlantic coast.

It’s an old house, and during warmer weather, you can eat both inside and out; for us, we sat in the largest of the interior rooms, off to side of the main building which also included restrooms and the kitchen. I’ve eaten at many good places in my life (I’m not boasting, but I am rather fond of reminding myself how good life has treated me), and it seems restaurants can do two things to impress people, their guests: good service, good food. I think good service is easier than good food. And great service says nothing about the quality of food. True exceptions in the business are those that excel equally well at both food and service, but this distinction is important.

I saw more of an emphasis at 11 Maple on the food, more so than the service. This is not to say you’ll be treated poorly here, but simply, they’re not going to go overboard for you. This is not a place where napkins get re-folded when you walk away from your table; you may have to ask for a knife after yours has been taken away, and your waiter may not always be within eye’s view, should you need something.

The decor of the restaurant was special, and I imagine eating in one of their little alcove rooms is special too. Where touches made the atmosphere inviting, others directly in front of us were missing: the plates, the silver, the glasses were unimpressive. The tap water they served was really poor. It tasted like charcoal. So, on one hand, I’d lump service, and ‘table service’ together as “just okay” at 11 Maple. The surroundings, and the food, were much better.

The menu changes regularly, and their selection of appetizers and main entrées was impressive for its variety. I could hardly pick too many from their list that might disappoint. We ended up choosing 2 sea bass entrées, 1 hanger steak entree, and one beef tenderloin entrée. For appetizers we sampled the arugala/balsamic pear salad, the crisp artichokes, and the spinach/calamari salad. All were delicious. Strong flavors were had on mine, but the whole thing was delicious. Pear, blue cheese, and the sweetness from balsamic vinegar was excellent. Scent was imposed by way of porcini mushrooms. Odd mixtures of ingredients, but satisfaction followed.

The fish entrées had strong flavors. I loved mine; it was characteristic of a strong woody, smokey flavor. Another didn’t like the dish as well; he felt the flavors were too strong, and things tasted “burnt.” The favorite, for me, was the smokey, dense flavor of roasted tomato and corn which served as a base for this dish. The hanger steak entrée was stunning, but less-estatic comments were delivered by way of the tenderloin entrée.

The Riesling wine I chose went superbly with the fish. It was a less-than-excellent match with other things I sampled. Despite any good judgement I had by meal’s end, I had to try one of their desserts.

Their coconut sorbet was served in a martini glass; the glass was anchored on the plate using chocolate sauce. This dessert was creamy and rich; the glass was composed of pineapple chunk-sized pieces of frozen coconut sorbet. The texture when biting into each one was incredible, a real treat, and a 5-star dessert. It was my cold-sensitive teeth, however, that got the best of me, but if you can stand biting into cold fare, this was the restaurants tour de force. It is rich, when eaten in full, so like I did, I would recommend sharing it.

In all, the meal at 11 Maple St. may in fact be one of the best the Treasure Coast has to offer. For me, everything was delicious, but improvements in service and perhaps the wares on the table would make it truly world-class. The good news, however, is you don’t need to dress formally to enjoy great, creative cuisine.

Located next to the Virginia Beach convention center, Zoe’s serves upscale food in a comfortable, eclectic atmosphere. Our waitress was excellent—she was dynamic, had a sense of humor, and provided great wine service. Too many times nowadays I like a restaurant, but the service is a let down. Here, the service met the level of cuisine.

Appetizers ordered for our large party included a trio of hummuses, a “take” on Japanese/Chinese dim sum, clams, and shrimp tempura, Chinese style. The eclectic menu matched some of the decorations, crossing borders and conveying interesting interpretations.

The appetizers were good, but not particularly great. I admired the inventiveness and the play on food (little mini sea urchin-type fish balls or the shrimp served in a Chinese-style take-out box). The entrées were less daring in interpretation, but more solid in flavor and execution.

It took some time for all entrées to come out in unison for our party, but the wait was worth it. The orders varied from rockfish, to steaks, to an interesting new item: duck and ricotta balls. Gnutti, they were called, they were a new take on a gnocchi, and while bland, they were combined with cubes of duck breast and fig. It was a different entrée and one that I much enjoyed. Everyone seemed amply satisfied with their meals.

The desserts included a triple-layer cheesecake (dense, tart, rich) and crème brûlée. The custard was just right, in ample amounts, with copious amounts of fresh vanilla bean. The cheese cake was presented in a rounded shape, delicious, but was ultimately too rich for one person to consume alone.

Zoë took above average food, inventive flavor choices, and combined it with excellent service in a warm atmosphere. Great conversation capped the meal making it great.

Recommended; near the strip, valet parking available.

Located now on Cox Rd. opposite the Comp USA/Office Max shopping center in Richmond’s far west-end, Ipanema Grill is a Brazillian-style churrascaria.

An upgrade from their previous location on Gayton Rd., this one is located in a new shopping center and features an airy dining room. The concept here is simple: serve yourself at a warm and cold bar (salad, rice, beans, fried bananas, Parmesan cheese, etc.), and waiters will make rounds in the restaurant with sword-skewered meats, such as bacon-wrapped chicken, pork sausage, pineapple, and various cuts of beef.

While my first experience some months ago here was superior, they do an excellent job at preparing these said meats. From the mouth-watering beef rib, to the chicken leg, to the pork roast, each cut is well-flavored and seasoned. This is a classy way at presenting high-end buffet eating by bringing (most) of the buffet to you, cut to your own order.

I brought my parents here and they both enjoyed it. The price for dinner is $25 per person, so it is not cheap. But, if you are a meat lover, you can hardly do better. Both the quality and variety of meat proffered is commendable.

We warmly recommend it. We previously reviewed this restaurant and awarded the same rating.