The American public is ravenous for beef. How some fine dining chefs navigate that appetite

I've recently become very interested in the question of beef. Not regarding the flavor per se, but the "why" of it. Nearly 30 years after the debut of the sticky ad slogan, "Beef. It's What's for Dinner," beef reigns in American home and restaurant kitchens. Last year, beef sales in this country soared, up almost 24% from 2019 as Americans stocked up on ground beef and sought takeout burgers during the first year of the pandemic. As Michelin star announcements have come in, I've also noticed that it seems almost obligatory for starred restaurants to have some cuts of A5 Miyazaki Wagyu on-hand. (With the noted exception of Atelier Crenn, which does not serve red meat, though lab-grown meat will be on the table once it gains regulatory approval.) In my first year of restaurant criticism, almost every fine dining restaurant I went to served beef as the savory, hearty climax to the meal, or offered it as a luxurious upgrade. Before Dominique Crenn took meat off her restaurants' menus in 2018, her flagship Atelier Crenn served dishes like Wagyu ribeye with porcini mushroom and slivers of kombu seaweed. At Manresa, there was the Wagyu with nasturtiums and matsutake mushroom;… Read full this story

The American public is ravenous for beef. How some fine dining chefs navigate that appetite have 293 words, post on www.sfchronicle.com at October 4, 2021. This is cached page on wBird. If you want remove this page, please contact us.