Angeles City wine and Dine: Picking the perfect steak
Date: May 27, 2011
Diet trends come and go — this month it’s low-fat that’s taking a beating — but one thing remains certain: Americans still love their red meat. We eat an average of 67 pounds of beef a year and that hasn’t changed for a decade, according to the newest government figures.
What has changed are some of the choices we have at the supermarket when we want to cut into a juicy steak for dinner.
Randy Irion, director of retail marketing for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, says the industry is putting more effort in marketing beef to consumers. That means more beef with fancy “branded” names such as Rancher’s Reserve and Certified Angus and Natural Beef, plus more of those full-service glass cases, where customers can pick out a specific steak.
Unfortunately, say some meat industry experts, the guy behind that glass case might not know much about the meat he’s selling. Most of the meat-cutting has already been done at a centralized location and then shipped “case-ready” to supermarket and super-center chains across the country, says Joseph Cordray, a professor of animal science at Iowa State University who works closely with retail meat departments.
“A market may have one guy who knows how to cut meat, but most of the others [in the meat department] are not highly trained,” Cordray says. “Real butchers are a dying breed.”
The exceptions are some upscale or specialty chains, such as Whole Foods, Balducci’s or Wegmans, or at the scattering of traditional butcher shops (see “Meat Markets” on this page). There, it’s easier to find someone to give you expert advice about the different types of steak, how to cook them, even recipes.
We asked some of those butchers, as well as other meat experts, what you need to know when choosing the perfect steak. Here are their 11 top tips:
• Pick out your steak like you pick out your clothes. Would you grab just any old pair of pants off the rack? Of course not. Same with a steak. Look at each one carefully. If you want it to be juicy and tender for cooking on the grill, you want lots of little white flecks of fat in the meaty part (it’s called marbling). The flecks melt away during cooking, adding to the meat’s flavor. You also want it to be an even thickness (if it’s thinner in some parts, it will cook unevenly). If you’re buying more than one steak, try to find cuts that are all close in size so they finish cooking at about the same time.
• Look for thick cuts. Avoid steaks that are less than an inch thick, says Bruce Aidells, co-author of “The Complete Meat Cookbook” (Houghton Mifflin, 1998), because they’re too easy to overcook. Be careful when buying steaks in packs — it’s often difficult to get a side view to see just how thick they are.
• Don’t trim that fat. Yeah, yeah, we know. It’s hard to break years of being admonished otherwise. But father-and-son butchers Bill and Aaron Fuchs of Wagshal’s Market in Northwest Washington tell customers to leave most of the fat on the outside edge of the steak before cooking. The fat helps to keep the steak moist and hold its shape during cooking. It also enhances the meat’s flavor. Once the steak is cooked, you can trim off any excess fat before serving.
• Behind the glass or on the shelf? Sometimes it’s the same meat. Markets tend to put a higher grade of meat in the full-service glass case, but not always, Irion says. Sometimes it’s the same meat as in the plastic-wrapped packages on the self-service shelves — the only difference is you might have more of certain cuts to choose from in the full-service case. If you’re unsure, ask a meat department employee to explain the difference — especially if the steak in the case is priced higher than the ones on the shelf.
• Chuck and Round are tough guys, Rib and Loin are not. If the words “chuck” or “round” are in the name of the steak, it will need to be marinated and then slowly cooked in liquid to be tender. These are generally very lean cuts with lots of muscle fiber that need to be broken down with slow, long, moist heat. Don’t even think of throwing a chuck steak on the grill.
Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/14/AR2006021400432.html
Fine dining in Manila Philippines, wine and dine at Yats Restaurant & Wine Bar, great wine list
Many tourists traveling north to Baguio or Bataan make a stop at Clark Philippines to relax and unwind at this famous fine dining restaurant. Conveniently located in the Mimosa Leisure Golf Estate, next to the Casino and the well known 36-hole championship golf course of Mimosa, frequently visited Yats Restaurant & Wine Bar is a well known destination for tourists and residents of Angeles City Pampanga and Manila to be one of the best fine dining restaurants in the Philippines. Wine lovers from Manila and all other cities in Asia already know of Yats Restaurant for its award winning 2700-item wine list. This resto bar is generally regarded as the best restaurant in Clark Pampanga.
Places to go during holidays in Philippines, wine & dine in Clark at Yats Restaurant & Wine Lounge, one of 600 restaurants in the world to win Wine Spectator’s Best of Awards of Excellence Wine List.
Recent opinion survey of frequent travelers heading north towards Subic and Clark Pampanga revealed that the number one most frequently visited fine dining restaurant in Pampanga is Yats Restaurant & Wine Bar located in Clark Philippines. Reasons given include good food, excellent service, an elegant, cozy and upscale ambience, availability of exclusive private dining rooms, a nice garden for outdoor alfresco dining and cocktail parties. There are two very impressive wine cellars that contain some of the world’s finest wines and rare vintages. Yats Restaurant is already recognized as one of the top rated restaurants in the Philippines. It is frequently visited not only by local residents but also tourists arriving in the Philippines for a memorable dining experience.
The best place to hold group dinners in Clark Pampanga is Yats Restaurant and Wine Lounge. Located in the upscale and quiet location of Mimosa Leisure Estate that is famous for its Championship golf course and the Clark casino, this top rated restaurant is highly recommended for event organizers looking for a good restaurant to hold group dinners. Companies in Subic and Angeles City Pampanga frequently choose this restaurant in Clark for meetings, parties and functions. Residents of nearby Angeles City, San Fernando and other cities of Pampanga travel to Clark to hold their group dinners and social gatherings in this popular restaurant in Clark. Yats Restaurant is well known among residents of Manila to be a place to visit whenever they travel out of town on a getaway to the north towards Subic, Tarlac, Baguio or Pampanga. Very often, group dinners, family gatherings and social functions are held in this famous restaurant in Clark Philippines.
For comments, inquiries and reservations click on Click here for inquiry and reservations
Restaurant@Yats-International.com
(045) 599-5600
0922-870-5178
0917-520-4401
Ask for Pedro and Rechel
Getting to this fine dining restaurant of Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone Pampanga Philippines
How to get to this fine-dining restaurant in Clark Pampanga? Once you get to Clark Freeport, go straight until you hit Mimosa. After you enter Mimosa, stay on the left on Mimosa Drive, go past the Holiday Inn and Yats Restaurant (green top, independent 1-storey structure) is on your left. Just past the Yats Restaurant is the London Pub.
Yats Restaurant & Wine Bar
Mimosa Drive past Holiday Inn, Mimosa Leisure Estate,
Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga, Philippines 2023
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Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605
(632) 637-5019 0917-520-4393 Rea or Chay
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