CALF_News_April_May_2021

43 CALF News • April | May 2021 • www.calfnews.net By Jess Ebert Contributing Editor  CALF BEEF REVIEW The Elephant Bistro & Bar Hoxie, Kansas BEEF? Where’s the Really Exceptional W hile I travel, I am always looking for a unique place to eat, and I found the “watering hole” of northwest Kansas a few months back. Now a regular monthly occurrence, I grab a friend and we partake in the most delicious meal. Emily Campbell grew up in Hoxie, Kan., with a mom as an amazing cook and possessing a love of entertaining. After moving to Seattle with her husband, Doug, Emily started exploring her personal career opportunities away from her original career as a CPA and pursued cooking. When considering starting your own business, you need to have technical training and as much experience as possible before taking the leap. Emily went to culinary school at Le Cordon Bleu, working under some of the top chefs in Seattle (some of whom have been featured on the Food Network) and studied the vast cultures of food. The Campbells’ roots run deep in northwest Kansas and they were drawn back to Hoxie to help them. While Emily worked for her dad and grandfather at Hoxie Implement, she catered on the side to continue to strengthen her culinary skills. After a few years, Emily and her husband were inspired to open The Elephant Bistro & Bar; coming from a long line of entrepreneurs on both sides of their families, it seemed fitting to start their own business. With the help of friends, they created an out-of-the-ordi- nary atmosphere suitable for any occasion, and a food and cocktail menu that was unique and classy. The name came as a joint effort between friends and the Campbells. The elephant is the animal that leads all other animals to food and water – the local watering hole – and they wanted to play off the saying “an elephant never forgets” in the hope that their customers would never forget their experience. Emily’s dad always told her to eat the elephant one bite at a time when it came to tough situations, so having her restaurant named The Elephant Bistro & Bar had a lot of meanings behind it. Emily became a huge foodie while living in Seattle, cognizant of the impor- tance of sourcing food locally when possible. It was very important to her to have the farm-to-table mentality at The Elephant. Northwest Kansas is very beef focused and there are other products raised in the area that could complement beef and expand people’s palates. Emily truly loves to cook and is enjoying this career every time she walks into the restaurant. All their beef is sourced from farmers in Kansas and Nebraska. The Elephant sources ground beef and large cuts from Hoxie farmer Jonny Jones. Jones raises Holsteins and ages his beef approximately 14 to 20 days. Steaks come from America’s Best Steaks in Bogue, Kan. ( www.americasbeststeaks. com ). They are dry aged 42 to 50 days. Its most unique dish, The Elephant also features 100 per- cent Japanese Black Wagyu beef on their menu in two different forms. One as sliders (a very popular small plate and Emily’s favorite as well) and the other as an evening entrée called Steak RIGHT: These rich and decadent short ribs, sourced from Plum Creek Wagyu, are something you don't want to miss out on. BELOW: Jonny's locally raised top sirloin is grilled to perfection and laid on a bed of house-cut fries smothered in a rich stout gravy (compliments of Defiance Brewing Co. in Hays, Kan.), topped with melted mozzarella, bacon crumbles and fresh herbs.