CALF_News_February_March_2020

38 CALF News • February | March 2020 • www.calfnews.net By Heidi Wiechert Contributing Editor  CALF BEEF REVIEW Annie Gunn's St. Louis, Mo. Where’s the Really Exceptional A nnie Gunn’s, a St. Louis-based steakhouse, sits in an unassuming building, formerly a meat market for the area and now the Smokehouse Market, off of Inter- state 64. Though it may be more well-known for its extensive wine list, Annie Gunn’s is also a place to find excep- tional beef. The evening started with tasters of champagne, compli- ments of the chef. After the bubbly drinks, we ordered “Chef Lou’s Cheese Presentation Featuring a Selection of Artisanal and Domestic Farmstead Cheeses.” Chef Lou, namesake of the cheese presentation, is Chef Lou Rook III, who has worked at Annie Gunn’s since Octo- ber 1993. He said Annie Gunn’s had been one of his favorite places to “hang out” prior to that time but it was flooded in the great flood of ‘93, which devastated so much of the St. Louis area. The philosophy and menu concept of the restaurant was revamped after the disaster. Chef Lou laughed that all of the changes “seem to have worked.” Chef Lou uses USDA Prime beef fromNorthern Plains cattle – primarily from north and east of Kansas – and seasonal ingredients to create elegant dishes, from the simple to the exceptional.Why the emphasis on specific location of the beef? Chef Lou said,“In my personal opinion, it’s a better product.” He said the flavor profile, consistency and marbling he looks for in beef is created in the Northern Plains by, among other things, the unique combination of the feed used, stress on the animal, and the elements. “I’ve just been doing this forever,” Chef Lou said, though he noted the restaurant sometimes also uses natural products from farms found outside the Northern Plains region. He says the grill is kept between 750 to 800 degrees, which keeps the char down on the meat and the caramelization up. “Obviously, I love beef,” Chef Lou said.“When you get the char factor, you get into a totally different element of flavor profile.” Our server, Heather, listed the night’s specials, which included the simply-named “Tomahawk.” The dish was a 44-ounce, 30-day wet-aged ribeye. Heather noted the cut was bone in, so it was “only” around 30 ounces of steak. The entree was big enough for two or three people. Lance Geiger, my husband and historian of the YouTube channel “The History Guy: History Deserves to be Remem- bered,” couldn’t resist the Tomahawk’s charms and ordered one rare. Heather presented it at the table before carving. Lance loved the meal and said the leftovers were just as scrumptious the next day. He was warned the texture of the meat could seem “chewy” because he ordered such a thick steak to be cooked rare. Lance reported his dinner was as tender as a beef lover could dream. Another of the diners at my table had the 45-day dry- aged NewYork strip steak, which he heartily enjoyed. Wet-aged and dry-aged beef are techniques used to ten- derize and flavor the meat through the breakdown of natu- ral enzymes in the meat. Both use temperature-controlled environments to steer the process in the desired direction. However, wet-aged utilizes vacuum packs to seal the meat in its own juices. Chef Lou credits “a specific age cycle” for the deliciousness of the beef at Annie Gunn’s. Though Annie Gunn’s is famed for its beef, it also boasts an extensive menu of wines, seafood, burgers, appetizers and des- serts. I had the Chilean sea bass covered in kimchi and served on rice with a miso soup reduction. “We spend so much time effort and money on trying to buy the best possible product,” Chef Lou said.“Our job is to accen- tuate the flavor and not cover it up with big sauces.” There are very few experiences in life that have the ability to cheer and comfort the heart like exceptional food shared in a welcoming environment with the people you love. As Chef Lou said,“Sometimes simple is good.” At Annie Gunn’s, that’s true more than “sometimes.” 