CALF_News_February_March_2021

35 CALF News • February | March 2021 • www.calfnews.net By Janelle Mason Contributing Editor  CALF BEEF REVIEW Knife Steakhouse Willow Bend Plano, Texas BEEF? Where’s the Really Exceptional A s a sales professional who has completed all business activities virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic, my mouth has been watering for the day I can safely entertain a client or celebrate a great win with my team at a restaurant. I have not only found exceptional beef in the great state of Texas at Knife Steakhouse, but also an excep- tional staff who are sure to make any occasion you bring to their doorstep memorable. Knife Steakhouse is no secret in Dallas, located at The Highland Dallas since 2014 and The District at Willow Bend Plano since 2018. A complete list of accolades found on their website includes highlighting Knife as the “Best Steakhouse” by D Magazine , and their nationally acclaimed creator, Chef John Tesar, who is a James Beard-nominated chef and Bravo’s Top Chef contestant. You can also find John Tesar under pseudonym Jimmy Sears within Anthony Bourdain’s memoirs, Kitchen Confidential and Medium Raw , and as the author of his first-ever cookbook, Knife: Texas Steakhouse Meals at Home . George Stergios, operating partner of Knife Plano, started working with John Tesar at the Dallas location to start sourc- ing Texas-grown beef from local farmers and distributors. “I’ll be the first to tell you, this is not your traditional white tablecloths and baked potatoes steakhouse,” Stergios says. He sees Knife’s main priority is to feature their meat as the star, cooking simply on cast iron skillets and seasoned only with salt and pepper. “This is an experience that comes directly from Chef John Tesar’s taste buds and our relationships with local Texas meat, like 44 Farms and HeartBrand Beef, to provide an exceptional product.” The pride in this showcase of steak reinvention is transpar- ent across every face you will see at Knife. The menu hosts true Texas roots everywhere, from the affordable burgers for lunch to the reasonably priced New School cuts for dinner, and within the intriguing Old School and exotic cuts perfect for a special-occasion splurge. A kitchen tour, led by Stergios, gave us the opportunity to thank Executive Chef Jacob Barrios for preparing our perfectly seared outside and warm buttery centered ribeye. We visited their dry-aging facility, and Stergios grinned as we stood in the chill. The COVID-19 pandemic may have slowed them down in 2020 with the struggles that have hit so many restaurants we love. As a silver lining for Knife, it was offered the time necessary to perfectly age their ultimate exotic offering – the 240-day dry-aged 44 Farms bone-in ribeye. “Everyone asks us about the 240-day aged beef,” says Som- melier Devin Turney. “I’m at a loss for words when it comes to describing it. Once I do, I’ve created an image for you. It’s easier with wine – when I say Bing cherry, you imagine a cool, light taste that pops. When I say cherry jam, you imagine a LEFT: Meat is aged for a minimum of 45 days up to 240 days. BELOW: Janelle Mason and Trent Miller enjoy items from both beef menus: old school 45-day dry-aged 44 Farms bone-in ribeye and new school HeartBrand Beef Akaushi skirt steak. Continued on page 36 