A meaty story

With a bold knife and fork, I thrust forth. A piece of meat gleams before me — sensual, tempting. Never had I wanted meat so badly as now. Never had I imagined it could be this good.

Tender meat is always a good thing. But having the Rolls Royce of meats is even better. This is exactly what Snake River Farms is about, providing only the premium best American Kobe beef and Kurobuta pork to the rest of the world.

In fact, Snake River Farms’ various meats are the only meats chosen for the kitchens and restaurants at the famous Bellagio as well as the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills. Meanwhile, throughout the country’s metro, Snake River Farms meats are featured in the menus of Florabel, Fire Place at the Hyatt Hotel and Casino, Josiahs Restaurant, 9501 Restaurant, Italianni’s, Myron’s Steak House, Senju at Edsa Shangri-La Hotel, Gaudi, Aubergine, Tsukiji, Cirkulo, Thousand Cranes, Mr. Rockefeller, Tower Club, Mezzaluna, Massimos, Sugi, Chelsea, M Cafe, Madison Grill, Bistro Filipino, Chef’s Quarter, Duo Steakhouse, Zuni, John N Yoko, Ruby Tuesday, Mini Shabu-Shabu, Brumms Winery and Restaurant, Nanohana, Sakae Sushi, Seven Corners at the Crowne Plaza, Old Manila at the Manila Peninsula, 21 Prime at the Discovery Suites, La Bellevue and Yurakuen at the Manila Diamond Hotel, the Mandarin Deli at the Gateway Mall as well as Discovery Shores in Boracay, the Black Angus Steak House in Cebu, Mulberry Suites in Cagayan De Oro, and Cafe Bobs in Bacolod. Metro gourmands can also visit the meat counters of Gaster Deli and Terry’s Deli to be able to take home some prime cuts of Snake River Farms meats.

Alternatives Food Corporation is the exclusive distributor of Snake River Farms in the Philippines. And with the help of Felix Restaurant’s chef-restaurateur Florabel Co, an exquisite eight-course dinner was prepared one evening for the media and the metro’s top restaurateurs, which featured the finest courses of meat anyone had probably ever had.

The evening started with the special Snake River Farms meatballs that were carefully filled with herbs and cheese. It was served with some delicate triangles of spicy ling fillet samosa and paired with a sparkling glass of Moet et Chandon Brut Imperial.

What followed next was something of an east-meets-west creation, a steamed bread or pao that’s been split in half and filled with shreds of Snake River Farms pork short rib and foie gras. This pao paired exquisitely well with a glass of 2006 Villa Maria Cellar Section pinot noir, which was very fruity and already quite bold for its young age.

My dining company and I decided to sip a few more glasses of the robust, young pinot noir throughout the evening. It paired equally well with our next course, a walnut sesame salad with Snake River Farms beef tenderloin tartare. The meat tasted so fresh and the walnut salad gave this dish a matching crunch.

Then came the Snake River Farms beef chuck flap tail soup on coconut shell. This soup is divinely comforting, especially when taken with strips of tender, sweet coconut meat scooped out from the coconut shell.

Soon after, we were served the braised Snake River Farms Kurobuta pork jowls with chili. This was served with egg noodles and mushroom, making a true Asian rustic dish. The pork jowls were succulent and tender, and the noodles gave this dish a good contrast in texture.

We continued to sip our much-loved pinot noir some more until we welcomed a grilled orange roughy fish fillet with sauteed fennel, dried scallops, and ham. This delicate dish came with a refreshing 2006 Yarra Valley Victoria Green Point chardonnay. The fish was tender and flavorful, matching well with the fennel, scallops and ham. Every bite revealed layers of flavors and the chardonnay made everything taste even richer.

But the true highlight of the evening was the Snake River Farms beef rib eye with coriander pesto. This dish was served with a glass of 2006 California Robert Mondavi Private Selection cabernet sauvignon. On the plate, the marbling of fat and meat in the rib eye gleamed at us. And each bite was tender and flavorsome, with the pesto just giving it a hint of spice.

To add more decadence to the evening, the ever-innovative chef Florabel made a special chocolate creation for dessert — a milk chocolate pudding with caramelized bananas. The pudding was rich and the chocolate was creamy. The pastry underneath the chocolate was a lovely, buttery shortcrust that no one could resist.

After all that indulgence, a robust of cup of Felix espresso was all we needed to cap off this delicious evening. And in our carnivorous eyes, what a glorious night it had been!

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For more information, visit www.snakeriverfarms.com.