ottawa foodies

So far, I have to say that the best steak I've had in Ottawa is the one I bought from Fitzroy Beef at the Landsdowne Market. I bought a Rib Steak (bone in) at $9.50 a pound which is quite good. I drizzle some olive oil and some Seasonella on it (a mix of sea salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme) and then throw it on the cue until rare/medium rare... amazing! especially when served with grilled local asparagus and homemade risotto milanese!

What's the best steak you've had in Ottawa and where did you get it?

Gotta go with the 30-day aged rib steaks at Saslove's. Cut thick and cooked as mentioned in that one thread back there.

Usually the only seasoning I put on them are salt and pepper. That, and occasionally smoked herbes du Provence from The Salty Don.

Dry age any AAA rib roast (grocery store or not) and you will have a delicious slab'o'cow to break down and portion into individual rib steaks that will amaze you (and your dining companions, unless they're vegans). I usually salt & pepper the meat just before hitting the pan in butter & oil, and of course let it rest after your desired length of cooking time. I particularly enjoy serving my steak with a mojo or chimichurri sauce.

I hear the guys at Aubreys have 75 day dry aged steaks. I'm going to see if I can get my hands on one of those!

k
I am probably going to offend a few peeps

Ontario beef!
best in Canada
Alberta is all marketing

beef....
if memorary serves me right (lol)
is best tasting when fed corn (okay, if you can afford to feed it sake go for it! talking normal beef not wagyu or kobe)

ontario beef mostly corn fed 30 days before slaughter
I judge beef by flavour by slicing a bit off a raw piece
the fat/marbling has nothing to do with it at that point

THAT'S the groundwork
then when you cook it, and the marbling comes into play, you can taste the layered flavour

I have no ability to dry age the way I like in my apartment (Cara, my cat, causes a few issues)
neither can I do so at the resto

at the resto, I order cuts at least two weeks in advance
I will 86 it off the menu before using it
so with the minimum 3 weeks I spec it from my supplier plus the additional 2 weeks comes to 35 days equal to 21 days dry age

which is optimal without breaking the bank

as for storage: never plastic wrap
coat liberally with pepper (also kills bacteria) and wrap in butcher paper

extremely hot pan
a quick brush of grapeseed oil
char til I see the juices coming to the top of the raw half and flip
turn off the flame and remove from burner = rare

always always let the steak sit 5-10 mins to redistribute the juices and you will have a tender juicy steak

Thick AAA New York Steak lightly marinated with olive oil, minced garlic and fresh backyard thyme. Seasoned with sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Qued on a hot grill. I often toss the woody thyme stems in the BBQ to create some smoke. I always slice the steak on a bias and serve it familly style. This presentation, really impresses dinner guests, as they can helps themselves.

Sorry for straying slightly off topic but I have to ask. I think the subject of steaks has come up in the forum and it is possible to purchase AA steaks or AAA steaks. Can anyone tell me what the difference is? And if there are AAA steaks and AA steaks can I assume there are A steaks? I have only seen AAA steaks in the grocery store (not that I looked that hard) but curious minds want to know...

Fat content & distribution of said fat (ie, marbling) determines the AAA or AA status, at least, that's what I've been led to believe.

Canadian beef quality grades include: Canada Prime, AAA, AA, and A. The determination of quality grade is based on assessments of many factors including:
marbling, meat and fat color, muscling, meat and fat texture, sex, as well as animal maturity.

from www.cbef.com/beefquality.htm , the beef quality board of Canada.

chimichimi and snoopy loopy thanks for the heads up. It would make sense the grades depend on the quality of meat.

I have yet to see a Prime steak! Maybe, it is just out of my league. Where are they?

This is where chimichimi is correct. After beef has hit the A levels (Prime Grade being AAAA), the only difference is in the level or marbling.

All other factors being equal:

A = trace marbling
AA = slight marbling
AAA = small marbling
AAAA (Prime) = slightly abundant

Almost all of AAAA is exported or sold to restaurants. In fact, only 2% of all beef in Canada is graded Prime.

You can find Canadian Prime Grade Beef at Montreal Prime. I'm not sure where you can get it in Ottawa.

AAAA does not mean Wagyu. They have marbling that is off the charts.

Edit: I was perusing the internet, and found both a restaurant and a supplier of such meat:

"Owners are no less excited about the Prime grade of steaks supplied by The Butchery in Bells Corners (photo, right). Barry Cantor, a principal at both The Butchery and Grand Central, says the steaks are incredibly marbled and aged 30 days for flavour and tenderness."