Florence Meat Market & Newport Steak

[Toby]

As I was eating my Newport steak, the idea came into my mind that I was eating steak candy; maybe it was the beautiful pink color, like bubble gum.

Steve, how would you rate it against mush steak?

[Steve Plotnicki]

Mush steak is just ribeye without a bone and sliced thin. Since it's usually used in places that keep kosher, the salting process seems to give the steak a mushy texture. But whatever, it's better then those Newport steaks at the Florence providing they use top quality beef. In fact I would choose Park Easts's mush steak over the Newport anytime.

[mogsob]

Steve P -- it's been a long, long while since I had a Newport steak, but I was wondering how you prepared it. Living in London, it is difficult to find beef on par with Lobel (my local butcher as well). I have taken to the following:

Getting a steak that is about 4 fingers thick. Season dry with salt and pepper.

Searing the steak on medium/high heat (so the fat sizzles, but doesn't pop) for about 2 to 2 1/2 minutes a side, plus rendering the fat side (if there is one) for about a minute.

Then roasting in a 325 degree oven until rare inside. I add 2 tablespoons of butter about 5 minutes into the roasting process.

Let the meat stand for about 10 minutes, covered in foil, until serving.

I find that I am able to concentrate the flavor of the beef as well as improve the texture through slow roasting. I sear the meat to keep the juices in and to get a nice crust that slow roasting just can't do.

Any secrets anyone else wants to share?

[Steve Plotnicki]

I used Toby's recipe. Two minutes per side on a ridged non-stick stove top grill pan and then 4 1/2 minutes in the oven. The steaks were perfectly rare/medium rare. What I am complaining about is the quality of the taste. I find that quite often people recommend steaks to me and then I go try them only to find that they are not to my liking. In fact the odds of getting a good steak from a butcher in this town are quite slim if you ask me. No matter where people recommend, The French Butcher, Shatsky's, Ottomanelli, none of them are of adequate quality as far as I'm concerened. To me, if you don't have restaurant quality steak, it ain't worth eating. Now in London I'm not sure where you would find top quality beef? Isn't there a good butcher in Scotland who ships? There was that place in Scotland that RW Apple used to swear had steaks in the same league as Peter Luger. The name was the Champanny Inn and I believe it was in Lilingoth (sp?) If they are still there, you should find out where they get their steaks from. If I recall the chapter in Apple's book, he compared them to Luger, L'Ami Louis in Paris and Sostanza in Firenze (they make a great steak there.) A friend of mine who lives in Laussane was telling me how poor the steaks are in Switzerland and that every time he comes to the states he sneaks in as much steak in as he can. He can get it he says but the price is some astronomical amount that makes it not worth eating.

[eatingwitheddie]

The meat at Florence Meat Market is excellent. Just as excellent, and more difficult to find, is their old-timey traditional butchering: larding, barding, butterflying, boning, aging, and seaming are all on exhibit here.

Apparently so is their marketing savvy: case in point.....their Newport Steak. Sometimes called a "triangle" or a short steak, this is a cut that is typically sold as a part of a larger cut, often under the all encompassing name 'boneless sirloin'. It is one particular muscle that has been removed - seamed out - and cut into small steaks. It is particularly good when it comes from a young prime steer and has some age on it. These are things that the folks at Florence understand, and have turned into a justifiably good and fairly priced mini trend.

For my money, however, when I want a particularly good steak to cook at home, I go to Florence and pluck down two twenties and spring for a 2" thick, 3 lb. Porterhouse. I look for very marbled and aged meat, and have regularly enjoyed a Luger's quality product, courtesy of Benny and Maria (who is the person you usually deal with).

My only regret is that my favorite 'poor man's cut', the little heralded beef blade chuck, also known as chicken steak or butter steak is not on their 'menu'.

[Steve Plotnicki]

Do I smell Ed Schoenfeld? Whether yes or no, I will head back there as soon as I can and pick up one of those porterhouses.

[Suvir Saran]

Do I smell Ed Schoenfeld? Whether yes or no, I will head back there as soon as I can and pick up one of those porterhouses.

I think I smell Ed Schoenfeld as well.

Who else could be so eloquent about food.

[mogsob]

Steve P -- I agree wholeheartedly about the need for a great quality steak. Florence Meat Market, IMHO, has great meat and when in the area, I will buy steak there. Otherwise, Lobel (which is indeed superior, but we already knew that). London has been trickier. Currently, I go to Porteford (sp?) in Bow Lane. Very old fashioned and very good and well hung sirloins. Simon recommened a place up in Islington, but I've been too busy to get up there. My next source will be Lidgate in Holland Park.

[Steve Plotnicki]

When my office was in Acton I used to stay in Holland Park and I would walk by Lidgate all the time. Always tempted to go in but didn't have a reason to. They always had those appealing looking bangers in the window . Have you tried Allen in Mayfair? I walk past there all of the time and it certainly is the poshest looking butcher I've seen. And the cleanest. You can hardly tell it's a butcher shop.

[mogsob]

You're not kidding about Allen. I haven't tried them out of fear of cost, but they are on the list. I will get a great steak in London, damnit.

[janeer]

Here we are nearly 20 years on, and Florence is closing. My sister used to leave on W 4th in the 60s/70s and we used to go there. As a carnivore, I bemoan the loss of real butchers. I used ot say when I went to Europe, “I’d marry him for the meat.”

[JeanneCake]

I shouldn't be surprized that Florence is closing, it still makes me sad though.  I love Jack Ubaldi's "cookbook" - mostly for the stories  

 

[weinoo]

45 minutes ago, JeanneCake said:

I shouldn't be surprized that Florence is closing, it still makes me sad though.  I love Jack Ubaldi's "cookbook" - mostly for the stories  

 

 

He became an instructor at the school I went to...

 

 

I'm glad there are still a few old school places left, and some new, younger people doing a good job as well.

[rotuts]

Best Meat Book Ever.

 

Ever.

 

my copy does not have a color cover

 

but , at that time

 

and even now

 

th book is packed w what you need to know

 

about Meat.

 

 

[Martin Fisher]

11 hours ago, weinoo said:

 

 

He became an instructor at the school I went to...

 

 

I'm glad there are still a few old school places left, and some new, younger people doing a good job as well.

I have the book. 

[gfweb]

$5.00 on ebay.  Just got it

[rotuts]

the book is not just about Beef

 

there is an Rx in the book for chicken necks :

 

even back then you had to be a butcher

 

you needed the neck w the skin attached.

 

you removed the skin ' whole '

 

it was a tube 

 

you then cooked the necks , removed all of the meat

 

the tied one end off , filled the tube to  ''  stuffed ''

 

tied the second end off

 

and then deep fried until golden and crispy 

 

talk about fried chicken !

 

never made it but I can guess what it was like .

 

 

[weinoo]

Similar to the Jewish dish helzel? The necks can be fried, boiled, or roasted along with the chicken itself.

 

Or pehaps, as in Jack's case, the Tuscan dish known as collo di pollo...

 

 

[rotuts]

@weinoo 

 

fine video , thanks 

 

looked up helzel , new to me

 

and interesting 

 

this was just necks 

 

its in your book

 

but I do lie the idea that various 

 

cultures 

 

appreciate that tube of chicken neck skin

 

having potential 

 

w no bones ,  stuffed.

 

 

 

 

[weinoo]

1 hour ago, rotuts said:

this was just necks 

 

its in your book

 

I'm looking through the book, and don't see the recipe for necks?

[rotuts]

re-thinking:

 

its more an example in the book

 

by the author 

 

that illustrates  

 

its worthknowing

 

bout your meat

 

it might be a simple technique

 

that's only for butchers , taking home some of

 

the best meat

 

Ill try to find my coly and see.

 

 

[weinoo]

1 hour ago, rotuts said:

re-thinking:

 

its more an example in the book

 

by the author 

 

that illustrates  

 

its worthknowing

 

bout your meat

 

it might be a simple technique

 

that's only for butchers , taking home some of

 

the best meat

 

Ill try to find my coly and see.

 

 

 

He does talk about removing bones from smaller chicken parts; e.g. the wings.