Food review: Grilled Broken Arrow Ranch antelope

Restaurant: Maverick (San Francisco)
Food description: Grilled peppercorn crusted Broken Arrow Ranch antelope loin with grilled black mission figs, creamy Texas long grain wild rice with carrots and leeks
Food rating: 8 out of 10
Times ordered: 1

Well...as an antelope virgin I'm not totally qualified to review this dish, but I'll definitely give it a shot. The flavor of antelope falls into a happy-medium spot somewhere between venison and steak--not too gamey and not too bland. The texture of the loin cut was excellent, tender and gristle-free, and on the lean side. It was cooked medium, which turned out juuust right, very pink and juicy but not bloody. The portion was sizable, and larger than expected, given the modest price of $28. Though the antelope was grilled, I prefer a little more char and felt that the grilled flavor was completely overtaken by the intense sweetness of the mission fig reduction. I learned to avoid overdrenching each bite with the fig sauce--it only needed a teeny smidgen and could've been toned down a lot. So you can imagine what it was like eating the figs braised in their own reduction. I had to pass on dessert after that. I actually enjoyed the rice because it was a refreshing alternative to those heavy sleep-inducing mashed potatoes typically served with steak dishes. Definitely a winner in my book.

Food review: Porterhouse steak

Restaurant: Acme Chophouse (San Francisco)
Food description: 22oz grass-fed porterhouse steak (medium rare)
Food rating: 9 out of 10
Times ordered: 1

This steak has magical properties, and eating it will instantly teleport you into one of those rare moments of dining bliss, foodie heaven if you will. There are few places with steak of this caliber, so enjoy it while it lasts. The flavor was inexplicably amazing. Since the steak was grass-fed instead of grain-finished, it was much leaner, accentuating the actual flavor of the meat over the flavor of fat. The only thing you tasted was the fabulously rich flavor of the seared oak-smoked steak. No greasy aftertaste lingering around like in the rib eye. Though I ordered it medium-rare, the grass-fed steaks tend to be served on the rare side since they get tougher faster. Based on looks alone, I expected it to be fleshy and chewy, but I took a bite and the texture was beyond tender. I consider this being cooked to perfection, still juicy but not bloody at all. It was simply remarkable how flavorful, tender, and juicy the steak was without tasting the slightest bit greasy or heavy. There were a couple of pieces of gristle that I had to cut around toward the top of the T-bone, but I'd say that's pretty standard given the cut. Other than that, the porterhouse was pretty much flawless. It's a well-spent $52, though dangerously habit-forming. I'm dying to see if the 40 day dry-aged rib eye can top this masterpiece.

Food review: Ribeye steak

Restaurant: Acme Chophouse (San Francisco)
Food description: 22oz grain-finished bone-in rib eye steak (medium rare)
Food rating: 8 out of 10
Times ordered: 2

The ribeye is the only grain-finished steak on the menu at Acme (aside from specials), so I thought I'd compare it tete-a-tete against one of their esteemed grass-fed steaks: the porterhouse. The verdict? Let's just say the rib eye was quite good, but was no match for the porterhouse. Sure, certain aspects are a matter of personal preference--some people prefer the fattiness of the rib eye--but in terms of texture and flavor, the porterhouse was far superior. If you're big on rib eye though, you won't be disappointed with Acme's. All of their steaks are grilled in an oak-burning oven, the key to their characteristic deep smoky flavor. The rib eye itself was as juicy as it was greasy, due to the extra marbling from the grain-finishing. That makes the rib eye the heaviest richest steak they offer. If you're in the mood for something leaner and lighter-tasting, then grass-fed is the way to go. Though the flavor of the rib eye was delicious, I was less impressed with the texture, and found it to be slightly on the tough side. The outer lip was tender and just fine, but the inside required a bit more chewing effort. The porterhouse was much more tender. I'm itching to try their special 40 day dry-aged rib eye and see how it stacks up (but someone else nabbed the last one from my clutches). So until then, it's the porterhouse all the way.

Food review: Steak tartare

Restaurant: Acme Chophouse (San Francisco)
Food description: Grass-fed steak served raw with red onions, capers, and dijon mustard, topped with a quail egg yolk
Food rating: 7.5 out of 10
Times ordered: 2

If you're a hardcore steak enthusiast, then there's nothing purer than some good steak in the raw. Acme is known for having excellent quality steaks, and the steak used in this tartare was no exception. The texture of the finely chopped steak was reminiscent of tuna tartare, and exceptionally smooth and tender. The actual flavor of the steak was somewhat masked by a gratuitous proportion of dijon mustard and red onion. A repeat visit confirmed this, though slightly less intense the second time around. Given the quality of the meat, I really wish I could've tasted the flavor even more. I've got Japanese taste buds, so the strength of the capers, onions, and dijon mustard together is very intense, so less is definitely more (unless you're someone who drowns their sushi in wasabi). The quail yolk definitely helped mellow everything out nicely, but not quite enough. One nice aspect of the dijon and capers was that it complemented the leanness of the grass-fed steak, leaving your palate clean as a whistle after each bite. This transformed an otherwise heavy dish into something surprisingly light-tasting. I also really appreciated the sizable portion although there weren't enough toast points to finish the tartare. They're a must-have because they provide the crispiness that completes the dish. So despite some of the overpowering qualities of this dish, it's a great quality steak tartare, and very reasonably priced at just $11. It's the perfect teaser to your 22oz steak.

Food review: Grilled flank steak

Restaurant: Coco500 (San Francisco)
Food description: Grilled marinated flank steak with fingerling potatoes and salsa verde
Food rating: 7 out of 10
Times ordered: 1

Again with the small portions, sheesh! All their lunch entrees are tapas-sized, perfect for maybe a dieter, but surely not me. I'm a stickler for portion-size, particularly when it's leaning on the pricey side ($14). Less is not more, dammit, can any of you minimalist chefs hear me (echo...echo...)? Ok, I'm over myself, so let's discuss the steak. For flank steak, it was shockingly tender and gristle-free, so it was definitely primo-quality. And, though it was cooked much more than the medium rare I prefer for flank steak, it was still tender, but ended up a little dry around the edges. I'm a steak purist, so I like my steak a little marinated and slapped on the grill for that nice charbroiled flavor, no steak sauce, horseradish, no nuttin. This steak however, came topped with "salsa verde," as they called it--which was basically chimichurri sauce. I don't mind a little of this, but since it tended to be overly heavy on the garlic, it was a good call to serve it mostly on the side. Other than that, the actual flavor of the steak was great, a little leaner and less grilled than I prefer, but delicious overall. The fingerling potatoes were pretty boring and could've used some grilled onions or something to bring them to life, but they served their purpose as filler. If they cooked the steak correctly and put a little more effort into the sauce and potatoes, I'd have rated this dish much higher. And I'm sure I don't have to remind anyone about the portions!