Vegan fast food – Veggie Grill has arrived in Boston!

This review will be backwards compared to how I usually do them. Usually I research a place, studying the menu and then go there, writing a review afterwards. Last week I was in Harvard Square, Cambridge with the kids, we were at the Museum of Natural History and spent longer there than I thought I would so we couldn’t to the place that I had researched beforehand and was pushed for time. I did a quick search of vegan places and found a place within walking distance.

I had not heard of Veggie Grill before I went there, not that surprising since they are a chain primarily located on the West Coast and just opened up a location in Harvard Square, Cambridge in October 2019 which is the only location in the Boston area. The menu is completely vegan and I would describe it as a veganized menu of a traditional fast food restaurant. There are burgers, ‘chicken’ sandwiches, burritos and tacos and a kids menu with ‘chicken’ wings and mac and cheese. I repeat everything is vegan, including the sauces (eg. ranch), cheese and toppings. I hadn’t seen the menu beforehand and was surprised at the variety – at most restaurants you have a couple of vegan or vegetarian options but here there is a full menu of all the favorites. Since it was my first time here I decided to order a bunch of different items to try them out.

First thing I noticed was that I could have pre-ordered on an app – will definitely do that next time. Ordering through an app ahead of time is ideal if you have kids since you have a limited window before they get bored. The restaurant is super clean and the staff are very friendly. The kids meals all came with a main, side and dessert – we ordered a chikin’ wings, 2x mac and cheese with sides of fries, cauli-mashed potatoes and gravy and carrots and cookies for dessert. I also ordered the crispy cauliflower and tempura green beans and a Nashville hot chikin’ sandwich. The kids demolished their lunches and the sides. The gravy on the cauli-mashed potatoes was delicious – would love to know the recipe. They also loved the crispy cauliflower and tempura beans. My oldest son kept calling the cauliflower, chicken. The Nashville hot chikin’ sandwich was also very good, chikin’ was like a pressed chicken texture, sauce not too hot and the ranch sauce was a good addition. I kept thinking throughout is all this definitely vegan? I even asked one of the workers to confirm which they emphatically did. It was quite the effort to make everything vegan. I left quite impressed and happy with myself that we all had a vegan lunch that everyone enjoyed, wishing there were more locations in the Boston area closer to where I lived.

Tempura green beans

Crispy cauliflower bites

Nashville Hot Chikin’ Sandwich

Vegan snacks at Disney World- Dole Whip

After discovering that Dole Whip is vegan the other day (post here) I forgot this as an important snack on my list of vegan/vegetarian foods at Disney’s Magic Kingdom. Go to go to Aloha Isle and have a Dole Whip or Dole whip float – and you can order ahead through the app. Note that the Vanilla or Swirl Dole Whip options are not vegan. Kids love this snack and it is very popular which makes the mobile app essential.

Some other places at Disney World that you can get Dole Whip:

• Magic Kingdom ; Sunshine Tree Terrace (Strawberry flavor only)
• Animal Kingdom : Tamu Tamu Refreshments (alcoholic version also!)
• Disney Springs : Marketplace Snacks (alcoholic version also!)
• Polynesian Resort : Pineapple Lanai (alcoholic version also!)

Anyone know of other places?

Weeknight Family Vegan recipe – BBQ Tofu and Quinoa bowl

I love cookbooks and searching for recipes online, I am always looking for new vegan and vegetarian recipes to try out on my kids.   Luckily they like a decent range of vegetables and alternative proteins like tofu, lentils and chickpeas and we are constantly experimenting with different combinations and testing the boundaries.  However, not everyone likes everything and people have different flavor profiles.  I try to find vegan recipes that have at least one protein and the ingredients can be adapted to accommodate everyone’s tastes as best as possible.  I don’t always follow the recipe in a book exactly but make slight modifications based on my family’s tastes, the recipe is more like an inspiration and through trial and error hopefully we can find something that everyone likes.  On weeknights most people are in a rush to get dinner ready and so there is a need for quick meals that everyone is going to eat in a decent time frame.

The recipe I will describe today is a slight modification of a recipe from a great cookbook called The Simply Vegan Cookbook.  This is a great book for some practical vegan recipes that can be easily  modified. The recipe is a bowl made with tofu and quinoa – the great thing about bowls is you can mix and match proteins and ingredients to suit tastes and are quick to make.

Ingredients

1 large red onion, diced

1 large red pepper, half cut into strips (this is how the kids like them, half diced)

2 tablespoons of olive oil (for basting the tofu, maybe more if you want to add to the quinoa)

2 blocks of 16oz super firm tofu (I always try to buy super firm tofu if it going to be baked, find that it gets firmer on the outside, important to drain and press as much as possible, we are a family of 5 and we go through almost 2 blocks!) – cut each block in half lengthwise then into thirds,  pieces total

1 (20z) can sliced pineapple, or cut fresh pineapple into slices

1 cup BBQ sauce (I used Sweet Baby Rays which is vegan!)

2 cups cooked quinoa

Chopped fresh cilantro

2 cups steamed broccoli

Red pepper flakes (optional)

Sweet chili sauce (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F
2. Spray baking sheet with olive oil and spread tofu onto sheet.  Baste portion of tofu with BBQ as required – my kids aren’t big fans of BBQ sauce do I basted half.   I find that baking with BBQ sauce gives more flavor. Bake for 15 mins, then remove and flip and re-baste with BBQ sauce then bake another 15  mins.
3. While tofu is baking, heat skillet with a little olive oil to high.  Add pineapple slices and sear until brown on both sides.  Remove and cut into smaller pieces
4. Remove tofu from oven and cut into cubes as desired, toss with quinoa portion.
5. From here you can customize the bowl as desired.  Some of my kids like peppers, none like onion, one likes pineapple, all like broccoli, none like cilantro – with this recipe the bowl can be easily customized.  For the adults, everything is combined in a bowl and I like to add some red pepper flakes and some sweet chili sauce

 

 

 

Be prepared for an amazing Indian vegetarian or vegan eating experience at Indian Accent

I have never been to India, I live in the US and while the Indian food here in Boston is pretty good it is just better in the UK.  To me Indian food is a flavor paradise, great for vegetarians and vegans, there is often a wide range of dishes on the menu that include unique dishes which can be difficult to replicate at home.  When I am in London I try to go out for an Indian dinner.  When I was there recently I discovered a new place, Indian Accent in Mayfair, what attracted me was the vegetarian and vegan tasting menus (they is also a non-vegetarian menu as well) which can come with a wine pairing.  They also have a restaurant in New York and New Delhi.  Now I am not saying this dinner is going to cheap but it will be a dining experience that you will remember. Next time I will have to go back and try the premium whisky flight!

From the website:

“Indian Accent showcases inventive Indian cuisine by complementing the flavours and traditions of India with global ingredients and techniques. Its path-breaking menu has been designed by award-winning Chef Manish Mehrotra.

Located in the heart of Mayfair, the London outpost of India’s No.1 Restaurant has received great reviews from critics and guests alike. Fay Maschler, Restaurant Critic for Evening Standard gave Indian Accent a 5-star rating and described our menu as Indian food unlike any other.”

Here is the link that describes the dishes and the wines for the vegetarian tasting menu.  Everything was amazing, incredible flavor and unique combinations of ingredients. I am going to let the photos of this amazing dinner speak for themselves this time….

 

Best Vegetarian English breakfast in London for the Selective Flexitarian

A Full English breakfast is one of the UK’s culinary gifts to the world.  If you are not familiar with this dish it usually consists of bacon, sausages, eggs, grilled tomato and mushrooms, baked beans and occasionally  black pudding (a type of blood sausage). All that meat is now off the table with my new meat philosophy and shift towards eating less meat in general. Luckily there are plenty of places that now serve a Vegetarian Full English which is basically the standard Full English with the meat omitted and sometimes replaced with a plant-based sausage or other meat-like formation.  There are also plenty of places that serve a Vegan English breakfast where the eggs are replaced with scrambled tofu.  There are a lot of options in London for full vegan breakfast, that will be a later post…

Recently I was in London and I had a craving for an English breakfast.  Luckily I like the vegetarian version which I make for myself at home sometimes with free-range eggs that satisfy my requirement for all animal products to come from a responsibly raised source.  While it is easy to find a place that serves Vegetarian English breakfasts it is harder to find those that also have free-range eggs.  Luckily for me a place with walking distance from my hotel in London sold a version with free range eggs so I thought I would check it out.  The Sawyers Arms is a typical old-school London pub located right across the road from Paddington Station.  It’s a great place to have a beer and soak in some London pub atmosphere.  On their menu they actually do a good job including a number of vegetarian options and even some vegan ones as well.  Their breakfast menu has free-range eggs all over it.  So I thought I would try out their ‘Veggie Full English’ since I was craving a fried egg.

The Veggie Full English at Sawyers Arms, Paddington, London

Unfortunately they didn’t have the plant-based sausage but I was OK with that as they can be hot or miss I really wanted the eggs and the rest, can’t beat the English fried hash browns!  The dish was tasty and couldn’t beat the price of £6.95, but I did leave thinking it was missing something and made me think were there better options in London.  I started to do some research for places in London that offered a vegetarian option with free range eggs – this would be the true representation of a Selective Flexitarian English Breakfast. There are literally thousands of places offering vegetarian breakfast, less that also have free-range eggs and I looked for places that had interesting ingredients, something a little different than the standard.

The Table Cafe (Southwark)

The Green Goddess: Avocado, veggie beans, spinach, roast tomatoes, herby mushrooms &

sweet potato wheels with grilled sourdough ; can also add organic eggs. The avocado and sweet potato wheels sound interesting.

Mildreds – Kings Cross

Big Brunch: scrambled Clarence Court Eggs or tofu, vegan sausage, slow roasted tomato, oak smoked house beans, roasted tarragon mushroom, toasted sourdough

Only served on the weekends. What attracted me were the Clarence Court eggs, these eggs are free-range and heritage breed, their website has a lot of information. The tomato, beans and mushroom versions are an interesting spin on the standard offerings.

The Gate Restaurants (Marylebone, Islington, Hammersmith)

Full English: mushroom & bean sausage, hash brown, smoked tofu bacon, homemade baked beans, wild mushrooms, roasted tomato, Sourdough toast, fried eggs

Menu states that all their eggs are free-range and organic. What attracted me was the smoked tofu bacon and mushroom and bean sausage.

Polo Bar (City)

Vegetarian breakfast:  Bubble&Squeak, 2x free range eggs, roast tomato, roasted mushrooms, hash browns, baked beans, bloomer toast

One of the biggest attractions here is that they serve breakfast 24hrs a day! Perfect after a long session at the pubs or clubs.  Also of note is that they state that their bacon and meats are all grass-fed (except pigs don’t eat grass) and Red Tractor assured, this is a standard that all produce must originate from the UK and be traceable, all animals must of treated humanely and free of hormones and antibiotics.  There is a lot more information on their website.

Apres Food Co. (Barbican)

Vegetarian Breakfast: Aprés hash, poached eggs, thyme roasted field mushroom, slow roasted tomatoes, avocado, wilted spinach, watercress, a toasted slice of our homemade bread, with homemade ketchup or brown sauce

Almost all meat and dairy on their menu is free range and organic sourced from small English farms, the eggs come from Cornish St Ewe. The Apres hash is made from sweet potato, caramelized onions and spinach.

Now I realize that not everyone that reads this blog lives in London or may get the chance to go to London.  But what I think we can get from this post are some ideas on how to make an imaginative Selective Flexitarian English Breakfast of your own as a special treat.  I most certainly will be trying some of these options out myself!

Best vegetarian and vegan food options at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom

We just recently got back from a trip to Disney World and had an amazing time, it was my first time and I got to say I had a much better time than I thought I would.  We have three young children so it was ideal time for us to go and for everyone to really enjoyed the experience.  Before hand I was a little concerned if we would find meals that were either vegan or vegetarian.  A little research was quite enlightening as there are quite a number of options if you look for them, does take some planning though.

The food options range from the fastest food to fine dining table service so it depends on the type of experience you want.  We were there to not spend too much time on dining and more time in the park and utilized the mobile food order option when we could – this was a life saver with the kids.  You just place an order on the app and go to an express line and pick it up, usually only takes 5-10 min.  All of this is pre-made so don’t expect anything too fancy here.  I am just going to highlight the places and menu items that have a vegetarian or vegan option and have a mobile order option as well.

Casey’s Corner (Main Street)

Loaded Slaw Dog: Plant-based Sausage topped with Pickled Slaw, Barbecue Vegan Aïoli, and Roasted Corn Relish served with French Fries or Apple Slices (this actually sounds delicious and I wish I got this).

“Sausage” Dog (yes the quotations are on purpose and how it is listed on the menu) : plant-based sausage on a bun, guessing that the bun is not vegan.

Columbia Harbor House (Liberty Square)

Lighthouse sandwich: Hummus with Tomato and Broccoli Slaw served on Toasted Multigrain Bread with House-made Potato Chips

Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe (Tomorrowland)

Plant-based Sloppy Joe : Plant-based Beef Crumbles tossed in a Sloppy Joe Sauce of Diced Onions, Yellow Mustard, Ketchup, Garlic, and Brown Sugar served with French Fries.  I actually had this and I would not recommend!

Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn (Frontierland)

Southwest Salad: Mixed Greens topped with Roasted Corn and Bean Salsa, Tomatoes and Tortilla Crisps (don’t eat the tortillas and this would be vegan)

Veggie nachos: Tortilla Chips topped with Queso, Zucchini and Squash

Plant-based Southwest burger: topped with Vegan Jalapeño Jack and Vegan Avocado Aïoli on a Toasted Bun (bun may not be vegan so for a full vegan meal may want to omit)

Veggie Rice bowl: Yellow Rice topped with Black Beans and Roasted Vegetables (vegan option)

Pinocchio Village Haus

Margherita Flatbread: Flatbread topped with Shredded Mozzarella, fresh Tomatoes, Mozzarella Pearls and Basil

Gourmet Cheese Flatbread: Flatbread topped with Tomato Sauce, Cheddar, Mozzarella, Provolone and Parmesan

Penne pasta with Marinara: Penne Pasta topped with Marinara and sprinkling of Basil

If you really wanted a vegan option here you could also get a side salad with french fried or tomato basil soup.

 

 

 

Why become a Selective Flexitarian?

Since I started this journey of eating meat from responsible sources (pasture raised, grass fed, free range, heritage breed, all natural, cage free, no hormones, etc) there are some economic and logistical consequences that arise. Firstly it is quite expensive to buy responsibly raised meat, either from the supermarket or a farm. Meat from a factory farm is less expensive since they grow their animals faster using hormones and non-natural diets. Also by cramming these animals into confined spaces they get more return per square foot. These factors and many more result in factory farms being able to produce relatively inexpensive meat so people can afford to eat meat every day if they want. And most people want to eat meat every day, I was one of them for most of my life. Raising animals on pasture or truly free range is labor intensive and more expensive just like organic vegetables are more expensive than non-organic. If you make the decision to only eat responsibly raised meat then you need to make a choice. Spend more money on meat or eat less meat. Seems obvious right?

If all factory farms were banned today the smaller farms that raise animals the right way could not produce enough meat for everyone. Meat prices would go up and would become a luxury item just like it was 60 years ago before factory farms really took hold of the farming industry.  So there are some options here for the consumer that believes that factory farming is wrong.  The most obvious one is to become vegan.  There has been a large conversion of people to veganism in the last 10 years and the realization of the practices that occur at factory farms has contributed greatly to this shift.  Being a vegan in 2020 is still a lot of work and a big commitment.  The other option for me is to become what I call a “Selective Flexitarian”.  Flexitarian is an actual word in the dictionary (adopted in 2012, so not sure why the spellcheck keeps saying it is a spelling mistake) and is defined as : “one whose normally meatless diet occasionally includes meat or fish”.  If you google flexitarian a lot of articles will come up and it is closely tied to the Reductarian movement which is aimed at reducing the amount of meat in people’s diets due to concerns with animal welfare and the environment.  A lot of vegans may say that eating some meat is cheating, I kind of agree, and I don’t think I am ready to give up meat completely.  Also, for me if the meat is not raised responsibly then it is really cheating, hence the term ‘Selective Flexitarian’, if one is to eat meat then it should be selective from a responsible source.

So now I want to be a ‘Selective Flexitarian’ what does that mean?  For me it means finding responsible sources of meat which is eaten on occasion, while the rest of the food I eat should come from vegetable or plant-based sources.  The majority of my blog to date has focused on the responsible meat part of the journey; looking for farms, food brands and restaurants that meet the criteria.  There has been a steady shift to find more plant-based, vegan or vegetarian meals in my week, going forward I will be writing more about the second part of my conversion!

Beeside Balcony – farm raised on the beach in Del Mar

If you ever find yourself in Del Mar, CA and looking for a place for dinner or lunch you should try Beeside Balcony.  The restaurant is quite small  and the menu may be limited for some but the two times I have been here have been a fantastic experience.

From their website:

“Beeside Balcony is a hidden gem in old Del Mar, CA with a relaxed seaside chic décor where guests enjoy ocean views from the covered outside balcony. During cooler weather, Beeside’s got you covered with amazing patio heaters and an intimate inside dining room. The menu is chef-driven with every dish made to order and features New American flavors with a unique fusion of Mediterranean and California cuisine. To compliment the menu, we feature a thoughtfully designed wine list and craft beers from predominantly locally producers.

Our guests tell us that “every dish that comes out of the kitchen is a culinary delight.” Chef Costa sources produce from local farms, and features organic free-range lamb, sushi-grade salmon, prime steak, and imported cheese, salumi and olives.”

Let’s look at the menu more closely for the responsibly sourced options.  On the lunch menu there is mention of all-natural chicken (salad, skewered chicken plate), grass-fed lamb (burger), free range lamb (lamb gyro, sounds delicious will have to get next time) and  Scottish salmon (salad or skewers).  The dinner also has the burger and gyro, Scottish salmon (pan seared plate) and Mary’s “Fried” chicken.  Let’s dig a little deeper here.

Mary’s “fried” chicken

I have had the pleasure of having the Mary’s “Fried” chicken, the chicken is firstly cooked sous vide for 1.5 hours, dusted in rice flour, then lightly fried, it’s absolutely delicious.  The chicken brand Mary’s is well known as being one of the most transparent free-range poultry producers in the world. The chickens are raised in California and they follow the 5-Step Animal Welfare Rating Standards Program with Global Animal Partnership.   For more information in this program check out this link.  The program is based on 5 ranking each of which has certain standards for how the animals are raised and what they are fed.  Basically the closer you can get to being completely pasture raised and fed a natural diet then the higher the rating with the highest rating being Step 5.  The Mary’s chicken website actually has a good description of the standards required for each step for chickens here.  No mention of whether all the all-natural chicken dishes are all from Mary’s though.

Let’s take a look at the Scottish salmon.  Firstly, from what I can determine Scottish salmon is farmed and they don’t catch wild salmon off UK waters.  Got to say that there are some mixed reviews about the sustainability of Scottish salmon these days.  Wild Scottish salmon was once a prized dish but due to low population from over fishing this practice is no longer allowed.  This article here outlines some of the problems

For the lamb, the majority of domestic lamb sold in the US is grass-fed, some may be grain finished at the end. Australian and New Zealand lamb is grass-fed it whole life and almost always free-range.  No mention on the Beeside online menu of the lamb origin but they seem confident enough to state free-range and grass-fed. One time I ate there I had the lambs chops, the waiter told me they were from Australia.

Australian lamb chops

Beeside Balcony is a lovely place located in Del Mar.  Great transparency on the menu and the food is amazing!

Best responsibly sourced meals of 2019

Well it is the end of 2019 and the beginning of a new decade so I thought I would reminisce about some of the best responsibly sourced meals that I had throughout the year.  I have split them up into some categories and for some it was quite difficult to pick one.

Best burger – BRED gourmet (Boston, MA), Karl Strauss Brewery (San Diego):  A grass-fed burger is one of the easiest responsibly sourced menu items to find so I have picked one on the East and West coasts.  I have the extreme fortune to live 2.5 miles from Bred gourmet in the Lower Mills area of Boston and I have not found a better grass-fed burger to date, see my full review here.  I have had almost everything on the menu but the Maui burger with grilled pineapple, pepper jack cheese, plantains and BBQ sauce is one of my favorite burgers of all-time.  The California-grown all-natural grass-fed beef burger at Karl Strauss Brewery in La Jolla, CA is my pick for the West Coast.  Topped with a cage-free fried egg (maybe skip the pork belly since I don’t know where that is from yet) this is an amazing burger.

Best steak (East Coast) – Mooo (Boston, MA): I am splitting up the best steak category into East and West coast since I had so many good experiences. Mooo is one of my all time favorite restaurants and I have not found anything that comes close. See my review here. A source for the steaks is stated on the menu and they even give you a hint on how it was raised (grass-fed, grain finished etc).  My pick for the West Coast is Cowboy Star in San Diego, they also state which farm all their cuts are from and is a more relaxed atmosphere than other high end steakhouses.

Best BBQ – Sweet Cheeks Q (Boston, MA):  One of my favorite styles of food I thought I was resigned to cooking my own BBQ until I found Sweet Cheeks Q.  See my full review here – but think all natural chicken and heritage breed pork turned mouth-watering BBQ.

Best fried chicken – Crack Shack (Encinitas, CA): A fried chicken lovers dream, all their chicken is Jidori (see my post on Crack Shack and Jidori chicken here). Unfortunately this small chain is only in California.

Best roast chicken – Le Coq Rico (Paris):  The french take their roast chicken very seriously and I was extremely fortunate to go to this famous restaurant where they specialize in this particular dish.  Famed chef Antione Westermann focuses on sourcing heritage breed poultry from local French farmers. No review yet (but one is planned).   They also have a restaurant in NYC if Paris is too far to go for the best roast chicken you will ever have in your life.

Best seafood – Oceanaire seafood room (Boston, MA):  It can be difficult to find responsibly sourced seafood but Oceanaire Seafood room makes it easier as they clearly state the origin of almost all their seafood dishes so that you can make an informed decision.  Even though this is a chain the dining experience is top class, I have been to the Boston and San Diego locations and both were amazing.  No full review yet but coming soon.

Best Fish and chips – Rock and sole plaice (London):  You can’t beat London for fried fish and chips and there are plenty of places that use sustainable fish for this celebrated English dish.  I have been to quite a few (review to come) but Rock and sole plaice is my current favorite and is located right in Covent Garden and has been there since 1871.  Yet to find something comparable in the United States.

Best sushi – Harney Sushi (San Diego, CA):  Sustainable or responsibly sourced are not words one normally associates with sushi but Harney sushi takes pride in ensuring its seafood is just that.  I have been to the Old Town location (yes sushi in Old Town San Diego surrounded by Mexican places) and it is a funky place, expect something non-traditional but delicious and you will feel good about your food source. Review to come soon.

Best breakfast/brunch place – Farmers Daughter (South Easton, MA):  Complete transparency with the source of their eggs and meats which are all from local farms and clearly stated on their website.  Locally sourced chicken and waffles is not easy to find elsewhere and the pork belly banh mi looks delicious.  And they have a boozy brunch too!  Full review coming soon.

Best fast food place – Shake Shack (Dedham, MA): It can be difficult to find a responsibly sourced lunch particularly with kids (someone wants a burger, another a chicken sandwich, another wants nuggets) and you only have 30 mins.  Fortunately some fast food chains are make big efforts to provide good options (review coming soon).  My go to place with my kids is Shake Shack – their burgers, chicken and hot dogs are all natural (chicken is also cage-free).  Just exactly what their definition of all-natural is, not sure at the moment but in a pinch I will pick them every time over the bigger fast food chains.

Best fine dining restaurant experience – Deuxave (Boston, MA):  I don’t get to go to many fine dining restaurants so I like to make them count and my experience at Deuxave was top class.  Plenty of great options on the menu (Niman ranch strip steak, Giannone chicken) and from beginning to end was a memorable experience.

Best Sunday lunch place – Blacklock (London):  I had to create a category for this one as the meal was unquestionably one of the best food experiences I have ever had.  I am very fortunate to be friends with the owners brother and have managed to get a table on a Sunday at the Shoreditch location for lunch (have also been to the Soho location).  If you love meat you have to get the All-in which is a mountain of roast pork, lamb and beef and get the beef dripping chips as well.  Full review to come soon.

Best local farm – Copicut Farm (Dartmouth, MA):  My go to farm for when I want to stock up on local chicken and pork chops – all pasture raised.    They can also be found at the Milton and Hingham famer’s markets in the summer.  Check out my full review.

Best mail order meat – Porter Road:  I have tried a few mail order meat places and I try to buy from a local farm where possible first.  Sometimes though I need a cut of meat that is not easily bought from a local farm.  I ordered about 20lbs of pork butt from Porter Road and the experience was top class – they shipped it out within 24 hours and was packed perfectly.  I smoked that pork butt for pulled pork for a Christmas party and it was a big hit!

After writing this post about my favorite food experiences of 2019 I realized just how fortunate I have been to experience such amazing restaurants and farms.  It has been a lot of fun searching for these places and look forward to what 2020 will bring!

Where do you lie on the responsible meat spectrum?

In my opinion a good steak is one of life’s greatest dining pleasures.  Most people’s definition of a good steak is tender with plenty of fat throughout which melts in your mouth.  The cattle industry is mostly made up of Factory Farms and corn-fed cows which is not natural and not the way that cows were meant to be raised.  Humans desire for the ‘perfect’ steak has created the industry this way.  Feeding cows corn for long periods makes them fatter and pumping them full of hormones and other additives makes them grow faster so that they can be sold cheaper and faster.  Fortunately there are steakhouses like Mooo that prove that an amazing tasting steak can come from pasture-raised, grass fed cows like nature intended.

I have had the wonderful fortune to have been to Mooo on multiple occasions.  Located in the Beacon Hill area of Boston the menu is refreshingly transparent, stating the farm and source for each of the steaks.  They even state in some cases whether the cows were totally grass-fed or grass and grain fed in some cases, I will explain the differences later on but this level of detail is hard to find.  It is not my intention to give a restaurant review in this article, there are plenty of reviews online praising the quality of the food, service and everything else that makes this restaurant special.  My objective here is to take a closer look at the sources of the meat on the menu so that people can make an educated choice of the source that best suits their own meat beliefs.

The farms stated on the menu are a who’s who of the cattle farms that are known for raising cows the way they should be – pasture-raised and treated humanely.  Let’s go through them one by one.

Greater Omaha – I have to admit that I passed over this at first and have not tried steaks from this farm.  Factory Farms are primarily located in the mid-west and my immediate response was that this was the same.  A closer read of their website has changed my mind slightly.  The company works with a number of smaller producers who are all located in within 300 miles of Omaha, Nebraska.  There is also a section where some of their producers describe their farm practices.  There are mentions of non-hormone treatment, humane handling, feed yards and growing crops such as corn and alfalfa to feed their animals.  This is where you need to make a decision on where you sit on the meat philosophy spectrum – are you a grass-fed purist or are you satisfied with the small farm that is growing their own crops including corn without hormones to feed their cows (still a much better situation than the a factory farm)?  Within the FAQ section of the website they state that all of the beef is pasture-raised and grain finished.  What does this mean?  This means that for most of the cows life they are eating grass in the pasture but at the end they are fed a grain diet (often including corn) to fatten them up.  There are some farms that are 100% grass-fed (grass-fed grass-finished).  Where do I sit on the spectrum?  I would prefer the 100% grass-fed side and look for those options but I can live with the grass-fed grain-finished from the right farm that is not using the right grain (no animal products, hormones or no-natural additives).

Painted Hills – The menu lets you know that the steaks from this farm are grass-fed, grain-finished.  The Painted Hills website explains the process of transitioning from grass-fed to grain fed – this is a gradual operation where the diet is switched from grass to hay and roughage then corn is slowly introduced until a level of about 70% corn. Also states no added hormones, antibiotics or animal products.  All this happens over 4 months.  On their website you can also buy their products and interestingly they also have 100% grass-fed product line which they state is 100% corn free.  These products will ship from Oregon, my absolute best preference is to buy products locally from farms in Massachusetts or New England.

Creekstone Farms – The menu just says all natural but the Creekstone website states that their cows are pasture-raised then corn-finished (no hormones, antibiotics, animal products).  They also have a product which has been fed non-GMO feed.  The Creekstone HQ and processing takes place in Kansas City and they say that all their farms are in the USA but they don’t say the locations (did find one section which stated that they are in the mid-west) and no mention of when the corn diet starts and how much of the diet is corn.

Australian Ribeye – Menu doesn’t say the farm but says 100% grass-fed.  I asked the waiter did they know the farm and he told me it was on the Darling Downs.  There is a great article published online from NPR in August which says that 75-80% of the 100% grass-fed beef in the US comes from Australia, New Zealand or South American since these regions have large areas of grass land where cattle can graze all year round. Love that they have this 100% grass fed option – would be great if it was from a local farm rather than flying it all the way from Australia, guess this shows how difficult it is to raise 100% grass-fed cattle in the US.

Mishima grade Wagyu ribeye – Menu says this is is all natural from Strube ranch.  The Strube ranch website says this Texas-based farm raises their cattle on pasture but once they are weaned (usually at 6 months) they are introduced to a grain based diet over 90 days then moved to an Iowa feedlot for 350-400 days – this is apparently a typical process used in Japan .  Their feed never contains antibiotics, hormones or animal products.  Here the cow is moved to a grain based diet much quicker than described above for Creekstone and Painted Hills and therefore lies further on the spectrum towards a factory farm situation.  The quality of the feed is all-natural but is a long way from the natural way of totally grass-fed.   For me this steps over the line.

Mooo does an amazing job at being transparent with the source of their steaks, as good as any restaurant I have dined at.  They state the farm and even the method which the cow was raised in some cases and most people may not even pay attention to these details (I ate here before I changed my meat philosophy and didn’t pay attention either).  However if you are a Selective Omnivore (or carnivore) and will only eat meat that adheres to certain standards you have multiple options here from 100% grass fed for complete purists to grass-fed but grain finished for a short time to mostly grain fed from all natural grain.  Hopefully this article can help you chose where you sit on the meat spectrum and make you make the best choice for your own meat philosophy.

NOTE:  would like to know if any of my information is incorrect or I missed some details on the farms