OMFG...Flannery Steaks.......!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe you hip foodies have talked this one to death, but this was a revelation to me... Flannery steaks!!!

There is groups of 4-5 of my buds, and we get together usually 1x a month for a Cab/Bdx tasting, usually at Houston's restaurant, which is a trendy, darkish, servers all in black, American style place... with 0 corkage. .. which is what partly makes it attractive to us (well.. some of the servers are very nice too.. but let's not go there...).

After hearing some buzz on these meats, we made an order (it is shipped next day or 2 day from N. California), and gathered at the home of Steve and Teddy Christle to BBQ these beauties. See the pic.

We opened up a bunch of wines, which can be seen together in the last pic in this foto gallery.. as well as the whole process of getting the steaks ready for the grill and the finished product.

We had filet and NY strip from two porterhouses plus rib eye. These are all dry aged prime, not choice beef. I think the ribeye was 54 days dry aged and the porterhouse 34 days .... something like that..... price was a hair over $20/lb which seemed quite reasonable prior to ordering.

After tasting those three cuts, the price seems ridiculously cheap... this was the most amazing beef I've had in my life.. everyone at the table was in awe, and we are talking folks who have some experience with upscale food... the meat was cooked perfectly... high heat on the grill and about 10 mins under foil on the cutting board. Only salt and pepper seasoning, which was perfectly done just prior to grilling.

I dreamt about that meat last night. Seriously. The wines and other accompaniments to the dinner were also very good....but those steaks.. red protein epiphany moment for all of us... to a man and woman...

Flannery also apparently does lamb too.. and we are going to order some of that up next month and see if we can outdo ourselves.

http://picasaweb.google.com/schristle2/FlanneryAndCab

Bryan has become quite the darling of the eBob board - and with good reason, apparently.
I haven't felt the need as of yet, as I have local access to some pretty good dry aged beef - but maybe I'll bite the bullet and order up.

[Robin Garr]

Bryan has become quite the darling of the eBob board - and with good reason, apparently.
I haven't felt the need as of yet, as I have local access to some pretty good dry aged beef - but maybe I'll bite the bullet and order up.

Got a Web address? (No, not for eBob, for Flannery. )

Like you only different, I've been ecstatic about the growing availability of excellent locally produced beef in the past couple of years that's hormone-free and natural, and I'm less enthusiastic about ordering from California, although as a serious beef lover, I'd sure try it once. I'd like to know more about it, though ... grass-fed or grain? Natural? Hormone-free? Yada? Yada?

Robin....as far as I can tell, no web site. There are some places that sell his stuff, but it is cheaper to just call him and talk about what you want and get answers to the questions you have....

415-927-4488

He's web averse, but the word is if you call him, you might find yourself in a 45 minute conversation discussing your order - how many days dry aged, which cuts, etc etc

I'm not sure where he's sourcing his beef, but I do know they're small producers, not necessarily organic. He's trying to develop additional sources, but he's verrrrrry picky.

Folks whose palates I respect have declared it the best steak, ever.

Here's more:

Some might call another butcher shop, Bryan's on California Street in San Francisco, a food-lover's paradise. In addition to a huge variety of meats including American Kobe beef, Sonoma County lamb, organic poultry and fresh fish, the market prepares dishes like beef Burgundy and grilled flank steak every day. Opposite the meat counter are specialty cheeses and fresh vegetables. If you've got the wallet for it, the market also sells several grades of Russian caviar. But meat is the main attraction.

Co-owner Peter Flannery takes particular pride in the fact that Bryan's beef is dry-aged for as long as 30 days, a time-consuming technique that produces incredibly tender meat.

"It's the old-fashioned way," he says. "It's been working for 67 years and there's no reason to change now."

What you won't find at his shop or at many others is grass-fed beef. Many old-school butchers like Flannery say they don't like the taste and that it costs more than customers are willing to pay. But he says he buys his traditional beef from smaller-scale purveyors and can vouch for its quality.

Bryan's is named after Flannery's father. The elder Flannery, who ran the meat counter at nearby Cal-Mart for many years, started in the meat business in the 1930s at Grant Market on Market Street in downtown San Francisco. Before Grant Market closed in 1968, it was the city's premier meat market. From behind a 60-foot marble counter dozens of butchers were busy selling much of the meat by the piece rather than by weight. A framed black-and-white photo of the market with its approximately 50-person crew standing in front hangs behind the counter at Bryan's.

[Robin Garr]

Robin....as far as I can tell, no web site. There are some places that sell his stuff, but it is cheaper to just call him and talk about what you want and get answers to the questions you have....

415-927-4488

Actually, I found one, but it doesn't have substantive info, just a photo and an invitation to join his E-mail list.

For the record, though:
http://www.bryansfinefoods.com/

Yeah, I knew that one...I actually got on his email list, but other than the welcome email, never received another.
As I said, I think he's internet averse.