For the past year or so ever since remodeling their
private dining area, 12th Ave Grill has been hosting monthly dinners
featuring four or five course meals paired with wines from Wine Director Rick
Lilley. Sometimes these dinners highlight a specific winemaker as the guest of
honor. On other occasions specific wines are highlighted including 12th
Ave Grill’s release of their own private wine label. And on this occasion, it
was to highlight the Ranchers of Hawaii and the sustainable beef, lamb, venison
and eland they produce on the neighbor islands.
Why Sustainable?
For starters, there is a limited supply of all natural
resources – even our sun will extinguish its flames someday in the very distant
future but our fuel and food supplies do have a shorter “shelf” life. For
instance, wild Bluefin tuna or maguro
probably won’t be around for another generation due to overfishing. Wild King
salmon is also getting scarcer each fishing season. And to make matters worse,
because we’re a small island in the middle of the Pacific and subsequently
depend on most of our food items (and dry goods) from mainland sources,
something like a work stoppage can magnify the effects of unsustainable
practices. Go ahead, ask an older relative about the ILWU dock strike in 1949.
Or the West Coast dock strike in 1971. So while it’s highly unlikely that
Charmin will start producing toilet paper locally, we can still make efforts to
grow and raise our own food supply.
Ranchers of Hawaii
Several independent ranchers on the neighbor islands
started an organization to promote the marketing of their products which
include beef, lamb, venison and eland and since the 12th Ave Grill
regularly purchases and serves these proteins, it was only fitting that they hosted
a dinner highlighting these proteins. Owner/Chef Kevin Hanney has actually been
an active proponent of locally sourced products ever since opening 12th
Ave Grill more than a decade ago. Perhaps it’s those degrees in Natural
Resource Conservation or Renewable Energy and Solar Architecture. I just know
one thing. Food from 12th Ave Grill has never disappointed me. Ever.
Since most are familiar with beef, I won’t highlight
locally raised beef other than to state – and it is my own personal opinion –
that grass fed beef, while potentially a little tougher since it doesn’t
usually develop the fat marbling like corn finished beef does have a better,
beefier flavor. So applications like slow braising, sous vide cooking or simply
grinding nullifies the advantage that corn fed beef has in texture.
The Robinson family of Niihau originally imported New
Zealand sheep and continue to import the best breeds based on size and flavor
and Niihau Ranch allows these animals to roam freely so they are truly free
range animals. Niihau Ranch also imports eland… What’s an eland? They’re a
member of the antelope family native to the dry, African deserts so they thrive
in the arid conditions found on Niihau. But these aren’t those petite, graceful
animals you’ve seen on Wild Kingdom. A fully grown bull can be 6 feet at the
shoulder with solid horns rising another 3 feet. Imagine a Clydesdale horse
(Budweiser horse) with menacing appearing 3 foot long horns… that’s an eland.
The ranch also raises venison (axis deer) which were first imported to Hawaii
in the 1800s and once again, are allowed to roam free until they are harvested.
The Harvest
Because venison and eland can’t simply be herded to a slaughterhouse,
they are harvested like any hunter would bag his quarry. The ranchers first fly
a USDA inspector to the ranch and each animal is dispatched via hunting rifle.
The only difference between this harvest and a regular hunting trip is that the
animal has to be dispatched with one properly placed shot otherwise the USDA
inspector won’t allow that animal to be sold commercially. It is then dressed
(gutted and cleaned) and air flown to
Kauai as Niihau doesn’t have a commercial refrigeration facility.
Our Meal
1st
Kunoa Ranch Beef
Tenderloin Carpaccio
housemade ricotta
salata, Nalo arugula, fresh calamansi & garbanzo croutons
paired with
Col Solare, Red
Blend (Cab Sauv, Cab Franc, Merlot, Petite Verdot), Red Mountain, Washington
2012
As I mentioned, though grass finished beef usually has a
tougher texture, thinly sliced raw beef nullifies the textural aspects and this
version with rich beef flavor was perfectly balanced with salty cheese, bitter
arugula and tart calamansi. I literally can make a meal with two… or five
plates of carpaccio.
2nd
Ni'ihau Eland Steak
Frites
duck fat kohlrabi
fries, kiawe smoked sea salt, warm bone marrow citronette
paired with
D'Arenberg, 'Dead
Arm' Shiraz, McLaren Vale, Australia 2012
Because eland is so lean (95% lean), the key is not
overcooking and toughening the flesh. This cut which was the equivalent of
ribeye was still tender and the bone marrow added fat while the citronette
dressing balanced the rich flavors. And I need more kohlrabi (a root vegetable
also known as German turnip or turnip cabbage) fries with every meal!
3rd
Slow braised
Ni'ihau Lamb Osso Bucco
saffron polenta de
riso, confit Ho Farm tomato, preserved lemon gremolata
paired with
Paolo Bea,
'Vigneto Pagliaro', Montefalco Sagrantino, Umbria, Italy 2004
Osso bucco (traditionally veal shank) is one of my favorite
cuts as the long braising releases the connective tissues (collagen) to produce
an unctuous gravy. The lemon gremolata (minced herb, garlic and citrus rind)
cut through the rich flavors.
4th
Pan roasted Rack
of Maui Venison
Big Island baby
turnips, rosti potatoes, Makaha mango mustard glaze
paired with
Domaine Les Mille
Vignes, ‘Atsuko’ (Grenache Noir), Fitou, France 2013
For those who think venison (and lamb) have gamey
flavors, if you weren’t informed, you would think you were eating the best filet
mignon which just so happened to be attached to a rib bone. I’m also sure this
venison would make a great tartare!
5th
Housemade Lemon
Ricotta Panna Cotta
macerated local
strawberries, almond shortbread crumble
The citrus and acid from the strawberries cleansed the
palate from an extraordinary great meal with rich and balancing flavor
profiles.
I’m not sure if the 12th Ave Grill will ever
hold another Ranchers of Hawaii dinner at their Wine Speak dinners but that’s
not a reason not to book a table at other Wine Speak dinners… or their usual
Sunday Supper dinners featuring complete multi-course meals… or even to sample
their usual ala carte menu… and cocktails…
12th Ave Grill
1120 12th Ave
Honolulu, Hawaii 96816
808-732-9469
Mon-Thurs: 5:30pm
- 9:30pm
Fri-Sat: 5:30pm
- 10:00pm
Sun: 5:00pm
- 9:00pm
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