Tag'z

"The grill might just be about the best thing to happen to a steak, and vice versa." Bobby Flay.

It snowed today. Not a lot of snow, but enough to close the schools and create a rush at the grocery store. There is nothing better on a cold snowy night than to stay at home and grill a steak! This is Bobby's Grilled Steak with Balsamic-Rosemary Butter together with Grilled Asparagus with Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, Feta Cheese, and Black Pepper (Grill It! pages 26 and 12 respectively). I really love to grill and eat steak, so I was really looking forward to this meal and it did not disappoint. I am not usually a big fan of asparagus, but I never had it this way before - it was really good - crisp not soggy.

To get the best steak there is only one place to go where I live - that is Tag'z 5 Star Meats. This is a true family owned and operated butcher shop. Mike Taglio is the main man, but his wife and daughters know the business as much as he does.

We have gotten our Thanksgiving Turkeys and Hams from Tag'z for the past several years, but get the best quality meats from him year round. One time I wanted to barbecue a brisket for seven people and I told Mike about it. He made a special order for me so that I would have the best brisket possible - and it was! Mike knows that Dorothy has an allergy to seafood except salmon, so he saves me a whole salmon fillet and he always makes sure it never comes in contact with any other fish so she can eat it. He even told me if I called ahead, he would bake a potato for me! This guy is a real craftsman and he is as honest as the day is long. It must be difficult in this economy to run a small business and make it work - but the Taglio's have there priorities straight. You gotta love a guy whose sign reads "Sunday...Closed Church, Monday...Closed Rest." Here is where you can find him:

http://web3.userinstinct.com/40589525-tagz.htm

He is working to get his own website going. He said he was bartering his products with a web designer to get the site up and running, "bartering and helping each other out, that is what this country was founded on," he told me. Actually what I think America was built on was hard working folks like the Taglio family who never cut corners, who do excellent work, and who pass that work ethic on to their kids. If you are reading this, do us all a favor and within the next week go patronize a small business near you. Small business is just another name for a guy with a dream and we should support dreamers.

Wisdom of the Grill - Steak on the grill is serious business. Since the beginning of man, Philosophers, Scholars, and Theologens, have sought to answer the larger questions of the universe, like: If God is all powerful can he create a stone that is so heavy that he himself cannot lift it? One of these questions that seeks eternal truth is: How many times should you turn a steak on the grill. Fortunately, for this question there has been divine intervention and we know the answer. You turn a steak once and only once! Even Presidents must learn this lesson. Watch this video of Bobby explaining the "turn only once" rule to President Obama: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4o5bFmOJ6fw

Turning the steak multiple times allows juices to escape and will break away the crust of the steak that is essential. The steak must have a crust on the outside, but be juicy on the inside.

What was on? James Taylor is staple of the courtyard and I have listened to him for decades and seen him concert a half a dozen times - talk about eternal truth - he sings it. My first JT album was Sweet Baby James that I got in 1973. Grilling in the snow required us to listen to New Moon Shine because the fifth song on that album is "Frozen Man."

"Last thing I remember is the freezing cold

Water reached up just to swallow me whole...

Lord have mercy on the Frozen Man"

What to drink? Steak grilling in the snow is a special occasion - so we brought out a wine that we were saving for a special occasion. Arrington Vineyard's KB 206 Prime Reserve Cabernet. The winery is located about 20 miles from our house and is partially owned by Kix Brooks (of Brooks and Dunn). If you are in the area you must go for a visit. The winery has the look and feel of a Napa Valley winery. When we bought this particular bottle we were at Arrington for a picnic with family and friends. We brought our food, drank their wine and had the best time. The wines we have featured here have all been in the $10 to $15 range, but KB206 is more - but well worth the extra (once in a while). Find them at www.arringtonvineyards.com

That steak, that music and that wine were a perfect together. I think Bobby would have approved!

Paul