| It's what for dinner -- if you're lucky. |
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| For steak lovers, the zenith is 21 day dry aged beef. You can't get it at the supermarket. Very few restaurants have it. Even nationally known steak houses that brag about prime aged cuts don't bother to dry age their meat. They use wet-aging -- the meat is sealed in plastic bags. Steak aficionados will say that while wet aging does tenderize the meat, it is dry aging which condenses the flavor. Why doesn't every one dry age their steak? Not every one has temperature and humidity controlled rooms that are necessary for the process. |
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| Gallagher's does -- and it displays its aging, drying meats quite confidently to strollers at the Channelside Bay Plaza, an oasis of attractive and appealing restaurants in an otherwise barren downtown. |
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Shopping mall at Tampa -
As a steak lover, I was delighted to see the display of meat but I readily admit those with the modern aversion to red meat and wannabe vegetarians should look the other way. Dry aging meat is not for the faint of heart. Most people who would come across meat such as the cuts on display would throw it out, not serve it. |
| But the cooks of Gallagher's, which started in New York and franchised in Tampa Bay, know what to do. They cut off the outside dried up layers to get to the good stuff inside. |
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| I usually prefer a rib-eye or a prime rib. While both were on the menu at Gallagher's, it was only the 24oz sirloin and the 20oz porterhouse that were 21-day dry aged. |
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I picked the sirloin ($37) -- and cut to the chase -- it was the most flavor full steak I've ever had. To accompany it, I picked a J. Lohr Cabernet ($11 for a glass). Lately, I've been gravitating towards the reds of California's Central Coast, believing them to be as good in quality to the Napa and Sonoma wines but at lesser cost.
As is typical for high-end steak houses, the menu is a la carte. My green salad was fresh and cool but too liberally doused with dressing. (Why don't I remember to get the dressing on the side!) |
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Though the meat is the star attraction, Gallagher's is also to be commended for its bread. The crusty white bread was fresh from the oven and still deliciously warm. It was so good that even though I was full, I asked to take the remains home. I was sent home with a whole loaf! Now that's service!
When I'm in Tampa next, you can be sure I'll be at Gallagher's. |
| The steak is cooked over hot coals in a open kitchen. |
