It's not Steak, but chew on this. . .

Lest you think the Yankees paid too much for the services of Alex Rodriguez, let your stomach digest this:

Appetizers

Yea, he never inhaled...

Riiiiiiiiiggghhhhhttttttt........

Thanks goes out to the Old Man (he knows) for the pic.

Tragedy

Today, the Washington Redskins' Sean Taylor died from injuries he received from a gunshot wound to the leg. Taylor was shot while in his suburban Miami home with his girlfriend and 18 month old daughter. They were unharmed. Taylor's femoral artery was severed by one of the fired bullets--and he has died. Tragic.

Eight days before this incident, his home was broken into, and from reports that I have heard, the intruders left a knife behind on the bed. Other reports have Taylor reaching for a machete that he kept under the bed to protect himself.

Several things are bothering me about this story. Here you have a multi-millionaire, who's estate had been broken into just eight days earlier. Where were the security upgrades? I hate to second guess in such a tragic time--but were it me--i would have had armed men outside my house to protect me and my family. At the very least, I would have purchased a gun for protection. Security cameras? Security system? Motion detectors? Something...not a machete.

Sad and senseless--our world has turned to shit when you can't even lay down to sleep at night and worry about some asshole breaking into your house, stealing the stuff you work hard for, and then taking shots at you. Like POTUS, I travel alot--consequently my wife and daughter are home alone at night. Warning to all intruders--my wife has a shotgun--and she knows how to use it.

RIP Sean....

The Suburban Grill, a great place for steak

SteakMatters is happy to report on the opening of The Suburban Grill, a great place for steak, in Columbus, OH. As you can see in this publicity shot, The Suburban has some hot flames for cooking your SteakMatters to perfection. Good luck to Chef Marc Dann in his new venture. (Special thanks to The Chief Source for the photo.)

Used Carr trade in!

I've been delinquent in saying good bye to LLLLLLoyd Carr (6 L's for his losses to Jim Tressel, including the last 4!). Boy are we going to miss you in the Buckeye Nation!

Here we go Sooners, Here we go!

I thought since 95 percent of Ohioans will be rooting for the Oklahoma Sooners to defeat the Missouri Tigers this coming Saturday night, it seems appropriate that we (I), at least, know and understand the history behind the team for whom we will be so mightily rooting! Go Sooners!

College sports fans are hard-pressed to find a nickname that is as unique and as linked to a state's history as a Sooner. The University of Oklahoma is the only school known as Sooners. The origins of Oklahoma's nickname stretch back to the Civil War era. The Homestead Act of 1862 provided that a legal settler could claim 160 acres of public land, and those who lived on and improved the claim for five years could receive title. "Boomers" were settlers who favored the opening of unassigned lands in the Oklahoma Territory.

In 1889, President Benjamin Harrison proclaimed the Unassigned Lands open for settlement. At high noon on April 22, 1889, legal aspirants would be able to enter the Oklahoma Territory and choose 160 acres of land. The event soon became known as the "Oklahoma Land Run" or "Land Run of 1889". Settlers from across the globe, seeking free land, made their way to Oklahoma Territory to stake their claim to a new life.

The great dramatic moment came when, at the stroke of noon, starting signals were given at the many points of entry. In some instances it was given by a blue-clad military officer firing his pistol or by his trumpeter, at times by a citizen firing his rifle in the air, or, as at Fort Reno, by the boom of a cannon. All produced the same results -- a tumultuous avalanche of wagons and horsemen surging forward all in one breathtaking instant. April 22, 1889, was a day of chaos, excitement, and utter confusion. But it was nonetheless a significant day in national history, one that gave birth to new hope for thousands of Americans and became an iconic image in the history of the west. One of the few rules to claiming a lot of land was that all participants were to start at the same time. Those who went too soon were called "Sooners". As time went on, "Sooner" came to be a synonym of Progressivism. The Sooner was an "energetic individual who travels ahead of the human procession." He was prosperous, ambitious, competent, a "can-do" individual. And Oklahoma was the Sooner State, the land of opportunity, enterprise and economic expansion, very much in the Progressive spirit that engulfed the old South in the 1920s. OU athletics teams were called Rough Riders or Boomers for 10 years before the current Sooner nickname emerged in 1908. The university actually derived the name from a pep club called 'The Sooner Rooters.' Today, the thunderous chants of "Boomer! Sooner!" roll across the Oklahoma landscape. The success of University of Oklahoma athletics teams over the years has made the nickname synonymous with winning.

Yea, well--that's all nice, but who cares, right?! Just friggin' beat the Tigers--Go Sooners!

It ain't steak...

but today, it'll do! Happy Thanksgiving to all who have had the misfortune of running across our blog...

Swordfish. Its not for dessert

The hopes and dreams of Cleveland, Ohio were delivered on Sunday night. Not by the arm of Derek Anderson (or Brady Quinn). Not by the air under LeBron James. And not by the gut [of steak eater] C.C. Sabathia.

No, the hopes and dreams of Cleveland were delivered on Sunday by a native-Clevelander, an unsung hero if you will. A man who many didn’t know until that fateful night; and that man is the newly crowned Iron Chef - Michael Symon.

The competition concluded with a cook-off using swordfish. Symon cooked 5 dishes, while his opponent came up with 7, including a swordfish dessert. [Are you kidding me!?!]

While this victory is important, it’s not the reason Symon gets the shout out from SteakMatters. Symon gets for two reasons: One, he looks like Bob the Builder [not the character, but a member of The Crew]; and, two, his quote in the Plain Dealer regarding the swordfish. To quote Symon, “Fish is not something I do a lot of. I'm a meat guy. [Emphasis is mine] Still, we did what we had to do. I felt good the whole time.”

Now that’s Cleveland. Way to get it done. I look forward to seeing you in Lola or Lolita.

Oh, and I’ll have the Warm Dark Chocolate Cake for dessert.

B. Steak for lunch

After our day on the Hill and the evening reception and dinner, we spent the day talking with the MSM that cover Ohio from DC. It was a great day for four reasons: 1) We talked about our agenda, our accomplishments, and current projects; 2) I was put onto the website chowhound.com for when I travel; 3) We talked about SteakMatters; and finally, 4) I got to eat steak for lunch.

We had lunch at B. Smith’s in Union Station. The Boss and Spin Doctor were quizzing me on the steak from the night before and insisted that I get steak for lunch. Fortunately, the menu had a light steak dish – steak salad. [What I don’t do for SteakMatters.]

The steak was sliced thin, meaning you could either get it rare or well done. No in-between. I choose rare. The steak came grilled once on both sides, with no char whatsoever, initially disappointing for my tastes. [Double flipping, I assumed would have meant well done.] The salad that adjoined it was an appropriate size for the cut of meat. The steak had a good texture and nice taste, but like the night before, did not meet normal steakhouse standards. The house dressing added to the over all meal, as did the signature cornbread mini-muffins, which are definitely not carb friendly, especially when covered in butter.

Overall, it was a good meal, made better by the company and the conversation. An added bonus to the meal was the historic setting of the restaurant – The Presidential Suite at Union Station – once again reaffirming for me the inspiration that is our Nation’s Capital.

POTUS

If you have to ask…

Back in the nation’s Capital for a 2-day trip. The reason – my friend from Akron, LGA, put together a reception for the Ohio Delegation. We’re sponsors and every time LGA puts on a reception they are well attended by staffers and members. This one did not disappoint.

One of the other reasons we’re in town is to make the rounds with the DC press bureaus of our state papers. Off the record stuff, talking about what we’re doing and what’s happening back home – connect the dots type stuff. So Spin Doctor basically set-up our itinerary for the trip, outside of the congressional office drop-bys. And yes, this included dinner…and here begins another SteakMatters adventure…

Like a bunch of gypsy’s we all leave the reception (mostly) separately. The Boss, Ms. Balboa and a couple of others leave early to make sure we don’t lose our reservation. I spy the COS and we grab a cab, which is a good thing because I have no idea where dinner is. In the mean time, I call the Dean of Cleveland Lobbyists (DCL) to make sure we didn’t leave him behind. Turns out he’s in cab, with a cabby who’s never heard of the place we are eating -And let me tell you that’s not a good sign for anybody.

So me and COS pull up in our cab on one street, DCL pulls up in his cab on the cross street, and Lefty, pulls up behind him in his cab. It’s like a scene out of Smoking Aces. Paid professionals looking to clean up.

Dinner’s at The Oval Room. A nice looking, chic place, unfortunately is not a steakhouse, but hey, Spin Doctor made the reservations and we’re with a posse so it will be a fun evening. White table cloths, modern furniture and a table the wobbles 3 inches like a seesaw at the park. I open the chic-y menu and scan it quickly for steak and steak products. AH, yes, Caramelized Beef Tenderloin, Grilled Trumpet Royal (huh?), Romaine & Cherry Mustard (what?). Yeah, I’ll take that medium, with a bottle of Red, please.

[Sidebar: I do have to give them props on the last and most expensive item on the main course menu – Venison Flavored with Juniper, Butternut Squash, Date-Yuzu & Huckleberry. Where I come from ‘venison’ is deer, as in Bambie. And the only thing Juniper I want near my venison is the Juniper tree that’s holding a tree stand, if you know what I mean and I think you do. End Sidebar.]

My dinner came and the Rainbow Warrior, who’s sitting next to me, get’s the same thing. I don’t think she liked it, or she was afraid that since her portion was much larger then mine, I would likely die of starvation upon the conclusion of the meal. She proceeded to give me most of her tenderloin. [More beef! It was like a gift from the SteakMatters Gods!]

The tenderloin was good. It was light and tender (as its name would imply) – I used my fork to cut it. It was moist, with a hint of red in the center. The caramelized exterior added to the flavor, but did not rise to the level of the char that I prefer. The plate was ‘artistically’ smeared with two sauces – Romaine, which didn’t add much flavor, and Cherry, which mimicked a BBQ sauce – neither did anything for me. I’m still trying to figure out what grilled trumpet royal is – it went back to the kitchen untouched.

Rating this meal would be unfair, since we weren’t at a steakhouse, however, the service was good, the wine was full bodied and the laughs from our table helped clear the joint.

And as the evening was wrapping up, DCL and I were discussing one of our favorite DC steakhouses (see Inspirational, 2007-09-18), he noted his preference for restaurants and menus that tell you exactly what you’re ordering, no explanation necessary, because “If you have to ask what it is, do you really want to eat it?”

I couldn’t have said it better myself.
- POTUS

The Beef Eaters Hero Award goes to...

After struggling against a suprisingly strong 1st half Browns defense, Big Ben steps up in the second half to lead the Stillers to a huge come-from-behind victory. Honorable mention goes out to the Browns for fielding a team that is no longer an embarassment to the city!

The Undercooked Steak award goes to...

Way to scramble with your head down and throw into double coverage for one of your three interceptions for the day. Chump.