Johannesburg - The best steakhouses in the country are in Joburg and Cape Town, right?
Well, the judges at the recent Wolftrap Steakhouse Championships thought not, and gave the coveted best steakhouse award to a restaurant in Durban.
Little Havana in uMhlanga Rocks pipped last year’s winner, Parktown North’s The Local Grill, which had also won in 2013.
The Local Grill, offering excellent meat and service, for which the restaurants are ultimately judged, was the runner-up.
While I haven’t eaten at Little Havana, The Local Grill takes its meat extremely seriously, so the competition must have been tough.
About 140 steakhouses across the country took part in the championships.
The first stage of the competition began with a public vote, on steak-hunter.co.za. In the second round, the judges visited the top 20, and picked their favourites.
This year’s regional winners were:
* The Cricketer in East London
* The Local Grill in Parktown North
* Little Havana in uMhlanga Rocks
* Pioneers Butcher and Grill in Hazy-view
* Theo’s Grill in Mouille Point.
Little Havana was judged best in South Africa in expertise in all meat matters, consistent service and accurate grilling.
The announcement was made on June 30 at The Local Grill, with the 20 finalists and the judges, led by Pete Goffe-Wood, present.
Having enjoyed a magnificent meaty lunch at The Local Grill, I’m a little obsessed with wonderful meat. And unashamedly obsessed with food of provenance: knowing where food comes from and how it has been treated adds immensely to its enjoyment.
Being an animal lover, I want to know that the food on my plate hasn’t had to suffer unnecessarily to get there. I’m not blinkered about farming practices and I believe battery farming methods and a life in the feedlot do not add up to a good existence. And we are what we eat.
* Accompanying the beefy theme, I’ve selected a few wines to pair with a wonderful cut of steak. When thinking steak, red wine is the perfect partner. Reds match the weight of red meat, which is why oaked, structured wines such as cabernet sauvignon, shiraz, pinotage, malbec and other varieties are your best bets. If you prefer white wine with your steak, try something wooded with good acidity – a glass of lovely wooded chardonnay and, provided you’re not dousing the meat with a complicated sauce, should be a perfect partner every time.
With an easy weekday dinner – perhaps a prego roll, a zhooshed-up boerie roll or a pan-fried steak with a retro monkeygland sauce – pinotage works remarkably well. Try the accessible Obikwa pinotage, which is easy-drinking and inexpensive. The label has released a limited edition hamper of six wines in its range, which includes pinotage and a dry pinotage rose. The wines sell for about R30 – accessible, fun and great value.
If red wine is not your thing, Swartland producer Kloovenburg has just the thing: a fruity, wooded chardonnay with good acidity. The acidity acts like a squeeze of lemon on the steak, which is why a pan- fried Italian-style steak with a buttery sauce of rosemary, garlic and a dash of lemon will work beautifully.
At R82 a bottle, Kloovenburg’s chardonnay is excellent value and will pair comfortably with white meat dishes and grilled fish, too.
Kleine Zalze’s Vineyard Selection Shiraz 2012, a limited edition range made from a selection of superior grapes oaked in their best barrels, has flavour, complexity, structure and – if you’re able to put some away for ageing – cellaring potential. With blackcurrant, ripe black plums and spicy fruit aromas on the nose, this is a wine with finesse, structure and integrated French oak tannins. It calls for a well-aged steak with some charring – pop some rib-eye steak on the braai and this shiraz will be an absolute winner. Costs about R110.
Another favourite steak and wine pairing is Grande Provence’s 2011 cabernet sauvignon, a full-bodied wine that’s smooth and elegant. Typical cab flavours include ripe berry fruit, black plums and soft white pepper notes. Home of the awarded Grande Provence wines and the Angels Tears lifestyle collection.
Not only is this cab versatile, pairing well with poultry (think coq au vin) and roasts, it’s also just the thing to accompany marinated or rubbed braaied steak or lamb kebabs. It costs about R140.
Gauteng might not have walked away with this year’s award, but meat produced up north is a thing of pride. Which is why supporting quality producers and restaurants is so important.
And they’re not necessarily the more expensive, exclusive choices. Just the better choices.
Saturday Star