Wagyu Fresh from Japan Lands in Florida

A great steak is an idyllic meal. Beyond making some of the best of them at home, I have had the pleasure of enjoying them everywhere from Peter Luger’s in New York to hole-in-the-wall Kobe joints in Kyoto.

However, one recent steak experience was beyond over the top and it took place at the Diplomat Beach Resort Hotel in Hollywood, Florida. The hotel’s steakhouse Prime features an A-5 Wine-Fed Wagyu steak program. The beef is incredibly soft and tender and fatty and every steak comes with its own certificate with a nose print of the cow you are enjoying. Thanks Hyogo (see the document below) you were delicious!

I was intrigued to talk to executive chef Rashaad Abdool about how steaks this soft and rich are served and ideally paired with wine. All responses have been edited and condensed for clarity.

Liza B. Zimmerman (L.B.Z.): Can you talk to me about the menu at Prime? How does it approach meat selections and wine pairings differently than many restaurants?

Rashaad Abdool (R.A.): When it comes to the meat selections here, we offer a variety of dry aged meats along with Australian Wagyu and Japanese Kobe. And with the wines, we have quite an extensive list from which to choose.

L.B.Z.: Why the interest in these select cuts of Kobe beef?

R.A.: When we source our higher-end cuts, we want to look for something that is unique and something that most places do not carry. This gives our guests an experience that they might not be able to get anywhere else in the area.

L.B.Z.: How many other restaurants in the U.S. have access to these cuts of Kobe?

R.A.: When it comes to these cuts of Kobe, different vendors across the U.S. have access to many of these cuts. It all comes down to if the restaurants want to pay for it. However, I do know that we are one of the only ones in South Florida that carry this specific cut.

L.B.Z.: Do you have visitors who come to your restaurant expressly to eat this cut of meat?

R.A.: We have had a couple of people on vacation as well as here on business that when they come in, they do specifically ask for this. Whenever someone orders this, I like to go to the table to ask them how their experience was and every time it is always the same answer, that they are blown away by the quality, taste and texture of the meat.

L.B.Z.: Can you speak to how different cuts of meat pair with wine?

R.A.: When it comes to pairing wines with meats, some wines will pair better with different cuts. For example, you were to order a filet, a lean cut with not much fat to it, it would pair well with a nice lighter red wine. Now if you were to order one of our bone-in ribeyes, this is a much fattier and more flavorful steak. You would want to pair this with a full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon that is high in tannins, so it could cut through the fat.

L.B.Z.: Do higher alcohol and more opulent wines pair better with these types of meat?

R.A.: I would say yes.

L.B.Z.: How does cooking temperature affect wine pairings? Can you talk me through ideal pairings for medium, rare and well-done steak?

R.A.: For medium steaks and those cooked even rarer, I would recommend the better wines. Once you go to medium well or well done, you are pretty much taking away from the flavor of the steak. However, if you had a full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon with a medium-rare ribeye and a well-done ribeye, they would be two totally different experiences.

L.B.Z.: How important is cutting with the grain for meat to pair well with a chosen wine?

Cutting a steak with the grain will just give the meat that melt in your mouth texture. And if you have a nice wine to go with it, it will make the experience that much better.

L.B.Z.: Are there any other tips you would share about the art of meat and wine pairing?

R.A.: I would say to really just enjoy both of them. When you are eating whichever cut of meat and drinking whichever wine you choose, savor them. Really get to experience the taste of the meat and the notes of the wine. Let them tell the story for you.