A couple of years ago I spent almost a week in Kansas City, where I lived in a perpetual state of the “meat sweats.” Between Oklahoma Joe’s BBQ, Anton’s Taproom & Steakhouse and Town-Topic burgers (where they cook the fries and burgers in lard), we spent enough time in meat joints to find ourselves on a perpetual quest for better meat than the day before.
At Anton’s, I was lucky enough to have bone marrow for the first time in years. After braised pork belly and two-inch thick rib eyes the night before, an order of bone marrow at the bar with a glass of Prosecco was in order. There is something so special about roasted marrow bones, and admittedly, there are always a few stares as the bones arise from the kitchen and are sat in front of you.
And so it was as my wife and I ate at Char, the yacht club’s monthly steakhouse concept spearheaded by Chef Tim Ulrich, a friend of mine with whom I have eaten my fair share of steaks. When Tim was the exec sous at Belle Haven Country Club in Virginia, I would go up to work on weekends for my friend, the executive chef at the property. We would regularly break down mountains of steaks, and as such would frequent a kitchen table with scraps and joyous tidbits.
Opening the menu, I was thrilled to see roasted marrow bones, one of my all-time favorites, and certainly not something that I’m accustomed to seeing down here. I cleared it with my wife first, since I knew that it might bother her to watch me, and she gave me her blessing. It was game on.
The bones came out with the parsley salad and capers that typically accompany this fine morsel, along with pickled shallots and crustini. As they passed a table of guests next to us, we heard comments such as “Is that really good?” and “That looks like something that I give to my dog.”
A woman leaned over to me and said something to the effect that I probably wouldn’t have ordered them if I heard what they were going to say. I assured them that I would order them regardless and, whether a result of our short conversation or not, the table ordered three plates for themselves. As far as I could tell, they were enjoyed.
Roasted marrow has an unctuous, rich and fatty flavor, and goes great when smeared on toast points and topped with pickled shallots, a crisp parsley salad with tons of acid and capers. Sprinkling a touch of coarse, high-quality salt only adds to the euphoric experience.
Typically I will get a crisp white wine or bubbly such as Prosecco, but this is where the wine pairing battle rages; with some sommeliers insisting that a Beaujolais or Burgundy would fit the bill, but I lean towards something with high acid and fruit to cut through the fat.
I couldn’t be happier with the dish, and if you’ve never had it but you like things such as foie gras or beef fat, then you can’t go wrong.
I can’t wait to go back to Char next month; the marrow bones had better be on the menu. It’s not exactly like I will find them anywhere else, and while few places have rivaled Kansas City for the meat, now I know at least once a month I can pretend I’m back in Beef Heaven.
Marrow Bones
Enough for 2 people
4 9-inch marrow bone halves
Salt & Pepper, as needed
1 cup Parsley Salad (Recipe follows)
1/2 cup Pickled Shallots (Recipe follows)
Good, coarse sea salt, as needed
1/2 loaf French bread
2-3 Tbsp. Capers
1. Preheat your oven to 450 if conventional or 425 if convection. Make sure that the oven is fully heated before you cook the bones. Also, make sure that everything else is ready to serve, since you don’t want all of the fats to drain out of the marrow bones
2. Place the bones on a sheet pan and season with the salt and pepper
3. Roast for about 15 minutes or until the marrow has cooked, but it is not draining fluidly from the dish
4. Arrange the plate, making sure that you have the pickled shallots and parsley salad, with their acidity and fresh flavors to counter the uber-fattiness of the marrow
5. Serve immediately with your sides and toast points, and make sure that you have small spoons with which to scoop out the marrow
Parsley Salad
Makes about 1 cup
3/4 cup Italian parsley leaves
2 ea. Fresh garlic cloves
1 Tbsp. Sherry vinegar
juice of 1/2 fresh lemon
Zest of 1/2 lemon
Salt & Pepper as needed
1. Chop the parsley and finely mince the garlic, and then combine all of the ingredients
2. Adjust the flavors to your preference, but make sure that it is fresh and crisp. This is necessary to cut through the fat of the marrow
Pickled Shallots
Makes about 1/2 cup
1/2 cup Shaved fresh shallots
1/2 cup Champagne vinegar
sugar, as needed
1. Combine ingredients and bring to a low boil
2. Immediately remove from the heat and transfer to a container and refrigerate
3. Allow to chill and rest at least a day. They will hold for at least two weeks, so make them and use them in various preparations
At Anton’s, I was lucky enough to have bone marrow for the first time in years. After braised pork belly and two-inch thick rib eyes the night before, an order of bone marrow at the bar with a glass of Prosecco was in order. There is something so special about roasted marrow bones, and admittedly, there are always a few stares as the bones arise from the kitchen and are sat in front of you.
And so it was as my wife and I ate at Char, the yacht club’s monthly steakhouse concept spearheaded by Chef Tim Ulrich, a friend of mine with whom I have eaten my fair share of steaks. When Tim was the exec sous at Belle Haven Country Club in Virginia, I would go up to work on weekends for my friend, the executive chef at the property. We would regularly break down mountains of steaks, and as such would frequent a kitchen table with scraps and joyous tidbits.
Opening the menu, I was thrilled to see roasted marrow bones, one of my all-time favorites, and certainly not something that I’m accustomed to seeing down here. I cleared it with my wife first, since I knew that it might bother her to watch me, and she gave me her blessing. It was game on.
The bones came out with the parsley salad and capers that typically accompany this fine morsel, along with pickled shallots and crustini. As they passed a table of guests next to us, we heard comments such as “Is that really good?” and “That looks like something that I give to my dog.”
A woman leaned over to me and said something to the effect that I probably wouldn’t have ordered them if I heard what they were going to say. I assured them that I would order them regardless and, whether a result of our short conversation or not, the table ordered three plates for themselves. As far as I could tell, they were enjoyed.
Roasted marrow has an unctuous, rich and fatty flavor, and goes great when smeared on toast points and topped with pickled shallots, a crisp parsley salad with tons of acid and capers. Sprinkling a touch of coarse, high-quality salt only adds to the euphoric experience.
Typically I will get a crisp white wine or bubbly such as Prosecco, but this is where the wine pairing battle rages; with some sommeliers insisting that a Beaujolais or Burgundy would fit the bill, but I lean towards something with high acid and fruit to cut through the fat.
I couldn’t be happier with the dish, and if you’ve never had it but you like things such as foie gras or beef fat, then you can’t go wrong.
I can’t wait to go back to Char next month; the marrow bones had better be on the menu. It’s not exactly like I will find them anywhere else, and while few places have rivaled Kansas City for the meat, now I know at least once a month I can pretend I’m back in Beef Heaven.
Marrow Bones
Enough for 2 people
4 9-inch marrow bone halves
Salt & Pepper, as needed
1 cup Parsley Salad (Recipe follows)
1/2 cup Pickled Shallots (Recipe follows)
Good, coarse sea salt, as needed
1/2 loaf French bread
2-3 Tbsp. Capers
1. Preheat your oven to 450 if conventional or 425 if convection. Make sure that the oven is fully heated before you cook the bones. Also, make sure that everything else is ready to serve, since you don’t want all of the fats to drain out of the marrow bones
2. Place the bones on a sheet pan and season with the salt and pepper
3. Roast for about 15 minutes or until the marrow has cooked, but it is not draining fluidly from the dish
4. Arrange the plate, making sure that you have the pickled shallots and parsley salad, with their acidity and fresh flavors to counter the uber-fattiness of the marrow
5. Serve immediately with your sides and toast points, and make sure that you have small spoons with which to scoop out the marrow
Parsley Salad
Makes about 1 cup
3/4 cup Italian parsley leaves
2 ea. Fresh garlic cloves
1 Tbsp. Sherry vinegar
juice of 1/2 fresh lemon
Zest of 1/2 lemon
Salt & Pepper as needed
1. Chop the parsley and finely mince the garlic, and then combine all of the ingredients
2. Adjust the flavors to your preference, but make sure that it is fresh and crisp. This is necessary to cut through the fat of the marrow
Pickled Shallots
Makes about 1/2 cup
1/2 cup Shaved fresh shallots
1/2 cup Champagne vinegar
sugar, as needed
1. Combine ingredients and bring to a low boil
2. Immediately remove from the heat and transfer to a container and refrigerate
3. Allow to chill and rest at least a day. They will hold for at least two weeks, so make them and use them in various preparations