Steak and whiskey go together like bread and butter. The sweet, oak flavor of whiskey is a natural partner of the rich, smokey steak. For this reason, we have rounded up a group of staple cocktails that pair perfectly with any of our steaks dishes. All of our Steakhouse Staples comprise of either whiskey, bourbon, cognac, or rye.

OLD FASHIONED:
WILD TURKEY, BITTERS DUO, GOMME

The Pendennis Club, a gentlemen’s club founded in 1881 in Louisville, Kentucky, claims the Old Fashioned cocktail was invented there. The recipe was said to have been invented by a bartender at that club in honor of Colonel James E. Pepper, a prominent bourbon distiller, who brought it to the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel bar in New York City. With its conception rooted in the city’s history, in 2015 the city of Louisville named the Old Fashioned as its official cocktail. The Old Fashioned is a cocktail made by muddling sugar with bitters, adding whiskey or, less commonly, brandy, and garnished with a twist of citrus rind, however, it can be made with bourbon or rye whiskey as well.

MANHATTAN:
BARREL AGED, BULLEIT RYE, MARTINI & ROSSI VERMOUTH RUBINO, AZTEC BITTERS

The Manhattan originates from the Manhattan Club in New York City in the early 1870s. The original Manhattan was a mix of American whiskey, Italian vermouth and Angostura bitters. Many bartenders have their own variations of this drink and the ingredients can be interchangeable with American whiskey, bourbon, rye and other bitters, syrups, and juices may be used.

SAZERAC:
OLD OVERHOLT RYE, PEYCHAUD’S, KINA L’AÉRO D’OR, ABSINTHE

The Sazerac is an important part of New Orleans cocktail culture as it originated at the Sazerac Coffee House where Aaron Bird, the proprietor began preparing Sazerac cocktails with bitters made from the local apothecary, Antoine Amedie Peychaud. It is a variation of a cognac or whiskey cocktail, named for the Sazerac de Forge et Fils brand of cognac brandy that served as its original main ingredient. Traditionally, it is prepared with a combination of cognac or rye whiskey, absinthe, Peychaud’s Bitters, and sugar.

WHISKEY SOUR:
JACK DANIEL’S SINGLE BARREL, LEMON, EGG WHITE, PORT FLOAT

The recipe itself was first written down in the 1862 book The Bartender’s Guide by Jerry Thomas. There are several variations of this drink but it usually contains bourbon (you can use any whiskey), lemon juice, sugar, and egg white. The addition of the egg white makes it an unlikely cocktail but adds a frothy texture to the drink.

BLOOD & SAND:
GLENFIDDICH, SHERRY, BLOOD ORANGE, CARPANO ANTICA

Named after Rudolph Valentino’s 1922 bullfighter movie Blood and Sand, this drink is made of Scotch whiskey, blood orange juice, sweet vermouth, and Cherry Heering.

SIDECAR:
REMY VSOP, TRIPLE SEC, LEMON

Believed to have originated at The Ritz hotel in Paris, the name comes from the motorcycle attachment. Sidecar is a term bartenders use for the leftover liquor they pour into shot glasses. It is traditionally made with a brandy, orange liqueur, and lemon juice, closely related to the brandy crusta which originated from New Orleans. Some believe the sidecar originated from New Orleans for this reason. The first recipes for the Sidecar appear in 1922, in Harry MacElhone’s Harry’s ABC of Mixing Cocktails and Robert Vermeire’s Cocktails and How to Mix Them. It is one of six basic drinks listed in David A. Embury’s The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks (1948). Vermiere states that the drink was “very popular in France. It was first introduced in London by MacGarry, the celebrated bartender of Buck’s Club.” Embury credits the invention of the drink to an American army captain in Paris during World War I and named after the motorcycle sidecar that the captain used.

Come try any of our Steakhouse Staples with one of our steak dishes today!

Let’s talk about Wagyu, pronounced ‘wag-you’. What makes this beef so delectable and palatial?

You have your nice juicy steaks like filet mignon, rib eye, and New York strip – then you have Wagyu.

Something people seem to confuse with each other is Kobe and Wagyu beef. Every Kobe steak is Wagyu, but not all Wagyu beef is Kobe. Wagyu is the breed of the beef cattle originating in Japan. The direct English translation of Wagyu is “Japanese cow”.

In Japan, there are four different breeds that comprise of Wagyu – Japanese Black, Japanese Polled, Japanese Brown, and Japanese Shorthorn. Japanese Black makes up 90% of all fattened cattle in Japan. The roots of Wagyu’s superiority can be traced to the late 1800s. During the 1880s, several breeds of European cattle were introduced to Japan and crossbred with native Japanese breeds. The Australian Wagyu Association is the largest breed association outside Japan. Both full blood and Wagyu-cross cattle are farmed in Australia for domestic and overseas markets.

The three major types of Japanese Wagyu are –

Matsusaka Ushi – Raised in and around Matsusaka city in Mie prefecture. In order for the meat to be sold under the Matsusaka name, it must meet strict standards and only virgin female cows can be sold as Matsusaka beef and must be of a breed registered by the Matsusaka Beef Management System. The cows take roughly three years to mature and have a high fat to meat ratio.

Kobe Beef – Raised in Kobe city area of Hyogo prefecture according to rules set out by the Kobe Beef Marketing and Distribution Promotion Association. Kobe is one of the most highly prized Wagyu beefs from the Tajima strain of Japanese Black cattle. Kobe beef is expensive, as only about 3,000 head of cattle may qualify as Kobe. Kobe beef was not exported prior to 2012 with the U.S creating and selling ‘Kobe-style beef’.

Ohmi Beef – Raised in Shiga prefecture and is said to be the oldest beef brand in Japan.

Wagyu beef is rich, highly marbled and considered a delicacy. Aside from the intense, fat marbling of the meat, it is prized for being incredibly tender. Who doesn’t love a juicy steak that melts right in your mouth? Each type of Wagyu goes through an intense vetting process to bring you only the top, high-grade beef.

Wagyu can be cooked as a steak and most recently, as a burger. Our LB Wagyu burger is served with smoked onion marmalade and mushrooms to bring you rich caramelized flavors. Pair it with a glass of red wine or one of our ice-cold beers to complement the dish.

Serena, who recently earned Wine Spectator’s 2019 Award of Excellence for LB Steak, gives her tips for enjoying wines in the Summertime.

• What is the difference between a summer wine and winter wine?

• • I would only consider wines to be seasonal if I was drinking them solo, or without food. Summer wines are going to be your “Porch Pounders”, such as rosé, Pinot Grigio, and my personal favorite, Champagne! Winter requires wines with a little more structure and backbone but still light-medium in body for a red wine. I would recommend Chianti Classico or perhaps a Pinot Noir from California.

• Do you stick with red-with-meat and white-with-fish tradition? If not, is there a white you’d recommend with meat and red with fish?

• • Red wine with red meat and white wine with fish is always the safest bet. But who doesn’t want to live a little dangerously? Especially with spicier foods, a lower alcohol white wine is going to pair amazingly well! The higher alcohol content in red wines accentuates the burn in spicy foods while a lower alcohol or sweeter white can balance out the heat and add more complexity to the dish overall. Personal recommendation would be an Auslese style Riesling.

• What is your take on chilled reds? Are there any standouts you’d recommend?

• • Chilling red wines tends to mask flavors and is usually done to hide flaws. That being said, there are exceptions to the rule. Mollydooker does a really fun sparkling Shiraz that is fantastic year round!

• Do you predict Rosé will continue to be the wine of Summer 2019 – or is there a new kid in town?

• • Rose is the queen of Summer! I don’t think any wine will be able to dethrone her. And with there being so many different styles of rose, it’s truly a wine that can please everyone!

• Champagne, Prosecco or Cava? Which one would you choose and are there any varieties in particular that excite you?

• • CHAMPAGNE! CHAMPAGNE! CHAMPAGNE! Champagne will always be my first love. Because it is one of the coldest growing wine regions in the world, with soils containing very minimal nutrients, Champagne simply cannot be mimicked anywhere else in the world. While you can find excellent sparkling wines, especially at great values, from all over, Champagne is truly special.

• What’s the one wine and/or varietal that you wish everyone would try this summer?

• • I wish everyone would give Riesling a chance! There is a common misconception that Riesling is a sweet wine. Germany is the king of Riesling production and most wines made there are dry in style. There are many styles of Riesling, ranging from bone dry (look for the word Trockenon the label) to cloying but deliciously sweet (Trockenbeerenauslese). But because Germany is typically very cold, acidity levels are still very high. This helps to create a truly balanced wine. Not only are the wines delicious, but it is so much fun to find the style that is right for you!

Steak and eggs – the quintessential American brunch dish. It combines two unlikely items, a rich, juicy steak and the everyday, commonplace egg.

 

Origin

 

As a high-protein dish, it’s no wonder it was created by a bodybuilder back in the 1950s. Vince Gironda was known to be the original creator of this dish during a time when low-carb dieting was being introduced to society. Vince Gironda was an American competitive bodybuilder who competed from the late 1940’s until the early 60’s.

He was also a trainer to stars such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Cher, Clint Eastwood, and Denzil Washington.

The diet is an old-school bodybuilding plan which is very high in protein, moderate to high fat, and low in carbohydrates. It brought attention to the rise of the low-carb diet long before the Atkins, keto, or paleo diet. Steak and eggs is also the traditional NASA astronaut’s breakfast, first served to Alan Shepard before his flight on May 5, 1961.

The Dish

Various types of beefsteaks can be used, such as rib eye, strip, sirloin and flank. There are many variations of the dish as well, as it can be prepared as a sandwich, egg’s benedict, omelette, and etc. While the eggs are usually sunnyside, they can be scrambled or poached as well. The great thing about this dish is that it could be left to your own interpretation. You can add any vegetables you like to bring color to the dish or keep it simple with the basic steak and eggs.

 

At LB Steak, we offer a specialized steak brunch that includes:

 

6oz Filet Mignon

12oz New York Strip

14oz Boneless Ribeye

 

With of course – sunnyside eggs!

 

 

It’s that time again – we are offering new whiskey flights here at LB Steak featuring:

 

Aberlour Single Malt Scotch Whiskey

Aberlour Single Malt Scotch Whiskey is a product of the finest distillery in the heart of Speyside, located in Scotland. All of their single malts have been double cask matured for at least 12 years in Oloroso Sherry butts and American Oak casks.

Take a look to read more about the three whiskey options below:

 

12 Year

This double matured version is a mix of traditional oak and sherry casks and is rich and fruity with delicious Christmas cake notes. Soft and rounded with notes of apple and other orchard fruit. Sherry and fruity aromas balanced with rich chocolate, toffee, cinnamon, and ginger and has a warm, lingering finish.

 

16 Year

This 16 year-old has been double-matured in traditional oak and sherry casks. A toasty nose with aromas of hazelnut, toffee and sugar cookies and spicy palate with plenty of cinnamon, nutmeg, toasted oats and vanilla accents. It has a warm, spicy fruitiness as a finish with rich, scented floral and sweet raisin aromas.

 

A’Bunadh

Meaning ‘the original’ in Gaelic, A’bunadh is made in homage to Aberlour’s founder, James Fleming. A’bunadh is a cask-strength bottled whisky hand-made from start to finish with each batch being created to ensure a rich and complex flavour of moist raisin and homemade fruit cake. It has an intense finish with bitter-sweet notes of exotic spices, dark chocolate and oak.

Come out and try some of Scotland’s finest whiskey – you won’t regret it!