Cupakos
Carnivorous pleasure sublimated: here, a quick route through some of the best meat temples in the world. Get away, run. And don't tell your nutritionist.
** CUPAKOS (BUDAPEST) **
The theme is simple and the same as in a fast food restaurant: you walk up to the counter, order, and within minutes you have a waiter calling your name for you to pick up your order.
Contrary to fast food, here everything is prepared with a lot of time in order to serve tasty and not light Hungarian meats.
The person in charge of this new concept of hospitality that recalls the old butcher shops, (at this point they are old, yes... we are getting older) is the chef Tasnadi Akos , formerly part of the kitchen team at Macesz Bistro, one of the most successful Hungarian-Jewish cuisine restaurants in Budapest, and his mission is nothing more and nothing less than offer the best cuts at the best price and at the moment.
One of the hearty dishes of Cupákos
make room for a marrow with sourdough bread toast, nail sausages smoked, pork ribs that fall apart just by looking at them or a rib-eye that will alter your cholesterol levels.
All accompanied by pickles and hot or sour paprika, as well as of rosemary mustard sauce, homemade ketchup or sour cream. And, of course, a good nap when you arrive at the hotel.
** SVARTENGRENS (STOCKHOLM) **
“We love meat. What we don't like is how the meat industry works. That is why we work only with local calves and pigs, raised sustainably in the Swedish archipelago.”
So clear is the philosophy with which they are governed Martin Idestrand , the chefs Goran Svartengren Y David Bygdeståhl and the sommelier Alexandra Moeller in this restaurant in the Vasastan neighborhood.
They feel the same way about vegetables, which they buy directly from suppliers they know personally. Y they do everything themselves, no matter what curing meats –up to six months– or make your own charcuterie.
Chef Goran Svartengren
Also they prepare bacon, pickles to take advantage of products out of season and broths with bones from the same farms where the cattle they cook are raised.
For them, eating meat is not a joke, it is an enjoyment that is achieved through grill –pay attention to your ribeye–, the roasts and the smoked , like that brisket that they bake overnight and fry in butter just before bringing it to the table.
They are also famous for their natural wines and by a letter from cocktails in which the flavors of rhubarb or filipendula predominate. Sweden at its finest.
** FRANKLIN BARBECUE (AUSTIN) **
Arming yourself with patience is hard when you've got Godzilla, aka ravenous hunger, tearing apart the inside of your stomach. You need to eat food and you need it now.
When you are in Austin and what you are looking for is to eat the best brisket that has been put on the face of this earth, immediacy is not going to be what you are going to receive and patience is what you are going to need.
A queue of three to four hours is what you have to endure to reach the gates of Franklin BBQ, where Aaron Franklin smokes its variety meats MayerAngus, hailing from Montana.
Aaron Franklin at his restaurant in Austin, Texas.
No hormones. No antibiotics. And for 18 hours. Around four in the morning, when you're on your fifth dream, Aaron starts lighting the fire to have everything ready by noon: brisket, ribs, pulled pork, sausages and the Tipsy Texan, a sandwich so juicy that there will be no napkin to stop the rhythm.
It is likely that when you finally get to the counter to place your order, the "out of stock" sign has already been hung up and you will have to return home without having tasted the precious morsel.
But all is not lost, tomorrow will be another day and remember: getting up early is for wise men. And leave no room for dessert, too.
** PAT'S KING OF STEAKS (PHILADELPHIA) **
There are three fundamental things to keep in mind before traveling to Philadelphia: the first is that it is the home of M. Night Shyamalan, and The Sixth Sense, of course, was shot here.
The second, that no one is more revered – although they are ashamed to admit it – than the great Rocky Balboa.
And the third, that since the beginning of time there has been a mythical and unwritten fight between the greatest exponents of philly cheesesteak, the city's signature sandwich made with Cheez Whiz cheese, beef, and grilled onions.
The philly cheesesteak is the emblematic sandwich of the city and in Pat's they maintain the recipe since 1930
On one side of the quadrilateral is Pat's King of Steaks. The other, Geno's. Impossible to play both sides: here from an early age the favorite is chosen, since both claim to be the first to have invented the dish official (unofficial) city of brotherly love.
We always make a stop at the window of Pat's on Passyunk Avenue, because of having affection for the recipe that they have been cooking since 1930.
tell them to do it to you with mushrooms, pizza style, or replace the Cheez Whiz with provolone cheese. Or eat it with nothing but a hefty amount of meat.
Healthy? Now here near. When has something tasty been beneficial to our health? Solution: don't tell your nutritionist.
**PETER LUGER (NEW YORK)**
meat temple next to the Williamsburg Bridge. Ask around the streets of New York which is the restaurant that you can't escape from the list of places you must visit and they will repeat it to you more than garlic.
Be careful with the meat that governs the menu: holds the maximum meat title granted by the United States, known as USDA Prime , which constitutes 2% of the meat found in the market.
Here served sizzling in a scalding dish, bathed in its own juices and butter, and accompanied by a sauce made with the house recipe. so famous that it is sold online.
A T-shaped bone goes through it, separating the cut known as the New York strip on one side and the filet mignon on the other.
Peter Luger Steak House holds the highest meat title awarded by the United States
It is also essential to order the succulents spinach with cream , the chips –you will not be able to eat just one– and a bacon accompanied by an "oh my god" that will come out of your mouth.
There are three generations that keep the tradition alive, attracting tourists who rub shoulders at its bar.
His maitre d' doesn't smile much, but he will when he sees you come back, because that will be the moment when you will be considered part of the family. And this family never forgets.
** LOMOLOW (BARCELONA) **
We don't know about you, but if they put us on the table ox roll tartar –with crispy onion and creamy egg yolk– that they serve at Lomobajo, we would have a nervous breakdown, undecided between attack it all at once or, better yet, order the artisan beef jerky with sprouts and citrus salad.
Or do a double. Either that or we'll come up and throw the house out the window with a pretty forceful T-bone steak with piquillo peppers wrapped in black bread.
Lowback beef toll tartare
What we do know is that the only place where we can do all this (and do it well) is very close to the Paseo de Gracia Barcelona, in this modern and casual place decorated by (yes, you guessed right), Lazaro Rosa-Violan.
Its reason for being is due to Carlos Weaver, the same one that has given the gastronomic culture of the city candies of the stature of El Nacional and Oilmotion, and has become in a very short time in one of the benchmarks of meat par excellence.
If you are a carnivore, this is your place. If you are not, fear it, for it may turn you into one.
And, if you stay hungry (we doubt it), don't hesitate to meet your neighbor High back, the authentic paradise of matured meats.