WE KEEP IT VERY SIMPLE WITH THE KINDS OF STEAKS WE OFFER, WE DO LESS… BUT BETTER.
I ask if he’s visited all the farms from his suppliers and he laughs, “no, but I’m not finished yet.” Armstrong says the best beef is the most natural beef. The animals aren’t penned or crowded, they’re allowed both fresh air and shelter, they’re grass fed, raised with care, on an all-natural diet, on sustainably managed farms. Armstrong has a preference for grass fed beef, “it’s different, earthy, more robust beefy flavour and when it’s natural, it’s sweeter.” Armstrong claims pure beef has a natural sweet aftertaste to its meaty flavour, “it’s sublime.” Armstrong goes on to explain the best quality beef has no bitter edge, metallic aftertaste, or any other flavours to clutter the olfactory senses. Armstrong is a serious beef guy and he likes to show it in a big way. On St. Germain’s menu is a grass-fed, bone-in cowboy steak. It’s a whopping 42-ounces of pure meatiness and is probably the biggest steak in all of Ontario. For a steak that large, it’s cooked more like a roast, “low and slow,” says Armstrong who goes on to surprise me by telling me where the cattle come from. Apparently these cattle are raised in Eastern Canada. As the salty Atlantic air blows across the Gaspé Peninsula, it gives the grass a saltiness that translates into the meat. The pure, sweet meatiness of the cowboy steak has a natural saltiness to the finish, a ‘goût de la terre’ (taste of the land) that comes only from the most natural and distinctive of environments. This is a rare find that he’s most proud of and excited about. Of course a steak this large is best shared among a group of four, otherwise, be prepared to take home dinner for the next few nights! Of all the steaks on St. Germain’s menu, the Tenderloin still reign’s supreme. I ask Armstrong why after so many years this hasn’t changed. “I don’t know really, my sense is that sometimes it’s all people know. Steaks are the most expensive meal you can order and consumers don’t want
to risk their hard earned money on something they haven’t tried yet. But if I could, I’d like them to try the Rib eye because if they did,” and he finishes laughingly, “my Rib eye would become the most popular entrée on the menu”. But ordering steak in a restaurant is not the only time it’s expensive. Ever try to buy a good steak from a butcher? Wow. That’s why I will always order a steak in a restaurant because, as I’m now learning, I can never make it taste as good as when I eat out. But as I sit across from the meat expert, I’m thinking I could squeeze a few home grilling tips out of him. “Keep it simple,” he begins. “No sauces or other flavours to muck it up, just a little salt and pepper on the best steak you can buy, leave it on the counter for an hour so it’s room temperature, sear it on as hot a grill as you can get, turn it over when it’s seared, about two minutes per side (longer and the grill will begin to flare up and burn the steak), put it in a baking pan, rub it with olive oil and a bit of dried garlic if you want and finish it off in the oven. If you’re barbecuing outside, just slide the steak over to the side so the flames won’t flare up, close the lid and you’ve got the same environment as an oven.” He ponders his next statement. He makes a note not to use a fork or knife to test when it’s done. Don’t use a probe thermometer or break into the steak in any way or you’ll lose the juices and they won’t settle properly when resting! Learn to use the finger test, everyone can learn it.” My last question is how he likes his steak: blue, rare, medium or well? He quickly leans forward in his chair and replies shaking his finger, “never well. The best steaks are from rare to medium. It’s where you’ll find the most flavour and the perfect range of silkiness or tenderness.” The theme of Armstrong’s interview has been simplicity yet his quest for the greatest steaks is anything but the simplest job. He defends with, “we keep it very simple with the kinds of steaks we offer, we do less… but better.”