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THE METROPOLITAN | THE EXTRAORDINAIRE | THE TOURIST | THE ARTIST | THE CRITIC | THE DINER | THE CRAFTMASTER | THE HIGHROLLER | THE GLADIATOR | THE YOUNGSTER | THE SHOWMAN | THE NIGHTOWL | THE THINKER
“It’s time to really showcase this steak program in a big way.” In advance of the steak flight launch, The Entertainer! sat down with Alford to learn a little more about his background and culinary inspiration – and how applies it to Roka Akor.
What inspired you to get into cooking? Honestly, my backyard. I grew up in a small town in Oregon where everyone cooked using ingredients from their own gardens. We didn’t even have snacks in the house! So, if I wanted something, I made it.
STEAK
OUT!
How did you make your way to Arizona from Oregon?
Famous for sushi, honored for steak offerings THE GRASS-FED BEEF DUO FLIGHT-$58 per flight
And soon after, you were named something else pretty big.
This includes a 4-ounce filet and 6-ounce New York Strip, both from Arizona GrassRaised Beef Co., which takes pride in the high quality and authenticity of its grass-fed, grass-finished products. All of its cattle are born, raised and fabricated in Arizona at its USDA harvesting plant.
In 2013, I was named to the inaugural edition of “Best Chefs in America,” which is a peer review guide of top U.S. chefs.
THE PRIME FLIGHT-$98 per flight
Alison Bailin Batz » The Entertainer!
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n recent months, Scottsdale’s Roka Akor—known for its high-end sushi offerings—beat out more than 40,000 other steakhouses in the United States to be named among Open Table’s 100 Best Steakhouses in America. To celebrate, Chef Jason Alford and his team have something special for guests this spring—steak flights. “Rather than limit guests to trying just one of our cuts, we are opening our restaurant for folks to join us on a culinary adventure, sampling one of three carefully selected flights of beef,” Alford says. There are three total flights available:
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I moved to the Valley in 2003 to attend culinary school. But, that never actually happened! I started working at the Westin Kierland under Chef Anton Brunbauer, who soon became a mentor to me. I would eventually follow him to Barcelona in Scottsdale to work in his kitchen before making the move to help open Roka Akor in 2008. By 2012, I was named the executive chef.
This includes a 4-ounce cut of a Niman Ranch filet as well as hearty 6-ounce portions of a prime New York strip and ribeye, respectively. Niman Ranch began in the early 1970s on an 11-acre ranch in a small coastal town just north of San Francisco. The cattle were raised using traditional, humane husbandry methods and given wholesome all-natural feeds. Today, the Niman Ranch network has grown to include over 720 independent farmers and ranchers across America. It is among the most respected in the country.
WAGYU FLIGHT-$300 per flight This includes four-ounce cuts of a Miyazaki Japanese Wagyu striploin, Snake River Farms Wagyu filet and the Imperial Wagyu ribeye. “We’ve are already so well known for our contemporary Robata Japanese cuisine, seafood and vegetables with unique Japanese-inspired marinades and sauces, along with sushi, sashimi, tempura and extraordinary desserts,” said Alford.
How has Roka managed to keep you? What can I say; it was love at first sight with our open charcoal grill. In addition, though we have locations in San Francisco and Chicago and, as a result, staple signature items that appear on all of the menus, each executive chef is given the autonomy to work with local farms, source local ingredients and dream up our own unique twists on virtually anything we choose.
Who are some of your favorite local farms and vendors? There are too many to name them all, but we at Roka are huge fans of Arizona Grass Fed Beef Company out of Prescott, Steadfast Farm out of Queen Creek, Blue Sky Organic Farm out of Litchfield Park, McClendon’s Select in Peoria.
When you’re not cooking, where will we find you? If not with my family, I am most likely playing the blues on one of my vintage instruments, which I collect, with my buddies.
Roka Akor
7299 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale; 480.306.8800, rokaakor.com.