We are very steak-driven, but we want diversity too, especially in our lunch menu. Stephenson isn't alone. Operators across the country are experimenting with smaller portions of beef in various dishes, moving it into a role other than stand-alone star. And the added flexibility and creativity of working with beef, instead of around it, makes for a more interesting menu mix, they say. At Babbo in New York, Chef Mario Batali was looking for a stuffing for ravioli and settled on beef cheeks.
Cheeks are richer than other cuts of beef.
And the flavor is so intense. The rest of Babbo's menu also runs toward the exotic, including sweetbreads with bacon and mackerel tartare. Another pasta features a filling of calf's brain. Batali's not sure whether his customers realize that the ravioli satisfies their appetites with a relatively small portion of meat, or that the dish stands out as an interesting alternative to simpler steaks and chops. He sells about 10 orders a night, out of 200 covers.