In the interest of full disclosure, this article was originally published (several minutes ago), in slightly different form, at the Busco Voice web site.
My dad, Bon Zumbrun, had his 80th birthday this week. He was wanting to try that Wagyu beef that the owners of Joseph Decuis raise and serve at their restaurant in Roanoke.
On Saturday the entire family, including my eldest (and therefore wisest) sister Anne (all the way from Galveston Texas) made the journey to Roanoke for Wagyu beef.
Have you ever tried to get to Roanoke from the northeast corner of Whitley County? It’s less than 20 miles, but a 40 minute drive, or even more if my favorite nephew Tom is driving!
Despite the scenic tour of rural Whitley County road construction sites, we all arrived at Joseph Decuis early. The staff did an absolutely splendid job, dropping everything they were doing on a busy Saturday night and opening up a step-free path for Dad. I’ve never worked at a restaurant, but in my jobs we have busy times, and I can appreciate the commitment that it takes during a busy time to stop, take a breath, and take care of the important instead of the urgent. That sort of kindness, even if it is professional kindness, to a stranger never fails to move me.
Joseph Decuis was originally Cafe Creole, Pete Eshelman’s private dining room for his insurance business in Roanoke. It went on to become a fine dining restaurant. In recent years the Pete and wife Alice have become increasingly involved in raising the food that is served, and in procuring it from like-minded growers.
On to the Wagyu beef. Wagyu beef simply means “Japanese beef.” It’s just a breed of cattle raised in Japan, the breed used to create the famous Kobe beef, the cows massaged with beer and all that. The Eshelman’s raise it on their farm.
There were two items of Wagyu beef on the menu Saturday night. One was a sirloin steak and the other a chuck roast. I had the chuck roast, which was described as:
Joseph Decuis Farm Wagyu Chuck with Roast Potato-Chive Gnocchi, Mushroom Ragout, Pearl Onions, Celery Root, Parsley Oil.
Wow! Dish me up a big ol’ plate of that! If you study that description for a bit, you can decode it: beef stew, with potatoes, mushrooms, and onion!
Passionate menu descriptions aside, how did it taste? Rich, tender, and delicious. But really, the whole point of stew is to take a cheap cut of meat and make it rich, tender, and delicious. It seemed a little silly to do that with Wagyu beef. On the other hand, what else are you going to do with the chuck roast, whether it’s a Wagyu beef raised with ‘all-natural, humane Japanese husbandry practices’ or an unfortunate and mistreated factory farm cow?
Joseph Decuis is an over-the-top upscale dining experience. It was 28 dollars for a plate of beef stew. I’m not condemning Joseph Decuis though, I’m praising them. There’s a time and a place for over-the-top dining, and if an 80th birthday isn’t that occasion, I don’t know what might be. Joseph Decuis is proving you can provide an upscale experience that is still local and responsible. Eating locally doesn’t have mean a drab diet of gray gruel!
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