National Culinary Review

in New York, I fought to label our fish taco ‘tuna belly.’ Not only did I find that lightly fried tuna belly gave me the biggest flavor profile and best bang for my buck, but I also thought the name would give intrigue, and intrigue would translate to orders.

“Using beef necks and calling them what they are is the same principle. My servers know that a good comparison when asked for a description is to suggest oxtail.”

Rob Benes, a Chicago-based journalist, was previously editor of Chef and Chef Educator Today. He has more than nine years of experience writing about chefs, food, wine and spirits for trade and educational publications.

Todd Mitgang

Todd Mitgang uses braised beef necks in this beef congee, which also includes chili jam, crispy ginger, culantro leaves, fresh scallion and dark soy as condiments.

A cut above

Other beef cuts favored by innovative chefs include:

**BEEF TONGUE (*GYU KAKUNI*** ):
red wine and shoyu-braised wagyu
tongue ($16, 21% food cost)

“Tongue is definitely cost-effective, flavorful and tender when cooked correctly. I love to serve tongue to our customers to challenge their preconceived notions of what tongue tastes like. Sometimes they have a very different idea of tongue, and it is great to see their reaction when they eat it—it’s a ‘wow’ factor. It’s also gratifying as a cook to craft a dish out of different cuts of meat and challenge ourselves as cooks to make something great out of nothing.”

—Alex Morgan, executive chef, Ozumo, San Francisco, Oakland and Santa Monica, Calif.

VEAL HEART: grilled beef heart, root
vegetable “risotto,” fried-walnut
salsa ($15, 20%-25% food cost)

“I like using veal heart on our menu to preserve our culinary heritage and give full respect to the animal. We buy the majority of our animals whole, and use every bit of that animal. The heart, in particular, is very versatile and provides great beef flavor and texture when treated properly. The beef heart muscle is extremely underutilized in our country, and should be held in a much higher regard than it is.”

—Sean Baker, executive chef, Gather, Berkeley, Calif.

BEEF CHEEKS: braised beef cheeks with bittersweet chocolate, espresso, dried ancho chilies and red wine, served with a celery root purée and a Castelvetrano olive rémoulade ($26, 24% food cost)

“For me, the tougher the cut of meat, the more flavor. That’s what you get with beef cheeks—a lot of flavor. Because cheeks are rich and dense-fleshed with a fine grain and a layer of silvery white connective tissue running through the middle, there is quite a bit of trimming needed, and you typically lose 30%-40% of the trim. I always marinate the beef in wine and salt for 24 hours before braising it to help tenderize the meat.”