Kayne was Able

Kayne Prime is touted as one of the top steakhouses in Nashville. Tucked away in The Gulch, Kayne is part of the MStreet restaurant group. Still in Nashville for work, and willing to push past my per diem limits, a coworker and I decided to indulge our carnivorous nature.

Kayne Prime, unlike many other high-end steakhouses, is far from pretentious. The dark wood and white stucco walls help mute the dull roar of the modern restaurant. On this night, Vanderbilt was graduating, so parents, grandparents, and coeds were all treating themselves. Luckily, I had a reservation.

With no warm scented towels nor crumber, our waiter explained the menu. He was confident and complete in his knowledge not only of the preparation of the meat, but also the cattle, the breed, the locations of the farm, and the differences we could expect from each cut. While I could go on for pages about beef cuts and grades, here are the cliffnotes (Thank you Wikipedia):

·         U.S. Prime – Highest in quality and intramuscular fat, limited supply. Currently, about 2.9% of carcasses grade as Prime (Note: You can’t buy this in a grocery store)

·         U.S. Choice – High quality, widely available in foodservice industry and retail markets. Choice carcasses are 53.7% of the fed cattle total. The difference between Choice and Prime is largely due to the fat content in the beef. Prime typically has a higher fat content (more and well distributed intramuscular "marbling") than Choice.

·         U.S. Select (formerly Good) – lowest grade commonly sold at retail, acceptable quality, but is less juicy and tender due to leanness.

Kayne only offered Prime Beef, no wonder the prices are so high. We began with some canoes of beef, which are cow thigh bones, cut down the center, and roasted. The resulting soft and unctuous bone marrow is scooped out by the diner onto toast, accompanied by roasted garlic, coarse salt, and parsley. The fatty, oily marrow carried an aroma of the beef while delivering a smoky, toasted note. The marrow melted in your mouth like butter, contrasting with the stark crunch of the bread.

For our entrée, I ordered the 10oz wagyu filet, while my coworker ordered the NY strip. Which brings me to another quick FYI on beef. Wagyu refers to a few breeds of cattle, originating in Japan, namely the Kobe region. These cows are fed special diets, which include beer and sake, and are massaged due to their lack of roaming space. Beef from these cows can demand extremely high prices, while the same beef, raised in the US, is more reasonable. The marbling (intramuscular fat) is so intense on these steaks, they have to sous-vide the meat so the fat doesn’t render out. Imagine a stick of butter and a NY strip. Now combine these two and you have a good piece of wagyu.

My steak, two inches tall, seared on the top and bottom, red in center, was soft and the meat creamy. My coworker’s NY strip, seared at 1200˚, was crunchy on the top, simply seasoned and in no need of maître’ d butter. Our side was jalapeño creamed corn brulee. Caramelized, burnt sugar on top gave a crunch to the rich and buttery corn, the natural sweetness contrasted with the mild spice of the pepper.

The meal was satiating, fulfilling both a primal hunger and an epicurean desire. While not an everyday meal, it is certainly worth a special occasion.