Prairie Meadows Racetrack & Casino is the 5th restaurant that I’m judging food at for the 2014 Dine Iowa Grand Tasting Gala event in Des Moines, Iowa. It has been a couple of years since the last time I attended the event, but I do remember it being full of flavor and fun. To get more information on this year’s event click here. Chef Robert Anderson and I are the main judges. It is a privilege to get to work with him, the IRA staff, and members from the Soy and Beef Council. During the next couple of weeks, leading up to the September 25th event, we have 9 different restaurants to visit. These restaurants are all across Iowa.

Prairie Meadows Racetrack & Casino

Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casio is one of Iowa’s largest casinos. You can play a variety of games to test your luck or you can be certain to win your stomach a great meal. There are several places to eat at in the casino. There is the Tripe Crown Eatery, Cafe at the Meadows, Champions Clubhouse, and last but not least AJ’s Steakhouse. Aj’s is where we had the meal. It’s a fancier dining experience but definitely one to remember.

The Chef at Prairie Meadows Racetrack & Casino

Chef Agustin (Augie) Quintana and Chef Patti Weidner created the meal for us. Each have a wonderful background in cooking ranging from State Culinary Champions to being taught by Chef Robert Anderson.

 

The Meal

Rules: With this event, each competitor will prepare a main entrée recipe utilizing Braveheart Black Angus Beef Ribeye, donated by Performance Food Group (at least six ounces of cooked beef must be used). Additionally, each competitor will prepare a Tofu (soft-silken or water packed) side dish or sauce (at least a 1⁄4 cup of tofu must be used).

Main Dish

This was the first time that we got to see the ribeye cap be solely used on a plate. Chef Augi and Chef Patti prepared it by rubbing espresso all over the meat and cooked it to a nice medium-rare finish. This was actually the first time I had the chance to eat the rib cap which was such a treat. I have been really missing out on a great piece of meat. The cap sat on a bold wild mushroom marsala reduction. It paired great with the meat as well as the season that we’re entering. There was also several great uses of tofu. We had a homemade tofu ricotta ravioli with fresh mushrooms. The second use of tofu was very unique. We enjoyed a lobster tofu fritter. This was a great addition because I was able to use this to soak up whatever marsala I had left on the plate.

The presentation of the plate was very nice too. Brussel sprouts were in the corner of the plate while broccoli, carrots, and another vegetable was placed respectfully.

Chef Augie and Chef Patti should be very proud of their dish. It was bold with flavor and provided a great representation of beef, and soy products.

If you want to try this dish click here

Contact Prairie Meadows Racetrack & Casino

1 Prairie Meadows Drive, Altoona,  IA  50009

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