Filet and Jazz

Last night, Julie and I had tickets to see Wynton Marsalis, so we needed a quick dinner; I also wanted to do something kind of nice, since it was a sort of mid-week date night. This made for an easy call--filet mignon steak with a nice mushroom sauce, plus some couscous and green beans on the side. There's nothing like a beautifully pan-seared, well-seasoned rare steak. That seared, brown crust is such a wonderful contrast to the soft rare meat inside. (An aside--cook these beyond medium-rare, and you've wasted good food and good money. So, please don't.)

Thanks to having a good boning/trimming knife, the steak didn't cost a fortune, either. Precut, trimmed filet can cost upwards of $15/lb. Not everyday eating. But, buy a beef tenderloin vac-packed, and cut your own steaks, you get the same thing, and can pay as little as $4/lb--about the same as a nice beef roast. Plus, you can cut them to whatever thickness you like -- a big bonus. All it takes is cutting off a bit of connective tissue and fat, separating the three muscles that comprise the subprimal, and slicing to your desired size. Five minutes, and it's done. And, you can turn the trimmings into a nice beef stroganoff or stirfry.

So, all of this was lead in to one of the best concerts I've attended in recent years. I've long been a fan of Wynton Marsalis--this is the 3rd or 4th time I've seen him play live. He's perhaps the most talented trumpeter alive today -- that rich, mournful tone is one of a kind. But it was especially cool to see his band this year--it turns out that I know one the trumpet players in the band. Ryan Kisor and I performed together in several honor bands across Iowa during our high school years. Of course, he was always the better trumpeter, and has now grown into a true powerhouse. In addition to playing awesome section work, he stole the show as solo on a big piece--such a dark, clear tone! In spite of not getting home until after 11 at night (not much fun when the alarm goes off at 4:45 in the morning), what a great evening!