Veteran-owned and independently operated, there's more to the story of fine quality Texan beef at The Ridge at Loafer's Glory in the Lone Star State of Texas. It's about passion for the land, the prized herd of Texan Gelbvieh-Angus Cross and the local community. It's a fascinating story that doesn't end with just premium beef, it also continues with a commitment to the environment and giving back to the local community of Liberty Hill and Williamson County in Texas. There's more to the meat of the matter with The Ridge at Loafer's Glory...
For Kevin and Melinda Knowles, the vast ranch of The Ridge at Loafer's Glory in Texas is more than just home. It's a shining example of their advocacies on food provenance, caring for the land and environment and the local community. Their premium quality artisan beef offers an insightful peek at the ranch's sustainable operations as well as Kevin and Melinda's own philosophies on stewardship. Read on for a big bite of one of the Lone Star State's finest...
Former Marine, proud Texan and co-founder of The Ridge at Loafer's Glory, Kevin Knowles shared the story for his brand of beef starting with the lush expanse of land at the ranch beside the north fork of the San Gabriel River in Liberty Hill, Texas. His herds of registered stock Gelbvieh-Angus Cross roam freely throughout the ranch, enjoying free-range rotational grazing for all-natural and fresh feeds without chemicals or hormones for that organic non-GMO, clean, buttery and mildly sweet and nutty finish. The ranch has six separate fields of grasses native to Central Texas to minimize stress on the grazing fields while providing an abundance of fresh feeds.Â
The free range spaces include pastures as well as forested areas far and isolated from highways and businesses. Kevin and Melinda believe that by taking care of the land and animals, they can provide the highest quality beef to their customers. And that just makes so much sense, more so in this day and age of technology where we often fail to see the seemingly little things that have so much impact to the environment or the end product.
Kevin's herd at The Ridge at Loafer's Glory consists of registered balancers, a mix of Black Angus and Gelbvieh breeds. For Kevin, these balancers offer the best qualities from both breeds with the Gelbvieh providing the largest cuts and the Black Angus with its world-renowned marbling. The result is beef that's tender and tasty, and typically brings high-grade ratings for the market.Â
Straight from Texas and soon in Manila, plans are in the pipeline to bring one of the finest artisan beef from Texas to your plate. The Ridge at Loafer's Glory currently offers a growing variety of cuts from briskets, sirloin steaks, ground beef, stew cuts, tri tip, tenderloin fillets, chuck roasts, ribs, T-Bone steaks, New York strips and Tomahawk steaks. Paired with the extensive selection of fine wines from The Wine Club, the special preview for The Ridge at Loafer's Glory promised to be another memorable afternoon like many before at the secret basement along Aguirre corner Trasierra Streets in Makati (for more on The Wine Club, see my posts The Table of Disciples of Escoffier Presents Chef Dan Koh at The Wine Club from March this year and Disciples of Escoffier Hosts Wine an Tapas Night at The Wine Club from last year).
Transforming a good slab of beef into a memorable dining experience is what The Ridge at Loafer's Glory offers to the table. With many of the metro's top chefs at the exclusive preview, Kevin offered some of his best cuts of organic, free-range and all-natural artisan beef for a taste test fresh off the grill. "We all start the day with a Chevy, and at the end of the day when you put that piece of meat on the table for somebody you turn that meat into a Cadillac," explained Kevin to the guest chefs.
All great and memorable food begins with the best ingredients as the flavorful base, and the artisan beef from The Ridge at Loafer's Glory is the perfect start to an exquisite dish. Kevin further shared that two things often come up as the common qualities of his artisan beef, its clean flavors and a distinct buttery finish. That afternoon, the words "clean" and "buttery" pop up with each tasty bite starting with the Sirloin Steak of The Ridge at Loafer's Glory. Like many good American steaks, each bite delivers a flavorful burst of bold, deep and robust beefy richness. No sauce is needed for beef this good, a pinch of salt and pepper are all you need to bring out even more flavor with each bite. It's tender with a mild bite, just the way I like my steak. It may not immediately melt in your mouth like Wagyu, but the flavors come punching through. It's real flavors from real steak.
The New York Strip delivers the same bold and beefy notes with a mild and satisfying bite. Leaner than most cuts, the New York Strip is known for its tight texture and satisfying chew as well as beefier flavors. "Clean" and "buttery" in terms of flavor? Absolutely.Â
Each bite lays a delicate and subtle nutty sweetness following the initial burst of savory richness. "Clean" and "buttery" notes are the defining qualities of the artisan beef from The Ridge at Loafer's Glory.
The impressive Tomahawk was then served...
...a pure steak lover's dream in scale, size and flavor. Like all the steaks presented earlier, no side of sauce was served to mask or clutter the flavors of the artisan beef from The Ridge at Loafer's Glory. Even if they did, why waste a good steak with sauce right? The all-natural, free range grass-fed beef from The Ridge at Loafer's Glory delivers on flavor. Perfectly grilled to medium with its juicy pink center, the beefy richness with just the right bite combine for that clean and buttery finish we all look for in a good steak.Â
The private tasting is then capped by the tender and juicy Ribeye from The Ridge at Loafer's Glory. With more marbling than other cuts, the Ribeye is more tender with less of a bite than the previous cuts.Â
The flavor profile is consistent with the previous cuts served earlier with its pronounced and bold yet clean flavors followed by a subtle nutty sweetness and buttery mouthfeel. It's as natural as it should be, shaped and defined by the land. Like fine wine, the land or terroir plays a significant role in the development of its flavors. Much of the ranch's land has been donated to The Nature Conservancy to keep it in its pristine state. And that's just one of the many colorful weaves in the story of The Ridge at Loafer's Glory.
And the differences in flavor between the usual commercial beef from the artisan beef of The Ridge at Loafer's Glory are world's apart. Minimizing stress on both the land and cattle, free range rotational grazing, hormone free and absolutely no chemicals along with genetic integrity with its registered stock of Gelbvieh-Angus Cross cattle, The Ridge at Loafer's Glory offers rich beef flavors at its purest best.Â
More and more, an increasing awareness on food provenance or knowing where food comes from, how it's raised, produced, processed and transported becomes part of our daily choices. The appreciation for food done right is a growing movement worldwide, with independent producers like The Ridge at Loafer's Glory leading the way.Â
From their ranch to your table, Kevin and Melinda Knowles shares the bounty of their land with some of the finest artisan beef in the Lone Star State. Driven by a deep respect for the land and herds of cattle, The Ridge at Loafer's Glory is one family's legacy in making things right. And that's the meat of the matter at The Ridge at Loafer's Glory...
For more on the premium quality beef from The Ridge at Loafer's Glory, visit their website at https://ridgeatloafersglory.com/. You can also visit their FB Page and IG Feed at https://www.facebook.com/ridgeatloafersglory/ and https://www.instagram.com/ridgeatloafersglory/ for more information and updates.Â
The Wine Club is located at the basement of Cacho Gonzalez Building, 101 Aguirre corner Trasierra, Legazpi Village, Makati or call 8893 7784 for inquiries and more information. You can also visit their FB Page at https://www.facebook.com/wineclubph/ for updates.Â
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