An Environmental Take On Steak

Steakhouses have been on the American culinary scene for over two hundred years now. However they're also partly responsible for environmental damage.One restaurant, Bateau in Seattle Washington is helping to reverse its' carbon footprint. Will it become a model for other steak houses? Hopefully so.

Brett Anderson,a New Orleans food critic and regular contributor, wrote this interesting article for today's New York Times Food section.Bateau's chef, the forward thinking Renee Erickson wanted to create an eatery in the mold of her seafood company Sea Creatures which includes the popular oyster bar Walrus and the Carpenter.It's a tough balancing act , marrying age old tradition with green thinking.It's a tough time for steaks. Many diners are now asking for laboratory grown meat substitutes. There's also a fast growing vegetarian movement, Yet Chef Erickson continues to persist. Her cattle eat foraged grasses or pasture vegetation instead of the usual trough of grains that most are fed. This is more expensive and it does take a while for the herds to gain weight.Then there are the skeptical scientists who believe this kind of regenerative farming isn't doing that much for healing the planet.In the US livestock, no matter, where they are , are still the leading cause of methane,

The idea for Bateau came from her time at Le Severn, butcher- entrepreneur William Berner's steak oriented bistro in Paris and at Hawksmoor in London. She noticed how much the character varied among the different cuts.They were also from locally sourced cows.It opened her eyes , now knowing how far she was from the source. She even tried to raise her own French heritage bred cattle on Whidby Island in the Puget Sound. it proved to be too much and had to be ended after about a year. The rare cattle rancher has tried regenerative farming too. Fourth generation cattle rancher, Cory Carman in Northeastern Oregon converted her family's herd to grass fed in the early 2000's. The meat may taste better, and it helps with the environment but it is costly. There is considerable financial risks that make many ranchers fear this method>it doesn't produce fast results  with the cows taking longer to fatten up. Yet, like Ms. Erickson she persists. she lets her cows move to different pastures long enough to replenish the soil with their hooves and manure. This planned grazing not only lessens the stress on the animals but also eliminates the need to buy feed.. It also leaves a better soil, one that holds water and sequester carbon.

Perhaps other steak houses will follow Bateau's lead. It'll make for better cooking and more responsible eating.More chefs and cattle owners need to follow in Chef Erickson's and Ms. Carman's paths.