Putting quality on the center of the plate
Bill Tackett, owner of Bluestone Steak House and Seafood, has lived by the same mantra his entire career.
“I’ll apologize for the price, but not for the quality,” he says, at least twice during our brief phone conversation.
The Tulsa-based restaurateur only recently took over the Bluestone — an established restaurant he convinced to make the switch from Sterling Silver to the Certified Angus Beef ® brand about seven years ago — but he’s been in the protein business most of his life. He’s trained under and worked with top European chefs, been on the management side of food sales, secured CAB licensees all over the region, consulted and even owned another, larger restaurant.
He also has a unique perspective on the big picture, having “been in just about every cattle pen and feedlot in Kansas and almost every packing plant in the Midwest.”
Not surprisingly, this guy knows beef. He rattles off technical jargon with the proficiency of a meat scientist and yet also knows how to prepare it, plate it and pair it with the right wine. (Which, by the way, is served in German Reidel crystal for the best taste.)
“At my core, I’m an epicurean. If I’m going to do something it’ll be well,” he says.
And if it can’t be done well? Then it won’t be done at all.
For example, he found the restaurant just wasn’t set up to handle prime rib properly. So he took it off the menu. He says once the kitchen can be reconfigured, he’ll bring it back. But in the meantime, he just can’t serve a product he can’t be happy with.
And that’s why he serves Certified Angus Beef.
Years of experience with the brand, as well as a thorough knowledge of each of the 10 specifications, means he knows he can count on a product that exceeds his customers’ expectations every time.
While some restaurants boast they serve Prime beef, Bill says the only way he’d ever offer Prime is if it was Certified Angus Beef brand Prime.
He explains, “Otherwise, there are just too many inconsistencies.”
Want to follow Bill’s restaurant on Facebook? Find them here.
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PS–Want to catch up on the whole series? Check out these links below:
- Introduction: Nice to Meat Ya
- Day 1: Ashley Pado
- Day 2: Scott Redden
- Day 3: Jesse Stucky
- Day 4: Bridget Wasser
- Day 5: Amanda Barstow
- Day 6: Josh Moore
- Day 7: Ruth Ammon