Hmmm… On review, the answer seems to be no. I should have been suspicious of this source of information:
http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=Mario+Batali+Restaurants&find_loc=San+Diego%2C+CA
I had no idea who he was. So I started looking, and…
There is no connection from Batali and Monello or Bencotto
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So in case anyone is interested in something other than violent agreements and what restaurants Mario Batali is - or is not - associated with, I’d like to report back that the 2 pieces of meat that I purchased from Liberty Meats were both outstanding. In fact, I’d say the pork porterhouse was friggin’ awesome. The NY was fantastic, I didn’t think the pork chop could beat it but it did.
I don’t live that close to LPM, BUT…I have no problem driving to Catalina when I want fish, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that if Liberty Meats can keep up this quality, I’ll be making a drive out there for meat. There were some mighty fine looking veal chops calling my name…
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Do you know where they source their meat ? And was grain or grass-fed beef ?
Dude…you had no idea who Mario Batali is?
He’s that ginger, bloated, celebrity chef that is a phenomenon for building one hell of a brand.
Red headed people scare the hell out of me…besides that, he’s a genius and he believes that food halls are here to stay…along with his orange Crocs!
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I don’t know where they source their meat. I believe it is grass fed, but the marbling in the steak kind of makes the case for grain. To be honest, I was just kind of walking around gawking at all the shiny new food stalls and displays in the building that I really didn’t pay a lot of attention to the details. I wasn’t planning to buy meat, it just sort of happened and they were having POS issues which kind of prevented a lot of questions.
No, I really had no idea, BC. None at all. Sorry. Just not very knowledgeable about people in the business. I Googled his name (plus “San Diego”, looking for a connection with Mess Hall at LPM), and the Yelp link I posted was the first thing up. Duh. But hey, I learned something.
P.S. OK, don’t give me that “Candy Mountain” look out of the corner of your eyes.
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Wish I’d have also thought to get a steak there. We really didn’t even look at the meat, just noticed the shop. I think if steak has good marbling, it’s probably going to taste good. Not always, but probably. I don’t want to re-open The Great Grass-fed vs. Grain-fed Debate, but if it’s well marbled (I love cooked fat) and flavorful (that too), that’s all I care about. Seisel’s is a lot closer to home for me, but we do get down to Liberty Station quite often. Next time I’ll buy a couple of steaks and freeze them. (I’ve gotten really good at grilling steaks from frozen.)
Battaglia is behind Liberty Meats.
I believe the cattle is grass-fed, free-range, as is the chicken, which is from Mary’s.
HA HA HA. . .you crack me up DoctorChow!
You have a mind of a steel trap…Charlie. . .Candy Mountain.
I meant no diss to you on Batali…just bustin’ your huevitos…
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“Heat” by Bill Buford is a must read for all foodies and is kind of a pilgrimage for all things Mario Batali. The book begins with an absolutely horrified Bill Bufford contemplating the fact that he invited Mario to a dinner at his home . . . and horror of horrors, Mario Accepts, and shows up.
Bill then goes on to be a kitchen slave at Babbo and subsequently follows in Mario’s Italian footsteps. Fantastic and very funny/witty read.
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Plumeria, that is Bill Buford, not Bill Bruford, so don’t break into a drum solo.
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I read (maybe in the UT, or on Eater) that Bottlecraft has a special license. It’s perfectly legal to get a beer there and wander around in the market carrying it. Major first for SD. Seeing people doing that feels like New Orleans.
And both Bottlecraft and Mess Hall (both with lots of table space) are happy to have you bring your empanadas or tacos or whatever to eat in their space. Only restriction is that Mess Hall wants to reserve their tables for dinner patrons.
Yes Doc, very lax about beers there, provided to me in a plastic cup “traveler” as they call it in New Orleans. I like it, but can’t see it lasting without some sort of control like a wrist band or the like showing you’re 21. Too easy to abuse the system. Very easy for me to purchase two beers at once and could easily have given one to my 20 year old son (not that I would ever do this, OK maybe he had a sip of my second beer).
Parking was easy and the Market was really bustling. Great atmosphere. Lines were almost everywhere, but moved reasonably well with not too long a wait for food. Had the empanadas (Beef, chicken, Spinach and Cheese, Margarita, and Corn and Cheese). and they were just ok. The dough was crispy on the outside for sure, but were crispy all the way through and didn’t have enough chew or tender interior IMO. Liked the chicken, and the spinach + cheese the best. Mama Made Thai was pretty good (Had the Pad See Ew noodle dish), but wasn’t anything great, especially when you consider the price and pretty small portion. Wife had the Jalapeno Mac and Cheese from the pasta place. She liked it, but I was less enthused (too gloppy)… The Braut my son had from Mastiff was probably my favorite thing I tried (great flavor and composition). Daughter did not like her carrot cake cupcake as she said it was very dry. The tacos I saw people eating looked pretty tasty with good portions, but we didn’t try them on this visit.
Liberty Meats had fantastic products and phenomenal customer service. They made some custom cuts for me (2" thick Porterhouse Steaks with amazing marbling) and when they didn’t have exactly what I wanted in pork, they gave me a hefty (2" thick) bone in pork chop gratis along with some of their BBQ basting sauce (probably $20 value). Very nice indeed.
The negatives: Some places were not open or only had very limited choices. No produce available yet (just a bunch of labled bins sitting empty). Fishbone has run into some regulation problems so weren’t serving any food at their raw bar (no oysters, Ceviche, or Poke) and could only sell whole uncut fish. They said that they hope to have everything straightened out and good to go by this Saturday.
Our table outside was very dirty with sauce and other spills on the unfinished table (so it all kinda spread into the cracks and also soaked in to the wood) and chairs. Most of the other tables I observed had similar issues. It was kind of gross actually, and I didn’t see a single person out there bussing or cleaning any of them. Hopefully this is a simple organizational change. They also need a bit more shade outside.
It’s great that you & your family were able to sample so many things. Sounds like maybe I’ll wait a bit before trying the empanadas place and instead head straight to Mastif next visit. Or maybe the taco place. I didn’t notice the condition of the tables/chairs outside, but you raise a good point. Hopefully the owner of LPM will take note and hire a couple of full-time staff to keep those areas clean.
The issue that you raise about someone over 21 being able to give beer to an underage person is certainly true, but somehow it’s worked out in New Orleans for a really long time. I think it’ll work at LPM just as well. I like the idea. You can get a beer and wander around looking at the shops, and if you see something you’d like to eat, you can buy it and go to an area where there’s a place to sit and enjoy it.
Well drinking and driving is still legal in New Orleans and Louisiana! They also have drive thru Hurricane and Daiquiri stores where a driver can get a high alcohol cocktail passed right to them in the driver seat… Not sure those things would fly anywhere else. I’ll bet you that LPM has to institute some sort of change like visible wrist bands or other solution.
Didn’t know about drinking & driving in Louisiana. Good grief…
Yes I remember touring some of the plantations with my wife in Louisiana when we pulled over for gas on some back road. I purchased a beer and when we got back on the road I popped it open, the wife gasped and I laughed and said it’s legal baby with a big smile on my face. One and only time I’ve had a drink in my hand while driving, and while I wouldn’t generally approve of such things, it was kinda cool!
Started breaking down Roundabout in my head. .
Heck, I remember when we’d go visit the relatives in Virginia, they all had bars in the back of their Continentals and I thought that was the coolest thing…
