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FEED CO.Address: 201 W. Main St.Table Hours: Monday-Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday-Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.Tavern Hours: Monday-Thursday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Friday-Saturday from 11-1 a.m.; Sunday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.Phone: 423-708-8500
Feed Co.’s latest menu addition of certified, grass-fed wagyu beef, sourced exclusively from Alabama’s Mountain Breeze Farm, is doing more than just creating a buzz among its diners. It is also helping to educate them.
“It’s been a real learning experience for me,” said co-owner Miguel Morales. “I used to think that the benefits of grass-fed beef were literally just a preference of taste.”
Luckily, Executive Chef Charlie Loomis is well-versed in the feed types available and the taste of the beef they produce.
Grass-fed beef, Loomis explained, is famously lean meat. But sometimes, he said, it can be too lean, causing the meat to be tough. On the other hand, grain-fed beef has more fat, making it more flavorful but less nutritious.
Agriculture’s beautiful compromise? Grass-fed, naturally fatty wagyu beef.
Known for its marbling, which describes the pattern made by the fat in the meat, grass-fed wagyu packs more nutrients than grain-fed beef.
“It has more omega-3 fatty acids, important for healthy brains,” said Loomis, whose spectacular new specials — including the delicious and nutritious meatball sampler, English-style short rib, and ossobuco — might just be evidence of that.
“Basically, if you eat here, you’re smarter,” joked Miguel.