BKonthescene

By Sally W. 

Liberty Group’s Blue Bovine Steak + Sushi House (http://www.bluebovine.com/) is dedicated to excellence – with its highly skilled team offering the finest steak and sushi in Toronto. As one of only three restaurants in Toronto certified as Kobe beef purveyors, Blue Bovine takes pride in providing quality sourced from Japan directly from Kobe. Blue Bovine is a beautiful restaurant with chic décor, booths and tables spaced for privacy, with a buzzybar setting. Warm colours and luxurious leathers create a welcoming venue. Located very conveniently at Bay and Front Sts. in Union Station, the Blue Bovine is accessible to everyone. The restaurant is committed to quality, with a beautiful ambience, prime location and offering a unique dining experience unlike any other in Toronto. In attendance as hosts weremembers of the Di Donato family of the Liberty Entertainment Group and The Butcher Shoppe. Both Luca DiDonato of Liberty Entertainment Group and Stacey Weisberg of The Butcher Shoppe spoke at the event to share this culinary experience.

October 16th marked a very uniqueevent at the Blue Bovine, with special guest, Marika Watanabe, aka the Kimono Butcher visiting from Japan. Why is Marika called the Kimono Butcher? The 30 year old female is a Japanese butcher who loves Japanese Wagyu… Kobe beef. She has travelled the world presenting demonstrations on how to butcher; this visit marked her first time to Canada so guests were honoured. She carefully sliced and pulled apart the huge piece of Wagyu beef, which was like a baseball steak in North America. The art of how and where to carefully slice and carve was a treat to see. Marika used gloves to very carefully pull apart chunks at a time. We could see the marbled beef of the top sirloin.

Kobe beef comes from ‘Tajima-gyu’ cows, but only a chosen few satisfy specific quality criteria in order to deserve the title ‘Kobe Beef’. The calves are given fresh, clean water, and only the best feed, and raised in a beautiful environment which is stress-free and relaxing. Much effort and care are devoted to these animals. And although the beef do not receive massages as thought, they are cared for well, made comfortable and brushed. A limited number of cattle is raised every year. Restaurants allowed to sell authentic Kobe beef post a certificate; Blue Bovine is one of them, as are Liberty Group’s Don Alfonso Toronto and BlueBlood Steakhouse in Casa Loma. The import and export of Kobe beef is tightly controlled. A real delicacy. 

Following the demonstration,beautifully presented plates of Kobe beef were passed. It had a melt-in-your-mouth texture and was delicious. We discovered why Kobe beef is a true delicacy. We look forward to visiting again with guests to sample the delicious Japanese Wagyu… Kobe beef.
 
As it is written about the Wagyu beef – once tasted, never forgotten. Agreed!  

Don’t forget to see the two Samurai Warriors on display in windows to the west of the Blue Bovine restaurant in Union Station. These installations were specifically created for the Blue Bovine by French artist, Olivier Bertrand and reflect the Japanese influence on the Blue Bovine Steak House with its sublime offerings of sushi and Kobe beef.