Steak House on the Verandah
Published:Wednesday | October 18, 2017 | 12:00 AMLatara Boodie
On Sunday, one of the most iconic locations in St Andrew - Devon House - added another jewel to its crown with the launch of the Steak House on the Verandah.
The visionary behind this venture is Marilyn Burrowes, whose determination and strong family values allowed her to make this dream a reality.
"The vision started with the promotion of Devon House as the home of gastronomy by Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett. Gregory, my son who started his new business, Meat Experts, noticed that one of the major differences between Jamaican meat and meat from other countries was that we did not age our meat. A good steak begins with a well-prepared, properly butchered and skilfully aged cut. At the Steak House on the Verandah, we have steaks which are grilled to perfection," said Burrowes.
She explained that the Verandah location at Devon House was chosen because of its proven record of housing successful restaurants. "My family, especially my husband Stafford, thought I had lost my marbles," Burrowes laughed.
AMAZING TEAM
She told Food that she loves challenges as they only make her stronger.
"Myself, General Manager Michael Fulford and our executive chef, 'Alex the Great', have put together an amazing team and we are pleased to have Minister Edmund Bartlett open the Steak House on the Verandah," said Burrowes.
"We have been working on promoting Jamaica and Kingston as the gastronomical centre with Devon House at its core," said Bartlett, who commended the Burrowes family on creating something unique. "Over the years, Jamaica has become associated with gastronomy. With innovative ideas such as the Steak House on the Verandah, the money is going to stay in Jamaica. People will be buying our food and the meat from our animals with our own spices," he added.
Chef Alex, who is a certified executive chef from the Culinary Institute of America in a joint programme with the Heart Institute of Jamaica, Runaway Bay, wants people to come to the Steak House on the Verandah for an out-of-this-world premium steak experience. "We have a number of delicacies, such as our Scotch bonnet bone marrow served on a cornbread crostini with goat cheese; fillet mignon on the bone and quail eggs," he said. "We would like to bring the Jamaican people out of the typical chicken meals and introduce them to something different."
Other offerings include a pumpkin shrimp bisque served with blue cheese and coconut calalloo. "We try to infuse a lot of our local flavours into our dishes," he added.
"I would like to thank Meat Experts, who have been providing us with excellent product. Special thanks to Select Brands for all their help and support with the bar and the wine list," said Fulford.