MASH (Skovriderkroen) – Meat lovers’ paradise

Posted by Log on Food on September 24, 2010 · Leave a Comment

MASH – Modern American Steak House. With two establishments in the Copenhagen area and one opening in Aarhus (this week), MASH is claiming the Danish steak house throne.

Meat

I think it’s appropriate to start with a disclaimer: One of my close relatives works at MASH (Skovriderkroen), wherefore I am biased. To be fair I had enjoyed MASH steaks before my relative started working there, but this visit was after. I won’t comment on the cooking or the service we experienced. So, take this write up for what it is; a meat lover’s ode to big juicy steaks and sauce bérnaise

Let me introduce you to Berta.

Berta

She is a big girl weighing around 1 ton. Rumor has it that it was the handy chefs of MASH that took matters into their own hands and gently placed Berta where she belongs; in the kitchen. Berta is not just any machine. She’s a broiler. She’s the heart of a steak kitchen. Broiling essentially means that the heat used for grilling the meat comes from above. Berta is what makes MASH goes around. Berta is a little high maintenance. She like’s to be nursed. If you don’t give her the attention she deserves, she can be furious and set on fire. Sometimes she’s just downright hurt and does not understand why you don’t have time to give her a cuttle. She’ll become somewhat introverted and might shut entirely down during service. Yes, Berta demands attention.

Berta from her best side

MASH’s Danish dry aged steaks are delivered by Danish Crown. It’s prime Danish meat. I am a big fan of steaks with a deep, rich flavor, so the Danish dry aged rib eye goes straight into my meat lover heart. I don’t care for tender meat if there’s no flavor. The meat is hung to dry for 90 days at 0-1 degrees c and a humidity of 76 percent. The steaks don’t come cheap, this is partly due to the fact, that the rib looses 80% of its’ mass from the time its’ hung on the hook to it is served on your plate at MASH. The dry aged steaks are only sold to exclusive butcher shops and restaurants, one of them being MASH.

My love affair with sauce bernaise started some years ago. It was Rasmus Oubæk who now is head chef at MASH who opened my eyes to the rich, airy, creamy taste of real sauce bérnaise. It was at his namesake restaurant and I have to admit I haven’t found anywhere else where they make sauce bernaise as good as Oubæk. Well, except MASH as he apparently has taken his divine secret recipe with him to MASH. Yes, I’ll admit it, many of my bernaise-faux experiences have been with powder whisked with milk, or sauce bought in a bottle and then reheated. I am not ashamed of myself. I just did not know better. I do now.

Here’s what we had: