Gwen Butcher, Hollywood anyone been yet?

Place looks awesome and they carry Aussie - Blackmore wagyu. I’ve been dying to try it since I first came upon their instagram pics,

Gwen
6600 Sunset Blvd.
Hollywood, CA

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Haven’t been, but in case anyone didn’t see it in the Sale Thread, there’s a special offer on today for a free 6oz of that Auzzie striploin with any purchase…

Friends and Family Opening Offer
“Receive a complimentary 6oz Blackmore Wagyu Striploin with any purchase from our butcher shop. Simply mention this email when you visit the store.”
OFFER VALID FRIDAY 7/1

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Why do that when this sexiness from the Motherland is at Nijiya right now?

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because nijiya is far. that’s an obscene amount of fat btw, holy shit.

Which Nijiya did you pick this up from?

Curious to try pasture raised Aust. wagyu (see original pic above, yellowish hue on fat cap). I believe most Japanese wagyu is grain fed .

_From their site: _
The Blackmore Mishima cattle are raised on our special pasture which contains the forage herbs; Plantain and Chicory. These herbs allow the animals to obtain their complete range of nutrients naturally, and aids in maintaining general animal health.
Plantain and Chicory species are widely used in traditional medicines around the world. They contain a range of biologically active compounds, many of which have been scientifically studied providing a sound basis of medicinal use. This feeding gives the Mishima beef the distinct texture and quality of Wagyu with the earthy flavour of grass fed beef.
The Mishima are fed a non-grain supplement to maintain a nutritional quality of their daily feed intake. This is due to the unpredictability of pasture nutritional value due to seasonal fluctuations.
This unique breed has the ability to produce a high marble score from pasture feeding, with Blackmore Mishima achieving grading scores of 9 and 9+ (AUS-MEAT Australian Standard), with the meat and fat colour of traditional grass-fed beef.

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Sawtelle.

And of all the packs for sale, this particular wagyu pack was actually the LEANEST one they had!!!

Unfortunately you need to show them the email to receive the steak :unamused:

Hope I’m not too late… As a public service, here is my email from Gwen for y’all to use. I can’t make it there anyways.

BTW I thought all you had to do was MENTION the email to get the offer…

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So dropped by this afternoon to check them out. It’s really more a “Restaurant with an attached butcher” concept. The area allotted for retail only occupies ~1/3 of the combined space. Explains the rather unusual location for a butcher – better suited for a restaurant. Btw, it’s located a block east of Luv2Eat.

The display refrigerator is quite small although they have a large curing / aging room. All-in-all not very impressive when you’re there in person. (Eater’s photographer must have used some crazy wide angle lens to capture that shot of the counter.) They definitely seem to be sourcing some interesting meats as listed on the blackboard- Duroc pork caught my eye. Very competitive price for the aged rib-eye.

The Blackmore wagyu offerings were disappointing; the only cut with a decent degree of marbling was the bone in rib-eye. They were cut fairly large, likely 2-2.5lbs worth for $99/lb. Marbling was far cry from my original pic above. I recently purchased prime rib-eye steaks from Pat La Frieda and the marbling comes close to this wagyu at 40% of the cost. Did not see any cured meats besides pate and terrines. Picked up some duck terrine (not enough fat) and pate, tasted ok, nothing to blow your socks off.

I’ll give them the benefit of doubt and probably return in a month and perhaps check out the restaurant when its open. By my account they certainly missed the mark by a long-shot if they were trying to deliver this (excerpt from Eater)
"…The Stones (Curtis and brother Luke) love meat so much they decided to open the best butcher shop in Los Angeles…And the meats coming out of the butcher will largely drive the culinary conversation for the restaurant sitting behind the shop. Curtis Stone first fell in love with European-style butcher shops while working with Marco Pierre White in London. The aim was to create a similar, everyday-style meat counter with chops, game, and locally-sourced product…”






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Nope, you have to show them the email.

Off topic: if I get this, can I just barely dip it in simmering water to cook?

That’s the only way to do it. Just a quick dip.

Or a quick sit down on a very hot stone.

Yes, it’s meant for shabu shabu (Japanese hotpot cooking). You’ll know it’s done when it turns white.

From the label, it’s intended for shabu-shabu, so a few swishes in hot water should suffice, followed by a light dip in ponzu w grated daikon. Personally I think it’s the best preparation to enjoy Kobe beef.

Here’s a traditional shabu shabu recipe from Just One Cookbook:

Gracias, all, for the responses! Might be assembling a hot pot as an anti-grilling/BBQ july 4th (no offenses intended to the DoTM… :wink: ).

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also good for any number of rear end miseries.

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:notes:Then I went to Gwen
Now I’m a believer!:notes:

Gjusta finally has a competitor for best Italian sandwich in the Gwen grinder. But don’t sleep on the dry-aged meatball – I think I may crave it even more. In both cases, what makes the sandwich is the bread. Seasame seed semolina is the optimal grinder bread imo.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/DCfLSNnCfujvMLEi2

My buddy had the Reuben, which he also loved. Beef tallow fries were off the charts good, too. Really, the only negative was the little pile of greens they included on the plate. It was such an afterthought they probably would be better off just skipping it.

Anyway, thanks to @skramzlife and everyone else who pumped this place. It’s 100% the real deal.

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the menu says “chili”. I infer that to mean chili flakes, and not chili fries?

http://gwenla.com/gwenlunchmenu.pdf

it’s so good i’m in toronto for a few months and i’ve craving the meatball

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