To the vegetarians among you, I apologise for the photo - to the meat lovers of the world, this must be the equivalent of Kobé beef (which I have never tried).
Enjoy the photo, as your chances of finding this meat are virtually non-existent! This is 'le Fin gras de Mézenc', one of France's best-kept secrets. The Mézenc recently received an AOC for their meat which comes from an area covering 20 communes in the Haute Loire and the Ardèche. The cows are fed on hay from these communes throughout the winter and it is the hay that gives the meat a very distinctive flavour as it contains numerous aromatic plants, including 'cistre' (alpine fennel). The animals must be over two years of age when slaughtered so, like this côte de boeuf, it is from a fully grown animal and is consistant. The meat is delicately marbled throughout and honestly I have never tasted a piece of meat with such complex flavours - we were rather like wine bores when eating it as our taste buds discovered the different flavours.
Apart from the Mézenc being a small AOC, another particularity is that one can only find it from the beginning of March to the beginning of June, when the animals go out to pasture for the summer. If you happen to be in the area during the season, the next problem is to find a butcher that sells le Fin gras de Mézenc! The only butcher that sells it (as far as I know) in Clermont Ferrand is la Maison Gauthier, and it has to be ordered well in advance! Or for a few dollars more, you could take yourself to what is probably the best restaurant in France, the 3* Michelin of Regis Marcon in St. Bonnet le Froid, where it is served during the spring. Marcon, apart from his great talent, must be the most charming and unpretentious of the great French chefs and his new restaurant is stunning. He also has the admirable policy of offering jobs to local people first and foremost which has been a blessing in area which is 'au milieu de nul parts'. (www.regismarcon.fr)
My one regret? That my son wasn't there to enjoy this fabulous piece of meat. On the other hand, he would have eaten the côte de boeuf by himself!
