June 2011 Archives

It just boggles my mind that it's still so hard to find grass-fed beef on menus and grocery stores.  Near impossible here.  Near impossible in SF. Near impossible in LA.  Why?  It's frickin expensive!  But the health benefits are tremendous and more than make up for the increased cost.  Up to half the fat of grain-fed, lower calories, and tons of the healthy Omega-3's (like wild salmon).  From a health perspective think of it as four-legged wild salmon... Seriously.

Take a look at our menu at Tucos, all the beef is grass-fed. (By the way, if the menu doesn't say grass-fed, it's not).  Our braised beef program, which includes our beef arepas, beef empanadas and pot roast is spectacular, world-class. Tender, juicy, beefy, mouthwatering...  Our burger, meatballs, and steak pizzetta rock. The strip steak is a trimmed down NY steak and it has a delicious earthy, beefy flavor and a wonderful, proud texture... not that flaccid, flabby texture of its grain-fed cousin. 

We're so, so proud to be serving grass-fed beef (by the way, same goes for our grass-fed bison and pasture-raised eggs).  It's what we're all about- providing delicious, exciting foods to our customers that happen to be wonderfully healthy too..  Help us get the word out so we see grass-fed on menus and grocery stores everywhere.  Let's think of it as the new no smoking campaign.

STARTERS
Freshly Shucked Oysters A.Q.
Marinated Olives fresh herbs, lemon, garlic  $7
Oven Roasted Almonds & Golden Raisins olive oil, rosemary, crushed red pepper  $7
Bacon-Wrapped Medjool Dates, chevre, gravenstein apple  $9
Anchovy-Garlic Toast $7 ‡
Warmed Herb Goat Cheese Crostinis chevre, fresh herbs, garlic toast $8
Summer Vegetable Plate with Hummus $12 ‡ (served at room temp)
Fish Sticks, wild halibut fingers wrapped in house-made puff pastry, tartar sauce $12
Mini Halibut Ceviche Martini lime, cilantro, habanero pepper, sweet onion $10
Dungeness Crab Bruschetta, mozzarella cheese, cocktail sauce $12
Grass-Fed Lamb Meatballs cuban mojo sauce  $12
Undeviled Eggs with Shrimp house-made thousand island, arugula, tobiko caviar $12
Japanese Tobiko Caviar with Buckwheat Blinis crème fraiche, sieved eggs, sweet onion $10
Smoked Fish Spread acme bread $9  
Soups shot $4 / bowl $8
Chilled Cucumber-Melon Gazpacho, Chilled Vegetarian Borscht (Beet Soup), Split Pea-Sweet Potato Soup, Black Bean Soup, French Onion Soup (vegetarian)
Cheese Plate with acme bread $5.5 per oz
Selection of cheeses- CA: Tomme, France: D'Affinois Double Cream, Bucherondin de Chevre, Bleu D'Auvergne, Holland: Truffle Gouda, Aged Gouda, Sheep Gouda, Italy: Taleggio, Wisconsin: Cheddar (8 yr.), Spain: Manchego

SALADS
Farmer's Market Green Salad fresh fruit, roasted almonds, goat cheese, herbed citrus dressing  $8
Rustic Caprese Salad, tomato, fresh mozzarella, sweet onion, basil, hard-cooked egg, tuna $12
Bread Salad lettuce, poached egg, bacon, garlic croutons, citrus dressing  $12
Nicoise Salad imported tuna, potato, onion, parsley, seasonal vegetables, lettuce, black olive dressing  $12
Grass-Fed Beef Carpaccio Salad beef tenderloin, watercress, caper dressing, grana cheese $15
Caesar Salad romaine lettuce, garlic bread $10 (add chicken $4) (add shellfish $6)
Roasted, Spicy Monterey Sardine Salad lettuce, tomato, onions, citrus dressing  $12

PIZZETTAS
Grass-fed beef flank steak, chimichurri sauce, fresh mozzarella, lettuce, tomato, onions $16
Bacon, Spinach, Apple & Blue Cheese, fresh mozzarella, olive oil, blue cheese dressing $14
Prosciutto, Arugula, Tomato & Nicoise Olive, fresh mozzarella, olive oil, citrus dressing $14
Fresh Goat Cheese & Apple, lettuce, tomato, sweet onion, citrus dressing $14

BURGERS & SANDWICHES
Grass-Fed Burger with bacon & cheese, house-made bun Beef $12, or Bison $15 (add fried egg $2)
Salami-Caprese Sandwich, salami, mozzarella, tomatoes, basil (vegetarian available) $12
Sandwich Cubano (roasted pork, ham, swiss cheese, pickle) $12
Fish Fry Sandwich fried wild salmon, arugula, lettuce, tomato, onion, thousand island dressing $14
Crab Melt Dungeness crab, mozzarella cheese, sourdough bread $14
Rustic Tuna Sandwich (Pan Bagna) imported tuna, hard-cooked egg, arugula, onions $12
Fried Egg Sandwich, bacon, collard greens, mozzarella, hollandaise sauce $10
Grilled Cheese & Tomato Sandwich, mozzarella, fresh tomato, ketchup, green salad $8
House-Made Goat Cheese & Apple, lettuce, tomato, sweet onion, citrus dressing $10

 
PASTAS
Build-Your-Own Macaroni & Cheese Select your favorite cheese from our cheese list $9
Spaghetti & Grass-Feb Beef Meatballs (and Pork Sausage), spicy tomato sauce, garlic toast $17
Vegetarian Lasagna collard greens, caramelized onions, hard-cooked eggs, bechamel $14
Cheese Raviolis in dungeness crab-lemon-butter sauce $25
Vegetarian Raviolis, roasted seasonal veggies, spicy tomato sauce  $19
Braised Rabbit, Peaches & Rosemary house-made pasta $25
Grass-Fed Bison Stroganoff house-made pappardelle pasta  $25

  
LATIN
Brazilian Cheese Bread (Pao de Queijo) plain, bacon, garlic, mushroom, or black truffle $4 (allow 20 min)
Venezuelan seafood cocktail (Vuelve la Vida)- wild shrimp, calamari $7
Chilaquiles (Tortilla Casserole), poached eggs, refried black beans, chorizo (vegetarian available) $12
Argentinean Savory Corn Pudding (Humita) with Sweet Biscuit $10
Sweet Potato Nachos black beans, cheese, tomato, onion, sour cream, avocado, jalapeno $12
Free-Range Chicken Tacos corn tortillas, bacon, collard greens (vegetarian available) $12
Feijoada (brazilian stewed beef, pork, black beans) rice, collard greens, farofa (toasted yucca meal) $17
Grass-Fed Beef Empanadas or Spinach & Egg Empanadas $9
Sweet Corn Cachapas (venezuelan griddle cakes) $9
Arepas (shredded beef or avocado & fresh mozzarella) $9

ENTREES
Pot Pie (Chicken & Portobello Mushroom or Spinach & Goat Cheese) $15
Bacon, Beans, & Bird black beans, brown sugar bacon, chicken breast, collard greens, fried egg  $17
Fish Fry with House-Made Tartar Sauce, wild salmon fillet, oven-roasted sweet potato fries, collard greens $21
Shrimp Gumbo spicy gumbo sauce, prawns, chicken, sausage, rice, lentils $19
Seared Peking Duck Breast with Sangria Reduction, creamy polenta, veggies $25
Pot Roast grass-fed beef, red wine sauce, creamy polenta, veggies  $19
Grass-Fed Beef Strip Steak chimichurri sauce, creamy polenta, veggies  $35

Desserts (all desserts $8)
Bananas Foster Tres Leches Cake crème fraiche, evaporated & condensed milk, whipped cream
Soaked Almond Beignets house-made almond paste, syrup
Guava & Cream Cheese Empanadas house-made ice cream
Fig Upside-Down Cake vanilla pudding
Crepas de Dulce de Leche house-made vanilla Ice cream
Chilled Butterscotch Soup soft-baked meringue
Walnut Cake Roll whipped cream, crème anglaise, toasted walnuts
Sweet Potato Pie house-made ice cream
Peanut Butter Brownie house-made ice cream, peanut butter caramel
Seasonal Bread Pudding crème anglaise, seasonal preserves
Dark Chocolate Souffle 61% Venezuelan dark chocolate (20 min)
Affogato shot of espresso, house-made vanilla ice cream
Fresh Bananas & Orange Juice sweet whipped cream