Susan HornikWhile many Coachella-goers want to follow in Beyoncé’s footsteps and go vegan, there still are plenty of meat lovers searching for noteworthy carnivorous dishes.
Here is a rundown to satisfy all your meat cravings this weekend.
Location: Craft Beer Barn
Bludso’s BBQ is serving a variety of meat sandwiches with seasoned fries and coleslaw, including signature dishes like smoked beef brisket and pulled pork.
Executive chef Jimmy Weathersbee is excited about Bludso’s brisket, which is rubbed with a special spice blend and smoked for 14 to 16 hours at 240 degrees. “We use a mixture of red oak and pecan wood to ensure a quality smoke flavor,” he says.
The restaurant’s pork shoulder undergoes a similar process, except it is rubbed with a different spice mixture, notes Weathersbee.
Another highlight is the Texas Red Hot links — a beef sausage made from scratch.
Nearby, Eureka! is serving its organic American cheeseburger (Swiss cheese, grilled red onion, butter lettuce, pickles, tomato, special sauce) and Fresno fig burger (fig marmalade, melted goat cheese, bacon, tomato, red onion, arugula, spicy porter mustard).
Eureka!'s organic American cheeseburger; Credit: Courtesy Eureka!
Special to Coachella, the restaurant, now in its fourth year at the festival, is launching a 28-day dry-aged Angus burger from Santa Carota Beef. “The cows receive a 100 percent carrot-fed diet, adding to the flavors, the texture, moisture and look of the burger,” says VP of kitchen operations Jason Hernandez.
Also at the Craft Beer Barn is Little Fatty, which is offering cold sesame noodle salad, orange chicken bowl and pork dumplings. “We chose orange chicken because it’s a popular dish at the restaurant and we wanted to be able to feed the festivalgoers with an approachable and delicious meal,” says chef David Kuo.
It was a hit last year, Kuo said. This time, he's adding takuan pickles, sesame seeds and cilantro for some freshness.
Best of all, if you don’t want to miss your favorite band, you can take the meals to go.
Location: Outstanding in the Field, April 21
Badmaash will be serving an Indian-flavored, slow-cooked beef short rib as part of its seated dinner event, part of Outstanding in the Field.
“Our dinner will showcase and highlight some of the cool things we do at our restaurant in DTLA,” said much-loved veteran chef Nakul Mahendro. “Integrity and consistency is everything. We always use the best ingredients available to us — and our spices are all natural, organic, straight from India.”
Mahendro, who will be cooking with his brother, Arjun, and father, Pawan, seasons and sears the meat so the juices are sealed into the short ribs.
Mahendro has had a lifetime of cooking experiences with his dad, who loves the Coachella culinary vibe. “My dad is young at heart; he loves music, art and meeting young excited people. Family-style is how we cook at home, so the Badmaash experience will be just like we're cooking for our family plus 250 friends,” he says.
By the time your Coachella cough has worn off, the popular Indian gastropub will have opened a new Fairfax Avenue location.
Trapizzino USA will serve a variety of Roman sandwiches, including coda alla vaccinara, left, pollo alla cacciatora and Parmigiana.; Credit: Nitzhan Rubin
Location: VIP area (near white peak tents)
Coachella newcomer Trapizzino USA is serving several intriguing Roman sandwich dishes, like Nonna’s beef meatballs in a tomato sugo.
“For the meat fillings, we have coda alla vaccinara, a nine-hour braised oxtail that is one of Rome's most iconic recipes, said to be 1,000 years old,” said owner Nick Hatsatouris. “We find that anyone who tries the oxtail is losing their mind even if at first they're not sure what they are getting into!”
Trapizzino also offers the pollo alla cacciatora (hunter's-style free-range chicken) in white wine, rosemary and garlic, and a beef ragu and mozzarella risotto ball. “It really seems like everyone appreciates the heartier, more traditional options, perhaps because we're surrounded by so many plant-based vendors,” Hatsatouris says.
Fuku's Coachella-exclusive Valley Sandwich; Credit: Anisha Sisodia
Another Coachella newbie, Fuku, is serving many of its classic favorites. “We have our spicy fried chicken sandwich, Fuku fingers (crispy chicken breast and jalapeño seasoned fries, served with choice of sauce), sweet and spicy sandwich and fingers, and loaded fries,” said Momofuku’s Dahlia Runco.
The restaurant also has a Coachella exclusive, the Valley Sandwich, which takes its original fried chicken sandwich, doubles the habanero thigh and adds spicy cabbage and carrot slaw along with homemade spicy Fuku sauce.
The Exchange serves a selection of salatims, or small salads, to pair with grilled meats.; Credit: Courtesy the Exchange
Location: Pop-Up
For its entries, the Exchange is serving baharat-spiced hanger steak with zhoug, along with chicken shwarma and harissa.
“Being outdoors and the great weather makes me want to eat fresh and delicious food that I would have at a backyard barbecue,” chef Alex Chang says. “We wanted to serve something delicious that represents what we do at the restaurant but also make sure we can execute on the same level with a limited kitchen. So we made a selection of salatims (small salads) that are meant to pair with a choice of chicken, steak and sweet potato, which are all simply grilled.”
Served with bread, the salatims include cucumber with black sesame and feta, tahini with grated tomato and basil, burnt eggplant with Blue Lake beans and seasonal fruit, marinated olives with walnut and pomegranate molasses, and seasonal pickles.
Celebrity chef Curtis Stone also is doing a pop-up with his restaurant, Gwen, serving signature dishes such as the grilled lamb ribs with yogurt, pork shoulder, shrimp on the barbie and lobster rolls. True meat lovers can order the Blackmore Wagyu imported from Australia.
Location: Food South
Last but not least, restaurant chain Shake Shack actually built a replica of its original Madison Square Park store in New York City.
“We’ll be serving up our classic ShackBurger, ’Shroom Burger (fried portobello mushroom filled with melted muenster and cheddar cheese, topped with lettuce, tomato and ShackSauce); Shack Stack (cheeseburger topped with a ’Shroom burger with lettuce, tomato, ShackSauce) and crinkle-cut fries,” says VP Edwin Bragg. “We’ve always believed there is a natural connection between music and food, and when they come together it creates a truly memorable experience.”
Expect more Shake Shacks to open in L.A. in the next year.
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