Meatopia Texas

I can’t believe I have been remiss in reviewing this event that I waited for with bated breath and plunked down a wad of cash for! So the basics of the event were 32 chefs cooking all kinds of meaty goodness over live fire! I mean nothing wrong with that right? So I forked over cash for VIP tickets imagining a nicer place to sit, some more food and cocktails and showed up at the event and two fellow meat connoisseurs .
First snag of the day: apparently no clearance from the health folks so no early admission… and then admission early to everyone… so the 50% surcharge for the VIP ticks was kinda null. VIP area was very nicely setup with a few specialty cocktails created for the groups. The cocktails were inventive but rather sweet for my taste. I was hoping for something more boozy, but the bartenders did make me a killer manhattan, so I was happy. The VIP food deck had mostly hits .melt in your mouth porcetta from Salt and Thyme and a fabulous duck ballotine from Tim Rattray of the Granary fame. The big disappointment was the stuffed quail… this really tasted like steamed quail with just white flabby skin, the sausage stuffing was quite dry and did nothing for the dish. After chowing down on a bacon cookie and more salumi’s we headed outside for more orgiastic feasting.
I really have to commend the organizers for doing a nice job with layouts. Some of the lines got ridiculously long, but you could spend a good amount of time chitchatting with fellow gluttons… I mean epicures… while sipping on lukewarm cans of beer (this was the biggest disappointment! Seriously… Bud Light goes as well with BBQ as a die hard Vegan in Meatopia!). Most of the chefs were quite nice and willing to chit chat about the meat and some even went as far as letting me get behind the tables and letting me taste the rubs. We of course could not get to every booth possible, but in all the ones we made it to (we strategically left out plebian sounding things for the last, focusing on things like beef hearts, lamb heart antecuchos etc.). One of the most amazing compositions was the beef heart with pork cheek and cardamom cashews from the Boiler House. This was an incredible good dish with a perfectly earthy and rare beef heart with a slight chews that led into a rich pork cheek and finished off with the satisfying herby floral crunch of the cardamom cashew and the slather of chimichuri. Other great dishes were the deep smokey venison chili, a beef cheek and tongue, the whole roasted boar, a killer lechon and trunchetta from Chef Millan (this crispy skin offering was as good as stuff I have had on the Calle de Lechon in PR) and a vegetarian dish from Green! The latter was really a fabulously cooked kale served with beautifully roasted potatoes. I was told the sisig by Paul Qui was excellent, but huge lines meant no sisig for us. The big disappointment to me was Adam Perry Langs brisket sliders. The brisket was quite dry and the pickled and carmelized onions valiantly tried to revive the dish, but to no avail.
Overall most of the food was quite good and there were some disappointments of course, but overall it was a fun time. This would be way better if these permit issues were taken care of way before the event, the staff were a bit better trained and better bevvy service! I would go back to similar event in a heartbeat!

A carnivore’s carnival! A meaty adventure! A protein spectacular!
Here’s how it works: You buy a ticket, and you never get your wallet out again! It’s a block party in Pearl Brewery, so even though there were close to 3,000 people in attendance, it was never shoulder to shoulder and the lines moved swiftly. Parking was, well, parking. They did their best to keep it organized and as uncomplicated as possible.
Suffice it to say that the bang for your buck is pretty freaking remarkable at this event. $ 75 (they were even selling $ 50 tickets at times) for all you can eat and drink, and these chefs weren’t skimping on the portions. My friends and I were wishing we hadn’t eaten anything that day in preparation. These aren’t measly bite-​sized samples, but rather full on appetizer-​sized servings per person.
Adam Perry Lang’s slider, as simple as it sounds, was barbecue comfort food at its finest. Those homemade spicy pickles kicked it up a notch. The lamb neck gyro from The Whole Beast was like melt in your mouth lamb barbacoa. And, of course, our local SA chefs represented our fine city wholeheartedly! Stuffed veal breast from Andrew Weissman, lamb heart anticuchos from The Monterey, Porchetta from Jason Dady, whole hog gumbo from Steve McHugh. Our guys are truly special, and I believe it’s because of people like them that Meatopia chose San Antonio as it’s Texas location. It’s a pretty big honor!
What I would change: I know better than most how things work when you have a beer sponsor situation and that when it’s free, beggars can’t be choosers, but I would have rather paid to drink better beer than Corona or Michelob Ultra. There were so many amazing chefs serving elevated meat dishes that better beer would’ve just rounded out the entire experience. Again, even if I had to buy it at the bar.

All hail Meatopia!
Seriously. 32 chefs were released on Texas to kill n’ grill half the animals living out there. The BBQ grill was the altar that so many cute and furry animals were laid down upon, as we sacrificed them in the name of meat! It was meat-​tastic. We had so many delicious types of meat! No animal was safe. Pigs, bison, clams, goats, lambs or fowl were all cooked up. It wasn’t just a bunch of dudes sittin’ out in front of a brewery grillin’ some burgers. It was the city’s top chefs breaking out the good stuff, and grilling up some fantastic cuts and wild flavors. The chefs were on hand to talk about their dishes, or prepare their dish right in front of you.
This event is quite an event, only being held in the most exclusive cities across the meat globe– London, NYC, and of course, San Antonio!
The food ranged from lamb hearts with a chili sauce, thanks to Monterey, to pork and clams thanks to Jason Dady. Each chef’s food was more delicious than the last! Chefs were out to make a statement with their meats. Chef Jeff from Zoca’s in the Westin was representing with The Bison Council, serving up some kickass bison carpaccio on a piece of flat bread with tomatoes and cheese.
Of course, if all you can eat beef wasn’t enough for you, they had free beer too! I was so happy to see Tim from Granary Brew n Cue out there with his rye saison and the IPA. Both beers were quite the perfect pairing with the meats! Dickel Whiskey also provided free drinks, with some exotic cocktails, such as the milk rye and a spicy walnut cocktail, which were delicious and paired perfectly with meat, meat, and more meat!
I was happy to see the vegetarians being represented there by Green Vegetarian serving a potato and kale dish, which was a perfect way to compliment the meat. I’d have been disappointed if they tried to pass off tofu or their Wham as being as good as the other meat there. Instead, they aced it with the vegetables!
The whole event was well executed, and there were so many different varieties of stuff to choose from. I applaud all the chefs for their incredible talents! The Pearl Brewery was a great setting for such an awesome event. I can’t wait to go next year!

Meatopia, how I love thee, let me count the ways! You MUST come hungry to this event! There is soooo much food, and you want to be able to try it all right?! Some of the portions were just right, a bite or two to wet the palate. But some of the chefs served TOO much– I know that most people probably wouldn’t complain about this… but I am a girl, and I’m little, and I want to try everything! I felt guilty not finishing all of it. My faves were the lambchop from HEB, the short ribs from Chef Smillie, the venison chili with quail was tasty! My favorite was the trofongo from the chefs at San Antonio Country Club– it was so good! I’ve never had anything like it! I also liked the lamb dish from Hotel Contessa; they even gave us a $ 5 off coupon (in the shape of a cork) for anything in the bar/​restaurant! The Dickel tent was serving some great whiskey concoctions (and I normally don’t like whiskey!) including a maram-​ade and a spiced walnut drink– very yummy! And let’s not forget about the free beer! The Granary was offering their craft beer, along with Corona, Modelo, and Corona Light. The lines moved relatively fast and the service was great. There were some fun bands as well! I can’t wait until next year so I can feast on the meats again!

This was such a great event, all things meat! I was in a meat suburb of Heaven! Started off with NAO, and their sweetbreads, not usually my thing, but I tried it. On to the HEB lamb, which was really good. Then Some quail and venison chili from Bruce Ausen — Biga on the Banks that was superb! The chorizo lollipops from Aurelia’s were tasty. Tried some Lengua and Cheek, not a fan of the toungue, but I do love me some cheek! Veal, short ribs, bison, pork, and more pork… The goat from Jordan Mackey @ Hotel Contessa was really good! But all in all my favorite was Nelson MIllan SA Country Club, Lechon, Trunchetto, and Trifongo, it was superb! Ventured to the George Dickel tent for some great drinks. By this time I was reaching maximum density, so we wandered around to see what if anything we had missed, topped the day off with some cabrito from The Frutaria, then some pork from the Granary!
This was an outstanding event in our great city, and I can’t wait to do it again next year!

Like the food nerd that I am, I researched all 32 participating chefs weeks before the event. I concentrated on their culinary training, foods they like to eat themselves, & heritage even. This was my Superbowl! I needed to know stats to build a game plan. I made notes and drew out plans of attack. I went over it many times with my eating assistant (aka my husband) and felt confident that we would be able to hit up every station, take great photos, try all the amazing food, & chat with the chefs.
November 3^rd… Game Day — Meatopia was finally here. I was pumped!
We arrived at 11:58am. Easily found parking off Grayson. Crossed the street to the event area and was immediately accosted by the wonderful aromas of grilled and roasted meats… aahhhh…happy dance!
Butterflied carcasses, organ meats, musicians, the media, foodies, chefs & assistant chefs galore… water stations, beer stations, food stations… it was a lot to take in at once.
I started to take pictures of where we entered — by the big yellow Pearl can. My «assistant» was supposed to trail after me and help take notes, carry my bags etc. Next thing I know, he’s in my frame and was heading towards the food like a hypnotized man. He was grabbing lamb chops, quail, ribs, chicken feet and was devouring everything like the Tasmanian Devil. Dude… we had a plan!!!
So I spent the next few hours sampling like crazy without having a clue as to what I was eating exactly. My husband would dash off, grab something & dash back to me with several offerings. «Honey, which station did these come from?» I’d ask. «Don’t remember,» he’d reply in between greedy bites and satisfied sighs. Oy vey!
Each portion was very generous. Some beautifully garnished. All tasting pretty darn good! Overall, I don’t remember any clunkers. There were some standouts for me such as the lambs chops by HEB, sigsig by Chef Paul Qui, the breast, shoulders, knees, and toes of chicken by Chef Ford Fry, grilled lamb ribs by Chef Ned Elliot, the chicken by Chef Jeff Balfour and the bacon (yes, BACON!) brownie by Chef Laura Sawicki. I shared each plate with my husband. But there was one dish that I had to go back for more of and that was the Trifongo by Chef Nelson Millan. I want that recipe!
The event was a home run in terms of food, entertainment, and layout. The lines moved quickly and we never felt squashed. However, the entry points and staff could use some tweaking and extra training. We were eating our way through Meatopia for almost half an hour before we realized we didn’t have wristbands like everyone else. Doh… we totally forgot to check-​in and no one called us out on it! In addition, we’d ask people in gray Meatopia Tshirts where XYZ was located and many would not know.
Great 1^st run overall. PLEASE COME BACK TO SAN ANTONIO, MEATOPIA!!! I have a game plan! Need to find a better assistant though :\

Wife and I went with our best friends. Had a blast walking around the various booths. The event was well organized. Despite a pretty large crowd, the lines moved quickly. Portions were generous. Chefs impressed us with a variety of meats, sauces, spices, and tastes. Beer (canned — yuk) was available at no charge. Live music on various stages kept the event lively. It was nice to pay an upfront admission and not have to purchase tickets. There could have been more tables to accommodate folks. Overall, it was a fun event!

Where to start? Well, at the beginning. I’m glad we took the bus to Pearl. Parking looked a little tight and hairy. Got to the Pearl Parkway entrance about 11:50 am, which was great because we had VIP tickets for whom the event opened at noon. All others at 1:00 pm.
Yeah, right. We were told we couldn’t go in yet because the health department hadn’t given the green light. Mass confusion at this gate. Other staff came over and said there were shorter lines around the corner. We explained about the health dept and what difference does a gate make? She looked confused, starting taking our tickets, applying our wristbands. We got in at 12:20 pm. Talk about wasted money. VIP tickets were $ 125 for crissakes!!!
At least the food made up for the opening mess. Meat of every species and seasoning. Beef, lamb, pork, chicken and all the combinations in between. Tenderloin, pulled pork, whole hog, gumbo, anticuchos, little sandwiches. Pork Fried rice. Organ meat — beef hearts, lamb hearts (which I passed on). Desserts for the VIPs by the CIA. Cream puffs. Stuffed quail. Smoked duck. Sausage. I am so miserably, happily stuffed. And music-​West Side Horns, George Rivas. After the Horns were done, the trumpet player played a bit with George. Really cool. All in all, a really great event.