Washington restaurants, beef producer, announce partnership

WASHINGTON — Two Washington restaurants have entered into a partnership with Beef Producers Tim and Heather Marek, of Marek Land & Livestock, agreeing to source their red meat for every last burger, steak, meatloaf and lasagna exclusively from the farm.

Owners of Café Dodici and soon-to-open Northside Diner were enthusiastic about the handshake agreement, saying it would ensure consistent, high-quality red meat at their establishments. All said they saw a rising population of increasingly aware consumers, interested not only in how their food was raised, but exactly where it came from.

Northside Co-owner and Dodici Manager Isabella Santoro said such a market would only grow with time.

“I haven’t seen it so much in Washington, but in Iowa City, it says on menus where their pork or beef comes from, it’s like a point of pride,” she said. “I think more and more people care around here, and will care. It’s definitely a trend, knowing where your food came from, cutting out as many middle men as possible. So whether or not many people appreciate that yet, I think we’re heading that way.”

Additionally, Northside Co-owner Ed Santoro said he was excited about the arrangement’s support for the local economy.

“It’s participation in a community, because that is what makes a community,” he said. “When they’re expanding, they’re hiring local people. Every dollar spent locally gets turned over seven times.”

Restaurant owners said they go through a lot of beef each month, with specifics dependent on customer traffic. That means roughly 45-60 ribeyes a month at Dodici’s and something like 40 lbs. of ground beef a week at Northside, among other cuts at both establishments.

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For the restaurants, the arrangement ensures not only a locally sourced product, but a high-quality one. The Mareks pride themselves on their operation’s genetic management, with a high output of choice and prime-grade beef achieved by crossbreeding Angus and Hereford cattle.

Dodici’s Co-owner Alessandro Scipioni said he was looking forward to working with the product.

“Competition is (often) just, ‘Who makes the better price?’” he said. “I like competition with better quality, it’s a new concept … the reason why we opened a restaurant like Café Dodici in the past (was) just to give a different choice, a different quality. That, to me, is very important.”

Tim Marek said he was excited about the pasture to plate arrangement, or as he likes to call it, “conception to consumption.” He expects customers to keep coming back for that quality guarantee, drawn by the flavor profile of choice- and prime-grade marbling, even in typically lower-grade products like ground meat.

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“They’re going to get hamburger that’s from choice or prime cattle, every time,” Marek said. “Quality grade is where taste is. Not only is it important where the meat comes from but even more so, 'Why is it so good every time?'”

Marek first approached the Santoros about the partnership last summer. He said he was excited to collaborate with the family behind Café Dodici and Northside, calling the business owners “forward thinkers.”

He added that the farm did not plan on extending a similar arrangement to other restaurants in town.

“I don’t think it needs to be a lot of restaurants, I want it to be special,” Marek said. “I think business grows if it’s special, and you don’t want to do it everywhere if you want it to be [unique.]”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com