When I was in Alameda, California a few years ago I had the opportunity to eat a few meals at the Gold Coast Grill. They served amazing Mediterranean food with classics like moussaka and souvlaki and a house speciality of marinated rack of lamb. The Gold Coast Grill was owned by Christos Marras and Stelios Tsagris. I had the chance to meet Christos and he was a delightful, charming gentleman. The Gold Coast Grill opened its doors in 1992 and served its last meal in 2017.
Everything I ate there was amazing but what I loved the most was the grilled New York steak served with a cabernet wine sauce. After a lot of experimentation I have finally recreated the technique for grilling the steak and can up with a nice recipe for the wine sauce. I wanted to share the full recipe here as a homage to the wonderful restaurant run by two delightful gentleman.
Cabernet Wine Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup Cabernet Sauvignon ( I use Rex Goliath)
- 1 cup low sodium beef broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 green onions finely sliced
Recipe
- Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a sauce pan and then add the green onions. Saute the onions over medium heat until softened (about four minutes).
- Add the wine and beef broth to the pan and simmer over medium heat until the volume has reduced by half (about 15 minutes).
- Add the remaining three tablespoons of butter and stir until the butter is melted.
- Add half of the heavy cream and adjust seasons with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add more cream if needed to achieve desired consistency.
Grilled New York Steak
Ingredients
- 1 pound New York strip steak, bone in
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon fresh cracked black pepper
Recipe
- Coat all sides of the steak liberally with salt and pepper
- Let the steak sit at room temperature for one hour.
- Cook the grill on a hot grill, flipping the steak every two minutes.
- Remove the steak from the grill when it reaches an internal temperature of 135F (about 10 minutes).
- Let the steak rest 10 minutes before slicing.
The part of the technique that took me so long to figure out was the importance of letting the steak rest at room temperature for an hour before grilling. This gives the salt time to penetrate into the meat for more even seasoning and making the steak more tender. This rest period also allows the center of the steak to warm up so you get more even cooking on the grill.
Flipping the steak every two minutes helps the steak cook evenly and minimizes the amount of grey, overcooked steak on the surface of the steak. I believe Gold Coast Grill cooked their steaks with a gas grill but I like the flavor you get from a charcoal grill even more.
Alternative Techniques
The recipe above is my favorite but that is not the only way to have steak with a wine sauce. While Gold Coast served New York strip steak you can make this even better by using a more tender steak like flat iron, teres major or ribeye.
If you are going to pan sear your steak instead of grilling then you will end up with a better sauce as you can incorporate the pan drippings. This video walks you through pan searing a steak and making a creamy wine sauce. It looks delicious!
What About Moussaka?
The Gold Coast Grill was famous for their moussaka and I can attest that it was incredible! I have tried my hand at making the dish a few times but it never seems to be anywhere near as good as the version from the Gold Coast.
There are many regional variants for moussaka but since the Gold Coast Grill focussed on Greek food I have been trying to make the greek version. I have been basing my recipe for moussaka on this version from Jamie Oliver’s Food Tube.
Share Your Memories
Do you have fond memories of great meals at Gold Coast Grill? Do you have any pictures you would like to share? If so then drop a note in the comments below!