Can a steak made sans cow — or any meat, for that matter — actually taste as good as the real thing? That’s the hope of Beyond Meat, which just launched its Beyond Steak Filet.
The company, which also features the steak in the protein plate at vegan fast food chain Veggie Grill, just partnered with BOA Steakhouse and NYC restaurant Ladybird to create dishes featuring the faux filet. As someone who gave up meat in fifth grade, I was eager to see if the steak stacked up to my memories — so when Beyond invited me to try the steak at BOA Steakhouse’s West Hollywood location, I knew I had to taste-test the product myself.
Nutrition-wise, the Beyond Steak Filet — primarily made from mycelium, faba bean protein and avocado oil — packs a protein punch. A filet has 230 calories and 28 grams of protein, as well as 3 grams of fiber. It also contains 9 grams of total fat, with only 1 gram of saturated fat. On the sodium front, it contains 15% of your daily value, which is 350 mg.
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But how would it taste, especially when compared with other, more traditional items on a steakhouse menu? Fortunately, BOA Steakhouse didn’t skimp on flavor. The BOA Steakhouse team created a fully vegan tasting menu as part of the launch that included an heirloom tomato salad with tofu and a Thai coconut curry with roasted veggies. For the Beyond Steak Filet, the main course of the meal, the restaurant created a “Club Room Style Steak Frites” dish, which included the steak filet topped with a vegan version of beurre de Paris, a type of compound butter. The steak was served alongside grilled portobello, tomato and “thousand layer fries.”
I tried the Beyond Steak Filet at BOA Steakhouse as part of a vegan tasting menu. (Kaitlin Reilly)
When the steak arrived, I noticed right away that it didn’t exactly look like I expected. Beyond Meat products, like its burger, “bleed” due to the inclusion of beet juice, so I was expecting a slightly redder, juicier bite. Instead, the steak was cooked thoroughly, giving it a nice char — the kind of grilled taste that, as someone who does not eat meat, I don’t often get to enjoy. It was also pleasantly chewy, with a strong meaty flavor that was almost indistinguishable from the real thing. In proper steakhouse fashion, I had to cut into it with a real steak knife.
Of course, I knew I wasn’t the best person to ask when it came to how meat-like the Beyond Steak Filet really was. I brought my meat-eating husband to the dinner, hoping he would be able to weigh in on the similarities between Beyond’s new product and the real deal. Since he pretty regularly eats Beyond products and other faux meats — the perks of living with a non-meat-eater! — he’s used to food that taste like meat, but not quite enough for him to abandon his carnivore ways. But while he typically prefers real beef to the fake version, he couldn’t get enough of the steak. Though he said he wouldn’t necessarily confuse Beyond Steak Filet with a filet mignon, for example, he noted that he also wouldn’t be able to tell that what he was eating was a plant-based option.
The Beyond Steak Filet was juicy and needed to be cut with a steak knife. (Kaitlin Reilly)
Is it possible that the Beyond Steak Filet earned such high points because it was prepared at a high-end steakhouse? Sure — I have no idea how I would do crafting my own version of this dish. However, as someone who has regularly uses Beyond products, like burgers, ground meat and steak tips, I’ve always been impressed by how easily the products cook up in a pan or even on the barbecue.
But whether I will get to try my hand at grilling Beyond Steak Filet is up in the air. Right now, Beyond Meat has not announced a roll-out in grocery stores but is planning on expanding to select restaurants across the United States. Beyond Meat currently sells its Beyond Steak seared tips, which I use for fajitas and tacos. My ability to make a vegan beurre de Paris sauce, however? That’s a different story.
