In Kaunas – a gourmet fiesta of tastes: famous guests enjoyed oysters and steaks | Names

In the very center of Kaunas, next to the Historical Presidency building and the green park on Vilniaus street, the restaurant “Steak House” that attracts meat lovers has opened its doors. According to the owners of the place, their goal is not only to satisfy even the most discerning taste seekers and to provide the highest quality delicious dishes, but also to educate about meat culture, different types of beef, its aging methods and history, so that visits to the restaurant enrich a priceless experience.

A group of well-known representatives of the world of entertainment and business gathered for the festive opening event. Among those enjoying the dinner were cook Ilona Juciūtė, TV presenter Gerda Žemaitė, businesswomen Gintarė Armalė and Neringa Mažeikiė, clothing designers Audronė Bunikienė and Gabriele Gineikaitė, florist Kristina Rimienė with her husband TV3 creative director Arvydus, plastic surgeons Vyginta Kaikarė and Karolina Venslauskaite, swimmer Rugilė Binevičienė, host of events Tomas Grigaitė, actress Sandra Daukšaitė-Petrulėnė with her family, producers Gintarė Kreipavičiūtė, Vyginta Preberga and Gediminas Juodeikas with her fiancee Živile and many others.

Director Andrius Žiurauskas, who hosted the opening ceremony, says that this location of the restaurant was not chosen by chance. It turns out that the twists and turns of history pave the way even to the very beginning of steaks as a culinary idea.

“The first steak houses recorded in history began in London, but historians testify that the English and the entire old world brought the idea from fifteenth-century Florence. In the hall of the Medici palace of the most famous Florentine dynasty, among the other 53 maps there is also a map of the LDK with described routes to Lithuania, and portraits of Žygimantas the Elder, Stepon Bator, Vladislaus Vaza and Jonas Sobieskis are displayed on the walls. During the reign of these Lithuanian rulers, Kaunas flourished the most in the Lithuanian-Polish state, and Bona Sforca brought all the most fashionable Italian traditions and chefs of that time to Lithuania from Italy.

In Kaunas, the corner building on Kaunas Town Hall Square is historically considered the princely palace. Now there is an Academy of Fine Arts, so it would not be possible to restore a steak house in that place. But the restaurant is on the street, where the presidency is around the corner. This is the palace where the governor, Kaiser Wilhelm II and all three interwar Lithuanian presidents lived. So, can there be a more respectable place in Kaunas, where the presidency is around the corner. Not really, so welcome to the Kaunas House of Steak Masters”, A. Žiurauskas shared interesting facts while congratulating the participants of the festival.

Photo by Teodoros Biliūnas/Laima Kybartienė

The evening’s program started with a tasting of oysters prepared by Robert Reklaitis, followed by tuna tataki, beef tartare and the main courses of beef StripLoin and beef Uruguayan entrecote. Cook, author of recipe books and TV presenter Ilona Juciūtė, who participated in the celebration, says that being part of the grilling community, she knows how to make a good steak, but she prefers to taste it rather than grilling it herself.

Photo by Teodoros Biliūnas/Gabrielė Gineikaitė-Miliauskienė with her sister

“Although I cook steaks myself less often, I have tasted thousands of them and I can tell from the first bite where the steak is cooked correctly and where there was a lack of effort. Beef is one of the most popular types of meat in many cultures. It is also an excellent source of protein, containing various nutrients and amino acids that are essential for the body. And although there are many ways to prepare beef, steaks are one of the most popular. If you choose good and high-quality meat, it is not difficult to cook a delicious steak at home, but in order to be sure that you will not be disappointed with the dish, you can entrust this task to the masters of the restaurant”, says I. Juciūtė.

Photo by Teodoros Biliūnas/Known citizens of Kaunas gathered for the opening of the restaurant

Tomas Grigaitis, the host of TV shows and events, also agrees with her, who says that he bought a barbecue just last summer, so that he could enjoy delicious steaks whenever he wanted, but as he keeps running out of time, he willingly looks in the direction of restaurants in Kaunas.

“I bought my own grill last summer, but I still have a lot to learn when it comes to cooking a juicy steak. Oh, and time is running out, so a restaurant in the center of Kaunas that delights with dishes enriched with the aroma of smoke is a real salvation for people like me who are constantly rushing everywhere and in a hurry, but who still want to discover new flavors, taste them, and at the same time learn something,” says T. .Grigaitis.