#meatoverload

Born in New York, raised in Jamaica, and educated in Texas— Chef Jay McCarthy is a multicultural visionary who has parlayed his diverse background into a unique and innovative culinary style that has earned him repeated accolades. He worked as an aerospace engineer for a short time and found he was more inspired by blending flavors than he was by mixing jet fuels.

Chef McCarthy’s unique style utilizes the native flavors of Texas. Drawing from his Jamaican roots, his cooking style has been recognized for blending native Texas cuisine with tropical flavors. He fully showcased his culinary talents at Marriott Cafe’s Meat Overload Station which has packed to the rim with all these delicious meaty dishes.

The Meat Overload Station featured specialties courtesy of the U.S. Meat Export Federation. These imported products included U.S. Beef, U.S. Pork, and American Homegrown Lamb items that guests were all excited to try.

The U.S. Angus High Choice Beef was the main attraction at the Meat Overload Station. Among the dishes presented were Braised Short Ribs Bone In Red Wine Glazed - sterling silver; Oven Baked Country Road Top Sirloin - sterling silver; and Herb Marinated Pittsburgh Style Prime Rib Eye Boneless CAB.

These were accompanied by Green Peppercorn Sauce, Wild Mushroom Sauce, Red Wine Jus Sauce, and Assorted Bottled Hot Sauce.

For the U.S. Pork Kurobuta products, specialties included Home-Made Smoked Kurobuta Ham; Southern Smoke Hickory Grilled Kurobuta Belly; BBQ Spice rubbed JD Essence Baby Back Ribs; BBQ spice rubbed Wood Fired Brisket Bones; and Sugarcure rubbed Caramelized Bone In skinless Pork Loin. These were accompanied by sauces as well as assorted grilled organic vegetables.

We also got to try some American Lamb Ribs as well as these juicy Grilled Wagyu Frankfurters. There were so many meaty dishes to choose from but we really wanted to eat everything.

The main attraction at the Meat Overload Station was this huge U.S. Wagyu Snake River Farm Steamship Bone In. This big chunk of meat was rubbed with rosemary serrano and slow cooked in an open flame.

Accompanying the mother ship was a variety of sauces including the Chard Kansas BBQ Sauce, St Louis Smoked BBQ Sauce, Texas Barbacao Style BBQ Sauce, Bourbon BBQ Sauce, Tomato Chutney, Red Capsicum Chutney, Guacamole Dip, and Chimichurri.

We were really excited to try all of these U.S. Meat dishes. You can really see it from the big smile on our faces.

The Chef McCarthy Meat and Greet event also featured several whiskey-based cocktails that were all part of the buffet. Marriott Cafe had its own Bourbon Cocktail Bar courtesy of Jack Daniels and Jim Beam where guests can request for their handcrafted cocktails.

I asked for the Ginger Tennessee which had a combination of Jack Daniels, calamansi juice, and ginger syrup. My husband got the Manhattan Rocks with its mix of Jim Beam, Martini Rosso, and Angostura bitters. Other cocktails include the Lynchburg Lemonade and the Old Fashioned.

What could be better than a plate full of barbecued U.S. meats and unlimited glasses of bourbon cocktail? Marriott Manila really went all out with this Meat and Greet activity.

Of course, all the other buffet stations at Marriott Cafe were still available to guests that afternoon. This included the salad station and the fresh seafood station that featured mussels, prawns, clams, and crabs.

The Japanese station is always a favorite with its sushi and sashimi offerings. There were also plenty of tempura plus they have a teppanyaki station where you can customize your teppanyaki orders.

One of the best areas at Marriott Cafe is the Paluto Station. Here you can ask for their Fresh Catch of the Day and have it cooked to your liking. I usually have my fish done Sweet and Sour style. Make sure to also ask for their live crabs which I asked to be cooked Singaporean style.

You can check my last visit to Marriott Cafe a few months ago to see all the other exciting dishes and stations that are available daily for guests. We ended our Meat and Greet activity with indulgent sweets and cool scoops of gelato from the Dessert Station.

We would like to thank Marriott Manila, Alternatives Food Corp., the U.S. Meat Export Federation, and Chef Jay McCarthy for hosting this amazing afternoon filled with barbecues and steaks. Watch out for other exciting events at Marriott Hotel Manila.

Marriott Cafe

Ground Floor, Marriott Hotel Manila, Newport City, Pasay City

8988-9999 / (0917) 5849560

www.marriottcafemanila.com