If you’re looking for a really good steak look no further than Blacksmith Italian here in Bozeman. That’s right, an Italian restaurant, not a steakhouse! Executive Chef and Co-owner Cory Dragone explains what makes the steak selections at Blacksmith’s so unique.
“We use a very special Italian beef that comes only from Piedmontese cattle,” Cory explained. “That’s what makes all the difference.”
Dragone has been running the restaurant for eight years now and says that when they first opened, they were very big on using only local beef. But as the restaurant grew and expanded twice, they could no longer compete with bigger restaurant chains to get all the beef they required. That’s when fate stepped in. One of the executives of the Certified Piedmontese company just happened to be vacationing in Bozeman and stopped to have a meal at the restaurant. Not long after, the company reached out to Cory to let him know they thought their product would be a really good fit for Blacksmith Italian. “Not only that, but one of their head chefs was actually my roommate when I lived in Napa,” Cory said. “Ben Maides is the best chef in Nebraska and a good friend, so all of this just kind of fell in place just as the restaurant was growing in our second year.”
The cattle ranch is in Nebraska and has been in operation since the early 70s. They get their cattle directly from Piedmont, Italy. “They really pride themselves on being a ranch to fork type of business, with all the animals being pasture raised so it’s very humane,” Cory said.
If you’re wondering what makes this type of beef so unique, just take a look at the cattle. They are noticeably a heavy and muscular breed but at the same time the muscle fibers remain tender and lean without excess marbling, which makes the meat a much healthier option, without sacrificing any of the flavor. Cory says he prides himself on using only the best ingredients and he also likes to use local suppliers such as Kimm’s Organic Produce which has been in the area for 100 years, and SporeAttic, a local gourmet mushroom farm.
The Certified Piedmontese Company ranch delivers meat to Blacksmith Italian once a week via UPS, and from there, Cory creates some of the famous masterpieces the restaurant has become so well known for. The beef tenderloin is available every day, covered in a 3-day sauce of bone marrow gravy and paired with herb roasted potatoes from Kimm’s. Saturday’s special is the 30 day dry aged ribeye steak and on Fridays you can enjoy Surf and Turf, which includes a Bistro fillet topped with Demi-glace and paired with lobster and Bruschetta wrapped asparagus.
Blacksmith Italian is open five days a week, Tuesday through Saturday from 5 to 9 pm and Cory encourages patrons to make reservations, as with menu choices like this, they definitely stay busy.