It’s the American grill that the Americans go to. The word has got out among the visiting American business people and US ex-pat community that Iron River in Frankston does some of the most authentic dishes outside the 50 states. “There’s this guy who flies in from Boston who says we do Philly cheesesteaks better than they do in Philadelphia,” says co-owner Dwayne Heagney. He’s a Frankston lad born and bred with a love of traditional American grill and barbecue cuisines. His partner in business and life is Rachel Bennett. She started working at the café next door and now owns both with Dwayne. A Philly cheesesteak at Iron River is a sliced grilled scotch fillet in a roll with onions piled high and slathered in cheese sauce.
Iron River sits inside the Quest Hotel on Nepean Highway. It is a moodily lit room with steel chairs at hardwood tables. Ceramic steer skulls line one wall. A bar on one wall serves Coors on tap and American beers in the bottle, like Pabst Blue Ribbon and Blue Moon Belgian-style beer from Colorado. The open kitchen sits at the back of the dining room, at its heart a powerful chargrill on which the steaks are cooked. “We are country people,” says Rachel. “We like steak, and we like hearty serves.” Dwayne adds: “And we have the best steak.” They source their beef from Great Southern and other suppliers. They have a variety of marble-scored steaks to match customers’ predilection for flavour and juiciness. They are one of the few places around to run Master Kobe marble scores 8 Wagyu. “When it comes to steak, we are about simplicity,” says Dwayne. “It’s pepper and salt for seasoning, perhaps butter. But nothing that will get in the way of the flavour of the grilled steak.”
To prove a point, he grills a Wagyu rump. Perfect cross-hatching. I like my steak rare-medium-rare, especially Wagyu. You want the fat warmed but not rendered out and dripping out on the grill. Dwayne has nailed it. Taking to it with an impressive Cavalier steak knife, the blade seems to glide effortlessly through the meat. The seasoning is perfect, but you can still taste the grill, the flames and, most importantly, the nutty sweetness of the MS8 Wagyu. “We cook to order what our guests want, not what we think they want,” says Rachel. “So if a customer asks for French blue (bloody), that’s what they get,” adds Dwayne. “Same if they want it well done. We want them to be happy.”
Sometimes you feel that these two have out-Americaned the Americans. Their buffalo wings are deep-fried and served with a sauce made with red capsicum, red onions, honey, butter and some unmentioned spices. It is a masterpiece in sweet, sour, umami, salt, and lingering rich flavour. It is identifiably American but uniquely Iron River. “If you want to make your food taste good,” remarks Dwayne, “use good ingredients, traditional methods, and creativity when required.” Another unique dish are the Texas beef short ribs, which have been slowly cooked in stock, chargrilled to serve, and slathered in a Coca-Cola and orange juice barbecue sauce with a fair dash of Tabasco sauce for good measure. Add to this the loaded potato tots (gems) and the Motza Mashie Balls – deep-fried balls of mashed potato filled with bacon and cheese. You have a reasonable excuse to head to Iron River to eat like a Yankee one lunch or dinner soon.
Iron River is open Monday to Friday 4pm-late, and Saturday and Sunday noon-late.
RICHARD CORNISH
Richard Cornish is a freelance food writer filing regular food news stories for newspapers and magazines across Australia, including Eat.Drink Mornington Peninsula and each month in Mornington Peninsula Magazine.
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