THEWALL STREET JOURNAL. * * * * Saturday/Sunday, July 6 - 7, 2019 | D1

A VERSION OF PERSIANThis Middle Eastern recipe doesn’t justphotograph well. It tastes great, too D9

MEDITERRANEAN ISLANDS THATAREN’TMOBBED

We found five. You’re welcome D4

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EYES THAT SPARKLEShades with rhinestones—summerglamour that’s just OTT enough D2

OFF DUTYFASHION |FOOD |DESIGN |TRAVEL |GEAR

ThisSummer’s

Grill StarsHow does a particular cut of beef rise from obscurity to celebrity status?

Top butchers offer a glimpse into their business—plus pro tips onhow to put a perfect sear on the steaks they’re loving now

AFEWWEEKS AGO, I foundmyself gazing at a bachelor,laid out next to a Merlotand a feather. No, I was notsurfing a fetish site. I was at

the butcher shop, gawking through theglass case at a rosy display of meat.“Merlot,” “bachelor” and “feather” werethe names of well-trimmed cuts of beef.

I’d never heard of these cuts. Couldthey possibly be new? Humans haveraised cattle for 10,000 years, and butch-ery is just as ancient. Surely cows aren’tsuddenly sprouting new parts.

Some of the usual suspects—tender-loin, sirloin, New York strip—sat along-side these new-to-me steaks. I was scan-ning the case for one I’d enjoyed in arestaurant, bavette. Though this shophad a massive selection, I didn’t spot it.

“Oh, that’s the vacio,” the meat cuttersaid when I asked. “Same thing, differentname. It’s becoming quite popular.”

Talking further with meat suppliers,butchers and chefs, I learned that there’smore to this next wave of steaks thansimply doling out new names. Specialtycuts help make all the above points onthe meat supply chain more sustainable,economically and environmentally.

Jake Dickson of Dickson’s FarmstandMeats in Manhattan broke down the“popularity cycle” of meat cuts. “Whensomething happens economically, like arecession, restaurants seek out lower-priced items. Instead of New York strip,they’ll serve skirt steak,” he said. “Theconsumer is introduced to this value cut,then looks to cook it at home.”

If cuts like the bavette are on the rise,I wondered, why weren’t they more com-mon in supermarkets? “Math,” said AnyaFernald, co-founder and CEO of Bel-campo Meat Co. Supermarkets operateon a much larger scale than neighbor-hood butchers and profit on volume.“The strategy is to sell as many popularcuts like rib-eyes and New York strips foras much as they possibly can,” Ms. Fer-nald explained; the rest becomes groundbeef. A carcass, she explained, has 700 to800 pounds of available meat; of thatabout 70 pounds is rib-eye and New Yorkstrip, and less than 1 pound is somethinglike a flat iron or Denver cut. (For aguide to these and other specialty cuts,see “Heat Index,” page D8.) “So gettingenough of those is not worth the troubleto supermarkets,” she said.

For butchers, however, extractingniche cuts rather than tossing them intothe grinder makes sense: They cancharge a higher price for the steaks thanthey would for ground beef, and they’restill using as much of the carcass as theycan. “These cuts keep my butcher case

PleaseturntopageD8

THE NEWPORT STEAKThis versatile cut—a

standout whether smoked,roasted, braised or cut into

pieces for skewering—is gaininga fan base on the East Coast. InCalifornia, where it’s known astri-tip or Santa Maria, it’s

long been a grillinggo-to.

BY KATHLEEN SQUIRES

For personal, non-commercial use only. Do not edit, alter or reproduce. For commercial reproduction or distribution, contact Dow Jones Reprints & Licensing at (800) 843-0008 or www.djreprints.com.

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D4 | Saturday/Sunday, July 6 - 7, 2019 * * * * THEWALL STREET JOURNAL.

ADVENTURE & TRAVEL

At 164 square miles, Naxos is thelargest of Greece’s Cyclades Islands.Others in the chain—Mykonos andSantorini, namely—tend to flaunttheir attributes on social-mediafeeds, but based on looks alone, moresubdued Naxos could easily competefor suitors. Aquamarine coves andchilled-out beaches encircle the is-land. Olive and fig trees blanket theverdant interior. The island’s biggeststar, mythic Mount Zeus (or Zas),stands 3,300 feet high and lets you

complete a heroically strenuous trekto the summit. Lazier bones can ex-plore by rental car, flitting from oneoff-off-piste mountain village to thenext. Halki is known for its food-for-ward tavernas and bohemian galler-ies run by local artists and potterswhile Sangri’s 2,700-year-old Deme-ter Temple and 7th-century Byzan-tine monastery frescoes beckon pil-grims and archaeologists alike.

Staying There Three miles from the

port and adjacent to the ruined Ioniccolumns of Dionysius’ Temple, theNaxian Collection resort snakesaround a boulder-strewn ridge of theStelida Peninsula. Earlier this year, the20 rooms, including 8 adobe-like vil-las—all bathed in creams and whites—emerged from a refurbishment withpolished-granite tubs and basket lan-terns. The grounds feature walnutgroves, contemporary yellow-and-white Naxian marble sculptures and afew private pools. The family who

runs the hotel can arrange bird-watch-ing hikes, kitesurfing or sailing excur-sions. The hotel also offers cookingclasses and culinary tours that take infishing ports, cheesemongers, wineriesand hidden tavernas. From about$290 a night, naxiancollection.com

Getting There From Athens, Naxosis a five-hour ferry ride. From Myko-nos, trips take 50 to 30 minutes de-pending on the ferry operator. is-ferry.com

While sightseers pack Piazza SanMarco and the Grand Canal logjamswith gondoliers, the other 100-plusislands in the 210-square-mile Vene-tian Lagoon remain largely over-looked. Case in point: Mazzorbo, ahalf-mile long island in the northernlagoon connected to the island ofBurano by a wooden foot bridge.When the thundering #12 Vaporettopasses Mazzorbo, a bait ball of tour-ists spills from its windows jockeyingfor the best spot to snap photos ofthe island’s low-slung, pastel homes,complete with laundry hanging fromlace-curtained windows. After itpasses, the canal’s wake is reduced toan audible trickle, and Mazzorbo’s stilllife study of canal-lined sidewalks,high-walled gardens, creaky boatsand leaning campaniles absorbing thesunlight, quietly continues.

Staying There Matteo Bisol, theyoungest son of the Italian Bisolwine dynasty, opened Venissa in2010. Billed as a “wine resort,” itconsists of six minimally furnishedrooms, a walled vineyard of rare Do-rona di Venezia grapes and two finerestaurants. The more formal of the

two, a Michelin-starred ristorante,upgrades typical Venetian dishes, of-fering, for example, cuttlefish in anest of smoked seaweed and pinenut-stuffed ravioli with bitter herbs.A few years ago, Mr. Bisol convertedfive former gondolier homes intostylish guesthouses on Burano, themore bustling, even more colorfulneighboring island, a short walkaway. At Casa Burano, each housefeatures modern furnishings like Ar-

clinea desks, as well as mosaic tilesand canopy beds. Venissa fromabout $200 a night, venissa.it; CasaBurano from about $122 a night,casaburano.it

Getting There From Venice MarcoPolo Airport or San Marco train sta-tion, water taxis directly to Mazzorboor Burano take about 40 minutes.The Vaporetto lines #12 and #14 alsorun regularly to Mazzorbo.

Isle BeWaitingAttention: Summer-vacation procrastinators. We’ve identified five Mediterranean islands that offer

fabulous food, accommodations and seascapes but remain well-kept secrets—for now

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The azure Adriatic waters offCroatia’s Dalmatian Coast havea rocky island for every type oftraveler: beach party-seeker,snorkel junkie, yoga retreaterand sun-worshipper (solo orwith family). Some of the isleshave been ruined by mass tour-ism, but not sweet, one-square-mile Prvic, ideal for low-mainte-nance visitors. Car-free, theisland is home to just 400 resi-dents and one hotel. It does,however, host a few churchesfurnished with baroque altars,as well as a convent built by

Glagolitic monks. But the realdraws are the 6 miles of craggycoastline and solitary beaches.

Staying There Parked at the is-land’s kayak landing, the HotelMaestral is a former school-house offering cozy rooms withstone walls, wooden floors andgreen shutters that fling opento the harbor. Its owner, a for-mer photojournalist who cov-ered the region’s wars, alsoruns the restaurant, with tablesso close to the water you candangle your feet in while nurs-ing an ice-cold glass of Ozujskobeer and waiting for plates oftangy goat cheese, stuffed ol-ives and crispy fried calamari.From about $75 a night; hotel-maestral.com

Getting There From Dubrovnik,it’s a 3.5 hours drive (or fromSplit, a 70-minute drive) to Si-benik, a medieval seaside townwhere you catch a one-hourferry to Prvic. jadrolinija.hr

PRVIC, CROATIA MAZZORBO, ITALY

The seven Aeolian Islandsoff the northeast coast ofSicily enjoy cooling seabreezes when mainland Italyroasts in the heat. One ofthe loveliest and most se-rene is Salina, a 10-square-mile cluster of six dormantvolcanoes. The island isknown—by the few whoknow it at all—for its caperfarms, vineyards growingMalvasia grapes and low-keytrattorias. The latter tend toserve up vegan-friendly ca-ponata and spaghetti withbergamot-scented swordfish.

Staying There Two milesfrom the port town of SantaMarina and just outside thevillage of Malfa lies Capo-faro Locanda & Malvasia, asmall resort and restaurantset on vineyards that plungedown to the Tyrrhenian Sea.Owned by Sicilian winemak-

ing family Tasca d’Almerita,Capofaro offers 27 guestquarters, including a fewthat occupy a 19th-centurylighthouse. Each roomcomes with a private ter-race, overlooking the sea orvolcanoes. The hotel has atempting swimming pooland a beach, a 10-minuteshuttle ride away, but shouldyou ever feel restless, staffcan arrange guided hikesalong sea-cliff trails or sun-set aperitivos in the scenicvillage of Pollara, where1994’s “Il Postino” wasfilmed. From about $290 anight, capofaro.it

Getting There The easiestway to access Salina is fromthe Sicilian capital of Pa-lermo; the Liberty Line hy-drofoil from Milazzo portreaches the island in 90minutes. eng.libertylines.it

SALINA, ITALY

The Tunisian island ofDjerba is hardly your typi-cal beach getaway. An-cient souks cram be-tween whitewashedhouses, while Speedo-and bikini-clad Euros, yar-mulke-capped teens andturbaned Berbers astridecamels all share thepalm-lined beaches.Founded in 586 B.C., mul-ticultural Djerba has oneof the largest Jewishpopulations in the Arabworld (around 1,000 as of2011). In 2002, after adeadly bombing outsidethe synagogue, the islandslid off the tourist radar.Now, after more than adecade of calm, touristsare coming back. Accord-ing to Fahim Masoud, re-gional intelligence man-ager for WorldAware, arisk management firm,“The Tunisian govern-ment maintains elevatedsecurity [on Djerba] tominimize any threatposed to travelers by mil-itant groups.”

Staying There Five 600-year-old houses con-nected by alleyways andcourtyards comprise DarDhiafa. Berber rugs andfireplaces adorn eachroom. Some have rooftoppatios; others come withpools. From about $85 anight, dardhiafa.tn

Getting There Dailyflights link Djerba toParis, Zurich, Milan andother European cities.

DJERBA, TUNISIA

HEADED TO the Mediterranean this summer? You and everyone’s nonaand zio. The tranquil and breezy Med, birthplace of bikinis and burqas notto mention la dolce vita and Dionysus, has been luring demigods and mor-tals to its turquoise lagoons and olive-tree-lined shores since Helen andHomer were tweens.

In recent years, the Mediterranean vacation scene has become fraught

with ever-increasing crowds and prices, scorching heat waves and anti-tourism demonstrations, making a temperate, tranquil and affordablepatch of seascape hard to score. But fear not: The Med also gave birth todemocracy, and can still provide a quiet place for everyone who knowshow to look. Here, we chart five lesser-known islands where you can stakeout some space and escape the throngs and thongs. —Adam H. Graham

For personal, non-commercial use only. Do not edit, alter or reproduce. For commercial reproduction or distribution, contact Dow Jones Reprints & Licensing at (800) 843-0008 or www.djreprints.com.

For pers

onal,

non-commerc

ial use

only.