At The Hanger Room our goal is to provide you with a dining experience second to none. Our food is exquisitely prepared from only the freshest ingredients provided by local purveyors who are committed to sustainable product. All of our steaks are dry-aged on premises in our state-of-the-art aging room, which allows the meat to develop a superior tenderness and flavor. Our vast array of craft beers, whiskeys, scotches and bourbons, and an impressive wine list to suit any palate will provide the perfect accompaniment to your meal. We at The Hanger Room intend to provide you with a one-of-a-kind dining experience.
The Dry Aging Process
The Hanger Room sets itself apart from other restaurants by having a one-of-a kind dry aging meat room on site, the first restaurant in the state to have this capability on premises. Dry aging beef is a unique and expensive process, which entails aging only the highest grades of meat for a minimum of 14-45 days in a meticulously temperature-controlled cooler. The key effect of dry aging is the concentration of the flavor. The taste of dry-aged beef is almost incomparable to that of wet-aged beef, which is what is typically available in local supermarkets.
The process of dry-aging usually promotes growth of certain fungal (mold) species on the external surface of the meat. This doesn’t cause spoilage, but actually forms an external “crust” on the meat’s surface, which is trimmed off when the meat is prepared for cooking. These fungal species complement the natural enzymes in the beef by helping to tenderize and increase the flavor of the meat. The genus Thamnidia, in particular, is known to produce collagenolytic enzymes which greatly contribute to the tenderness and flavor of dry-aged meat.
The process enhances beef by two means. First, moisture is evaporated from the muscle. This creates a greater concentration of beef flavor and taste. Second, the beef’s natural enzymes break down the connective tissue in the muscle, which leads to more tender beef.
The Hanger Room is the first restaurant in the state to have this dry aging capability on its premises.