The Hawai'i cattle industry has long been in decline, with most of our beef shipped young to Mainland feedlots. But there are signs that Island consumers will again be able to readily find locally raised beef.

This comes about through the enterprise of ranchers on a number of islands. Among the techniques being used: grass feeding in place of costly grain (which also results in lower fat and better health for the animals) and working with chefs to learn how to best age and prepare grass-fed beef, which got a bad reputation for being tough and gamey or, conversely, bland, when it first reached the market.

On Sept. 23, Alan Wong's Restaurant will feature the beef of three Island ranchers — Kuahiwi Ranch in Pahala on the Big Island, Maui Cattle Co. on the Valley Isle and our own North Shore Cattle Co. — in a fixed-price menu that will offer side-by-side tastings of each. The Advertiser got a sneak preview and the range of flavors was startling.

Wong finds the Maui Cattle Co. the tenderest of the lot; they grass-feed their cattle, then finish with a short period of grain feeding to fatten the beef up. The gorgeous strips of steak from Kuahiwi had the intriguing flavor of an aged cheese.

Wong loves to make meatballs with North Shore's entirely pasture-raised beef. He makes them simply, with sauteed onion, salt, pepper, garlic powder, but he adds an ingredient Mom never thought of. Instead of egg as a binder, which tends to harden the texture, he uses gelatin. And he has tried some innovative techniques: oil-bathing beef fillets in sous vide (vacuum-packed) cooking bags, keeping the temperature under 150 degrees. The fillets are then seared and sliced daintily thin.

The Sept. 23 Farmers Series Dinner is $75, with wine $105. Reservations: 949-2526.

Farmers Series dinners featuring local products in fixed-price menus are offered at Alan Wong's King Street restaurant every two months. The next one is Nov. 12.