Cut one tendril off
I believe the answer is:
tenderloin
'cut' is the definition.
(tenderloin is a kind of cut)
'one tendril off' is the wordplay.
'off' indicates anagramming the letters.
'one'+'tendril'='onetendril'
'onetendril' with letters rearranged gives 'TENDERLOIN'.
(Other definitions for tenderloin that I've seen before include "soft meat" , "best cut" , "seedy area of New York" , "Fine cut of meat" , "high crime rate here" .)