Archive for the 'Steakhouse' Category

Le Bistrot Paul Bert – Paris

Published by Gastronomer on July 26, 2012 in French, Paris, Restaurant Review and Steakhouse. 4 Comments

Le Bistrot Paul Bert cooks up the classics simply and brilliantly on a quiet residential stretch in the 11th arrondissement. Bertrand Auboyneau, along with Chef Thierry Laurent, opened the bistro in 2000, and together they have created a dining room that’s loved by locals and buzzed about by visitors.

We arrived at Paul Bert ready to refuel after a long day of sightseeing. The Astronomer’s cousins who reside in Paris, Olivier and Francois, met us here for dinner.

Even though we had encountered a portable slate board menu earlier at Le Beurre Noisette, The Astronomer and I still got a kick out of seeing the clunky thing on our dinner table. The day’s offerings were scrawled on the board, and nearly everyone ordered the €36 set menu that included a starter, main course, and cheese or dessert. Since the restaurant’s famous steak wasn’t included in the formule, we ordered it a la carte.

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Jean Georges Steakhouse – Las Vegas (Aria Resort & Casino)

Published by Gastronomer on November 6, 2011 in Las Vegas, Media Event (this meal was free), Restaurant Review and Steakhouse. 5 Comments

Day two of the #Foodies2Aria press trip started off with red meat and lots of it at Jean Georges Steakhouse. Located on the second floor of the Aria Resort & Casino, the restaurant feels worlds away from the usual hustle of the casino floor. Here, legendary chef and restauranteur Jean Georges Vongerichten has created a different kind of steakhouse experience, one that’s surprisingly playful, seriously sexy, and bloody good. Literally.

Before we sampled select items from the menu, Chef Vongerichten took our group on a tour of the facilities. In addition to hearing about the restaurant’s architecture and menu, we also learned about the chef’s philosophies. I was especially pleased to hear Chef mention that even with over thirty restaurants in his empire, he insists on having a say in every last detail of each one. From ambiance to food to everything in between, nothing gets the green light unless he gives it.

Chef also pointed out several fun little touches that set his steakhouse apart from the pack—the tables are adorned with tufts of green grass, the bar features spilled milk icicles, and if you look closely, the walls are covered with bovine silhouettes.

The fun really started when we made our way into the kitchen. On the menu this morning were half a dozen Angus 300 Australian Tomahawk Chops. I can’t say I’ve ever eaten a slab of steak larger than my face before.

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STK – Los Angeles (West Hollywood)

Published by Gastronomer on May 14, 2009 in Chain / Multiple Locations, Los Angeles, Media Event (this meal was free), Mixology, Restaurant Review, Steakhouse and West Hollywood. 12 Comments

STK is SXY. Really SXY. It’s the kind of place where scenesters get papped on their way into the restaurant, wheel and deal while they dine, and then leave in vehicles with tinted windows. The Astronomer and I rarely frequent establishments that are plastered on the gossipy pages of Us Weekly (my favorite tabloid), but when a special invitation is extended, we’ll gladly accept. Let it be known that we are PR-friendly whores.

Our invites to a private blogger dinner came courtesy of Abby of Pleasure Palate on behalf of the One Group. Even though my college economics professors emphasized on more than one occasion that there’s “no such thing as a free lunch,” they never did mention anything about dinner.

The Los Angeles blogging community showed up in full force for the STK event—let it be known that we are all PR-friendly whores. [For a full list of attendees, see below.]

When The Astronomer and I arrived on the scene, we thanked Abby for the generous invite and then joined the crowd of cocktail sipping bloggers mingling at the bar. We were pleased as pie to see some familiar faces in the crowd, including Tony C. and Wandering Chopsticks.

Created by mixologist Pablo Moix, the cocktails at STK are innovative, moreish, and most importantly, stiff as heck. I started the evening off with an Uva Caipirinha (left) with Leblon cachaca, red grapes, lime, and clover honey. The Astronomer sipped an ultra-manly Green Intensity (center) with Aviation gin, lime juice, Serrano chili slices, and basil leaves. Both were potent and tasty.

From the bar area, we made our way into the main dining room. As soon as our lovely waitress Bambi introduced herself and described the night’s offerings, we were presented with STK’s signature bread served in cast iron skillets (left). My first mound of bread was cold, so it was left untouched on my plate. The second hunk was much warmer and tasted even better dipped in the ground chives and olive oil sauce served alongside.

The first appetizer of the evening was a special off-the-menu creation by Executive Chef Todd Mark Miller. It consisted of tomatoes prepared four-ways (right)—dried, marinated, tartare, and plain. Inspired by the BLT sandwich, the plate was also strewn with bacon bits, avocado, basil, and radishes.

The appetizer was presented with a cocktail pairing, La Cienega (top, right), which consisted of Corzo silver, lime juice, cucumber slices, and mint leaves.

The most enjoyable (and memorable) courses of the evening were the ones that arrived early on, before I got smashed. Clockwise from top left: roasted beets (coriander, micro mint, yogurt, curry), tuna tartare (citrus yogurt, jalapeno, orange and plantain chips), arugula salad with apples, and jumbo lump crab salad (green melon, avocado, mache greens and kaffir lime). Everyone at our tabled adored the crab salad. I had seconds of the sweet golden beets.

The cold appetizers were followed up by some really amazing sliders. These Lil’ Big Macs (pardon the silly name) were comprised of tender patties of Japanese wagyu topped with special sauce, oozy cheese, and a slice of tomato, all on a toasted and buttered black sesame seed bun. This was hands down the best item I ate all evening.

And this is where the evening starts getting loud, blurry, and ridiculously fun. Some time after I polished off my Lil’ Big Mac, I started feeling the libations and as a result, forgot how to properly taste food. The evening’s cocktail pairings, which included a Capsicum Mojito (left – Bacardi, lime juice, mint leaves, bell pepper rings), a Great Gatsby (center – Hennessy, Cointreau, lemon juice, orange juice), and an STK’s Delicious (right – Patron XO, raspberries, mint leaves, lime juice), arrived at the table at a faster clip than I could down ‘em.

I’d forgotten how much fun binge drinking could be—Thanks for reminding me, Pablo!

Next, we were served something called Cowboy Steak—dry-aged bone-in rib-eye (left)—and wet-aged filet with foie gras butter (right, top). The duo of steaks were served with a selection of sauces, including creamy horseradish, herb Bearnaise, red wine sauce, blue butter, STK, lemon mustard, bold STK, and toasted peppercorn.

As if that weren’t more than enough goodness, we also received platters of organic roasted chicken with turmeric, baby carrots, and chives (left) and red snapper with ponzu and shitake brown butter (right).

To accompany the heaps of meat, we were served sweet corn pudding (left, top), macaroni and cheese (left, bottom), asparagus (center), and Parmesan truffle fries (right).

The final bite of the evening was a hazelnut Pop Tart served with hazelnut ice cream. At nearly midnight, The Astronomer and I stumbled out of STK buzzed and happy.

A special thanks to Abby and the One Group for coordinating this delightful affair.

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STK
755 N La Cienega Boulevard
West Hollywood, CA 90046
Phone: 310-659-3535

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Steven’s Steakhouse‎ – Los Angeles (Commerce)

Published by Gastronomer on January 15, 2009 in Commerce, Los Angeles, Restaurant Review and Steakhouse. 10 Comments

With my mom in Los Angeles for business, a dinner together was in order. The Astronomer and I met her at the Double Tree in Commerce because she wasn’t in the mood to veer far from her hotel. The dining options in Commerce are slimmer than Nicole Richie (pre-baby), so our only choices were either fast food or Steven’s Steakhouse.

Family-owned since 1954, Steven’s Steakhouse is a blast from the past—I’m not sure which era in the past because my memory only goes back to the 90s. There’s nothing wrong with being an older establishment, but there is something wrong with being seriously outdated. Steven’s Steakhouse is crying inside for a makeover.

As diners walk into Steven’s Steakhouse, they are greeted with a collage of faded photos featuring celebrity diners like Muhammad Ali and Jean-Claude Van Damme. Apparently fighters, both real ones and those who played them in the movies, are big fans.

The dining room was decked out for the holidays with ghastly seasonal decor. Even the not-so-observant-to-details Astronomer thought that the flashing Christmas lights went overboard. In the words of current culinary crush Gordon Ramsay, “F*** me!”

As we perused the menu, our tux-donning, fishnet-wearing waitress brought out some bread and butter. Though warm, the textures of both the brown and white varieties were frighteningly similar to squished hamburger buns.

My mom suggested that we begin with seafood stuffed mushroom caps ($9.95). The larger than average caps were filled with a blend of shrimp, crab and scallops, and doused with a light gravy. The stuffing tasted exactly like the filling found in the frozen stuffed salmon sold at Costco. Boy, I’d like to look inside Steven’s freezer…

Each of our dinner entrees included a choice of soup or salad, and a plate of pasta. Yes, a whole plate of pasta. My mom went with the salad, which contained iceberg lettuce, shredded carrots, corn, croutons and red cabbage. She took three bites and called it quits.

The Astronomer went with the French onion soup. Nice presentation, hey? The doily is classic! It’s a shame the folks in the back of the house couldn’t be bothered to wipe the edges of the bowl. The soup itself tasted watery and burnt.

My chicken dumpling soup was a thick and tasteless mess. Two bites and I was out.

Next, we were all treated to a plate of spaghetti with marinara sauce. That’s extremely weird, right? Yes, I do think so.

After our senses were properly titillated, our entrees arrived. My mom ordered the “World Famous Big Jim Special Prime Rib Dinner” ($23.95). It was big alright, and so juicy that I saw my reflection in the pool of blood. The Astronomer and my mom both enjoyed the medium-rare slab of meat. However, it must be noted that after eating such horrendous starters, just about anything prepared decently tasted spectacular.

The Astronomer went with the Steven’s Steak Dinner ($18.95)—a 10 ounce New York Steak with mashed potatoes. The steak was too bland to eat alone, so The Astronomer had to dip it in A1 sauce. Sad. The mashed potatoes, which were piped onto the plate using a pastry bag (!), were crusty and dry.

I went with the scallops ($17.95), which were sauteed in a lemon and garlic butter and served with rice pilaf and vegetables. As soon as the plate was set down before me, I removed the gross looking bowl of butter. Much to my surprise, the scallops were well-prepared and pleasant on the palate. The rice was pretty decent too, besides the fact that it was soaked with butter and scallop juices.