As a steak lover who has been grilling steaks on a weekly basis for over a decade and has tried some of the best steakhouses in this country and beyond, I can say that this is one of the best steakhouses in SoCal.
Short review:
Excellent food....
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As a steak lover who has been grilling steaks on a weekly basis for over a decade and has tried some of the best steakhouses in this country and beyond, I can say that this is one of the best steakhouses in SoCal.
Short review:
Excellent food. Even better service. Try the Wagyu steak trio. Their complimentary fries, soups in cups and a fried bun are excellent offerings. They ask about your dietary restrictions so as to accommodate you fully. Their dessert offerings were delightful. Ask for blankets if you get cold sitting on the balcony. Valet parking only ($10+tips with validation)
Overall Experience: 9.5/10
Food: 9/10
Service: 10/10
Cost: $$$$
Reservation needed: No, but I would recommend getting a reservation just in case.
Long review:
To begin, the restaurant is located inside a Waldorf Astoria. Valet parking only and the restaurant will validate the parking ticket making it come out to $10 plus tips.
The restaurant looks classy (as expected). We sat on the balcony which had views of the ocean and the resort. When we got cold, we were offered blankets (very nice touch) and the heaters were turned on. Excellent Service. Meal started with complimentary fries (3 different kinds coupled with individual sauces), and cups (actual cups) of tomato soup. The fries were likely duck fat fries and were definitely a treat. Tomato soup was great (it's tomato soup, not much to say here) but definitely tasted well after the fries. They offer table side bourbon which is an experience altogether but as we drove from San Diego, we opted for non-alcoholic cocktails. Furthermore, they provided bread/bun but it was pretty unique as it had cheese inside and was first baked and then fried. Kudos to Bourbon management for pairing those great little appetizers.
We kept the order short and sweet. 2 orders of the Wagyu Trio and a side of Truffle Mac and Cheese. Wagyu Trio was $198 each and came with 17oz of Wagyu beef (10oz of Missima Ultra NY Strip (American Wagyu), 4oz of Snake River Farms Ribeye (American Wagyu) and 3oz of Hokkaido A5 Wagyu (Japanese Wagyu)). I ordered them Medium rare plus. The steaks came out with the right warmth (maybe a smidge overcooked, I didn't expect them to hit medium rare plus anyway) but the steaks were perfectly seasoned. Needless to say the A5 Wagyu melted in the mouth so it was our favorite. The Snake River Farms have always stood out as one of the best, if not the best, American Wagyu producers and it was very evident here. Think of it being the middle ground of A5 Wagyu and the Missima ultra. The Missima ultra (ultra being the highest richness in Missima meat categories) fell short compared to the others but that was expected. They also came with peppers and they weren't spicy and tasted great with the steak. The Truffle Mac and Cheese was a little disappointing to be honest. It tasted like a regular Mac and Cheese from any steakhouse. I was expecting a hint of truffle flavor but didn't feel anything was different.
As we were dining, rain started pouring out of nowhere. The servers sprung to action and moved us into the restaurant quickly and efficiently and each and every server genuinely apologized to us for the rain. They didn't cause the rain, but they apologized. Nevertheless, it's a sign of a very empathetic team of employees. Excellent service!!!!
As dinner ended, we ordered 2 desserts. We were already stuffed from the steaks (which neither of us could finish more than half way) but ending the night on a sweet note is always good. We opted for the Souffle and the Beignets. The souffle was passion fruit so very fruity yet not too sweet. The Beignets were large and coupled with a chocolate ganache (maybe a thicker consistency than a ganache) and they were the perfect end to the evening.
But wait. They offered us 2 cubes of honey when they brought the check. Think of a lightly sweet cube of honey gummy. That concluded the dinner.
Will we back? Considering we live in San Diego, driving an hour to come here regularly is tricky but for celebrations, I don't see why not!