I ate at these restaurants yesterday at lunch time.
STK - I only went here because I'm running out of places and I didn't really want to waste my time sampling them in another state. I had a 6oz filet mignon that ended up costing $45 all told ($36 on its own). Now I ask you - is that worth it? It wasn't even a good cut. From the tail end of the loin. Their idea of medium rare is half medium/well done and half rare. The beef had no taste. The peppercorn sauce it came with tasted of bad cognac (or some inferior alcohol) and needed more peppercorn. The plating was an after thought. A white ramekin with the sauce on a white plate. Now look, I hate steak places so maybe this is standard treatment and pricing. I forget. I'm sure $125 for a tomahawk cut is pretty standard. No? I can't hear you. However, I'll tell you where you can get a better piece of meat (for a tenth - yes tenth - of the price) in about a minute. I wouldn't have minded as much (maybe a half of one percent) if they served you in the main room and not the front "bar" area. I was paying a dinner price right? You don't charge even more at dinner do you? The rest of the menu is composed of different cuts, burgers and the usual steakhouse twaddle. It's a small menu. The wine menu is predictable. Single pours run as high as $20. I didn't even dare order a soda. The place looks luxe. It is mainly white accents on black. The decorations on the black wall are referred to as "horns" and the beams on the ceiling are "ribs". The front (more "casual" room) seats around fifty. Same with the "formal" room. They have a deck out back. No dress code or reservations needed at lunch. Not sure about dinner. There were six others there at lunch. Most people looked at the menu prices and kept on rolling. Exactly the rip off I was expecting. My waiter was the only bright spot.
Frontera Cocina - I stopped at their taco window for a real lunch. And here is the answer to who beat STK in a steak off. For $3.50 I had a brilliant short rib soft taco in a corn tortilla. I would wager that it had close to 6oz in it. Plus I got some cotija cheese on top. Plus the tender meat was bursting with flavor. The achiote pork taco with pickled red onions wasn't as good, but, that is just because the short rib was so perfect. I also didn't like the habanero sauce that went with it. It overpowered everything. really hot. It is served on the side though. The only other thing the serve is guac and chips at $7. I thought I read something about burritos, but, I guess not. The main restaurant looks nice. They have a big ceramic tile mural facing you as you enter. There is some dining up front and then a bar and then some more dining and then a patio. I can't speak for the "dine in" experience (because I didn't dine in) or the menu (because I didn't look at it), but, I have eaten at his (Rick Bayless) place in Chicago and everything is good. I suspect the same is true here. Based on the take out window.
Sprinkles - They are across from Frontera. It is a chain (30) out of Beverley Hills. I had a Smore cupcake. It was really messy and I would have preferred that they held the cupcake. It had a graham cracker bottom crust that fell off and a melted marshmallow top that needed a cracker (or anything) top to keep the ultra sticky goo from getting all over everything.. I figure they didn't add one because it would ruin the aesthetics. I think aesthetics/kitsch are important here. The cupcake had a chocolate center. The whole thing was so sweet, that if you wash it down with a Coke, the Coke MITIGATES the sugar rush. The cake cost $5. They had around twelve others. Ice cream seemed to be of equal or greater importance. They have a cute cupcake ATM. The place is very white (paint not race).
This is it for a while, so, saver it like a 6oz filet.
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