September 29, 2009

• Song of the Day
  

  人….總是在追求戀愛的輪迴….

  走了又停! 停了又走!

  當別人給你愛時不懂得珍惜…

  只是讓對方一味的追趕…

  失去的戀愛…總比得不到的一段戀愛..更加痛苦…

  Last Tuesday was my birthday, so according to family tradition, the birthday boy will get a nice dinner treat from other family members. My brother had been keeping the dinner location secret, I very much wanted to tell him that he is making a big deal out of a meal. But that would not be nice of me, especially when it’s a free dinner. Then, weekend comes along and he asked us to meet at the “Pretty Woman Hotel” aka “Beverly Wilshire Hotel” , where “Pretty Woman” was filmed. This restaurant – CUT , is housed inside the hotel and is one of Wolfgang Puck’s newer babies (opened in 2006); the interior design is done by Richard Meier (designed the Getty Center). Just mentioning these names plus the location, and that will guarantee you a steep menu price. A steak house in Beverly Hills? Make this an OVERPRICED FANCY steak house! Nevertheless, this place received a ONE STAR Award in the prestigious Michelin Guide for 2008 and 2009. The dining atmosphere is smart casual. We have to raise our voices while chit-chatting when Bob Dylan’s songs (plus other American pop) were playing in the background. (And Thank You W for taking many of the following fabulous photos).

  The Menu, quite straight forward. Each of the menus has a different head-shot in the back cover. More on this later.
  

  The art work on the walls are adorned with portraits of well-known people. I guess most of us know who he is…
  

  Interesting ‘basket’ for bread sticks…
  

  Before they took our order, an introductory course to different cuts, with the USDA Prime steak at the very top,
  then, the KOBE ANGUS at the middle two. Then the 100% Japanese Wagyu at the very bottom.
  The most expensive cuts are the bottom two, with the ‘cheapest price’ steak at the top. In this stack,
  the cut with the most amount of fat, as seen with the most amount of ‘marble’ will be very good quality.
  

  Appetizer – Tuna Tartare, perfectly arranged and spiced up…
  

  Heart of Plam salad…
  

  USDA Prime Nebraska Corn Fed, Dry Aged 35 Days New York Sirloin…
  

  American Wagyu / Angus “Kobe” Style from Snake River Farms, Idaho – done medium well, a bit crusty…
  

  Dessert – Oh Henry Yellow Peach and Blackberry Walnut Crumble, Rum Raisan Ice cream…
  

  Dessert – Wild Strawberry Ice cream baked Alaska White Chocolate Buttermilk Cake…
  

  Dark chocolate souffle, whipped creme fraiche, gianduja chocolate ice cream…
  

  Three kinds of sauces for the souffle…
  

  Sweet Treats from the house – Caramel, yuzu and chocolate….so soft and very delicious…
  

  Mrs. Pitt (A. Jolie) won the popularity contest that night…
  

  It was a very delicious and full meal after all. My steak was very tender and the flavors are very good indeed. I did not have a chance to look at the final tab. The three cuts of steak cost around US$225, plus $40 for the appetizers and $42 for the desserts. One item I did not mention is that they also charge $4 extra for the two kinds of steak sauce we ordered ($2 for each sauce). I feel this is a rip off since the steaks are quite juicy and we did not use much of those sauce, which came in a very small container.

  Encore – W’s birthday treat was in a Japanese restaurant located in the warehouse-inhabited Artist District of Little Tokyo neighborhood. ‘R23′ was named where the railroad meets at Second and Third Street. The restaurant has been in operation since 1991, and has been dishing out delicious and fresh sushi rolls ever since. We arrived just on time for the Happy Hour, where certain items on the menu such as appetizers only costs $5.50; Asahi beer comes 99 cents each bottle. We order one appetizer item from the Happy Hour menu, and the rest are from the regular menu.

  Ceviche – seafood cocktail with bite size cuts of tomato, cuttle fish, crab meat, etc…
  

  Dungeness crab salad – one of their signature dishes, unbelievable large chunks of crab meat hidden within the greens…
  

  Kanpachi carpaccio – delicious texture and each piece is topped with a special sauce paste that adds some zest to the palate…
  

  Japanese bouillabaisse – a plentiful of ingredients in a sweet soup base…
  

  Mellow yellowtail roll – meaty and sumptuous…
  

  Chocolate and mango pastries and mochi ice cream from the house…
  

  
  We did not order too many items, since each dish came in overdosed portions. The Mellow Yellowtail Rolls are quite over-sized to begin with. The atmosphere is quiet and patrons can carry on with conversations comfortably. The restaurant is inside a large brick warehouse size room, with tasteful art work hanging on the brick faced walls. Their Happy Hour items are very reasonably priced, especially the 99 cents a bottle beer.

  • 3:02 am
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