Mastro's Steakhouse

[FoodZealot]

Some friends and I had been wanting to go to Mastro's for quite a while to check it out. Coincidentally, it was being discussed in the Best Steakhouse in CA thread, so here's a link back to that for convenience.

They're in the location which had been the second incarnation of Chasen's. The downstairs is quieter and calmer. The upstairs room has a pianist and the larger bar, which contribute to a higher noise level and more "action". The butter and assorted breads brought to the table are very good - especially the pretzel bread and the ciabata style roll.

To start, I ordered the Oysters Rockefeller appetizer. That's mozzarella cheese melted over the top of it, above some spinach (possibly the creamed spinach side dish). IMHO, the cheese was not a good choice because it was chewy and didn't add much flavor, but the oysters seemed fresh and they were cooked just right.

This is my steak - Bone-in Rib eye - which I ordered charred medium rare. It could be that I got somebody else's steak, but mine was a touch past medium, rather than medium rare. Nevertheless, it definitely had the dry aged taste (especially in the fatty portions). The rub that is put on the steaks is fairly neutral - garlic, paprika, and salt and pepper - I didn't mind it at all. This is the 22 oz cut. There's also a 33 oz Chef's Cut, which I will probably get next time. Overall, I'd say it's one of the better steaks I've ever had, but not in the top five. Top ten, maybe.

My friend got the prime rib. It's a monster cut of meat, even though the bone is left in. The menu states that it's 28 oz, but I think hers was even heftier than that. It's hard to tell scale by this photo, but it was over 2" thick. By how pink it is near the edge, it appears that they slow roast it all the way. I had a taste of this and it seemed a bit toothy - not as tender as you might expect (at least this time). Horseradish sauce and au jus were excellent.

For sides, we ordered creamed spinach, steamed asparagus w/ hollandaise, potatoes au gratin, sautéed onions and sweet potato fries. The sweet potato fries were really damn good - the clear winner of all the sides. They have a crispy but not greasy coating, and the sweet potato is fluffy inside, not almost burnt like unbreaded sweet potato fries. As for the rest, IMHO the spinach was more cream than spinach, the asparagus was al dente but the hollandaise was flat, the potatoes au gratin were more like cottage fries with cheese melted over (no cream), and the sautéed onions were okay, but seemed notably pricey at the same price as the other sides.

Also ordered at the table was salmon, cooked precisely to medium rare. Simple but excellent. A crab cake entrée was a special of the day. It was all crab, very little to bind it, and a healthy sized portion. I'd say that was excellent, also. Yes, I tasted almost everything on the table. [grin]

The highlight of the desserts was also a special of the day - banana creme brulee. Intense banana flavor which was probably pumped up, but didn't taste artificial. The other desserts were pecan pie, chocolate espresso torte, and vanilla creme brulee. On the whole, the desserts were good, but not particularly fantastic. We saw a carrot cake ordered by another table which was enormous. Next time, I might just have dessert wine or maybe consider finding dessert elsewhere.

Service was friendly, knowledgeable and efficient, aside from one cocktail taking too long to arrive. All the entrées arrived within two or three minutes of each other (for a party of 11).

Overall, while not cheap, I felt that it was a good value for the meal we had. Aside from any quibbles I may have mentioned, it's a well run restaurant, the quality of the ingredients is very high and I would definitely recommend it. I look forward to going back.

Mastro's Steakhouse

246 N. Canon Drive

Beverly Hills, CA

310-888-8782

*Parties larger than 12 have additional requirements

[jschyun]

Wow, thanks FoodZealot!

I have never seen Oysters Rockefeller with mozzarella cheese.

--oysters Rockefeller is supposed to have a green (usually spinach) sauce. I hope it's not leftovers from the creamed spinach! Sometimes, you also get some white sauce as well, but I think classically, it's a green sauce and I think originally might have been another green not spinach.

Edited March 4, 2004 by jschyun (log)

[dano1]

Mozzarella is odd on oysters rockefeller. If i recall correctly usually topped with royal glace-hollandaise, fish veloute, whipped heavy cream-and broiled. Wouldn't have to worry about breaking the mozzarella so much though ;).

danny

[FoodZealot]

I don't know how accurate it is, but this seems to be a plausible story about the original Oysters Rockefeller recipe.

Edited March 5, 2004 by FoodZealot (log)

[tissue]

That prime rib looks really good. How does it compare to Lawry's?

[Jason Perlow]

FoodZealot, we have policies in the User Agreement prohibiting the posting of pornography, you know.

[FoodZealot]

FoodZealot, we have policies in the User Agreement prohibiting the posting of pornography, you know.

Jason, if you're calling me a food pornographer, I can live with that. Let me know when it gets to be too much for y'all. [grin]

tissue, I'd say the meat is a bit better at Mastro's, but the preparation of the meat and sides are more to my liking at Lawry's. My friend who got it did think it was one of the best things she's ever eaten. If you're a prime rib person, it's worth trying, but IMHO the steaks are their stronger suit at Mastro's.

[Chris Cognac]

Did your friend eat the entire portion of meat?...That thing was huge!..Oh yea, how much did it cost?

[FoodZealot]

Did your friend eat the entire portion of meat?...That thing was huge!..Oh yea, how much did it cost?

No, even with a lot of sharing and sampling, there was a nice take home portion. At least at the BH location, it cost $39.95 which is about the same price as my bone-in rib eye - both ala carte.