To celebrate Daisuke’s birthday (now my brother-in-law), we all decided to meet at The Palm Restaurant for dinner. Even though it was not the actual date – Taro’s mom was actually in Japan on the actual day – it was nice to get together and have dinner since all of us are constantly busy. It was a time to catch up and talk about Daisuke’s upcoming events that he will dj for, hear about Mrs. Takeoka’s trip, and share our trip with her since she left the day after we got back. It was a “catch-up” session surrounded by great food.
Taro and I have actually been to The Palm a few times and each time, we think it gets better. The first time we came was for his birthday a couple years back and even then, I remember how tender and perfectly cooked the lobster was. Since then we have brought my family to the restaurant and Taro has dined with a friend at The Palm. So when Taro suggested having steak for his brother’s birthday, I mentioned The Palm since we are members of the 837 Club and they had a pretty good deal for the month of April-May. We each were able to order either a 9 ounce Filet Mignon or 12 ounce New York Strip. Since Taro’s mom does not eat meat, she ordered the Pan Roasted Wild Alaskan Halibut Fillet. To make the night even more fun and special, we ordered a four pound lobster! It was a beautiful sight as our waiter set it down in the middle for all of us to share – and gave us lobster bibs so we wouldn’t make a mess all over our clothes.
As always with the The Palm, there was an excessive amount of food since a starter – either salad or lobster bisque – was included and there was one side included with everyone’s entree. To end the night, we shared a slice of Key Lime Pie (one of my favorites at The Palm and the best Key Lime I have found so far) and Tiramisu. It was nice to go out as a family, which we have not done for a while, and celebrate Daisuke’s birthday.
Happy birthday again, Daisuke, and cheers to good eating with family!
I started off with the Lobster Bisque, which is not too bad. Taro ordered the Caesar Salad with Anchovies so it was a nice balance of soup and salad. Our food came out relatively fast. Taro ordered the New York Strip au Poivre – Aged USDA Prime 12 ounce with brandy peppercorn sauce served with sweet potato fries and creamed spinach. It was a nice cut, but nowhere as tender as my filet!
At The Palm, I have learned to order my meat medium-rare, but on the rarer side. It was delicious, especially since my filet mignon came with jumbo lump crabmeat with hollandaise sauce served with grilled asparagus and three cheese potatoes.
The Takeoka Family:
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To celebrate Taro’s birthday, we are actually going up to San Francisco for the weekend. However, I still wanted to do something on the actual day of his birthday and the first thing to pop into my head was steak. Taro loves steak and I have been dying to try Mastro’s Steakhouse. So I thought, “Why not?” and made reservations. I think I was far more excited by it than he was. So when Wednesday approached, I hopped onto the Metro and Taro picked me up from the Wilshire/Western stop and we headed off to the restaurant.
When we were seated, Taro already knew what to order. He talked to his coworker, Kevin, who once claimed Mastro’s had the best steak before he discovered Cut. Kevin always ordered the Double Cut Porterhouse, a whopping 48 ounces of USDA Prime meat. For one person to eat it and finish it is beastly. However, Taro and I were sharing it. We also ordered oysters on the half shell, French Onion Soup, which is a must whenever we see it on the menu, and we were sold by our waiter’s description of the signature Lobster and Garlic Mashed Potatoes.
Our starter of oysters was a mix of Northern Pacific Oysters and Blue Point Oysters. Taro and I love oysters and these were not too bad, although Taro made the comment that Vegas really does serve top-notch seafood. It still just doesn’t compare to the oysters from Mon Ami Gabi or Bouchon. Despite that, the Blue Point Oysters were much better than the Northern Pacific Oysters. There was a hint of cucumber flavoring to them and with a dab of Tabasco and cocktail sauce, they were quite delectable. After this, the rest of the food came out, but Taro and I were not prepared for the enormity of the Double Cut Porterhouse. It was massive! The chef sliced the meat off the bone, dividing the filet and the New York cuts. And when the waiter said that it was going to be pink on the inside, he was not kidding. We love our meat medium-rare and this was the rarest we have ever had our steak. I definitely don’t mind since I am a carnivore; even though I love eating meat, I could not conquer this cut of steak. After just eating two slices, I was done. I felt stuffed, but it was oh so good. The French Onion Soup was also very good – not too salty, but still full of flavor. It is definitely one that has stood out amongst the french onion soups that I have tried recently. Last but not least, the Lobster Garlic Mashed Potatoes. Can I just say amazing? There were chunks of lobster mixed in with creamy, buttery mashed potatoes. Granted the mashed potatoes could have stood alone, but with lobster? Heavenly.
Even though I was stuffed, I had to get dessert. I have heard so many things about Mastro’s Signature Warm Butter Cake. When it came out, the aroma was just so warm and savory. I even told our waiter that the smell alone was fantastic and he just said, “Wait until you actually eat it.” Was it good? Yes. It was a little bit heavier than I thought it was going to be, but it was not overly sweet and it went well with the ice cream and cream on the side. The Butter Cake was a good way to end our dinner and it was nice to treat Taro (and myself) for the night.
I would definitely recommend Mastro’s Steakhouse to people just because the dishes we got were very good and considering the size of the porterhouse, I felt we got value for our money. It was definitely a treat and I can only imagine what Cut must be like. But that is for another day…
Happy birthday again, Taro, and I hope you enjoyed your monster steak. Here’s to our adventure in San Francisco this weekend!
When Taro and I were watching Top Chef Masters, Michael Mina was one of the chefs competing on the show and made it to the final three. His Italian background, use of seasonal foods, and encounter with Hung Huynh (Season 3 winner, who was a bit too cocky when talking to Mina) caught our attention. So when we were driving home from Sprinkles and CB2 one afternoon, we passed by XIV and I pointed out that I wanted to try it since it is Michael Mina’s restaurants.
The perfect opportunity came up to book a reservation at XIV. On the 26th of January, it was my dad’s 59th birthday. I thought this would be a great opportunity for not only us to try the cuisine, but also include my parents, brother, and Vivian. My parents have never had a course menu and they rarely, if ever, go to that side of L.A. to dine and experience the restaurants and good eats available.
It was quite an experience; the restaurant was beautifully furnished and looked like a library. There were books on the shelves mixed in with wine glasses. Cow-hide sofa couches lavished with fur were carefully arranged with Philippe Starck pieces. It had an intimate feel, like my family had their own little corner in “the library,” but was also hip, modern, and swank. I am glad I was able to share this experience with my parents and it was fun discussing what we liked or didn’t enjoy as much in each dish.
I would recommend some of the dishes at XIV, but I think I would like to try one of Michael Mina’s other restaurants – maybe something more traditional and Italian. I am still glad that we were able to try it out, though, and despite it being very crowded, it was great to celebrate my dad’s birthday at a new place.
Happy birthday again, dad, and we hoped you enjoyed XIV!
Naan Bread with Yogurt Dip as a starter and Hamachi Sashimi:
I am not the biggest fan of beets (and my brother does not care for them whatsoever), but I thought the Heirloom Beets Salad – Burrata, Wild Arugula, Aged Balsamic, New Olive Oil – was pretty good. I thought the burrata, sprinkled with sea salt, was what stood out the most; that was also my mom’s favorite part.
Nantucket Bay Scallop Tempura – Cauliflower, Passion Fruit, Almonds – and Ricotta Strozzapreti – Sunchokes, Turnip Greens, Porcini, Pecorino. I was disappointed in the Ricotta Strozzapreti, especially since it was the only pasta dish we had, but the scallops were delicious!
Tai Snapper – Tapioca-Crusted, Broccoli Rabi, White Soy Vinaigrette – and Prime New York Steak. The tai snapper was well-cooked and crispy while a highlight with the new york steak was the side of creamed corn.
Kris told me that one of the notable dishes is the Maine Lobster Pot Pie. She had it with a tasting menu at another Michael Mina restaurant and fondly said that if she could celebrate her birthday, she would have a candle on top of the pot pie. Maine Lobster Pot Pie – Baby Winter Vegetables, Brandied Cream Sauce:
We were pretty stuffed by the 7th course and could not figure out what the next one could possibly be. My brother hoped that it would be the burger and when our waiter told us a burger and fries would be shortly coming out, there was a pumped fist in the air and a cheer. The Kobe Burger – Rosemary French Fries, Farmhouse Cheddar, “Secret Sauce” – and fries was definitely the favorite and that small, delicious bite would make me come back to XIV. To finish off the dining experience, we had to try the signature Root Beer Float and cookies. It was the perfect way to end the meal!
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