Alexander's Steakhouse: A Best dineLA Deal and Fine Dining Experience in Pasadena

It's been a while since there has been a dineLA menu that has really been surprising to me, that is both an exceptional deal and with exciting dishes.  Alexander's Steakhouse did that and more, and is now one of my favorite restaurants in the city, both for and beyond dineLA.

But let's start with the dineLA dinner - as this is the last day of the Summer rotation of dineLA, and you still have a chance to experience Alexander's fantastic six-course prix fixe! (It was so epic that I've already repeated a visit within two weeks.)

The fine dining experience kicks in right from the start with an amuse bouche of uni dashi panna cotta topped with negi (a Welsh onion).

Course 1: the first of two options is their signature Hamachi Shots with smooth clean slices of sashimi in shot glasses, with dashi gelee, avocado, thinly chopped radish for light crunch and ponzu. A refreshing and tasty start, especially on a hot summer night.

Option two is the Passmore Ranch Sturgeon terrine, with dash buttermilk, and dollop of caviar.  Decadent, but the terrine is a bit firm.  I definitely preferred the hamachi shots.

Course 2: option one was the incredible Tartare of Beef with marrow cream, smoked carrot and bleu cheese. If this wasn't a fine dining establishment I would have picked up my plate and licked it: every element was the definition of luxury: from the rich, flavorful beef to the luscious cream made with bone marrow for maximum umami.

Option two was Dry-Aged Beef Tataki with barley miso, argan oil and horseradish.  Though I loved the beef tartare, the tataki held its own as another starter option as well.

Then came the bread bowl.  I've always thought that what a restaurant puts into their bread bowl speaks to the core of their passion for their work.  If they don't treat this as a token, obligatory thing - if they put care and heart into even this detail, then you can expect them to put heart and care into every other aspect of your experience as well, from food to service.  And Alexander's bread bowl is one of the finest I've had in LA - so much so that if they opened a bakery tomorrow, I would readily commit to frequent visits even just for their bread (and #foodgasm worthy trio of butters).

In this bowl: hokkaido brioche, squid ink bread, caramelized onion and garlic cheese rolls.  The hokkaido brioche was a warm fluffy cloud of deliciousness that brings me back to my childhood fav (Hong Kong natives may get the reference to Panash's hokkaido bread).  The rolls had just the right amount of cheese, at just the right balance of chewy and crisp.

Then there were the butters, in order of our unanimous favorites: Italian beef fat whipped butter with pieces of dried beef mixed in; honey butter served in a bone segment; Straus butter with sea salt. I wish they would sell the whipped beef butter to us by the tub because I would just spoon it all day.

Then came the dish, course three, that really distinguishes Alexander's from all other steakhouses: many would just focus on the quality, cuts, and cooking of their steak, and push out the standard sides with a few other appetizers on their menu.  Alexander's positions themselves as a fine dining steakouse with Japanese influence, and their pursuit of perfection shines through not only in the decidedly far from standard dishes on offer beyond steak, but their creativity in taking even those dishes to the next level.  Course three was between corn soup and chawanmushi topped with sea urchin - so we pretty much all chose chawanmushi.  Not only was it one of the smoothest, lightest steamed egg custards in recent memory, I loved the combination of corn puree in the egg itself, as well as kernels on top for bursts of juicy crunch and sweetness; the bright orange tongue of uni adding mouthwatering brininess; and sorrel gel for hint of herbaceousness.

Course four was the salad course, and we chose between Heirloom Tomato and Little Gem & Romaine.  Even with the salad courses Alexander's chooses not to slack, but to innovate:  The tomato salad came with melon, goat milk, makhani sauce and toasted bread.  The Little Gem was made with anchovy miso dressing, furikake and fennel for umami and fresh crunch.

then came the star attraction: course five was a choice between quantity and quality: Dry-Aged Greater Omaha Prime T-bone at 18oz, or Kagoshima A5 Wagyu at 3oz?

For me, it was wagyu or nothing.  With all the preceding courses and dessert still to come, I didn't need to go for quantity as steak doesn't taste good the next day anyway - and the last time I had been to Alexander's, their Miyazaki A5 was the best steak I had ever tasted in my life.

Plus, the same size of Kagoshima on the regular menu runs for $98 - so getting this same dish for dineLA ($115 for 6 courses total including the steak) is an incredible deal.  This was perfectly marbled, exquisitely flavorful steak and one no foodie should miss especially during dineLA.

 Our server let us know that the steak is purposely underseasoned, to allow us to custom salt it to our individual tastes.  They dropped off a lovely wooden square containing 6 artisanal salts.  Of these, Kala Namak was the most intriguing, as it somehow evokes flavors of steak and boiled eggs (triggered by sulphur???)

As palate cleanser: compressed watermelon with mint and cantaloupe granita.  Super refreshing and one I could picture being a massive hit at any summer/ bbq party.  If only they sold this to us too!!

Course six was dessert: Sweet Corn Brulee with blueberries, cornflake crunch and creme fraiche ice cream.  While I appreciated the unusual combination of corn with a classic french dessert, the execution was lacking for me.  Overall it felt a bit more heavy than I wanted - it would have been more on point if the creme were slightly less dense, the torched sugar crust a bit more delicate, perhaps the whole portion size scaled down - but tasty nonetheless.

Just when we were rubbing our bellies and loosening belt buckles with satisfaction, more tasty treats arrived to close out the meal: the first was a playful tower of cotton candy. 

Then a tray of mignardises including macarons, truffles and pastry puffs rolled in rice puffs.  

Aside from the main menu, some optional add-ons that I would recommend (if your stomach capacity allows, for you will be full just on the dineLA menu alone): Alexander's creative take on the classic Mac 'n Cheese, using udon noodles, four kinds of cheeses in a decadent Mornay (manchego, cheddar, camembert and parmesan), and truffled panko crumbs.

Or go for the Truffled Potatoes for your carbs.



Also, I should mention that Alexander's is one of few steakhouses in LA that has an incredible craft cocktail program, headed by Erik Lund at the attached Bull and Barrel bar. Celery is my favorite so far, made with tequila, celery, lime, serrano, with a salt rim: a refreshing savory / spicy drink that exemplifies the creativity that runs through every plate but through every glass.  Arrive early for dinner, and hang out at the bar if you are into whisky - Erik will likely have a bottle or three of hard to find whiskeys for you to taste.  As in, he actually goes to invite only whisky barrel auctions to score spirits you may have never even heard of.

All in all, an amazing experience and deal, and I would definitely return again soon, for dineLA or any other special occasion!

On a 7 point scale:

Flavor - 6.5 bites  
Presentation - 6.5 bites
Originality - 6 bites
Ambience -  6 stars
Service - 6 stars
Overall experience - 6 bites
Price - $$$ (4 bite marks)
Probability of return visit - 100% 

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Alexander's Steakhouse

111N Los Robles Ave, Pasadena, CA 91101
Ph: 626.486.1111

Website: alexanderssteakhouse.com/pasadena  
Parking: valet $8, or park in public structure at Union & Euclid across from City Hall: $4-$5 flat rate depending on day and time of visit

Look for reservations, and points, at OpenTable
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