Matu Steak

When friends who love to eat wanted to share a new favorite steak house, my only response was to ask, "When?". Matu serves only fantastic Wagyu grass fed meat, is less than 5 minutes from my place, offers easy valet parking, and online reservations, this may now also be my favorite steak house!

I started with a dirty Grey Goose Martini because it's my go to cocktail when Élit isn't available. Others at the table enjoyed nice glasses of Flowers Pinot Noir from Sonoma, and we ended up ordering a bottle after we finished our cocktails.

We all chose the 5 course Matu menu for $82 per person, and it was worth every dollar! The 24 hour bone broth starter was the perfect teaser to the quality of the food to come, with a rich deep nourishing flavor you can only get with high quality ingredients and the patience it takes to produce this deeply satisfying broth.

The tartare with Japanese accent was fabulous, so much so that the non raw meat eaters at the table ate a few bites before sharing their plates with us raw meat lovers.

The 3 oz center cut filet with 47 salad was a nice introduction to what the restaurant calls their medium rare. I loved that it was what would be called rare elsewhere. Even those at the table who usually prefer their meat pink and medium, ate every bite and proclaimed it to the only place where they liked a rarer temperature. 

The 8 hour braised beef cheek was so tender, no knives were needed. The celeriac purée was a nice accompaniment. I ended up exchanging some of my beef cheek for the tartare, because I knew the ribeye was coming!

Broccolini with garlic and red pepper flakes came with the dinner, and if I wasn't so full I could have eaten another order of these!

My foodies friends insisted on getting a side of fries (fried in beef tallow), so sinfully delicious that it was good to have so many people sharing the plate.

The star of the night was the ribeye with the cap cut separately. All we could say was OMG after taking a bite. I was too much for me to finish, but the leftovers made for a decadent snack the next day!

The atmosphere was very upscale but comfortable, with kids and casually dressed diners all equally enjoying their meals. We made friends with the table sitting next to us and traded names of other places to eat; after all if we all loved Matu, chances are we would all enjoy the places shared from all over the world, including a vegan place in Rome and a steak place overlooking the Bosporus. 

The pleasure of spending time with friends while eating great food and meeting new friends is the best kind of evening!

Spago Beverly Hills

I first went to Spago when they were on Sunset Blvd in the 1980's, and I have been to the Beverly Hills location a few times before they remodeled and took over the corner of Canon and Wilshire. Some people came out from out of state wanting to try the iconic restaurant, so it gave me a chance to revisit this classic Wolfgang Puck flagship.

Food and energy prices have risen since Covid 19, and that has been reflected in the menu, with starters averaging $35, entrées about $65, and cocktails / wines by the glass $25. Spago has always been a high end restaurant with great service and ambiance, but I found the food and drinks were not worth the splurge anymore. The dining room was full of tourists and old regulars who are diehard fans. The service and ambiance were still elegant and smooth, but I found the food to be bland and more exciting in presentation than in flavors.

The beet and burrata starter used quality ingredients and it was beautifully plated, but nothing noteworthy enough to warrant the $30 price tag.

The pear starter was equally beautiful, but the aged balsamic made it a tastier starter for the price point.

I chose the crispy black bass for $59 which included a bit of lobster and perfectly cooked fish, but the entire dish was as bland as the photo looks. My dining companions offered me a taste of the scallops and I found that the scallops were perfectly seared, but also unremarkable in terms of flavor.

The out of town visitors wanted dessert, so we got the chocolate soufflé. This may have been the highlight of the meal. Served with a flourish by our skilled server, this old school dish was executed perfectly.

Would I go back? No. The tourists and die hard regulars probably enjoy their meals here, but I prefer chef owned places where the food is more interesting and flavorful than the reputation and location.