CUT: Beef Heaven in Beverly Hills

Readers have noticed my previous posts focusing on beef dishes, so I'll conclude our journey in the land of cow-meat with the ultimate in beef restaurants, perhaps the ultimate steakhouse in the country, Wolfgang Puck's CUT in Beverly Hills. I used to work on Wilshire Blvd, just a few steps from the Regent Beverly Wilshire where CUT is located. I would pass by at least once a week to my lunch at the lowly Chipotle (yes, a heresy, but a necessary one as it was the cheapest thing to eat in 90210). I dreamed one day of dining at CUT, the supreme steakhouse where genuine Kobe beef and other stellar offerings pleasured my youthful foodie mind with delusions of charred and bloody heaven.

Fast forward about two years and we've got my new office in Downtown, over a dozen miles removed from CUT, but add in an extremely generous, thoughtful, loving, and adventurous girlfriend (or girl-master depending on your POV) who decided to treat me on my 24th birthday on the 11th of this month.

Though we arrived a bit late and missed our reservation, we asked to be seated as soon as a table was ready. There were tables available at 8PM, over an hour after our original reservation time, and after multiple polite requests to be seated, the hostess finally gave us a table on the bottom floor in the middle of the restaurant. Lights were dim and huge visages of famous faces (Pres-elect Obama nearby faux-celebs Spencer and Heidi Montag) donning the chic Richard Meier-designed space. Eames-like business chairs were comfortable if a bit too sturdy in the sleek environs and tables were often too close for comfort for a top-tier, Michelin-starred restaurant.

We started out with the gougeres, elegant cheese balls similar to my favorite Brazilian specialty pao de quieju but made with pate a choux and filled with parmesan cheese instead.



I ordered a fine 2003 Chateau Dassault St. Emillion (mostly Merlot) which was an excellent complement to the meal. Priced at $60, it was reasonable and paired well with its tamer tannins and balanced structure.

Our server shows us the various Kobe beef cuts available, but we opted for different ones as you'll see below.

Bread service was stellar, with the pretzel bread standing out as the best.

Roasted Bone Marrow Custard with sliced shallot, parsley and chives sided with quenelles of mushroom duxelles and sauced with a dreamy bordelaise sauce was the perfect starter. The custard was refined and creamy, rich with marrow flavor while the accoutrement added palatable counter-flavors. Toast points provided a superb foundation though I would've liked thinner ones a la melba toasts so as not to overwhelm the delicate bone marrow custard.



The other side we ordered was the Maple-Glazed Pork Belly, easily the most refined pork belly I've had. The sweet sauces and slightly vingary salad.

Though it's offered as an entree, we ordered the Grilled Diver Scallops as a third starter. They were expertly grilled with nice charred marks though the inside was still buttery tender and fresh as can be. An unnecessary sauce accompanied.

In addition to the provided mustards above (and the fleur de sel), we had bearnaise and bordelaise to sauce the beef. Even at $2 for the extra sauce, they're a waste. The meat will not need them.

That amazing piece of beef was a 35-day dry-aged Prime American Ribeye that was nearly crispy with a peppery char. The seasoning was perfect and the meat was tender enough with the signature bite of a superior ribeye. It ranks as one of the best ribeyes I've had in a restaurant. My dad makes a mean ribeye so I don't know how this competes directly. The overtones were the charred sides, but a rich, buttery aroma and slightly sweet finish came in chewing the meat for a slightly extended time to savor the flavors.


For sides we had the mashed potatoes, which were smooth and rich; shishito peppers and wild mushrooms (an expensive $19, but worth it if you can splurge), and roasted cauliflower. I'd rather just order another steak than get more than one really good side (in this case the shishito peppers).



Christine ordered the 12 ounce American Wagyu Filet Mignon, per her preference for more tender meat and ordered it "Rare-plus," or slightly above Rare. The wagyu is sourced from Snake River Farms in Idaho (which I also saw sliced previously in the day at Mitsuwa earlier in the day for $19 a pound, ready-to-eat for homemade shabu-shabu). This cut was fantastic, tender but perhaps not as rich as my ribeye. In fact, a similar mastication of the beef brought forth almost flowery and grassy aromas compared to the American beef. Wagyu is the main Japanese variety of cattle herded in both Kobe, the US, and Australia (a counterpart to the better known Angus cow), but only cattle raised in certain prefectures of Kobe, Japan is considered true Japanese Kobe. Until we indulge in the $20-25 an ounce delicacy, I'll settle for the aged American stuff.


Along with the rude hostess who responded to our wishes for a walk-in seat despite our late arrival with "There's no guarantees" instead of a "I'll see what I can do.", we had another pretty major service blip at CUT. Christine had called in to the reservationist and also confirmed with the hostess that evening that we were celebrating my birthday and was assured that the waitstaff was aware of it. We received our check without any customary birthday element (I mean, this ain't Chili's, but a candle on a piece of Kobe beef would've easily worked, or maybe even a scoop of gelato). She notified the dining room manager and was assured that a more flawless experience would be had on our next visit. Of course, after spending hundreds of dollars for a meal, one would hope for such an experience, but I will say that a bit of pretension can be expected here. The superb food masked the service, but eventually the equation may tip the scales toward further diner dissatisfaction until action is done to amend the experience, especially with regards to the treatment of special occasions. Even in this economy, not every person eating there is expensing the meal.

Ultimately, I am extremely grateful for Christine for buying me dinner here. She was the most perfect of dining companions and graceful in every regard (and divinely attractive as well). Thank you so much dear, you are amazing. A better birthday dinner I have not experienced.

CUT by Wolfgang Puck
Beverly Wilshire,
A Four Seasons Hotel
9500 Wilshire Blvd.,
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
(310)276-8500

(Oh, and forgive the rather poor photography. My computer's still out of commission and I can't make significant changes to levels, colors, and exposure, so there were shot as-is with the dim lighting. I need to invest in a better low-light lens. Also, I recognize that these are tough economic times and splurging on a meal like this seems excessive. On a normal basis I eat relatively conservatively - pizzas, burgers, dumplings, sandwiches, homemade, etc).