Good Steak at Bistro Laurent Tourondel

I dream of them. Popovers! Those flaky puffy hollow bread rolls common in the East Coast are made to perfection at BLT Steakhouse. It is step one in this overall sensational steakhouse experience. We started with giant popovers, a nice blend of textures, crunchy on the outside and chewy, warm and buttery on the inside. Next came a roasted beet salad, not amazing, but satisfactory.

Then we chose the jumbo lump crab appetizers served with house-made cocktail sauce from their raw bar. Then came the centerpiece. The Rib Eye, seared to heavenly perfection in buttery sage goodness, served with a whole roasted garlic and marrow and bone (if you're courageous). We had asparagus and green beans for our sides, both prepared perfectly. Crunchy buttery hot flavorful veges to support and enrich the steak-eating experience.

The service was excellent, the food was robust in flavor, plentiful in portion and gorgeous to look at it. One of the better steakhouses in Los Angeles. Highly recommend. If not, just for those popovers alone!

CRAFT not so crafty

I was so excited to visit Tom Colicchio's restaurant Craft. I've been a fan of his since watching Top Chef. I figure he knows what the hell he's talking about. It took me $213 to learn that celebrity chefing is all hype. Our meal was boring. Ron's NY Strip steak was decent at best. Although the cut of my braised beef short rib was good (all meat, no fat), the marinade was ho hum. It tasted like a mediocre bourginion at best, without any subtle flavor of anything. We also had for appetizers quail in a wild blueberry jus which was fine. And our spinach salad was saved by the thick slices of bacon in it. The food was prepared well in a classical sense. But there was nothing special or memorable about the flavors. The price we paid for this meal was not worth the bland dining experience.

And the music they played- we were going to slit our wrists with our steak knives. Dreary slow songs from unrecognizable musicians who all sounded like James Taylor knock-offs.

To be fair, there was one dish that was a home run. We ordered the donuts for dessert. They did manage to perfect a donut. Crispy on the outside, gooey and chewy on the inside. Served with a chocolate mousse, vanilla bean creme fraiche and an apricot lemon jelly. We were so pleased to be having donuts for dessert. But as for the meal, there are better steak houses in Los Angeles for less strain on your wallet. Not recommending!