Lenny K.
Yelp
Kobe beef by now is widely reputed as the best in the world, but extremely difficult to get outside of Asia. It's so rare and open to fraud that they have certificates of authenticity from the legit ones and there's even a website that tracks who produced it, who sold it, and who it was sold to and when it was exported (http://www.kobe-niku.jp/contents/export/index.php). I remember when I first had "Kobe" it was a "Kobe" beef burger at some restaurant in Los Angeles. The menu may have changed to note that it's "Certified domestic Kobe beef" and it was tasty, but I learned that what I had was not true Kobe. Anyways I could go on forever about the misconceptions of Kobe beef and how you really get it. The Oak Door is one of the restaurants that legitimately serves it.
We arrived early for our reservation and sat at the bar. I had asked if they would do a Moscow Mule and they informed me they do not have ginger beer, but they have ginger ale and if it would be an acceptable substitution. I accepted because I really wanted a drink, but I'm glad they knew that they didn't have the ingredients for a proper Moscow Mule and told me upfront. My brother ordered a Macallan 12 on the rocks. I noticed his whiskey came with one piece of ice, but it was a large piece of ice that worked perfectly for this. It was cold but was so thick so it wouldn't overly dilute the whisky. Well done Oak Door bar!
We were seated and reviewed the menu. Our eyes wandered between the kobe and a Japanese F1 Tomahawk 56oz cut. We had a hard time deciding until we convinced ourselves that true Kobe is hard to find and this is one of those moments where we can have it, so we settled on the Kobe. I ordered the Chef Exclusive Dinner Set (17150 yen), which included an appetizer, Sizzling Hokkaido scallops with herb butter, soup, meat (I got the 5oz Kobe), side, and dessert. My brother opted for the 10oz kobe.
The starter I chose, Pan-fried Taraba crab cakes, were tasty but felt a little watery on the inside. It tasted like it was previously frozen possibly or lacking an egg to help bind it all together. It was good, but not as good as I was hoping for.
The scallops were amazing. Perfectly cooked, with a crisp outside and tender inside. The herb butter melted on it perfectly and it came in a cast iron 8" plate, still sizzling. I've never had better scallops.
The soup I ordered was the New England clam chowder. I've not had true NE clam chowder (I'll have to someday) but the version here was tasty but very runny. I like my clam chowder thick.
Finally, we get to the beef (I actually had 3 options: Wagyu A4 tenderloin, Kobe A5 sirloin, or a wood roasted rock lobster). I came here for Kobe, I'm getting Kobe. It was only 5oz (150g) so kinda small. But O M G. What they say about this stuff is true. The waiter suggested we get it medium and not medium rare because it's so tender and the fat distributed and melts so well, it's better as a medium. He was right on with that call.
The kobe was still nice and red in the center, cooked perfectly and with just salt. Seared to perfection, the flavor was incredible. The best way I can describe it is if you've ever chewed on cooked steak fat, you know how tasty it is. Imagine that, but that you can actually eat it. It's very rich naturally and firm, but a little tender too. This is possibly the best steak I've ever had. I've had lots of steak (and my brother is a biggue conniseur) and this was by far the best. Other places i've enjoyed are N9NE steakhouse @ Palms Las Vegas, the Bavette Steak from Fat Dog in Hollywood, CA, and the Churrasco Grilled Flank Steak from Weber Grill in Chicago. This Kobe instantly became #1. Hype? Partially but this REALLY lived up to it with its natural flavor. It came with 3 sauces, horseradish, a red wine sherry vinegar type of dressing, and ponzu. Those sauces did nothing to add to this steak, it didn't need it.
The side I selected was their mashed potatoes with garlic chips and bacon. It was creamy and delicious full of flavor. It did not taste packaged or frozen, luckily.
The waiter recommended a cabernet sauvignon and while I can't recall the vineyard, it was a good pairing with the steak.
Dessert was my choice between a NY Cheesecake or a tart. I was in the mood for something creamy so I chose the cheesecake. Let's just say that I've had better cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory. This one tasted frozen to me....it was very crumbly. Fresh cheesecake should not crumble. Frozen cheesecake crumbles and loses the rich flavor. If it wasn't frozen, then this thing has definitely been sitting in a cold fridge.
The service was excellent to get our order, although after the steak our waiter was nowhere to be found afterward. It took a while to flag someone down and get the check.
Even with some flaws, overall I was not disappointed. The hype on Kobe beef held up and this place gets a 5.
