#6 Tony's - West Hollywood (closed)

Rating: 3.75 cows

Tony's was our first foray into the steak-rich area of Los Angeles knowns as West Hollywood. And no, that's not a clever euphemism to the other thing that West Hollywood is known for.

We arrived on a Sunday evening and told the waiter we were waiting for a few others in our party so we'd just order drinks at the table to start. This wasn't a problem since we were the only ones in the restaurant. The ambiance is quite nice. It's classy without being stuffy or formal. The dining room is dark woods, lit by a combination of candles and some interesting old-timey lights with big filaments suspended from the ceiling; very reminiscent of The Edison in Little Tokyo. Music was provided by a DJ, and the volume was appropriate that we could hear each other talk. We were seated in a large, round, comfy booth in the corner where we could take in the whole restaurant.

The steaks themselves were good, but not great. The waiter seemed to have a difficult time getting the orders exactly right, which is somewhat understandable when you have 7 people at a table, but then not so much when you consider it's the only table you're serving all night.The cuts were very good, and the steaks were cooked well, though not quite to perfection. Two steaks arrived cold, and the mashed potatoes had to be sent back to be warmed up. Again, with 7 steaks it's difficult to heat them all perfectly, but again there were no other steaks to cook in the restaurant.

Overall the place seems to be struggling, but their steaks are good and their prices reasonable. It would be interesting to go back at a time when the place had more people to see how the experience might change, but if this economy and the number of patrons on a Sunday night is any indication, making that trip in the very near future could be your only chance.

Note:
We regret to mention, though we can't say we're too surprised that since our meal at Tony's, the restaurant has since closed its doors.

 Tonys Photos