Rating: 5 cows
Through our monthly travels to various steakhouses, there has been one location mentioned time and time again by friends of ours: Mastro's. As it were, Mastro's appeared to be the overall favorite and frankly, we were starting to feel the pressure. After twelve steakouts, it was high time we hit up this popular place and decided on the Beverly Hills location.
The ambiance of Mastro's is dark and intimate, but with enough light to make it comfortable and welcoming. The downstairs appears to be sectioned off for larger groups or private parties while the upstairs for the remaining dining patrons. There's a bar on both floors, always a welcome sight, and live music on the top floor. We decided that the subtle recordings of Frank Sinatra during the musician's break were more pleasing to our ears while stuffing our faces with cow, but since we were far enough away, it wasn't a real bother.
Mastro's menu is extensive and features enough appetizers and starters to please any palate. The customizable seafood tower is a definite highlight but can certainly add to the food bill quickly ($75 for two). For steak, the majority of us went for the medium rare double Porterhouse to split, which cost $88 (or $44 per person). The double sized steak was cut for us and portions of each section served on our individual plates. But wait, you can't dig in just yet! The appetizers we ordered arrived immediately following and were also plated one at a time to each of us. We were worried that our meat would be cold by the time the appetizers were served, but thankfully our concerns were for naught. The porterhouse was divine, cooked to perfection with just the right amount of seasoning.
The appetizers were equally impressive (there are twelve types of potato sides on the menu), each one large enough for sharing. The winner and definite must-have was the Alaskan King Crab Black Truffle Gnocchi which was absolutely delicious. Also ordered was the Gorgonzola Mac & Cheese, Lobster Mashed Potatoes, and Steamed Broccoli. All were very good, easily the best side dish selections of any place we've tried.
Having unanimously enjoyed CUT, Mastro's had a lot to live up to and by the end of the meal we were all struggling to figure out where we stood. Where Cut succeeded in its service and cuts of meat, Mastro's succeeded in its side dishes and offerings, while serving up an equally delicious steak. The only disappointment here was the Wagyu steak which sold out just before we could order it. But because Mastro's was excellent despite that, we'd be very happy to return another time. And if the Wagyu is sold out again, well… I don't think we'd mind all that much either.