#25 Cut - Beverly Hills

Rating: 4.5 cows

Wolfgang Puck's CUT had for 14 Steakouts been our favorite restaurant so far in just about every way possible. The ambiance, service and delicious steak combined into a nearly perfect dining experience. So when we were thinking about revisiting a previous location for Steakout XXV, it made for a very likely choice, though not an entirely unanimous one.

Our other top-notch steakhouse has been Mastro's, a restaurant that although it lacks the elusive Michelin Star, is every bit as capable s CUT in delivering an incredible dining experience. For us, while the standard steaks were about as good as CUT, the difference maker was the Wagyu—though it was certainly cheaper than CUT, the Mastro's variety just wasn't quite as good.

But back to CUT. There were two challenges facing Mr. Puck this time around. The first was our expectations, which were understandably high—not only was CUT our favorite overall steakhouse, but it was clearly the most expensive as well. This time around our tolerance would be tested, and our anticipation was high. The second challenge was that our group had swelled from 5 to 9 people, a formiddable task for any restaurant.

The decor had changed significantly since our last visit, and we learned that every 18 months or so they go through a minor remodel to freshen the look. The service was just as good as we remember, courteous and highly professional. Apart from the decor, one thing we noticed right away was that prices had been modestly increased for their standard steaks. We decided to pass on the Wagyu this time around.

When the steaks arrived, they were plated just as before and looked every bit as tasty as we had remembered. Mr. Puck knows how to cook a steak, there's no doubt about that. But we all couldn't help coming away with the feeling that this time just wasn't quite as good as the last. In fairlness to CUT, these steaks were still fantastic and wonderfully delicious, and easily in the highest calibre of all the steaks we've tried on this ongoing adventure.

And whether it was our largeer party or our impossibly high expectations, the end result was a less-than-satisfied feeling. Perhaps it was quite literally impossible for CUT to live up to our expectations, and while that may in fact be true, it doesn't change the way we all felt, and the fact remains that we paid more money for steaks that were (if only quite modestly) inferior to the last time we were there. So our ratings, while still excellent, do reflect this.

Perhaps this phenomenon will befall other steakhouses that we return to, only time will tell.

Cut Photos