But what I’m really curious about is that $175 steak. Is it really worth the price tag? For comparison, we order the USDA prime New York Strip ($48). By the way, neither steak, nor any item from the wood-burning grill portion of the menu, comes with sides.
The more expensive A5 (Japan’s highest grade and several levels above our top USDA grade of prime beef) arrives sliced and fanned on the plate with a tiny bowl of chile-infused vinegar, garnished with a touch of freshly grated wasabi, a key lime slice and pickled cucumbers.
Sublime doesn’t even begin to describe the evocatively tender beef. A bite of the A5 followed by a bite of the prime beef reduces the latter to nearly unremarkable. Without the direct comparison, the prime steak would render a fabulous rating – juicy, meaty, dripping with flavor. We ask our server to box up the American steak and enjoy it so much more the next day when the memory of the succulent Japanese Kobe strip isn’t so pleasantly haunting.
Beef isn’t the only star emerging from the wood-burning grill. Bourbon Steak also grills ahi tuna ($39), Scottish salmon ($35) and Kona Kampachi ($36), another yellowtail species. The sensibly portioned kampachi is slightly overcooked one evening, but the enticing citrus vinaigrette rescues the strong-flavored fish. Not everything is tinged with smoke. A miso-glazed black cod fillet ($39), served with three mini-scallop dumplings and baby bok choy, swims in a delicate, aromatic shiitake consommé.
The a la carte sides, ranging in price from $8 for an inspiring English pea hummus to $14 for creamy goat cheese and caramelized onion potato gratin, are deftly prepared and modestly portioned, although easily shared between two people.
The only way to enjoy dessert is to show great restraint when ordering all that comes before. Just know that Bourbon Steak applies the same judicious treatment to desserts (all $12) as it does to the main menu. The molten chocolate cake is predictably divine, while a deconstructed spiced carrot cake with crème fraîche sorbet and a smear of cream cheese frosting on the plate shows a playful side. But it’s the perfect cup of cappuccino, topped with a heady swirl of cloud-like milk and java, that finally seduces me.
I’m star-struck, I’ll admit. Not because of Mina, who I’ll likely never see here. No, I’m smitten because, for the gaudy amount of money I ultimately leave behind, Bourbon Steak delivers – and it doesn’t feel like it was money for nothing.