Alexander's Steakhouse, Cupertino

I must admit, I was a little skeptical about this place. Even though I had read numerous positive reviews, I just couldn't bring myself to believe that -- in the middle of Vallco Shopping Center -- was some kind of culinary gem. Driving by the place didn't offer any reassurances, as the exterior of the restaurant is dull and uninteresting.

But once you enter the building, you're instantly transported into another world -- one where you can drop $100 for an ounce of caviar or 2-3 times that much for a cut of Kobe beef. In case you had any doubts that they're serious about their meat at Alexander's, the first thing you notice here are the shelves of beef dry-aging on the other side of a window.

While waiting for other members of our dinner party to arrive, I must've said at least half a dozen times, "THIS used to be an EL TORITO!?!" Sure, the outside wasn't pretty. The inside, however, was sleek and contemporary. The waiting area included a couple of comfy couches and a stone fireplace, as well as a decent-sized bar.

Once our party of six was complete, we were seated at a corner table in the first dining room. Alexander's is indeed a steakhouse, but there are lots of Asian influences. (The menu actually reminded me of a place we ate at in Tokyo.) We snacked on edamame, seasoned with togarashi, while deciding what to order. So many things sounded so good, that we ended up over-ordering. I can't possibly go into detail about everything that made its way to the table. Instead, here is a quick rundown of what we liked and what we didn't like:

The Good

• Mushroom Soup (the soup changes regularly)
• Maine Lobster Tempura
• Sea of Cortez Scallops (the scallops are gigantic)
• Crab, Crab and Crab Again
• Hamachi Shots (before shooting these into your mouth, you may want to loosen the hamachi et. al. from the glass a bit; otherwise, the sweet ponzu sauce is all you get at first and it's overwhelming)
• Filet Mignon
• Cow & Crustacean (the steak part was good, the lobster presentation was so-so)
• 28-Day Dry Aged New York
• All 4 Love (I liked 3 out of 4 of the beef presentations -- the kobe sashimi was eh; the marinated jicama that the kobe was wrapped around was overly sweet)
• Mac 'N Cheese (with truffle oil!)
• Sauteed Chanterelle Mushrooms
• Crimini Mushrooms
• Haricots Verts (with bacon!)
• Mashed Potatoes (mmmm... so buttery, and with chives!)
• Steak Fries (these are HUGE -- you only get three to an order -- but deliciously crispy and well-seasoned with cumin)

The Bad

• Sashimi Quartet (I like my raw fish to be relatively uncluttered -- so the fish itself really shines -- and this dish just had too many other flavors going on for my taste)
• Crab Hand Roll
• Portobello (described as "Gruyere Fondue" but was basically a portobello mushroom with some melted cheese on it -- disappointing because I was expecting some fondue presentation!)
• Sweet Corn Medley

The good definitely outweighed the bad. My absolute favorite savory dish of the evening was the Maine Lobster Tempura. It was ridiculously good. The tempura coating was nice and light, so that it didn't overwhelm the sweet lobster meat. Next time, I would seriously consider just ordering two orders of this small plate for my entree. The only downside to this awesome dish was that it was really hard for anything else I consumed to follow in its footsteps...

That is, until the Eden dessert came along! The platter consisted of an apple souffle (with caramel sauce), peach souffle glace, and strawberry/chocolate fondue. I loved everything about this dish. The consensus among the table was that this was hands-down the best dessert. The Chocolate (Valhrona chocolate crunch cake) also received a big thumbs-up. But the trio of Creme Brulee (blueberry, Meyer lemon and mint) didn't fare so well. The Devilish (milk chocolate cheesecake, truffles, chocolate ice cream) fell somewhere in the middle of the spectrum.

Given how much food we indulged in, we were pretty full by the time the bill arrived. Yet the restaurant had one more treat in store for us: cotton candy! You know we couldn't pass that up. The flavor of the night was Leapin' Lime, so three bright green spun sugar creations were brought to our table. Delicious!

P.S. I wish I had brought my camera because the presentation for a lot of the dishes was really something. Beautiful plating.

Alexander's Steakhouse
10330 N. Wolfe Road
Cupertino, CA
(408) 446-2222

New Restaurant in Burlingame

From The Chronicle's What's New column:

OPENING / Prime on the Avenue

The cuisine: The focus is prime rib, but the menu reads like a traditional steakhouse. Appetizers like beef carpaccio showcase Prime's filet mignon, and seafood is prevalent. Entrees are meat-heavy, served with sides such as Yorkshire pudding, potatoes, creamed corn or spinach and vegetables. For dessert, try chocolate mousse with Belgian chocolate sauce.

The team: Owner Salim Dahud, who ran the now-closed Tannour in San Francisco, has partnered with investors including Johnny Brattesani of Caesar's in North Beach. In the kitchen is Michael Nancovski, most recently the executive chef at Oakland's Lakeview Club.

The vibe: The former Gau Poang Chinese restaurant has been remodeled with burgundy tones, a full bar and a bronze-framed carving station.

Prime on the Avenue, 1425 Burlingame Ave. (near El Camino Real), Burlingame; (650) 344-7446. Dinner nightly. Full bar. Reservations and credit cards accepted. Appetizers, $7.50-$9, entrees, $17-$34, desserts, $5-$7.

Oh, and there was a bit of scandal surrounding the restaurant. From the San Mateo County Journal:

The prime rib restaurant gearing up to open on Burlingame Avenue changed its name on Dec. 1 from Burlingame Prime to Prime on the Avenue after lawsuit threats were made.

General Manager Salim Dahud said the change came after House of Prime Rib in San Francisco threatened to sue because they believe they have the exclusive right to Prime Rib in a company name. The House of Prime Rib was OK with Prime on the Avenue.

“We didn’t want to deal with that, we’d rather focus on getting things set up and the quality for our customers,” he said.

There was also a rumor Broadway Prime may also change its name for the same reason. But the ownership denied it and said they are keeping the name.

President of the Business Improvement District Ross Bruce said it isn’t uncommon when a similar business is opening up for the senior of the two to ask them to change the name. He said this is to help not confuse patrons but also so the new business does not capitalize on the established business.

The Grill on the Alley, San Jose

For the second year in a row, our company dinner was held at The Grill in the Fairmont Hotel. Last year, due to a flight delay coming back from Las Vegas, Jon and I arrived late. This year, we were present for the entire meal. ALL FIVE HOURS OF IT.

Now, I'm not sure how you normally eat, but FIVE HOURS of eating and drinking is a lot in my book. SEVEN COURSES, each paired with a fine wine. Here was the eating itinerary:

First Course
Osetra Caviar Plate served with Garnishes and Blini
Comtes, Taittinger, De Champagne Rose, Reims, 1996

Second Course
Smoked Salmon and Sturgeon served with Terragon Butter and Garlic Toast
Joseph Phelps Ovation, Chardonnay, Napa Valley, 2000

Third Course
Portobello Mushroom Ravioli served with Kobe Beef a la Bolognese
Ambullneo, Bulldog Reserve, Pinot Noir, Santa Maria Valley, 2003

Fourth Course
Magret of Moskovey Duck, served with Five Peppercorn Sauce Flambe Armagnac
Turley, Dusi Vineyard, Zinfandel, Paso Robles, 2003

Cranberry Sorbet with Skyy Melon and Lemon Float

Fifth Course
Main Lobster with Truffle Butter Sauce
Chauteau Mouton Rothschild, Bordeaux, 2002

Sixth Course
Mixed Green Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette and Cheese Platter

Dessert
Traditional Buche de Noel
Chateau d'Yquem, Sauternes, 1999

It was a ridiculous amount of food and wine -- all so very good. Jon doesn't eat caviar, so I got to double-up on the first course. Although the lobster was sweet and delicious, my favorite course was the ravioli. And the refreshing cranberry sorbet palate-cleanser was also especially yummy.

The only thing that disappointed was the Buche de Noel. Growing up, my mom would bring these French cakes home during the holidays; the one served at The Grill barely resembled what I'm familiar with. Traditionally, the cake is made of a sheet of genoise that is spread with mocha or chocolate buttercream, then rolled into a log shape. The Grill's version did have a layer of sponge cake, but it was wrapped around three flavors of ice cream (chocolate, vanilla, coffee). And rather than just having meringue mushrooms as a garnish, this buche was completely covered in meringue (I was expecting chocolate frosting). It was pretty and elegant, but wasn't quite right to me. (Other people at the dinner LOVED it.) My disappointment in the dessert itself didn't stop me from enjoying the awesome dessert wine, of course.

I think I'll be ready to eat again in 48 hours.

The Grill
172 South Market Street
San Jose, CA
(408) 294-2244