Thursday, October 22, 2009

The New Boa

I must say we did not get excited when we heard BOA was opening another steakhouse in Los Angeles. We had been to the Santa Monica location a couple years back, had a mediocre meal and never went back. After hearing all the hype over the new location in West Hollywood, we figured we'd give it a try.

If you like dining outside this is definitely the place for you. The restaurant has a large outdoor area that is just perfect for that warm summer night or any night really. It's a fun scene; trendy and set up with that new steakhouse decor (think Cut with a kick instead of Morton's). Unlike your average steak restaurant, with the the usual Caesar salad and tuna tartare apps, the menu has a large variety too choose from. We ordered the BLT salad, the table-side prime steak tartare, seared Hudson Valley foie gras (on menu it says it comes on a brioche which it didn't that evening for some reason), and the goat cheese baklava. I have to say all were pretty incredible though there were two apps that really stood out. The goat cheese baklava is truly unique. It comes out looking like that classic Greek dish, but incorporates pistachios, black truffles and frisee. It had this sweet/savory contrast that just worked beautifully. We also enjoyed the table-side prime steak tartare. Its hard to describe why the tartare worked so well except to say it perfectly seasoned and just fresh (also loved the addition of the quail egg).

Now, on to the steaks. I ordered the Petite Filet Mignon, rare of course (have to say I was always a medium-rare girl until I met my husband!) and my husband ordered the NY Strip. Both were perfectly prepared for any steak-lover, but I must say I was most excited about the sauces. You can order the sampler which comes with 7 different sauces (everything from bernaise to a creamy horseradish) ....definitely the way to go! You may knock me for not being a purist steak-lover, but the creamy horseradish sauce was killer. As an added bonus, the sauces work well as various dipping options for the sweet potato fries (see pic). The only shortfall in the meal was the creamed spinach. Usually hard to go wrong, but it just lacked the texture and flavor.

As usual, we did bring our own bottles of wine. Of all the major steak restaurants in LA, this is by far the best corkage policy we've seen ($15/bottle w/no limit). BOA has great stemware and attentive wine service. Wines of the night included a 2001 Schrader To Kalon, 1990 Brunello di Montalcino La Casa Caparz0, 2005 Kistler Vine Hill, and a 2003 La Tour Blanche (solid dessert wine).

Overall, with the amount of high-end steak restaurants in LA, this one is a standout and shouldn't be missed.

BOA Steakhouse - Sunset
9200 W. Sunset Blvd.
West Hollywood 90069
310-278-2050

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