ALEXANDER'S STEAKHOUSE - Pasadena, CA

Restaurant front

After I read a post about Alexander's from one of my food blogging site, I was convinced I MUST try this place before I die. Since I don't know when I would die, I gathered bunch of victims including slave girl to share this experience with me.

The view from outside

Outside

Let's start with the reservation. It was pretty easy to do either on the web site or call in. On the web site they have a limited 6 people max for reservation but I was able to call in for 7 in my party. (sadly, two of which couldn't make it at the end.) Very nice and attentive over the phone. Just be aware if you cancel within 24 hours, there is a $25 per person charge.

90 min free parking

Parking was easy by using the underground hotel parking lot (Plaza Las Fuentes). It is free for the first 90 min, and max payment is $5 for after 5pm and weekends.

Open kitchen view from dinning area

Another view of the open kitchen

Menu

More menu

Prefix menu

Fancy knife, I love the feel in my hand

Since I went with a group, I told them I would budget $100 per person for just the steak part and they told me it was cool so I got: ribeye chop, tbone, 20 oz prime rib, 6 oz of us imperial wagyu and 6 oz of japanese shiga ohmi wagyu.

cows on a board!

20 oz prime rib

Fresh horseradish and creamy horseradish

Tbone with bone marrow

Prime rib chop with bone marrow

2 pieces of 6 oz wagyu

6 different salt, personal favorite is Kala Namak with a thousand year old egg yolk sulfur

Table full of food. I wish they would cut for us

Ribeye chop, medium rare

Close: us imperial wagyu, far: Japanese shiga ohmi wagyu

For sides they picked mashed potato, creamed taro leaves, grilled asparagus, and macaroni and cheese. I got beer which was reasonable priced.

Creamed taro leaves, too salty and wasn't impressed

Mashed potato

Macaroni and cheese

Grilled asparagus

During our course, we got complimentary amuse bouche which was fried sturgeon with green onion aioli.

Fried sturgeon with green onion aioli

The most memorable was the complementary bread. They were flavorful and tasty. The butter that came with was one of the best and I usually don't use butters. Be aware of this however, while the first basket is free, any basket after that is $2.50 PER PERSON charge on your table. So be sure to mention how many people actually wants the bread if you go round two.

Squid ink baguette, milk bun, and caramelized onion roasted garlic aged manchego roll

Honey infused rendered wagyu fat in bone marrow, rendered beef fat, and housemade butter

We also got complimentary desserts at the end of our meal including a palate cleanser.

Dessert menu

More dessert menu

Palate cleanser, basil granita

Complementary dessert, macron, cream puff, white chocolate strawberry truffle

It's pink! Kind of hard to see in low light

Grape flavor cotton candy

While generally it was a really good meal with all kinds of tasty food, I made a mistake by telling our server we wanted to do it family style so EVERYTHING came out at once. Sure the pictures looked amazing, but we kind of killed our cow slowly and dried it out. I am glad we ate the wagyu first because when we got to our last piece which was the prime rib, that thing was cold as winter breeze and it was not good anymore. I was a little disappointed that our sever didn't think of that and asked us about the plating order because you know, we customers are usually dumb and not very thoughtful. I guess the right thing to do was to ask them bring the steak out one by one to keep it juicy and warm in the future, lesson learned. Also the taro leaves was very salty but after I mentioned it to the server, it was taken off the bill.

Blondie, take home complimentary dessert

Overall I really enjoyed the food and the service was excellent. I would definitely go back again.