mother's day at alexander's steakhouse, pasadena.
amuse bouche.
bottle of pinot noir from the sonoma coast.
we booked a table at alexander's steakhouse in pasadena for mother's day! (interestingly enough, the last time i posted about alexander's was basically exactly a year ago.) despite it being a busy holiday and my high expectations from our last visit, they managed to really impress us again.
hamachi shots 3.0: dashi, avocado, fresno, ponzu, negi, arare.
close-up of hamachi shots.
oysters with celery harissa mignonette, daikon.
iceberg salad with sweet sesame, bok choy, soft boiled egg, five spice radish.
we tried a smattering of different appetizers this time and they were all excellent. the hamachi shots and foie gras on kaya toast were so, so good - well-balanced both in flavor and texture, they make alexander's worth a visit all on their own in my opinion. it's also nice to see that a year later, the menu has evolved slightly. many steakhouses tend to have somewhat unwavering menus, which isn't a bad thing, but can definitely make repeat visits less exciting unless you're really just going for steak.
chilled foie gras on kaya toast, pandan gel, soy egg yolk emulsion.
squid ink, milk and cheese breads.
assorted butters.
the still-warm-from-the-oven bread and assorted butter, which you get after the appetizers, were even better than i remember.
dry-aged greater omaha prime bone-in new york.
mm farms filet mignon.
everyone else got steak, which looked amazing and i'm told was amazing, but i opted to do their squid ink koshihikari risotto as my entree instead. it was creamy, briny, umami and even a bit sweet from the shrimp. absolutely loved it. the eryngi mushrooms was everyone's favorite side - just really wonderfully and simply prepared.
koshihikari risotto with squid ink, shrimp, uni, braised celery.
fried rice with lap xuong, egg white, chive, king crab.
eryngi mushrooms, roasted garlic, thyme, lemon vinaigrette.
alexander's has become my favorite special occasion restaurant when dining with my parents. they can be quite picky in weird ways, and it's pretty rare for us to both thoroughly enjoy any given spot, so i'm especially appreciative of both the execution of the menu and quality of service here!
111 N Los Robles Ave, Pasadena, CA 91101
