Steak Perfection at Dal Rae

Posted on December 26, 2007 by Gary McCarty

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Dal Rae is not in Beverly Hills or in the trendy Westside of Los Angeles, where all the stars and stars (Michelin and otherwise) go, but it’s a popular place, and mong Zagat guide biggies, it scores a 26 while the more pretentious establishments with their French and Asian flavors go no higher than 28.

The thing is, Dal Rae is in Pico Rivera, home to virtually nothing else of note.

My wife offered at the last minute to take me out for my birthday on Christmas Eve (one and the same day), so I scurried through the pages of the Zagat guide before finally recalling my old favorite, Dal Rae. Fortunately, the restaurant actually had a seating available at the last minute.

When we arrived, I realized why–they had packed the place so tight with tables that one could barely walk between them. The aisles were miniscule, and as a result, the establishment’s vaunted "tableside" preparation of things like Caesar Salad and Cherries Jubilee was nowhere to be seen. Our server merely pointed off into the distance and said, "Your Caesar Salads are being prepared over there." I never could see what she was pointing to.

Also, the menu appears to have been reduced for the holiday rush. If you go to the Dal Rae Web site, you’ll find the full menu featuring things that those shi-shi Westside abodes would point their noses down at–things like Lobster Thermidor, Cherries Juiblee, Escargots Bourguinon and Oysters Rockefeller.

Since the menu was reduced and all the fish dishes were "crusted" for some reason, I opted–at the server’s suggestion–for the filet mignon. Now, I almost never eat steak, and when I do, it’s ribeye or New York strip, not filet mignon, but I must say that this creation was the most delicious steak I’ve ever tasted–and it wasn’t even the one Dal Rae is famous for, which is the pepper steak.

Now, I’ve been to all the biggest and most famous steak houses in Southern California, including Morton’s, Ruth’s Chris, Edwards and Taylor’s, but this was clearly the most delicious of all I’ve tried.

Highly recommended, especially if you go when the normal menu is in effect and the tables are separated for normal dining.

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