Steakhouse Kobe, Torrance
By Richard Foss
Note: Written in 2008
There are things that are icons of luxury even to those who have never experienced them. People who have never driven a Rolls Royce still use it as an example of automotive perfection, and a bottle of Chateau Lafitte is the symbol of celebration even for drinkers who usually imbibe whatever BevMo is selling at a case discount.
Mention Kobe beef and steak lovers get a dreamy look – they’ve heard a little, and their imaginations fill in the rest. These famously pampered Wagyu cattle are fed beer and massaged regularly, which helps create a famously tender steak. Until recently Kobe beef was unavailable in the US, and American diners had to be content with beef from Texas or Montana from cows raised in the same manner. American cows are, however, a slightly different genetic strain, and those who have had the real stuff always insist that while close, the American “Kobe” beef tastes different.
A trickle of Kobe beef is now available here, and some ends up at a restaurant in Torrance called The Steakhouse. (Or the Kobe Steakhouse, or Steakhouse Kobe, depending on whom you ask.) This unobtrusive restaurant in a mall offers the holy grail of grilled cow, so I decided that I had to find out if it lived up to the hype.
Anticipation is part of the experience, so rather than leap into a beef course we started with appetizers. Our server was charming and helpful but spoke limited English, so when we asked questions she couldn’t answer; she brought over a more fluent colleague. The offerings here were far more interesting than steakhouse standards like green salad or potato skins – the clientele that frequents this restaurant evidently likes fusion dishes. We started with a plate of roasted Peking duck with sweet black vinegar, an albacore carpaccio and Maui onion salad, and a poached sweet shrimp and seaweed salad with yuzu vinaigrette.
The albacore “carpaccio” was, as we expected, sushi-grade raw tuna, with sweet Maui onion and a tosazu dressing. I hadn’t run across tosazu before; it’s a mix of rice vinegar with soy sauce, salt, and sugar, and it has a nice tangy flavor that suits raw fish very well. The combination of fish, onion, and tosazu was just different enough from the usual sushi bar fare to be diverting, and a nice start.
The duck salad and shrimp arrived soon after the glasses of wine we had ordered – the list here is very short but features good wines fairly priced. We selected a Seven Terraces New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and a Piesporter Riesling. Both went well with the albacore and the shrimp and seaweed with yuzu vinaigrette, which was slightly surprising because it’s hard to pair wine with vinegary and citrusy flavors. The shrimp with yuzu had an appealing sweet and tart balance that was well set off by the light iodine flavor of the seaweed, a pairing that mixed aspects of Japanese and Chinese cuisine. The Peking duck was slightly less successful – while the duck was tasty and the sweet black vinegar was interesting, I didn’t think they went all that well with the salad and slices of orange that shared the plate.
Now it was time for the main courses, and we had several premium cuts of American and Japanese beef to choose from. So as to do a side-by-side tasting, we decided on six ounce New York steaks – one Japanese Kobe beef, the other USDA prime from a free-range ranch in Montana. We didn’t know whether the taste would be different, but the price was – $22 for the Montana beef, $58 for the Japanese. We ordered them medium-rare (any more done would be sacrilege) and awaited them eagerly.
When our steaks arrived, they looked as if they might have come from different critters. When I cut into it, the Montana looked much like any other good steak. The Kobe was pale pink, almost white, and incredibly finely marbled, and my knife went through it with almost no resistance. When it came to taste, the two pieces of meat were again poles apart. The Montana was much more flavorful, the Kobe far more tender, with so rich a mouth feel that it was like each piece had been slathered in butter. Putting butter on steaks is precisely the strategy of some popular steakhouses, but between the two I preferred the Montana. I’m glad I tried real Kobe, but richness of flavor wins out with me every time. We noticed that the wines we selected, a Cabernet and a Shiraz, nicely accented the differences between the two meats. We sipped and nibbled and marveled at how the two steaks brought out diverse flavors in the wines and vice versa. The other accompaniments on the plate, half a baked potato and mixed vegetables, were prepared with minimal spicing – the star on this platter was the chunk of beef.
Dessert was a different matter – now that the contemplation of cow was complete, the kitchen was playful with flavors again. We ordered a dark chocolate mousse tart with vanilla bean ice cream, a delicious creation that arrived artfully arranged with strawberries, kiwi fruit, and sliced oranges. After the richness of those steaks one portion was plenty for both of us, and we departed the restaurant content.
If you’re a beef lover, you must visit this restaurant – and not just for the beef. The entire meal was thought-provoking, and whether you agree or disagree with my opinion of the Kobe steak, it’s the gold standard for tenderness. Along with it, you get charming service and some very good side dishes – a recipe for a very good evening out.
The Steakhouse is at 2933 Rolling Hills Road in Torrance, near Crenshaw. Parking lot, wine and beer served, wheelchair access good. Corkage $15.00. Call 310-891-2333