I am not a huge meat eater, but that was a gorgeous piece of steak the other night at STK in West Hollywood. And I loved every bite. (Don't judge it by the photo. It was very dark meat in a dark room.)
The thick square of Kobe New York steak was coated with crushed peppercorns--red, white and black--and grains of paradise, enough to add wow flavor but not to distract from a fine piece of meat. There was shallot marmalade too.
This was the work of Liran Mezan, new corporate executive chef of The ONE Group, which includes STK among its venues.
Based in New York, Mezan was in Los Angeles for two weeks to see what he could do about adding a California touch to STK.
"I can't go too far with that, because this is a steak house," he said.
He is thinking in terms of different cuts of meat and garnishing them with greens, microgreens, fruit and other California produce. "More fresh ingredients, more fun, more local," he said.
Crab salad wrapped in a thin slice of melon (above) was one example on Mezan's tasting menu. You can see the microgreens. Charred ruby reds are on either side, and Mezan added kumquat confit too.
Miso marinated cod (above) came with a thin slice of cauliflower on top, cauliflower puree and wilted spinach underneath and brown butter.
Lamb's accompaniments included artichoke barigoule and a splashy orange gremolatta (above). Lamb is "very springy," Mezan said, "an idea of what's to come from seasonal type items."
Mezan has cooked in Napa, so he knows California tastes. As a corporate chef, he has to juggle local flavors against a national standard. But what he has suggested so far looks promising.
STK Los Angeles, 755 N. La Cienega Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069. Tel: (310) 657-1101.
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