For the first night of DineLA we chose APL, having previously enjoyed the APL-style BBQ ribs at Majordomo. The reviews on this board have been mixed so far, so we were very pleasantly surprised that every dish was top notch. More than that, we were astounded by the steady parade of food that kept coming our way. Of course, we checked the DineLA menu before making our reservation but it didn’t occur to me that my wife and I would each get every single dish listed. Even the few shared dishes like the steak tartare and spaghetti were clearly portioned for two. It was a true five-course dinner, which is not the DineLA norm. The only downside was that we weren’t as hungry for their famed extra dry-aged steaks, but we enjoyed them nonetheless.
Service started a bit slow but picked up after we ordered cocktails, and remained attentive throughout. The place was only moderately crowded and I was surprised that the bar started shutting down at 10:00 pm. We did get to use the infamous steak knives, which did a fine job (they also seem well balanced for throwing).
To recap, we started with a couple of excellent cocktails (Maple Hog and I Love You, Man—their version of a Manhattan), and then had:
Cream Biscuits
Steak Tartare
Wedge Salad with a really thick slice of glazed bacon
Spaghetti (perfectly al dente)
Rib-eye Steaks with sautéed broccolini, sweet corn grits and two orders of duck fat fries, with bernaise to boot
Flourless chocolate cake with whipped cream
Also, I had a glass of red Bordeaux
I felt like tapping out after the spaghetti but we were there for the steak so we had to eat the steak. Bottom line, we enjoyed a terrific dinner and we plan to return and explore the rest of the menu, especially the BBQ.
The steaks were special. I happen to enjoy the concentration of flavors and interesting funk generated by such long dry aging but I can see how others can take it or leave it. My wife’s rare was properly rare and my medium rare was correct as well. Given how much prime steak costs in a steakhouse these days, let alone prime extra aged, I really think $99 is a great price. Then given the variety and solid execution, well, I just had to post before going to bed.
@tiberiusnero Really appreciate your report on the APL dinner!
And props to you for the bold headline - if it had been the old CH board, some posters might have accused you of being a shill for APL but thank goodness for your existing posts over the last 4 years as a genuine food enthusiast.
I had a 150+ day tomahawk ($132) a couple of months ago and was surprised that it was just extra rich and beefy, not funky or weird like previous ultra-aged meat I’ve had. APL’s controlled aging room must make a difference.
Though the $18 150+ burger is what really stuck in my mind. Maybe because I had it first.
Hey, thanks for that, Foodshutterbug! It’s much easier to lurk than to post but sometimes a food experience just moves me.
Robert, I agree that APL’s dry aged beef was less funky than other examples I’ve had. Not so much of the blue cheese, liver and gamey notes and more concentrated beefiness. That said, I could certainly tell it was dry aged.
the 403 -the nose was incredible. Roasted garlic, long braised onions, smoked beef. Palate was more texture wise to a thick cut prosciutto and similar flavor
I liked the 220 the most. It had that intense beefiness you only get from dry aged but limited funk. Perfect piece of meat. Also the 30 day was probably the best steak I’ve had at a steakhouse for a short dry aged steak in a long time. I was really surprised by it.
They explained the reason the 150 was funkier than the 220 was that the 150 was sliced earlier in the week in preparation for dinner than the 220. So the extra two days or so sliced and oxidizing made it way funkier.
They also mentioned something about the yeast culture in the air gear toward promoting mushroom/foie gras flavors in the dry aging opposed to blue cheese. Some “terroir” i guess.
Ok so I was really intrigued by the 150 and 220 day aged steaks reported by @Clayfu recently. Stopped by for dinner to check it out, inquired about it but I think I ended up concluding there was only 100ish day on the low end and the 365 day anniversary limited edition. Waiter seemed confused about the availability of the 200 day… oh well. Went with the bone-in 100ish day for $57
The good: The aging was tasty and better than one I ordered from La Frieda a few years ago. Definitely more mushroomy than bleu cheese. Good QPR for $57
The bad:
steak came out medium as I ordered but looked like it received the count Dracula treatment. This steak was sliced very thin, salamandered without any fat and came out basically bone dry… The Luger thing does not have a universal application. Less is more…
I had a tough time ordering a salad or appetizer, everything just sounded so heavy and overdone. I really just wanted a simple green salad… or some steamed veges. There really isn’t a lot of variety on the menu.
The dining room, augh. This has got to be one of the most dark depressing places to be in - feels like they were going for a speakeasy / saloon type vibe but when the IDs presented the plan, they decided to significantly scale back on the budget. It really felt unfinished & cheap. & WTH is up with the window at the kitchen, you can’t see anything besides the heads of the chefs.The flow of the room was awful too. @Chowseeker1999 laid in pretty heavily on them too I felt Maggiano’s is a much more pleasant place to be.
The stupid $950 knife. Seriously he wants to charge $950 for a knife maker’s trainee knife??? To make things worst, it really wasn’t very sharp. Someone was slacking off the sharpening duties. I’ll take my off-the-shelf Laguiole knife any day. Frankly would have cost him less money & sweat than forging his own knives and would have left a better impression.
The place was basically crickets at peak dining hours… made the depressing room even more miserable. For APL’s sake, I hope this is an anomaly.
The same few adjectives keep ringing in my head throughout dinner - cheap, diner, cafeteria, austere, airport dining, bad hotel chain restaurant, theme park dining. Thank god I didn’t bring anyone with me. Honestly for a steakhouse that typically relies on expense account dining, APL really fell short. I’d be seriously pissed if someone brought me here for an expense account dinner. It was the antithesis of a steakhouse and not in a good way.
but thank goodness for your existing posts over the last 4 years as a genuine food enthusiast.
I felt 