The Balboa Does Steaks Right

Sushi entrepreneur Michael Cardenas and company, the folks behind the Sushi Roku chain (all three of them), have gone over to the other side with their latest restaurant--a steakhouse called Balboa. Like the Sushi Rokus, Balboa is designed to be trendy. The work of Dodd Mitchell, who gave the Rokus their distinctive look and this time working with Orange County designers, this steakhouse for the hip at heart is in a newly renovated hotel, the Grafton on Sunset. That’s Sunset Strip, mind you, and a kissing cousin of the ber -hip Mondrian.

Given that the space available was a low-ceilinged box any way you cut it, the designer had his work cut out for him. But twig and steel screens, low-slung lights (to take your eyes off that nondescript ceiling), posh banquettes and a padded wall covered in vinyl the color of well-aged meat give the decor some sizzle. Even that wall, though, can’t do much about the high-decibel sound level. Oh well, sling a couple of drinks at the tiny bar in the corner draped in slinky females on a night out and you won’t notice it as much.

The menu adds a few kinks to traditional steakhouse fare, but for the most part, the food is straightforward. To start, you’ve got your choice of a jumbo prawn cocktail with Bloody Mary sauce, spring lamb carpaccio or fine Maryland blue crab cakes. The Caesar, prepared tableside, packs a punch.

The beef is all prime, and dry-aged. The New York steak is aged the longest, and it tastes it. Mine, in fact, had a funky edge, but it could have been just that one cut. My table and I worked our way through the steaks, which seemed to be what everyone was ordering that night, except for a young lady playing with her Chilean sea bass.

The kitchen gets the cooking just right. Medium rare is a true medium rare, for example. There’s an Argentine beef filet that hits the mark, but the best steak of the night was the Porterhouse. At $40, it had better be. I do think, though, when you’re ordering a steak at that price, it’s a mistake to charge $2 extra for sauce and $3 extra for any of the special “rubs” (blue cheese crust or tri-peppercorns, anyone?).

As it happens, we were seated next to a table of sushi chefs, who were having a fine old time indulging in massive quantities of beef--until the bill came. Even the valet charges $7. At these prices, the kitchen can’t afford to make mistakes and so far, after a mere two weeks, it’s performing well.

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Balboa, the Grafton on Sunset, 8462 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood; (323) 654-4600; (800) 821-3660; https://www.graftononsunset.com. Open daily for dinner. Dinner appetizers, $5 to $18; main courses, $21 to $40. Valet parking.