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Put A Steak In It !!!!
 

Mastro’s Does Feed
the Vampires of the Conejo...
Very Well Indeed

An immediate disclaimer is in order for this review. While I have eaten over the years at the "top of the line  steak houses in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and even Dallas, red meat (except for a medium rare hamburger with a slice of raw onion) has never been at the top of the list for my dining choices. Thus I admit that I cannot claim to “bring to the table”, the usual expertise and experience you have come to expect from FrankAboutFood concerning every other style of food.  Count On It !

Further, there was a lot of suspect information being passed around the rumor mills concerning Mastro’s prior to its Thousand Oaks opening. The stories were that the original branch in Beverly Hills catered to the stiletto heeled, tight black leather panted or alligator-booted Armani adorned high-roller entertainment crowd. If you did not fit that mold, you were treated like those poor relatives from Sioux City… plus, you paid a lot just to get a table near the Ladies Room while being insulted by  those intentionally arrogant servers.

Checks were reputed to be, at least, in the mid three-digit range for dinner just for two including wine, tax and tip. Therefore, we diligently tried to delay our visit until we received our 2006 income tax refund. But we were constantly so badgered about our thoughts on Mastro’s that it began to impact the joys of the holidays.  So, with some trepidation, we recently visited Mastro’s for a Sunday dinner.

If the above was true, and based on the demographics of that area, it is reasonable to believe that it was and still is, then we are witnessing a "Miracle on T.O. Blvd"

We secured 7:45 PM Sunday reservation with no problem. The glass ceiling art adorning the entry is a knockout. A group of charming young ladies greeted us and after a 5 minute prox. wait to prepare our table, we were seated. There are three separate, subdued, warmly lit main dining areas that feature luxurious free standing tables and  banquette seating  Mastro's is easily the most impressive dining venue in Ventura County and probably all of the San Fernando Valley and exudes friendliness and warmth from the minute you enter until you leave. 

The dining areas surround the large, busy, but separated bar that also serves food.  The latter is also a design  winner with a continuation of the spectacular glass art work at the entrance. There is a live piano (sometimes a singer) and  late night casual dancing. None of this imposes on the more serious main dining areas.

There are 11 completely a la carte Hand Cut Prime Steak choices ranging from $29.95 for an 8 oz. Petite Filet to $75.95 for a 48 oz. Double Cut Porterhouse for two (actually a bargain). Lamb, Veal, Pork and Chicken are also available. 

Surprisingly, they did not offer the now heavily hyped “True” Japanese Kobe Beef at $22 an Oz. (Thus an 8 ounce filet  at Wolfgang Puck's Cut in  the Beverly Wilshire is $176!!!) nor do they even list  the domestic Snake River “Wagyu” Kobe Beef at only $7.50 an Oz.  That steak is only $60 for an 8 ouncer.

Mastro's sticks with what it does best which is its Prime 45 day aged and specially seasoned steak using their high temperature technique combined with plates that keep the food hot for the entire meal

Also on the menu are 9 Crustaceans and Hand Cut Finfish starting at $29.95 including a fairly priced 3 lb. prox. Main lobster for $100. But when we asked the waiters about the fish, they indicated that while the quality was certainly fine, Mastro’s was after all “A Steak House”. It certainly made sense  to me. 

23 varied appetizers are offered plus a French Onion soup. My wife and I shared a perfectly chilled and served Caesar Salad (6.95) while our friends split a generous Beefsteak Tomato & Mozzarella Salad (13.95) which they proclaimed was “perfect”.

The rolls and bread are so varied and good that they could easily become meals in themselves and are equaled in Los Angeles today only at Wolfgang Puck’s Spago,  the above mentioned Cut and formerly at his now sadly swept into the sea, Granita


Colorful and Exciting Bar and Entertainment Area

There is a selection of 11 potato sides ranging from $7.50 to 9.50 along with 11 hot vegetable choices. All portions are very generous and meant to be shared.

The night that we were there, there was a special side dish of black truffled gnocchi with crab for $21.95. The portion was so large that we easily shared it for 4 and we were able to take some home for lunch for two the next day. It is absolutely worth ordering if available.  We also shared an order of excellent sautéed spinach.

My wife ordered an 8 oz Petite Filet. (29.95). Our friends ordered a 12 oz. Filet ($34.95) and an 18 oz. Bone In Filet ($44.95). I ordered a Bone In Kansas Strip ($39.95) since I prefer a firmer texture. All four arrived very hot (grilled at that 1500 degrees) and perfectly cooked.

Those three other diners rated their steaks as wonderfully tender, flavorful  among the best in memory. My wife is not a red meat eater and rarely eats more than 2 oz  when there is no choice at a one of those deadly Surf&Turf banquets. She devoured  the entire portion of her 8 oz filet.

My steak was flavorful, cooked “en pointe” and firm. But perhaps a bit firmer than I remembered. from my limited past experience. However, since I (as noted) do not profess to be a steak expert, I accepted it and ate it down to the bone. Everything was brought to the table on very, very hot serving plates that kept the food at the proper temperature for the entire meal.

Contrary to those seemingly valid reports about the Beverly Hills location, the service in T.O. was both pleasant and pristine. Our servers were true professionals with years of local experience. They were warm, friendly and informative. We had brought a 25 year old Cakebread Cabernet for the steaks (corkage is $25, but worth it). The wine  was perfectly uncorked, often a difficult task with an aged wine, carefully decanted and graciously served. 

Even the busboys had great personalities.            

 

Remarkably, for a restaurant that sort of implies an Italian heritage, has Sinatra’s photo’s all over and is playing Frankie cds most of the time there are no Italian desserts on the menu. The ice cream apparently isn’t even Gelato. There is Lou’s (Is that the boss?) cheese cake, Fresh Berry Crème Brulee, Key Lime Pie and Chocolate Pudding cake among 14choices ranging from $7.95 for Ice Cream and Sorbet ( Surprise there is a Lemoncello Sorbet)  to $11.95 for a Warm Butter Cake.


Dining Room with Banquettes

The wine list which seems   prosaic, but at high prices. also lists no vintages.

Mastro’s does mitigate that somewhat when it proudly pours 8 to 9 ounces of wine by the glass. That is a very generous pour and is essentially 1/3 of a bottle while being  priced at only 1/3 of their bottle price,

Thus, why buy a bottle when a glass is offered at the same price per oz? 

Perhaps Mastro’s is graciously encouraging each person at the table to be able to comfortably order a different wine of their personal choice rather than one whole bottle which forces every one at the table to drink the same wine. If that is their goal, it is sort of a clever and original concept. They offer 31 wines by the glass at prices from $8 to $26. Further they also seem to offer a better selection of value oriented Australian Shiraz and Chardonnay and New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir  than most dining spots around Southern California.

 

Thus, Mastro’s wine pricing actually seems to encourage you to BYOB. Even if you think that $25 corkage is high. It is actually a bargain considering the quality of service and glassware,

You see, their wine list at that healthy triple retail prox means that if you have any kind of a decent wine selection at home that includes any wine that is not on their list and retails for $30 or more, you can BYOB and pay Mastro’s $25 corkage.  So that a bottle similar to your $30-$40 bottle would sell on Mastro’s list for around $90-$120.  Do the math.

They also seem to be tripling on Champagne which is very unusual. No one has ever clearly explained the rationale but most restaurants take a much lower profit on Champagne perhaps encouraging you start off the evening with this wonderful aperitif and then follow with wine with dinner. It has  worked on me every time.

 


Semi-Private Dining Room with Fireplace

But since you cannot pour 8 or 9 ozs of champagne in a classic flute, Mastro’s thus  charges only  ¼ of their bottle charge for a flute of Champagne. But… the highly hyped and highly popular Veuve Cliquot which can be found offered all over town for about $35 a bottle at retail, or less, is offered at $100 a bottle at Mastro’s and thus $25 a flute. That’s rather steep.

Except for the above difficult to comprehend  wine policy, Mastro’s Westlake does offer a dining and entertainment package of fine food and superior service in an upscale ambience that is unique in our area. Thus if you choose intelligently and perhaps follow your waiter’s suggestions, you should conclude that your evening of dining was a special  outing "well spent" in many l ways.   

Mastro’s:
Directly Across from the T.O Civic Arts Plaza on Thousand Oaks Blvd.   805-418-1811
Reservations Crucial                     Most Credit Cards                   $4.50 for Valet Parking

Frankly Noted - Gossip Around The Conejo

Very Big News

For the first time since that  popularity contest called Zagat's has been published, finally 3 of the 12 very worthy Conejo restaurants have been recognized with listings in the Los Angeles Edition.  There are still 9 to go.   Ask me.

In the present case, credit is due to the management skills of the owners combined with talented chefs. There is Tuscany, rated as one of the best in all California within  the crowded and highly competitive Italian category. Owner Tomasso Barletta of Bari  and Executive Chef Maurizio Ronzoni from Lake Como deserve kudos for that.

Then there is Leila's, unbelievably  rated equal to Spago's for California Cuisine. Credit the very capable and amiable owner Peyman Afshar for that, by keeping the manic but brilliant chef Richie De Mane happy, super creative and healthy. Just watching Richie in the small open kitchen is worth the price of admission.

Finally there is the super cool owner- manager Tom Sweet partnering with veteran Chef Nick Blinoff to offer consistently satisfying Mediterranean cuisine at the very attractive Mandevilla.

 Openings and Closings!!!

Mediteranneo -Now open at the old Le Cafe location with a brilliant do over, new chef under the direction of General Manager Sandro De Coppola.  Soon to be reviewed.

Tryst- Now admitted to be completely closed. The original Rendez-vous had been allowed to run down physically and culinarily (Can that be a word?) by the original low energy and essentially incompetent son of the French owner. It was much  more than the supposedly sophisticated new manager-owner was willing to recognize or admit. It will take two- three hundred thousand dollars to bring it up to any acceptable standards and get rid of the odor of mold. Why bother? The light cosmetics that were applied were unable to overcome the serious and basic deficiencies. Employing as a chef, a  former cocktail waitress who claimed a very suspect international resume  was also a serious failing.

We now have many more fine restaurants in this extended Conejo area than the entire San Fernando Valley, all of Orange County and San Diego County  and are closing in on  the very large Westside area of Los Angeles from La Brea to the Sea.

In California now it is San Francisco, West Los Angeles, Conejo Valley with downtown Los Angeles trailing as a distant fourth. Santa Barbara has moved up and down. Citronelle is gone and the Wine Cask is overrated.

Further a broad spectrum exists with amazing excellence in Japanese-Sushi, Italian, Pizza, French, Chinese (on the outskirts), Sea Food, Steak (now), Fusion, Californian, Continental, Deli (now) and perhaps 2 fairly good Mexican Choices. 14 great choices in all.

The Holiday dining season is upon us and Serge Bonnet kicks it off at Cafe Provencal  with his very special three course Prix Fixe lunch at $14.95. Coffee or Tea is included.

On Wednesdays and Thursdays, he offers a 5 course special diner with 5 accompanying wines for $40. WOW!!!

His location across from the Civic Arts Plaza is a perfect choice if you are attending an event.

He now offers a complete quality catering service under the Amuse Bouche name.