About three decades ago, it seemed that the day of the robust neighborhood steak house” was doomed. Cholesterol was clearly and accurately defined as the killer. Thus the intelligent…. health concerned diner would put a knife and fork…….or chopsticks only to chicken, fish and salads, often served Chinese, Japanese or Pasta style. Red meat was taboo. This trend  continued for a long time, in spite of the fact that there are now mad fowl, msg, mercury and high carb problems attributed to much of the above. Only stuff like lettuce, carrot and tomato seemed safe but now there are those herbicides and insecticides. What's left ?

So  some one figured out that a little red meat protein was not only needed health wise but could be almost a dietary supplement. This then must be what has now created the remarkable explosion of  steak house mania

There are now eleven varied Steak Joints in a ten mile radius of Kanan and the 101. Seven years ago there were three. Black Angus, Corrigan’s and Monty’s

Steaks have also become much more complex since then. So here's the guide.

Until a few years ago, the limited upscale choice was domestic prime steaks that were differentiated only by the amount of  time being dry or wet aged. They had names like New York, Porterhouse and Top Sirloin for the supposed hipsters and Filet Mignon for those in need of dental work. A sixteen oz. steak was considered gigantic. USDA choice and select were the    no-nos

But now they are now massaged with exotic rubs and cooked in supposedly special high heat ovens up to 1300 degrees with names like Ribeye, Cowboy Style, Bone In etc. and with sizes intended to feed… jointly, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant…..if they ever again sit down together.

 This move to upgrade was then exacerbated by the supposed invasion of Kobe Beef directly from Japan. It was a fictitious invasion.  Sleazy trendy Los Angeles restaurants charged $70-90 for steaks to unknowing high rollers who like to pay the most for anything.

True Kobe Beef just recently permitted into the United States from Japan or Australia is actually available now (from our survey) at $20 an ounce..... only at Wolfgang Puck’s “Cut” in Beverly Hills and now in Las Vegas. It is created only by mating pure Wagyu cattle. Because of space problems many Wagyu males and females from Kobe Japan are now grazing in Australia as noted. They are exported and marketed as the real Kobe Beef

What you were served may have been American “Wagyu” (Kobe Style??) beef (at $10 an oz) from domestic Black Angus cows impregnated by Wagyu Japanese bulls that were brought here from the Kobe area of Japan. If the Wagyu came from the highly regarded Snake River Ranch or others like it in the Northwest, you did get a superior steak or hamburger, but also may have been overcharged.

Thus those of you that thought or now still think that you have been eating true Kobe beef with all that hand massaged, beer and sake fed hype for the last few years should sue for fraud. You haven’t ………….unless you visited Japan recently.

 But In fact, for the first time locally you can now buy this pure and true Kobe all Wagyu beef (from Australiia at  a market. This week Bristol Farms is offering Sirloin under the Greg Norman name for $26 a pound. It may not be Filet Mignon or Ribeye but it is only $1.65  an oz on your BBQ compared to $20 an oz. at Wolfies.

We bought 6 0z of this real stuff and paid about $10. My wife ate 2 oz. and I ate 4 oz. cooked medium rare. It was dense, tender, very flavorful and rich enough with striated fat that it satisfied us. There was is a discernible difference and we enjoyed it. But it was sirloin which is at the bottom of the Kobe ladder so we perhaps we weren't overwhelmed.

But  think about this: if you invited 4 others over for steak on the barbie and didn't want to look like a skimper, you would have to serve 6 ouncers to them at a cost of $60 and that is for the low end of  the True Kobe Beef category . Filets, Ribeyes etc could run the bill to $100 for 6 on the patio.

 I  have had domestic Snake River Wagyu Beef but only in hamburgers, and there is also a very discernible difference. At $15-18 for a hamburger, they are an obvious cut above “Prime” ground sirloin and they are worth it.

However, In this entire Conejo area we have not found a single restaurant that is now serving $20 an oz. pure Kobe beef or even that much lower priced domestic Wagyu Kobe from The Snake River …..except  when in those very good 12 ouncers of chopped sirloin in  hamburgers for $18. That comes to a restaurant price of about $1.50 per oz.  or 1/15 of the Wolfie price for the serous stuff.

So now, starting with the highest quality... and ...prices are my less than 20 minute drive time choices (or non- choices) for restaurants that serve Prime only with very brief notes.

Morton’s of Chicago has been THE name in upscale steak dining nationwide for many decades…. and deservedly so. It began in the Rush Street area in that very competitive steak city and continues to professionally serve large portions of high quality steak and sides at wallet busting but worth it prices for what they deliver.  The same waiters have been there for 30 years. It is the real McCoy.

They have expanded on a limited basis. But they have been able to maintain their standards. If you want the best but are a light eater, you might consider splitting portions. They may look at you funny but they probably will do it, perhaps with a slight up charge. It is a true old time steak restaurant experience. But as noted, the price can be very high. They just opened on Canoga in Woodland Hills. 12 oz steaks start at $38. Everything is a la carte. Dinner for two can easily hit around the $200 mark.  

Ruth’s Chris roared out of New Orleans with that  big down south local reputation and now has almost reached the triple digit mark in locations all over the country. Many think it is the equal or better than Morton’s. But I have a hard time believing that they can maintain the same high standards with all that absentee management. They can purchase and perhaps even cook excellent nationwide quality without difficulty. Not too hard to do. They claim that their special 1300 degree oven is the difference. But I wonder about how much service warmth and reality you get with what essentially becomes a mass produced and impersonally served meal. Pricing policy is about the same as Morton’s. They just opened in Santa Barbara. Not within 11 miles. But they are also in Woodland Hills and thus qualify.

Thirty years ago, The Palm in Beverly Hills was the only big deal steak house in Los Angeles along with  fat steaks and 2 ½ lb. and up lobsters at Michael Eisner prices plus classic insolent waiters. Pseudo foodies flocked there in the hopes of getting MIke's  special table by implying that they were high rollers.  They were really just tasteless conspicuous consumers. The Palm still attracts a similar clientele, is now just second tier but with prices comparable to the two above. I can’t think of a reason to go there... unless you are a masochist and enjoy being insulted.

Mastro’s had been a more recent and in fact, advanced member of the Palms business plan approach of offering masochism and insolence at high prices in Beverly Hills and Scottsdale. It seems that a certain segment of society still enjoys paying inordinately high prices to be insulted by the wait staff.  Mastro’s did seem to get the message when it opened in Thousand Oaks and it recruited many friendly types from the local servers in the area. When we dined there recently, it was like old home week with many of the waiters. Neither my wife nor I are big red meat eaters, but we agreed that her Filet and my New York Cut were perhaps the best we had outside of Chicago. Mastro’s has reportedly sold out since then and there are some recent reports of quality and service deficiencies.  Entertainment in the bar on weekends.

Finally, I do have two clear value choices for slightly different reasons. One is worth the short drive and the other is local.

First and foremost, there is the truly venerable and unique solo operation, Monty’s. It is in Woodland Hills and is absolutely worth the less than 20 minute drive… because it is the real thing. The owners are true pros and make the meal a relaxing and warm experience. It has been at this free standing house location that they own at Ventura and Topanga for 30 years prox. (think low rental costs) and has a 60 year family heritage now moving toward its fourth generation. Monty’s represents about what all steak houses should look like and act.

Most of the very saucy but fun waitresses have been on the job for two or three decades instead of two or three months. Large splittable portions of Prime aged meat and sides are perfectly prepared along with perhaps  the best wine list within 15 miles next to  the remarkable Il Ristorante Tuscany.  You get the feeling that you are in a real place with servers that really care about you. I give it a very strong recommendation. It is priced at a similar level (perhaps slightly lower-remember that rent) to nearby Flemings and local Chapter 8 and Dakota. You will read about those three in three minutes.

Holdren’s in Newbury Park near the Marriot aspires to deliver the same experience that you get at Monty’s. But it will take a little time. It is a sibling of the 4 year old in Santa Barbara. It’s pricing and value for Prime steaks separates it from all the others in this article. While initial pricing is similar or slightly lower than the others, Holdren’s includes fine soups or substantial salads at no extra charge plus a carb side dish. Steaks start at $28. There are a la carte side options. The room has that down to earth true steak house feel rather than those cookie cutter corporate versions that could easily pass for an upscale coffee shop or a deli. The servers are all locals. But they have been remarkably well trained by a manager who is not a product of a corporate structure but certainly knows what he is doing. Two can have a very pleasant steak experience for well under $100. It is busy with locals every night of the week from 6 PM on and thus reservations are essential.

A complete review on Holdren's can be found in the pending copy of the Spotliter which is offered at all T.O. Civic Plaza productions in all their theaters. They have asked us to write two reviews per issue for them. But FrankAboutFood.com will still always be available with different articles

Chapter 8 which is part of a numerically obsessed Westlake management consortium that includes P6 and Suki 7 is near the upper end of the Steak House price scale except for a 12 oz. domestic Wagyu beef burger at $18. That is a bargain. But this aggressive and seemingly competent upper management team seems unsure of its business plan. It waivers between wanting its three locations to be décor-intensive trendy clubs that attracts the tight leather pants crowd or serious dining destinations.

Right now it seems they have decided on a suspect compromise. by wanting to be both at the same time.  I think it’s impossible. The  sophisticated diners (that I know) usually in a group of four or six paying high prices while out for dinner and a $75 bottle of wine prefer intimate conversation along with the food. That above management compromise obviously seems to have resulted in a classic dilemma similar to the one that faced King Solomon two millenniums ago. Maybe they should check it out on Google to learn what he did. As Casey Stengel once said “You could look it up”.

Locally, Dakota’s is rather indistinctive in location and architecture and seems to be priced (there’s that high rent again) and designed for the nearby patrons of the Marriot and the Four Seasons rather than locals who as noted have numerous other choices. Perhaps after a few years, the restaurant will develop some of the character that it achieved  when it was the only game in town in Simi Valley.

Flemings on Topanga in Woodland Hills is sort of a faceless chain like Dakota’s but has an excellent…. and again expensive location near that major shopping center and draws from about 1 million Valleyites. But unless you were shopping late at Nordstrom’s, there is nothing unique enough about that restaurant to justify the drive and especially the high rent driven prices.

Be aware that the numbers above includes  Black Angus. Corrigan’s, Claim Jumper and Outback, The first two who, 6 years ago prox., were the only local game in town, now seem to belong in a space capsule The last two are noted primarily for large portions that require ingesting  as they  thrown at you in an unpleasant chaotic venue. The reward for enduring this discomfort is the opportunity to lug home that  Great Dane size doggie bag. You can then finish it off in the next three days at some other clearly more pleasing ambience….anywhere.

Aside from these apparent deficiencies, none of these last four serve Prime beef which is the first clear definition of a real steak house. They serve Choice…. at best…. which you can buy at your local Von’s and serve in much more pleasant surroundings.