Alexander Steakhouse - 2006.06.14 -- ***

If it weren't for our work team lunch I would've not found this place. Tucked away beside 280 in Cupertino in a little lot of its own, Alexander was in fact a huge, I mean gargantuant restaurant. Not that it would seat that many diners, but past the entrance hall where dry-aging and kobe beef were on display, there was a large living room with leather couches and a fireplace inviting guest for a sit or peruse the racks of wines in showcase shelves, and further down a two-story atrium bar lit with natural light. The washrooms were likewise spacious. Peering out a pair of doors I thought I saw garden grounds surround the backside of the restaurant, a stone path meander through it. All in all, they spared no expense putting this place up.

We were seated at a long table in a room of our own. If the decor didn't give away the japanese influence on Alexander, the menu left it to no uncertainty. Perhaps that was why everyone took forever to decide what we wanted to order. Jokes were aplenty about ordering the kobe beefs, even the menu proclaimed "go ahead, expense it"! But alas at 200 bucks a pop for the Japanese import, or 100 for the Australia version (why hasn't the Japanese trade registered their name like the French and italians have), no one was actually going to order one, at least not before the big boss does. So I went with a sake/maguro/hamachi tartare trio followed by a 28oz NY steak, dry-aged on premise.

The tartares were absolutely amazing, gorgeous to behold, sumptuous on the palate. Each fish came with a distinctive dressing, curry, mint, and chili oil (???), and garnished with cute little mounts of fish roe or quail egg in its shell. On the tongue, they were smooth, buttery, flavorful yet reserved in a japanese fashion that lets the natural fish taste come through as well.

The steak came as a massive boulder of meat and bone on a fittingly massive plate, butter and sauce running down its flanks. I tried to order a smaller piece, even pondered sharing with someone else, but apart from the filet mignon they were a one-sized restaurant. As for the dry-aging, Alexander curiously chose a 28-day schedule, for reasons I do not understand. Typical dry-aging takes 4-6 weeks. Perhaps that was partly why my NY steak was less flavorful than I expected. But worse was the overdone-ness of the beef, which I ordered medium rare, but it came more like medium well. The sauce, an apparent veal (or beef) reduction, wasn't enough to save the meat. I felt disappointed; I really wanted to like their steak. Perhaps it was a one-time fluke.

My co-workers seemed to have enjoyed their meals, which ranged from filet mignons to seabass to vegetarian. We were surrounded by beautiful decor and warm, professional service from our waiter, the food were interesting and wonderfully presented; I think I will be back again to sample other dishes, maybe even the kobe, a rare sight to be sure on US terf.

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