"Here’s one thing you don’t usually call a steakhouse: a hoot. But this place is. Defying every dark, stuffy, serious convention of the genre, A5 looks like a 1970s-era fern bar that collided with a Western saloon (in a good way). As the vibe goes, so goes the kitchen, simultaneously upholding and upending expectations for what a steakhouse menu should be. Naturally there’s a wedge salad—but it’s shaped like a disk and topped with toasted quinoa and farro, avocado, and pickled red onions as well as bacon lardons, confit tomato, and Roquefort dressing. By all means stick to a classic rib-eye with Bordelaise sauce and a side of whipped potatoes if that’s your jam—but you could also go for the gusto and order the namesake Wagyu strip loin with veal ponzu and bacon-kimchi fried rice." - Ruth Tobias
