John S.
Yelp
Short-short, really good food, ambience and pretty good food service was noticeably marred by substandard wine service, all at a price that stretched the bounds of value. Party of two with a $100 bottle of wine and a couple drinks ran $500 with tip. As to value, one might consider ordering highest end in K-town for at least a third less in price although the ambience was special.
The food: most of the steak cuts were expertly cooked over the fire at the table but was surprised that a couple of the selections really needed a knife to get through as a couple cuts wwre a bit tough and teeth alone didn't hack it (yes, while they provide chopsticks standard silverware is available upon request). High marks though for the appetizers featuring caviar (although I can't to save my life understand why they didn't offer an implement besides metal chopsticks or silverware, or super-salty chips, with which to enjoy the caviar featured atop the dish).
The accompaniments for the steak dishes were lovely to look at and tasty additions. It's unfortunate, though, that only one Itty bitty serving dish of each was provided and it was necessary to reach across a searing hot grill to reach whichever accompaniments were not in front the diner. I'm not enthusiastic about the idea of having to reach through fire to dip a piece of steak in a sauce or reach for salt or spices to sprinkle on the meat. And, for that matter, I wasn't wild about sharing dipping sauces when that meant my guests chopsticks and mine had to go from sauce to mouth to sauce again; the restaurant could have had at least individual sets of sauces. Same for salt that was left to be served with the fingers; I'm not keen about having my guest reach his fingers into the same salt dish as I'm expected to use.
Aside from a fiasco with the wine service, food service was attentive and friendly. One exception, though. They set down the rice so far in advance of cooking the meat that it was cold by the time the main course commenced.
Wine service was an issue, though. It especially threw my guest. The somm stopped by before the apps while we were enjoying drinks to ask if we'd like to talk through the wine list with him. Timing was off so we declined. Then he was off, rarely to return (until late in the meal). It's a well curated list and it wasn't hard to make a great choice (a Pride syrah). Unfortunately, it took a loooooong time to actually get a bottle, maybe half an hour, and by the time it arrived we were well through the first couple meat selections (the wait staff were not inclined to delay food service). We were told the somm was busy and the wines were on the 4th floor and they had limited staff to make it upstairs to get the bottle.
When the bottle finally arrived the somm seemed to be unaware that I and not my guest had made the wine selection. He quickly showed the label to my guest and then whisked it away before I had the opportunity to confirm the selection. This was happening during dinner since the bottle took so long to arrive, so the process added to the delay. Even after it should have been clear that I was responsible for the wine selection, the somm poured my guest the taste and I had to insist he pour me one, too, as I was the one who knew what it should taste like. And even after that correction, he poured my wine first, a big no-no in classical wine service.
Our sever must've perceived our displeasure with the lack of wine through the early steal service and brought us a bit more meat, which was some consolation. Still, at these prices it's disappointing and at a minimum someone should have at least apologized for the wine snafu.
If you're into Korean steakhouses and want to impress somebody and run up a really large tab, this could be the spot for you. Just be sure to order your bottle of wine when you first sit down. And maybe bring a spoon made of bone or pearl for the caviar. As for me, well, maybe I'll head a few blocks Southwest to K-town next time I'm in the mood for that.
