Lark Creek Steak

Earlier this month, I was invited to try Chef Ismael Macias' cuisine at Lark Creek Steak. Macias has been with the Lark Creek Restaurant Group for over 12 years, which is an amazing feat in itself. Working his way up the ladder, he has cultivated an unwavering commitment to local, sustainable ingredients.

Despite being a great steak house, they have lots of awesome choices if you aren't attracted to beef. The Sauteed Monterey Bay Calamari with butterbeans and smoked tomato sauce is executed with perfection. The calamari is extremely tender and the spicy heirloom tomato sauce gives a comforting warmth to the palate. I'd go back just for this dish alone. The rich and creamy Brentwood Corn Chowder with apple smoked bacon is another one that we would crave over and over again.

We're still at the height of heirloom tomato season, so their simple tomato salad with wild mizuna, balsamic reduction, and parmesan is well seasoned. Really, you can't ask for sweeter tomatoes.

I was wowed by the earthy and intense Wild Mushroom Risotto. It's quite rich but not overly so, and there's a generous amount of mushrooms to boost the dish's flavor. It also helped that I had someone to share the calories, so this was a great accompaniment to the juicy, tender and oh-so-flavorful “Kobe Style” Eye of Ribeye from Snake River Farm.

Chef Macias also treated us to an excellent wild Alaskan halibut preparation with Manila clams and andouille sausage sauce. I really hope he'll incorporate this into a future menu. The fish had a nice, crunchy seared layer but still retained its moistness and the other ingredients are nicely integrated.

We normally would finish the meal with their famous butterscotch pudding, but we got the slightly lighter Warm Peach Cobbler with blackberry compote and vanilla bean ice cream. What a warm, sweet, gooey way to send us off into a food coma.

I also got a kick out of using their iPad menus. So cool. Too bad I can't take it with me!

The next time you're at Bloomies doing some shopaholic damage, don't forget to drop by Lark Creek Steak to refuel your energy. Make your reservations at www.larkcreek.com/larkcreek_steak. 

For editorial consideration, a press visit was provided for this post.

Comments

[Carolyn Jung]

Oh, they didn't have the iPad menus when we were there. Must be a new feature. I guess I'll just have to go back to try it -- or use that as an excuse to order more butterscotch pudding. ;)

[Tami]

It's pretty fun to use their menus. Haha, I don't think I met anyone who loves butterscotch pudding as much as you! :)