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A few years back, Rene mentioned Porterhouse Bistro’s prix fixe menu here. I typically don’t blog about restaurants that have previously been written here (except for just one time by accident, and I immediately removed my review once I knew mine was a duplicate), but I figured Rene wouldn’t mind if I elaborated on what he previously wrote. I actually first heard of Porterhouse Bistro about 6 years ago. It was well-known for offering steaks without the exuberant price other steakhouses charge. Despite the good reviews and the promise of a great meal at an affordable price, I wasn’t exactly eager to make my way there. Then I heard about the prix fixe menu, a 4-course meal that includes two beverage choices, for $43.20. On top of that, Porterhouse Bistro sends out letters offering a 20% discount off of your check. Last night, my friends and I just had to take advantage of this offer. We each ordered off of the prix fixe menu, which meant our huge dinner came to a total of just $34.56 per person (before tax and tip).

Beverages:
I have ordered off of prix fixe menus before at other restaurants, and if beverages are included, the choices are usually coffee, tea, or soft drinks. Porterhouse Bistro does one better and allows guests the option of choosing a glass of any of their house wines. If you prefer wine or cocktail not on the house list, you simply pay an additional $5. These days, a decent martini will run you $10, so paying $5 for one at Porterhouse Bistro is a bargain. For my first choice, I picked the house pinot noir. I don’t remember the vineyard it came from, but the wine was quite drinkable. It had a very strong fruity presence. If I had not ordered from the prix fixe menu, the glass of pinot noir would be $6. (I will try to include the regular menu price for your reference.) You can order your second beverage at any time. I chose a cup of coffee to go with my dessert.

First Course:
From the menu, I wasn’t very impressed with the first course, bread. When the bread came, however, I was singing a different tune. While I enjoy La Brea Bakery’s bread, the fact that Porterhouse Bistro serves it is not the reason why I was happy. The bread was served with a whole roasted garlic bulb, butter, olive oil with balsamic vinegar, and the house tapenade. I loved that we got to choose what to accompany our warm bread with. Now, I really am not one to talk about butter of all things in restaurant reviews, but I have to say, the butter Porterhouse Bistro gave us is better than the butter at the restaurants I’ve been eating at lately. It tasted creamy but not greasy. I couldn’t help commenting about this at the table, and one of my friends immediately had to try it for herself. She agreed with me that the butter was indeed creamier than standard restaurant butter. The roasted garlic disappeared very quickly. I really enjoyed the garlic’s soft texture and very slight sweetness. My friends and I did not talk much about the roasted garlic, but since each clove was devoured, I think it’s safe to say we all liked it. We barely made a dent in the tapenade, not because we didn’t like it, but rather because Porterhouse Bistro gave us a lot of it. I find that every restaurant makes tepenade a little differently. Some have more olive oil than others, some are courser than others. Porterhouse Bistro’s tepenade is not oily, and you definitely see the finely chopped up olives in each spoonful.

Second Course: Appetizer
Friend #1 chose the smoked salmon quesadilla ($10) , Friend #2 - gargonzola tart ($10), and Friend #3 - spinach salad ($9). I was torn. I kept going back and forth between the romaine and endive salad ($10) and the onion soup ($8). I asked our server which I should choose. He started to advise me on the salad, and then he changed his mind and recommended the soup. I did as he suggested, and I am so glad I ordered the soup. This was by far the best onion soup I had in years. The soup is not covered in cheese, but rather a very light pastry dough. There is a little bit of cheese in the soup itself though. Unlike with many bistro onion soups, this one was not overly salty. The broth was an unexpected very light brown. It had a light, sweet, and spicy (lots of pepper was used) taste. The onions were soft, sweet, and translucent. The flavor was absolutely delicious. My friends all tried a spoonful of the soup and concurred that it was really very good. I tried their appetizers as well, and while theirs were good, too, I think the soup was the best out of all the appetizers. The gargonzola tart was served on a bed of greens with a raspberry dressing. The contrasts of the rich cheese with the light salad and of the salty tart with the sweet dressing were delightful. The smoked salmon quesadilla surprised me at first bite because it was filled with cream cheese. I never thought of making a quesadilla using cream cheese, but since lox and cream cheese is a common combination, it worked well in this dish.

Third Course: Entree
Friend #1 chose the rack of lamb, served with garlic mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli ($27). Her lamb was very good - juicy and tender, very flavorful. The rest of us all picked the 12-oz rib eye steak ($29), but we each chose a different side dish. Even though we ordered the same steak, and we asked for medium, only one of us actually got medium. Friend #2 and I actually got a well done steak. The rib eye steak was still overall good, as it is quality meat and well seasoned, but the steak was a little bit on the dry side. We both looked enviously at Friend #3, as she ate her perfectly medium steak. Our server came by and asked how everything was. I did mention to him that I would have liked my steak more had it not been overcooked. He asked if I wanted a new one. I declined, but then he looked at me and insisted that I get a new one because I should be happy with my food. He was so very nice about it, that I didn’t feel the slightest bit uncomfortable about accepting the offer. While I was waiting for the new steak, I nibbled on the side dishes we ordered, house fries ($9), sauteed mushrooms ($9), and the steamed broccoli ($6). The fries reminded me a little of BJ Brewery’s, but much better. The fries were dipped in seasoned batter before they were deep fried. Porterhouse Bistro’s fries were dangerously addictive. The sauteed mushrooms were also good. I’m not the biggest fan of mushrooms, and even I liked these. My problem with mushrooms have always been a texture issue. I hate bland and mushy mushrooms with a passion. Porterhouse Bistro’s sauteed mushrooms were tasty and firm but not hard. My new steak arrived very quickly at my table, still sizzling on the plate. My friends I joked that we don’t typically see sizzling steak at bistros. After letting the juices settle a little, I cut one piece of the steak, and it was delicious. I was very impressed. I shared a portion of my steak with Friend #2, and she agreed that the new steak was so much better than our well done ones. I have to admit, while eating the first rib eye steak, I didn’t understand why so many people raved about Porterhouse Bistro. While eating the second one, I was ready to lead the charge on lavishing praise on them.

Fourth Course: Dessert
Before our desserts arrived, we were surprised when our server brought a big glowing blue object to our table:

This turned out to be a nice treat of cotton candy with a flame in the center. We had hard time trying to remember when was the last time we had eaten cotton candy. This was a fun centerpiece at the table, and we certainly enjoyed tearing it apart and eating it.

We ordered two creme brulees ($8), a chocolate lava cake ($9), and an apple tart ($8). I was not impressed with creme brulee at all. The flavor was good, and I loved that I could see specks of vanilla bean in it, but the texture was not right. I felt that the creme brulee was overcooked. The creme brulees were the only desserts that we ordered that were left unfinished. The chocolate lava cake was good, but not spectacular. Also, after having had many lava cakes over the years, we all expected lava (chocolate sauce or fudge) to ooze out from the center as we cut into it. That didn’t happen though. Nevertheless, the cake was full of chocolatey goodness. I thought the best dessert was my choice, the apple tart. I had previously mentioned (in my review of Susina Bakery) that it seems most places make their apple tarts by layering thin slices of apple, and Porterhouse Bistro is no different in that respect. It may not be an original dessert, but it was ever so delicious. Even though the apple slices were so thin, Porterhouse Bistro layered them so generously that the apple flavor was enjoyed in every bite. The pastry part of the tart was very crispy. Again, not very original but always a great a combination, adding some caramel and a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream on the side made this apple tart a winning dessert.

To get your own 20% discount letter from Porterhouse Bistro, you can sign up on their website when you make reservations.

Porterhouse Bistro
8635 Wilshire Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
Phone: (310) 659-1099
Mon-Fri: 6:00pm - 10:00pm, Sat & Sun: 5:00pm-10:00pm

By Pauline (see more of her posts).