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Categories: Steakhouses, Seafood
10330 N Wolfe RdNow serving Lunch Monday-Friday 11:30-2:00pm.
Also join us for cocktails at 5:00pm daily & live music every Friday evening 7:00-10:00pm
Mon-Thu. 5:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 5:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Sun. 5:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
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My boyfriend and I celebrated our 4th anniversary at Alexander's. The experience was great! When we sat down, our waitress asked us if we were celebrating a special occasion, and when we said it was our anniversary, she asked how long we'd been together. A little later, she brought us complimentary champagne to celebrate. :o)
I ordered the Asian yuzu mojito, which was quite tasty and very attractive with shaved curled peels decorating the top of the glass. My bf and I totally pigged out with our appetizers. We wound up ordering 4, so our waitress suggested we split the appetizers into 2 rounds which was an excellent idea. We never would've had room on the table for all of those at once, and it would've been overwhelming. Before our appetizers came, we were presented with an amuse bouche of cauliflower soup topped with maple cream. The soup was a bit interesting in that it was more like a soft solid than a liquidy soup, but once I got used to that, I thought it was delicious, packed with all sorts of flavors.
For our 1st round of apps, we got the garroxta goat cheese which came with some fruit (great combination with the cheese), marmalade, and buttered up crostinis. We also got shishito peppers, which were lightly salted. As the menu said, some were hot, most were not. I liked munching those with the parmesan crackers they gave us in our bread basket. 2nd round of apps featured hamachi shooters and smoked salmon. Had to try the hamachi shooters because so many people raved about them on Yelp and my bf loves hamachi. Plus I figured I love oyster shooters, why wouldn't I love hamachi shooters too? They were good, though a little on the pricier side for an appetizer since it was $24 for 6. If only we could say how many shooters we want. There was a whiff of truffle oil in them, which alarmed my bf a little bit because he hasn't been able to handle truffle oil much since we overloaded on some a while back in a cooking experiment, hehe, but it was not overpowering in the shooter. There was a nice blend of ingredients. The smoked salmon was also good, pretty thick and moist. The cream cheese snow that came with it looked interesting, but I wasn't too impressed by the taste.
Entree-wise, I ordered the smaller 6 oz filet mignon, which I think wound up being the best choice because it was just right. I would have barely been able to put a dent in any of the other steaks with all the food we'd already eaten. I was a little worried when I settled on it because I've had a couple of filet mignons where they're not cooked right and wind up a bit chewy and overcooked and make me wish I'd ordered a regular steak. This filet mignon was cooked perfectly to my medium rare request. It was nice and reddish pink in the middle and tender. My bf ordered the hickory smoked chicken. It was ginormous! He actually made 3 more meals out of it with the leftovers. :o) It had an Asian flair with a miso broth and braised lotus roots. He thought the chicken was really moist.
Dessert featured a couple of pleasant surprises. We got a big spool of cotton candy, which is complimentary for every table. Made us feel like kids again, hehe. We also got a small piece of complimentary chocolate cake for oru anniversary. The best part about it was that it came on a plate that had "Happy 4th anniversary" written on it in chocolate, which I thought was really sweet. i was very touched.
All in all, Alexander's made our special night very memorable. Service was excellent. Our waitress checked in with us regularly. All of our dishes were described well by the servers who dropped them off, and our water glasses never went empty. When my bf and I were taking pictures of each other, a waiter offered to take one of us together. We spent roughly 3 hours at dinner and never felt rushed. I highly recommend! :o)
Finally made our way to this place. First impression, small parking lot with no parking, darn. Plenty up top though.
We made reservations, so when we walked in, we were seated immediately. This was on a Friday night, place was pretty much packed. Our server came to greet us, but she ended up disappearing for about 30 minutes before she came back to explain the menu. Minus points for that kind of service for such an "high end" place. I didn't catch her name either. She also had the worse memory a server can have, she couldn't get her tables right while making conversations with us, also mixing us up with others.
We started off with their Hamachi Shots- truffled ponzu sauce, chili, avocado, frizzled ginger, cilantro greens- these were very tasty, the ponzu sauce can be over whelming with a vinegar taste if you take the whole shot at one time. The fish however was very fresh tasting and just melts in your mouth. Worth a try.
Mushroom and oxtail soup- wild mushrooms, gruyere cheese crisp, herbs- there was plenty of mushrooms in this dish and all had great flavors. This was more of a cream of mushroom soup taste than an oxtail soup. There was a piece of meat centered, which was fall off the bone like, with the gruyere cheese crisp capped over on top of the meat. Over all, if your not a cream of mushroom fan, than this dish isn't for you, not much oxtail tasting or meat in this soup. Worth a try.
I got the wet aged strip steak with kimchi butter- just your average piece of meat, came pre-sliced, a little tough, with kimchi on top. This was an ok dish.
BF ordered the prime rib which was perfectly cooked. Very good.
In between we had small dishes given to us to cleanse our palette. Those were a nice touch.
Of course, we were given the infamous cotton candy at the end of our meal, watermelon was the flavor.
Also we were given 2 bags of mini cookies to take home with us, those were nice and chewy, but just plain. They went really easy on the sugar on those cookies.
Over all, I was hoping for better service, probably would've made my experience a little better rather than waiting 30 minutes before we saw our server again. Don't get me wrong, we pulled another guy aside and he ordered our drinks, but didn't take our order because we already had a server. I think he should have pushed our server over or just took our order.
i went here about 2 weeks ago for my birthday BEST STEAKHOUSE I"VE BEEN TO BY FAR
GREAT SERVICE!!! GREAT FOOD!!!
everything was perfect and our waiter david was awesome. My fiancee and I shared the tomahawk chop under david's recommendation.. GREAT! popcorn crab, uni fried rice and ohitashi salad
I went into food coma :D first came the salad.. it was boiled spinach with marinated tako and maguro served with a ponzu dressing LOVED THE COMBINATION.. then we had the popcorn crab.. REALLY YUMMY with the saracha mayo sauce.. then there was a break and they served a passion fruit & strawberry blended juice.. I WANTED MORE! then the chop and fried rice... it was so hard to try and finish everything..
after all that, they served... ... ... *DRUMS ROLLING* cotton candy? thats right.. lemon meyer flavored cotton candy to cleanse the pallate again... then i was served with a complimentary chocolate desert.. i love the cotton candy more so i asked for seconds.. with drinks and all our meal came out to ~$160 w/ tip. i will def come back..
I've never been a big fan of steaks...I didn't get why people liked them, it's just a big slab of meat that tastes pretty much the same everywhere! But that all changed last night when I had the Japanese wagyu filet mignon and it opened up a whole new world to me. OMG, it was melt in your mouth deliciousness. I never knew meat could have such flavors and consistency. Upon bringing out my steak, they also gave me a certificate of authenticity, which not only included the family history info of the cow I was eating, but also a nose print! The server explained that it was like a form of ID, similar to finger printing with humans. This actually made me depressed! How was I supposed to eat this steak now after seeing this poor cow's cute little nose print!?
For appetizers, we had the lobster dumplings and seared scallops which were both good, but didn't impress. As for sides, we ordered the bacon string beans and truffle mac n cheese with lobster. This time around, the mac n cheese was very cheesy and gooey! For dessert, we shared a trio of sorbets- strawberry kiwi (too sour for my liking), green apple (didn't really taste like apple to me), and coconut (by far the best! Should've gone with a single order of it).
Oh God, food coma. Binging on Alexander's is quite fun.
Popcorn crab - Yum! Forget popcorn shrimp,…
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I ordered the filet mignon, with a side of mashed potatos with truffles and gravy. This was one of the most delicious meals I have ever eaten. The meat was perfect and flavorful, I highly reccomend this resturant.
The waiters were knowledgable and friendly about both the menu and wines. If you are in the area, you have to stop by.
Simply WOW!
We've been here several times. The service and food has never been less than excellent! I'm not a meat eater, so I always order seafood. My husband orders meat and is always perfect, according to him.
One time we had Wagyu beef and jumbo shrimps as an appetizer: it was cooked on a hot lava rock. The presentation on that was just amazing and yes, even I tried the beef and it just melts in your mouth like butter.
I love that they give you a flavored cotton candy at the end of your meal. The best part for me... lol (I have sweet tooth)
Definitely worth a visit and I'm sure you'll come back.
I've been here twice on dates. This place is nice, if you really know your meats. I enjoy the food, service and experience.
Good: Food & Service.
Bad: Dark parking lot. My friends car was burglarize! No Joke. Cops said its a common problem here. BE CAREFUL.
Came here for my Mom's Birthday. We got her the A5 Kagoshima Kobe/Wagyu beef. omg. Melts in your mouth, tons of flavor. I've had Kobe beef before (5A5 in SF, Fugakyu in Boston...) this tops them all easily. $185 for ~9oz
Prime Rib - Attempting to save some money I got the prime rib. This is most definitely the best prime rib I've ever had, definitely killing House of Prime Rib in SF and every other ritzy place I've had it. ~20oz for $39.
Braised Boneless Shortrib - I'm kind of a cheese fanatic, the Humboldt Fog fondue is amazing and, more importantly, balanced with the shortrib. This is a must get for cheese lovers.
Hamachi shots - these are a signature dish, thought they were pretty good. Definitely worth it. $15 for 6 shots.
Brussel Sprouts - The brussel sprouts are good, but the side is actually mostly some kind of pasta or gnocchi. wtf? Probably the downer of the meal.
Mac and Cheese - They flaunt the truffle oil but I thought their blend of cheese was excellent. I don't know if you've heard, but I'm kind of a mac and cheese expert.
The service was great although I was a bit peeved that they didn't bring us their A5 menu (yes it's a separate menu) and I had to ask for it. Profiling much?! You're lucky I'm rating purely on food.
my bf and i went in for the dine around town..
it was so packed so we only got a 9 pm reservation, but it was totally worth it.
i had heard so many people talk about this place, but we have never been so dine around town was a great idea. our waitress was just so great, she explained everything and gave us a lot of recommendations.
The truffle fries are just pure delicious and the desert is to die for ...
can't wait to go back again!
Just reviewing lunch at the Lounge. Went there last week and found out that they're serving Japanese style ramen over at Alexander's. Ramen at a steakhouse! Go figure.
I think they're just starting the lunch service here and they're still working out some of the kinks. Overall, the ramen was pretty good... but the portions were just too big. Like stupid big. The ramen bowl could've fed two people and it came with a donburi bowl on the side AND a salad.
Overall, the Alexander's broth (probably some type of tonkotsu broth) was quite flavorful, but it wasn't served piping hot like it should have been and the noodles were a bit mushy (I've heard that they have since changed their noodles, but haven't had a chance to try it just yet). However, the chashu pork they had on top was to die for.... seriously, it was the best pork I have had in a bowl of ramen... ever.
Sure, the ramen here was pricey, but the high quality ingredients and quantity more than made up for it. All in all, it was about $15 for the ramen set meal. I hope they work out some of the kinks because that pork was just heavenly. Check it out!
They offer a wide selection of Japanese style appetizers as well, but the ramen is definitely the focus here. I'm hoping they start offering up some kobe beef burgers and their ginormous french dip sammich soon. Maybe someone needs to start a second review for The Lounge @ Alexander's since the price range is very different from that of their regular restaurant.
I'm not going to go into many details, as there isn't much to say that hasn't already been said, but here is my take on this place in 2 sentences:
There are lots of expensive places out there that don't live up to the hype in my opinion and Alexander's is NOT one of those places. Yes, it is very pricey, but i have always walked away from here feeling like i got my money's worth.
So there it is. that, and get the mac and cheese with lobster for sure.
Maybe I don't have a sophisticated palate. But this place wasn't all it's cracked up to be. The mashed potatoes were good I thought. The filet mignon was disappointing. The rest of the food was mediocre. The service was excellent though.
But maybe I'm just a bucket of fried chicken kind of girl. Do you know how many buckets of fried chicken I could've gotten with the money that was spent here?!
8th Wedding Anniversary dinner. Hamachi shots for appetizer were so fresh and delicate. Kobe beef for the husband, Filet for me - it was delicious beyond description. In fact, if possible, the sides were even better than the meat. Can't beat the service - efficient, polite and very high class.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT
We were in town for the week and wanted a good steak and after reading other reviews on yelp, we decided to give it a try. I ended up getting the steak sampler (NY Trio I believe) which came with a sample of Filet (US), F1 (Australia), and Kobe A5.
The A5 was my first and it was unbelievably good. I see some reviews saying the steak was so/so, which may be the case for a normal filet, but if you can afford the good stuff, then I can't see how you could complain at all. The A5 literally melted in my mouth.
The mashed potatoes, Truffle fries, and desserts were excellent. They also ended the meal with a giant lime flavored cotton candy, which was really good as well.
The atmosphere was very nice, the service was great, and we left extremely full. The servers were very knowledgeable and the food was delicious. I will be back next time I am in town.
I vacillated between a 3- and 4-star review and finally went with 4. Alexander's isn't the kind of place that's doing particularly inventive things, but it's a solid restaurant, that serves tasty food in a nice atmosphere in the south bay--which is something in and of itself.
Alexander's is the place I go to when I want a nice meal but don't want to go to SF. The vibe is nice and relaxed (maybe a little too relaxed, as most patrons are rather under-dressed (seriously, why would you wear shorts and sandals to a fairly nice restaurant?!)) while still being slightly upscale.
I'm a big red meat eater (well, I don't eat it often, but I love it) and have only ordered red meat options here. The filet was well-cooked and tender, but rather boring (as is generally the case with filets and the reason I rarely order them outside of Henry's Hi-Life in downtown SJ). I've had the meat trio twice and found it more successful on one occasion than the other. Depending on how the options look to you, though, I'd recommend it. It's a nice way to sample a few dishes. My fella had the rib eye once and it was impressively massive. All sides must be ordered separately, which is something of a bother, but not too bad. The mac and cheese is ok, as is everything else I've had. The hamachi shots are better than the lobster ones. Drinks are good, though not great.
Service has always been fun and friendly and, come on, free cotton candy! Yes!
I debated a bit about # of stars to give- reason is the quality of the all the food we consumed weren't as consistently amazing as I would expect for a place that has so many five star ratings. As such, I decided to unleash my inner nerd and take a more analytical approach. Here's the breakdown of our experiences in order to arrive at this 'average rating' -- which is 3.857, so I rounded up to 4 stars :-)
Bottomline: I think if you are going to have steak, I'd definitely recommend it. But if you are not going to have the red meat, probably not worth the premium.
(1) Filet Mignon (hubby had) -- 4 stars, definitely high quality but not the very best he has ever had benchmarking against other steakhouses say in Boston or New York. The selection though, is very impressive, esp. with the 'special menu' wagyu selection
(2) Lobster dumpling with foie gras sauce (I had - I am only allowed to eat fully cooked meat at the moment so decided to try seafood) -- 3 stars - not very memorable, can't really taste the lobster and the flavor was not delicate
(3) Mushrooms --5 stars, some sort of red wine reduction sauce plus I am sure a ton of butter
(4) Brussel sprouts -- 3 stars (would have been better if they didn't throw in some random gnocchi - why add extra carb when you don't need to!?)
(5) Fries -- 3.5 stars, was expecting it to be amazing. But it was just regular high quality fries
(6) O2 - Chocolate dessert that has chocolate molton cake with some chocolate casing which was melted by some hot raspberry sauce, served with ice cream -- 3.5 stars
(7) Services (servers, the the cotton candy, the palate cleanser, etc) -- 5 stars
my bitches were skeptical as to me being allowed in with birkenstocks, i said to my bitches....."they brand new".
do you not see this burberry shirt being disguised as plain white t-shirt? shit nigga.
You should be eating here yearly.....
It would be a 4.5 star, but because it is independently operated.....5 stars nigga.
So this is a place where you eat meat right? Then meat you shall have. Whatever, you will eat well here and you should enjoy it however you have it.
Don't read any other reviews on this place, just go there and jizz in your pants.
Very fancy, extremely professional and attention to detail... the food was some of the best we've had.
We got the lamb riblets as appetizer, it was well portioned for the 2 of us, it was sweet with lavender and honey and it was grilled to perfection with awesome smokey flavors from the grill.
For the main course we got filet mignon - again just perfectly cooked to medium rare.
They got us complimentary tasters from their appetizer menu, it was a seafood tartare I believe...and they brought us complimentary champagne and chocolate dessert....in addition to the cotton candy. Yummy! Some of the best $$$ we spent!
Highlights for me was the pork back with escargot appetizer (forget the name), and the "Ooh!" dessert which had a black olive ice cream. Wow, very nice and surprising. Chicken entree was a bit dry and the little bit of balsamic vinegar drizzled on the plate just didn't go with the entree. Wife got the wagyu/holstein cross-breed filet mignon, which was amazing. I am not a big fan of wagyu (I like my meat lean) but this is wonderful stuff.
I really rate this 4.5 stars, it's nice to have high-end dining in the south bay, now if only their dining room provided a little more of a "steak house" experience with nice booths and some quiet rather than the noisy, open dining room filled with folks there to "be seen". We'll return, but likely for special occasion, given the prices. Oh, and they could use a bigger bar (they could remodel the building to add on quite a lot of space.)
What better way to celebrate 2010 than with an expensive and delicious steak dinner with red wine?
While I am a meat lover, I'm still fairly new to fine dining at steakhouses. After hearing wonderful things about Alexander's, I convinced my fiance that we MUST have our NYE dinner here. It was practically a perfect evening of simple indulgence.
We had a nice little table in the corner with a very attentive waiter, who walked us through the menu with his personal recommendations and wine pairings. We decided to skip the NYE menu and, literally, dive right into the "meat" of the meal - I was in the mood for thick and hearty steak! Me: the 10oz filet mignon and the fiance: the most expensive thing on the menu - the 12oz Australian Kobe steak. The steak was unbelievably tender and juicy, enhanced with their simple side sauce. Alexander's steak was melt in your mouth delicious - I hardly had to chew.
The chef is Texan and Japanese, so that explains the Asian spin on the menu (not to mention the great quality of beef). The hamachi shots were fun to eat and quite innovative - swirl the ingredients of fresh fish, avocado, jalapeno, ginger, ponzu sauce, some crunchies, take a swig, and feel the magic take place on your tongue. The macaroni cheese with lobster and truffle oil turned a comfort side into a gourmet dish.
This place tops off an already filling and delicious meal with a surprising treat of fluffy pink cotton candy! Even a classy place like Alexander's can have a whimsical touch.
Well worth the $300 we spent for a high-quality delicious meal!
As soon as you step into Alexander's you are greeted by a giant display of their meats, which don't look very appetizing while raw but I guess it's supposed to show how serious they are about their steak. The interior is nice, very spacious and classy. Service was also great, they're really on top of their game here.
-Hamachi shots: very refreshing and highly recommended if you like sashimi
-Crimini mushrooms: great side to balance out the steak. has a really yummy wine sauce.
-Prime rib (14 oz) medium rare: I wasn't too impressed after hearing all the hype about this place, though it did have a nice soft texture. I guess the meat is quality enough to stand out on its own, but I would have preferred it more seasoned, I had to get my flavor in from the mushrooms. My steak was also not as warm as I would have liked it, we ate at a pretty good pace but by the time I was halfway through my meat was already cold. (UPDATE: I reheated the 1/3 of the steak that I boxed up and it tastes amazing and flavored! All I had to do was let the horseradish soak in for a day.)
We also got an amuse bouche of a blue cheese and mushroom bread pudding as well as a palate cleanser of pomegranate and prickly pear. The banana cotton candy we got with our bill was also surprisingly good considering I don't like cotton candy nor banana flavored candy. I paid $70 + tip for my meal.
I'm disappointed with my steak but based on everything else being top notch, I'd be more than willing to go back and give Alexander's a second chance.
The services and beef are amazing here. We got the trio sampler (Wagyu, Australian, and American). I've never had kobe beef before so it was very cool to try all three types at the same time. The samples are small, but since the meat is so rich, it was definitely enough calories for me to share with my husband.
We also got:
- the hamachi shots (I think they are over rated)
- the oysters (very good)
- truffle fries (very good)
- pot du creme (very good)
We came for a bday and they gave us free bubbly and free small slice of bday cake.
Solid 4. I went there with my gf for my birthday since I read that a person celebrating his/her birthday there would get complimentary champagne and cake. Yeah, that might sound cheap, but given I heard how much dishes from this place could get expensive, I was only trying to get most amount of satisfaction.
The entrance looked gorgeous, if not as high-class as other expensive steak restaurants. I mean, there were lots of reds (i.e. walls) and blacks (i.e. couches) that symbolize grilled meat, but for some reason the arrangement reminded me more on IKEA than lobby at an expensive hotel. Funny that my gf and I still had to wait several minutes even after I told to a receptionist that we arrived.
The bread and some crispy chips which reminded me of rice crackers without much salt were pretty good. I could chew on small pieces and savor for a few moments. Then came complimentary champagne that was also pretty good, if not totally memorable. Well, free drink shouldn't be that good I guess.
I ordered hamachi shots because I've read so much about them on reviews. However, while the seasoning was pretty interesting with red pepper and nice combination of soy sauce and vinegar, the fish was chopped instead of sliced. As a result, the texture was rough and prevented the meat from mingling with seasoning better. For $24, I was expecting better.
The truffle soup my gf got was tasty, and its texture was distinctive. I could dip in a piece of bread to enjoy it better. Boiled/marinated spinach (ohitashi) had a good taste with rice cracker bits and sashimi, but the chef should've cut the veggie into several sections so I would not have to break the whole tubular green. I donno, there might've been too much extra stuff on top too for me to simply enjoy spinach.
Surprisingly a waitress gave us complimentary ginger jelly. Well, it wasn't technically complimentary because it helped us change our palette. Finally my T-bone steak came. Why does an expensive restaurant always serve an excessively huge steak? Do most people eat a 24+ oz steak comfortably? Do they throw the leftover away? I was thinking these while eating my tough, huge steak. I wished I had gotten the same steak (fillet Mignon) my gf got, which was tender, tasty, and decent in portion.
The complimentary chocolate cake was small but pretty good. I did not know that I would also get cotton candy which made me remember my childhood days.
While the food was adequate, service was definitely nice. A waiter kept his eyes on my sparkling water, and a waitress was always cheerful. Well, almost always cheerful as I heard her talking to other waitress about other customers, something I really did not care hearing.
So overall, while the food was pretty good, service was the one that bumped almost 3-star experience into solid 4-star experience. Would I come back here for more expensive steak? I donno.
As a frequent Bay Area diner, with the "I don't care what it costs as long as the quality and experience warrants it" attitude, I have to admit I wasn't too impressed with my recent experience at Alexander's.
Alexander's has a very cool ambiance, with dark woods, a nice fireplace, good bar area, and an impressive display of their many cuts of aged meats. The evening started off well, but our dining experience was just average.
First, we were a bit amazed at the $35 corkage fee that was charged. I understand and completely agree that corkage fees are warranted, but $35 for corkage for a restaurant that clearly has a good profit margin in other areas was a disappointment.
Second, the seasoned fries, which are offered complimentary of the chef, were tasty. The other complimentary hors d'oeuvres were unique and tasty. The intermezzo, a jello-like substance, was equally creative and satisfying for its role - to cleanse the palate.
I ordered the lobster dinner and my significant other ordered a 10 oz filet. His filet was cooked perfectly and was great. The lobster, on the other hand, was severely undercooked - especially in the claws. Everyone's definition of "cooked" is different, so taking that into consideration, I believe the tail was edible - though my significant other disagreed. The claws, however, were extremely slimy in texture and could not be consumed. We didn't complain, as we wanted to keep the dinner positive and moving along.
And, speaking of moving along.. Service was a bit slow. We found ourselves waiting over 15 minutes for our dessert menu, which, unfortunately, had a souffle listed on it. The souffle, which had a 15 minute preparation time, would have been of interest and should have been mentioned prior to the dessert menus arriving. Most fine dining restaurants make note of this well in advance. Since it was getting late in the evening, we ordered a different dessert - a dessert which received an A+ in creativity, but a C in flavor.
While the overall experience was decent, it was not worth the price we paid - especially when comparing to other Bay Area steakhouses such as Sundance or Spencer's. These other steakhouses may not be as "affluent" and have such creative menus, but they do offer great dinners at much lower prices (as well as participate in the Passport Unlimited program). As such, it is likely we will not be visiting Alexander's again anytime soon.
This place is pretty damn awesome. Bf took me here for our 4-years. The restaurant is freaking beautiful is the food is amaaaazing. & Service is over-the-top great, as expected. But don't forget it's pricey as fxckkk, hahaha
We had..... the hamachi shots (heaven in my mouth), the chef's special filet mignon, w/ a side of mashed potatoes. Everything had ridiculous quality- even the tea! We got this whole leaf mint tea 'cuz I was feeling sick, and it was SO bomb. Best tea I've ever tasted!
They gave us complimentary amuse bouche, sparkling soda to toast, and yummy cotton candy :)
First place I've given 5 stars to! =)
The best steakhouse that I've been to!
Always the best service and the most delicious prime rib! I highly recommend the truffle fries and the mac and cheese for the sides as well as the hamachi shots and popcorn crab as appetizers. Oh! and if you mention that you are celebrating a special event at the time you are making your reservations, they treat you extra nice with complimentary champagne and dessert. =] For the price that you are paying, it is definitely worth it!
I love this place as you can pick out the meat cuts you want besides just ordering from their menu. While it is a bit on the pricy side, it's a great place for a date with a new friend or longtime companions. My wife and I took a friend of ours to dinner here for his birthday and ordered Frog Legs to start, and a bottle of Flowers Pinot, I forget which year, but think it was a late 90's. We then had a sampler of the Meats to share before ordering our Kobe Beef entrée.
Everything was perfect, from the attentive staff, to the menu and food, as well as the service. If I had the money I'd eat here regularly.
I should have written this a long time ago. My friends and I had reservations here for SV restaurant week, $35 fixed price menu. As we waited for one more of our party, we looked over the menu and our server gave us ice waters and complimentary bread. We stuck mostly to the fixed price menu, but added a side of mashed potatoes and maple syrup glazed butternut squash. As soon as we ordered, our waitress delivered us a complimentary cauliflower cream soup. I'm not a huge fan of cauliflower, but the soup was very refreshing and didn't have too strong of a cauliflower taste. After a short wait, our appetizers soon arrived. I had the set of 4 hamachi shots... and they did not disappoint! Very fresh, and the jalapenos added the perfect amount of kick.
Next came a pineapple jelly to cleanse our palette, and following that was our main course. I had the scallops with heirloom tomatoes. The 3 different colored tomatoes were delicious and added some great color to the dish, however, the overall presentation felt too cluttered and messy, and the scallops itself tasted slightly under cooked. I tried some of my friend's flank steak, which was good, but not great. In terms of presentation though, my friend's ahi tuna spinach salad took the cake. The chefs had rolled the spinach leaves tightly into a spring roll shape and draped it with the proper trimmings. Very creative! We were also very glad to have ordered the squash, because the glaze was like a candied shell... sooo yum.
Lastly, our desserts! I had a ginger pear custard with vanilla ice cream. It was very light, and good way to end the meal. But the best part? Cotton candy came with our bill. Our waitress knew we were looking forward to this, so she gave us a heaping amount, and also placed a candle in the middle to make the entire "volcano" glow.
Really great service here, and the food for the most part was pretty good. When I'm feeling a little less stingy, I'll come back to try some of the meats... afterall, it is a steakhouse!
Great place, great service, great food, great everything.
The dessert i loved and the cotton candy is a great unique touch!
Very attentive and the servers know their stuff.
Very good chef complementary gifts! Enjoyed those very much.
Very worth it!
There is no king of steakhouses in San Francisco. If there was, Alexander's Steakhouse would be the king! So what if it's in Cupertino? Hell, the Dallas Cowboys are in the NFC East.
My meat eating connoisseur buddy and I made the forty-five minute carnivore pilgrimage to Cupertino in search of the king of steakhouses and the god of all steaks, Japanese A5 Wagyu.
Before talking about the beef I have the say this restaurant hits on all cylinders. The restaurant itself is a beautiful stand alone structure that is contemporary and elegant with a distinct Japanese influence. The service is impeccable from the moment you walk in the door. Our server James was top notch. He was very well spoken, clear, detailed yet concise, and most importantly was down to earth and friendly. Very polished and not a hint of pretentiousness. All elements of the meal were delicious, complex in taste, and very well thought out. I'd also like to add this is one of the rare times the amuse bouche had me sit back and say "WOW."
On now to the man of the hour, my only god, the steak! We both had the New York Trio which consisted of approximately 3.5 ounces of American "Kobe," Australian F1 Wagyu, and Japanese A5. This, my friends, was meat heaven! I have met my steak god! The trio affords you the opportunity to compare and contrast three prime cuts. The American "Kobe" was good, but could not shine in the presence of its far superior siblings. The Australian F1, crossbred hybrid of imported Japanese Wagyu with Australian Holstein, gave a solid beefy platform to support the delicious fatty, buttery aspects of Japanese Wagyu. The Japanese A5 Waygu sure did live up to the hype and melts in your mouth, but I can see why the lavish savory flavor is too much for some. To be honest, I wouldn't be able to do much more than 4 ounces of A5 as my body was treading close to fatty heaven shock as it was. If I were to get a one of the three in a 8oz.+ selection I would opt for the F1.
In summary, Alexander's Steakhouse is hands down the best steakhouse I've tried thus far, and one of the better meals I've had period! As I said, it definitely delivers on all aspects of a great restaurant. If I could add another star to make it 6 I would. It's going to be hard to out do this one...
A tier 1 steakhouse, tucked away in a defunct mall, that while delivers delicious entrees and aged meats, suffers from spotty service and excessive salting.
Brought my family to Alexander's to celebrate a special occasion in early January. When the waiter began taking our order, we noticed he didn't not write them down. He must be a "professional" servers. I hate "professional" servers. I much prefer courteous, respectful, precise waiters. How did I know he was none of these? He will come THREE times to follow up on what we ordered. Once to make US repeat what we ordered. Once after the starters. And ONCE more before the entrees were delivered to check with us on the sides we wanted. (TIP DEDUCTED).
Given the eccletic tastes of the family, started with the Roasted Foie Gras and Nicoise-inspired Tuna Tartare. Thought the tartare was quite flavorful and playful with the olive foam (Are we in the 90s still?) and quail egg. We were not fans of the foie gras. The cranberry and carrot puree, while intending to balance the flavors of the foie gras, were slightly overpowering and gave a "off-noting sour" taste. Additionally, the preparation of the foie gras seemed sloppy. Improperly seared (surprised it was burned - not seared, but burned) and I feel as though there were "bile-y" parts. Not pleasant. Rather than complain to the waiter, lest we be served the "special" at later dishes, we left it 3/4 unfinished (we'll mention this later to the waiter, who gave us an incredulous look - TIP DEDUCTED).
We then had some salads and soups. Notably, the Sous Vide beet salad was quite well-presented and actually very flavorful. The beets were gems of sweetness, and the oranges were slightly sour but complementary. The Soup de Jour (not a bisque, but a "soup") was a bit too tangy for our liking.
If you like meats, this is definitely a great place for it. Filet, Dry-aged porterhouse, rack of lamb, and chicken were pretty tasty. My biggest complaint however is the excessive use of salt in ALL the entrees. The salt usage actually masked the natural taste of the meats I was hoping for. I was particularly SHOCKED at what seemed like a clumped salted area in the filet. Astonishing, but forgiven as I figured some line cook may have just accidentally spilled some. But that was until I bit into the sides.
The biggest disappointment was with the sides. Creamed spinach. SALTY. Green Beans. SALTY. The Uni fried rice was the worst offender. 3 pieces of small uni, incredibly spicy (jalapenos), and VERY SALTY. Mashed Potatoes. SERIOUSLY? WHY SO SALTY?
All-in-all, the meats were good, and definitely what I was expecting in terms of flavor and quality. But the service and the sides definitely left me with "salt in the wound."
Note: Glutton for punishment as I will be revisiting this restaurant in late February. Let's see if my initial impressions were correct.
Had dinner with my parents and sister here on New Years eve. We ordered 5 appetizers, 4 entree's, 3 sides and the bill just barely grazed $400.00. I was so amazed!
Anyhow, the prime rib here was pretty good, but I still love my prime rib at House of Prime Rib in San Francisco. Make sure you ask for the AU JUS!!
The lobster was fresh and NOT salty which was very nice.
The mignon was tender and pretty much melted in your mouth.
My favorite appetizers were the popcorn crab, and hamachi shots.
The green apple cotton candy at the end of the meal was a definite plus.
If you're adventurous as a side dish to your entree try the uni fried rice. I know, I know UNI FRIED RICE? TRY IT! haha
As most yelpers have written, the truffe fries were pretty good (but I had to ask for KETCHUP!! haha), and the mac and cheese with lobster was also pretty darn good. IF you're an oyster lover make sure to order the 1/2 dozen oysters. It was very unique with the citrus foam.
I noticed Alexander's likes to use a lot of "foam". I still don't know how I feel about the foamy sauces...
I'll definitely be back to try some of their other steaks. As far as fancy restaurants go I'd still pick Gary Danko's and Michael Mina's over Alexander's which was why I had to skip out on the fifth star.
Quite possibly my new favorite restaurant!
As much as I was not excited to drive from the comfort and loveliness of SF to Cupertino, I was MORE than happy that I did so. Alexander's was perfect from the moment I walked in.
I was the first to arrive -immediately attended to by the staff. Everyone with eager smiles! The foyer is surrounded by slabs of beef. The bar/ waiting area is on the smaller side, but you shouldn't be waiting anyway. The restaurant SCREAMS elegance.
When the rest of my party arrived we were ushered past the open kitchen into the boardroom -very comfortable setting! The boardroom sits right above the kitchen AND gives you a view of the live projection of the kitchen's activities. Equipped with a bookcase and a flat-screen, Alexander's boardroom makes you feel right at home.
Next, talk about SERVICE! Our main server was accompanied by a team of about 9. (Keep in mind, we were a party of 10, so every course had perfect presentation and synchronized delivery).
Stout REALLY goes the extra mile to have incredible presentation. Starting with the hamachi shots -we were immediately impressed with the burst of various flavors in a little glass. Our favorite course before main was the foie gras soup! -PERFECTION! Various courses came out with foam... foam? EDIBLE foam? Pretty cool. The steak tartar prepared in a nontraditional fusion style was delightful.
With the main course, the truffle oil lobster mac and cheese made me want to live in it's cheesy goodness! The only disappointment we had was the SIZE of our prime rib -I think it must have been two pounds. After 6 courses, you can hardly put down that much meat. Doggy bags were mandatory. :(
DESERT! Can't forget the O2, a visually stimulating sphere of melted deliciousness -I think that's the best description for it.
Overall, the best dining experience I've had in 2010!
I took my husband here for one of our date nights. However, it was during a heat wave and they had lost power when we showed up. We waited about 20 minutes and the power came back on, but they did not have a few dishes because of the unexpected outage, but the staff was nice and accommodating. No worries!
The food was amazing! We started with the corn and bacon fritters, which were so good. Then they gave us an amuse busch with strawberries, bacon, and firsee...sounds odd but it was so good I wanted more. I had the trio of beef the meat was so tender, like butter, it just melted in my mouth. They change there menu frequently so there is always something new and yummy to sample.
However, the service was a little lacking. We heard a waiter at the table next to us continue to explain specials which our waiter must have forgot or just decided we were not interested in??
Alexander's was a great experience.
3 people
1 14 oz Prime Rib $34 HUGE and ask for extra Aus Juice
1 dinner chicken $28 Huge and OK I think
1 truffle mac and cheese $10 Hmmm...not like Boulevard in DC but good
1 truffle Fries $12 GOOD
1 glass of red wine $12 Needed that
1 Italian Soda $5 Good Non alcoholic
1 hot Foie Gras $24 GREAT
1 Strip Steak $46 hmmm...OK
1 o2 Desssert $12 OMG!! YES!!
Total $183.00
Tax: $16.93
WHAT A GREAT MEAL for a BIRTHDAY...For birthdays they give everyone at the table one glass of champagne. Also, they have Amuse Bouche, Intermezzo to clean the palate and a candle wrapped on a nice plater that stated Happy Birthday in chocolate.
Great Service and Attention.
A place to bring Family, a date, (basically it's universal)
The END
This place is the BEST!! I have never gotten better service than i did at this restaurant. They servants are so attentive as soon as my water was running low right away someone came to refill it. Even right after i had taken my final sip of wine someone came over to refill it. It's crazy how attentive they were i loved it. We did have to pour our own wine once and they noticed and apologized for it. What other place does that?! They were super friendly and made you feel at place in an expensive restaurant.
The food here was so good! It is pricey but well worth it, The steaks were perfectly cooked. I asked mine to be well done and it was not overcooked or still red like most places would have it,..just perfect! The best part is they were bringing out little appetizers as we waited for our steaks to cook without us even ordering any. It was all complimentary! In the end they bring you cotton candy! So cool! Its something you don't expect. This place was a great experience and i will be coming here again but maybe just for special occasions since its a little on the expensive side. Trust me you won't be disappointed.
I've eaten here twice. This place is very snoots, usually filled with business attire people or couples going on fancy dates. The service is excellent. There are plenty of servers standing around waiting to attend the guests. If you leave for the bathroom, they even refold your napkin and organize your place settings.
I've tried the Filet Mignon, Porterhouse, Rib-Eye and NY. (of course not all for me =). All these meats are prepared very well, very juicy and large portions. My fave would have to be the Porterhouse. This is a whoppin' 28oz cut, with tabasco butter and red onion jam. YUM! Mac & Cheese side was also good, but I still like Paragon's Mac & Cheese. I have never tried any desserts, but the place does give you complimentary Cotton Candy! They change the flavors and so far I like the Banana Flavor!
Be prepared to spend a lot of money as USDA steaks range from $40-60. If you're looking for non USDA meats - they serve that here too. Australian and Japanese Kobe range from $100-$200.
This place is worth a try, if you're a meat eater!
NEW YEARS EVE, 2009:
Let me start by saying I've always thought of Alexander's as a FIVE star steakhouse, up until the start of 2009.
Tonight, New Years Eve, was our fourth time at Alexanders this year, and we're finally ready to say goodbye. All year we have kept saying that "this time they were just having an 'off night'."
Our dinner tonight for New Year's Eve served as the final nail in the proverbial coffin. We had had a fantastic experience last NYE (2008), and were so disappointed with this year's experience. So disappointed that a group of us are sitting here at 1:30AM, January 1, to post this review.
Last year, they had a complimentary champagne toast at midnight...this year, NOTHING. Our waiter did not even ASK us if we were interested in getting champagne to celebrate the midnight countdown. We would have been interested in getting (and paying for) some champagne (once we realized that it was not going to be handed out like last year), but once our waiter collected our check and his tip, he was gone for good.
Last year: Pre-fixe for 5 courses was $125 and 8 courses was $150. You had the option of different dishes for each course. This year: Pre-fixe was a set menu with no substitutions or choices to pick from..and it was $195 per person. Most notably, no one could partake in the pre-fixe menu if the ENTIRE table did not partake. In this day and age, with individual dietary restrictions, allergies, etc., it is ridiculous to have this mandatory table-pre-fixe requirement (especially when this year's menu was seafood/shellfish-heavy, and did not provide for options for each course).
Last year: Service was top-notch. The waiters made sure you knew what you were eating and that you had what you needed. This year: Our service consisted of 80% from the busser, and 20% from our waiter. Our waiter was basically throwing our food at us as he ran off to god knows where. Midway through the meal, we wondered if he had taken off to celebrate the new year. I really hope that the busser will receive the majority of our 20% tip.
To the same point, we've noticed over the last year, the customer service has drastically declined. They used to have a "customer comes first" mentality, but lately, they seem to be nickel and diming us on a regular basis. For instance, they insisted on charging us a cake-cutting fee about 3 months ago, despite that the tiny birthday tart that was opened at our table could easily be cut with any one of the butter knives at the table. In addition, they no longer allow substitutions in dishes such as the Melange a Trois, for instance, if you have a strong aversion to raw meat (tatar) or have some sort of allergy to one of the dishes. In the past, they would allow you to "double-up" on one of the other dishes in lieu of the one you did not want/could not eat.
We can't figure out if it's the bad economy that has forced Alexander's to go downhill -- but I'm really disappointed to say that Alexander's will no longer be our go-to place.
This was my favorite restaurant and go-to place for a good meal/recommendations for the last 5 years, so obviously, I would be ecstatic if things turned around in the future.
Went there for my wife's birthday and what I can I say other than completely awesome. The service was incredible. Had a Japanese beer and it was one of the best beers I've had to drink.
The sushi appetizer was to die for (very good portion). I had a dry aged stead and...what I can say other than one of the better steaks I've ever had. Cotton candy at the end of the meal was a great tough. Highly recommend this restaurant.
Is it wrong that I've reviewed this place 3 times now and each time have granted it 5 stars!?!? Hells no!!! I recently celebrated my birthday here which is always a treat for me considering how expensive the place is and how truly indulgent a lot of the menu items are. I came here with a party of 6, a mixture of my girlfriend and some friends. My girlfriend was the only one that has been here before. I kept telling my friends "Get ready for the best meal of your life."
I ordered the 20 oz. Prime rib this time around because I've heard some people testify that it's the best they've ever had, even better than House of Prime Rib. I was skeptical at such a bold statement so I just had to try it for myself and I must say that I do concur!!! It's just the juiciest, most tender, well marbled hunk of dry-aged beef you'll ever chew on. Simply superb!
As for my cohorts, although not as culinary inclined or adventurous epicurean that I am, all were in unanimous agreement that they did have the best meal in recent memory. The decadent sides we shared were the must get truffle oil fries and truffle oil mac n' cheese with lobster. As well as, the risotto, creamed spinach, popcorn crab, and mashed potatoes. All were very rich and a great accompaniment to our main course. Complimentary champagne, birthday dessert, and cotton candy coupled with fine service made this experience even more memorable. Alexander's continues to be the hallmark of fine dining experiences for me and that's what keeps me coming back for more...=)
Came here last night for an anniversary dinner. Being that it was a Saturday, as you can expect the… Read more »
San Jose, CA
Category: Steakhouses
Santa Clara, CA
Category: Steakhouses
San Jose, CA
Category: Specialty Food
San Jose, CA
Category: Steakhouses
Palo Alto, CA
Category: Seafood
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