Alexander's Steakhouse

 

2

28

Christopher Y.

Milpitas, CA

2 words - "Baller Status".  This place is great.  Nice mixture of old school steak house and asian fusion.  Let me first start off by saying I am not a big MEAT eater.  But every now and again I like to throw back a nice steak.  I walked in thinking rib eye, but changed my mind when I found out it was 2lbs.  The waiter recommended the bone in NY steak which was awesome.  Served with Garlic butter and lemon on top.  My wife ordered the 6 ounce filet and loved it.  We also started off with the popcorn style crab, which was off the hook.  The best part about this place in my opinion was the side dishes.  We ordered the white truffel french fries, creamed spinach, and mac and cheese.  All of them were delicious.  As if that werent enough, the waiter then surprised us with their signature cotten candy for desert.  This was a fun way to forget the $100/person meal.  With that being said it was definitely worth the money and will be back soon.

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2

20

Theresa W.

Sunnyvale, CA

Since this restaurant has been reviewed so many times, I didn't think I needed to before.  We went here for the third time this weekend and I just wanted everyone to know what an awesome dining experience we had!

Yes, it is very expensive here but worth it for those special occasions.  Our waitress was very knowledgeable about the menu, and explained things in a friendly way (not pretentious or intimidating).  We ordered:

Starter: Popcorn crab
Steaks: Bone-in filet, Kobe beef rib-eye (cap)
Sides: Cream of spinach, mash potatoes
Dessert: cotton candy (we were too full for anything else)

Everything we ordered was delicious and the service was excellent!

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10

4

Violet N.

Santa Clara, CA

One word "Wow"... seriously, this place is amazing. Don't get me wrong, it's pricey, but to me it's seriously worth it. My overall experience was just amazing. No Doubt 5 Stars.

What I tried that I suggest you should try:

Small Plates:
1. Sashimi Moriawase per person  A.Q.: assorted sashimi trio pickled real wasabi, purple hana-ho
2. Hamachi Shots: red chili, frizzled ginger, avocado, truffled ponzu
3. Crabcakes: dungeness crab, cucumber relish, tofu, ginger-soy mayonnaise

Wine:  Forgot the name of it... dangit, but it was a great red wine haha

Signature:
1. Alexanders Prime Rib: slow roasted, natural jus, 14oz cut

Side Dishes:
1. Mashed Potatoes sea salt, chives
2. Haricots Verts  smoked bacon

Dessert:
1. Velvet Ropes
Blueberry lavender crme brle with
maple ice cream
2. Blush
Mango panna cotta with passion fruit sorbet
and honey gele
3. Ooh!
Chocolate sphere filled with fudge,
chocolate black olive ice cream and
black velvet cake
               
---------------------------------------------              

Pros: Great food, great atmosphere, great service, great presentation with all of their dishes, great chefs... Overall just great! The staff are like worker bees... They're extremely knowledgeable, efficient and very attentive to your needs, which is exactly what a great server is. Besides Yoshi's in SF, this place tops the charts for me personally.

Cons: If you're not the fine dinning type of person, where you want to really take your taste buds into various adventurous journeys, then don't plan on coming here. Fine dining at this restaurant really means "FINE (EXPENSIVE) DINNING." Some of the portions of the dishes they offer are small, but it packs a punch on your taste buds. If you're not willing to be open on different mixtures of foods, herbs and spices, than this place is probably not a place for you. The only other obvious con that I can think of would be the cost of dinning here.

Advice: Unless you got the money to spend, don't plan on coming here. This is definitely not a place where you would want to take someone on a first date... Why you might ask?? Umm well unless you're a baller and you have a lot of money to spare, you'll seriously put a fat hole in your wallet on someone you might not even see a second time around hahahaha. Just watching out for you guys out there, but you do what you want to do. This place is more for those who can really really appreciate and understand the concept of what a fine dinning experience is all about if you're open enough for it.

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7

19

ed c.

Novato, CA

If you love fine dining and spending, this is the place for you.  I do not recommend you go here with a small wallet, bring out some serious cash for some of the best tasting Kobe Beef.  

I have had Kobe beef in Japan but I loved it here more.  I liked the ambiance of the place and its special appetizers/drinks; like Hamachi Shots and Cotton Candy Martini's.  

What really makes Alexander's stand out the most is how knowledgable the staff are.  Ask them about steaks, what does grade mean, what types of steaks are they and the different cuts.  Service just adds to the experience in my opinion.  

All in all, I would recommend going here for an unforgettable experience, just make sure you have the cash for it.

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1

9

Jay S.

Fremont, CA

Everyone says price is an issue, to most of us it is, but to those were flavor is more important, this is your place.

Now with that being said, if you want a good steak,and don't expect to pay, you may want to look else where, in fact we noticed a couple sit down, look at the menu, and before the waitress could arrive they had left.  

Now since I have been here once before with my family (feel bad because my dad was paying and before he arrived he thought it was just another Outback Style Steakhouse, his tip alone was as much as two tables at Outback) we knew what we were walking into and was worth it.  

This time it was just my g/f and myself. Just like before we ordered the Kobe Steak, but I believe this time it was a higher grade than we had before. And as usual it was simply to die for. It was perfectly crisp on the outside, red and marbley in the inside, and simply melts at each portion.

Now I have not had any other steak there other than the Kobe, so next time I am sure to try another, but one thing I had had that I HAVE to go back for is the Foie Gras, OH MY....when the waitress paired it with this great white wine, this could have been my last meal and I would have been contempt. In addition we had the Sashimi Shooters and the Lobster Bisque, but nothing compared to the Foie Gras (spread by the way, I believe they had two ways of cooking it).

The service has always been exceptional for us, the ambiance is trendy, and it is not snobby.  I will return a few more times.

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0

1

Sarah K.

Mountain View, CA

They serve foie gras here. When they take that off the menu, I'll give it a try.

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2

5

Phuong Q.

Milpitas, CA

This is my favorite steakhouse in the San Jose Area.  Of course, it's not a place I can go every weekend or even every other weekend, but for special occasion.  Their starters are all very good, but I especially love their Hamachi Shots.  Their porter house and prime ribs come in huge portions.  

The first time I was there, I didn't realize how big the portions were going to be.  So, we ordered a bunch of appetizers and an entree for each person; there were 4 of us.  TOO MUCH!!!  Anyway, I brought home 3/4 of my porterhouse.  My roommate took it out of the fridge the next day, ate it without heating it up, and even then, he thought that it was excellent.

The best part?  There were a couple of times that I actually finished my meals,   so I took home real doggie bags; my doggies LOVE the bones!!!

Oh, did I mention that I am going there for dinner tonight?  That's right!  Life is good, even in this gloomy weather.

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0

1

gen s.

San Jose, CA

This place for me is really a 4.5.  It is our favorite steakhouse in the South Bay.  We have been there many times, so it's a little difficult to say specific food items (hamachi shots and crimini mushrooms are definitely great!), but overall:

Food - Great.  It would be excellent, but personally I like food to taste a little more bland that as it is prepared at Alexanders.  The food is seasoned a little strong, so by the end, it is overpowering.  But as to the quality of meat, it cannot be beat.  The tasting menu is ok (my wife's favorite) but a little pricey.  My personal favorite is the Prime Rib and the New York Steak.  The soups are generally really good, caesar salad with crab, excellent!   As a side note, yest the portions are really big!  I eat a lot, but I barely finish my portions...    

Service - Excellent.  The staff is knowledgeable and friendly.  Every time we go there, the staff tries their best to provide great service while not being too stuffy as in some other places.  

Ambiance - Excellent.  Nice, cozy and romantic.  We have used this restaurant in a business setting and also just to hang out with friends.    There are too many places that charge a lot, overstuff you with service, and believe that is service.  The staff here understand, that sometime you need more attention, and sometimes you need some alone time with just the two of you.  

Value -  Personally, we feel this place has great value.

Others - Some other things that come to mind about the place are: 1.  the fresh wasabi for the sashimi is great, not necessarily the sashimi  2.  If you want to pay a lot, get the tasting menu, if you're on a budget, pick up a steak or fish 3.  great wine selection  4.  the bar counter is great is you're there by yourself too  5.  bar staff is friendly too!

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3

50

Danny Q.

Union City, CA

Was reading about this place, replaced the old el torito restauarant. Came here on a anniversary, good choice. A little weird to see cold slabs of meat behind glass as you first walk in. We were promptly seated to a nice little table. We ordered the entree sampler, and lobster tempura. All was excellant. Don't miss out on the mash potatoes, seems odd especially at $6 a pop, but the creamiest and tastiest I have ever had. When we looked at the dessert menu, I was dissapointed. Nothing on the menu even seem attractive. They need to improve on that. Overall great place.

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3

14

Tracy R.

Sunnyvale, CA

Bill and I decided that our big Christmas gift to each other this year would be a super-nice dinner at our favorite restaurant, Alexander's Steakhouse in Cupertino.   We finally got around to going there last night - it was sort of a belated Valentine's Day thing at that point, too.

We were doing their chef's tasting menu, and we happened to mention the Christmas thing to our main server, Angie.  When it was time for the dessert course, their pastry chef brought out ta plate of hand-made chocolates on which she'd written "Happy Holidays" in chocolate.  Just another reason why we have such a massive crush on Alexander's, even though we need very good excuses to justify the cost - I mean, you can definitely get away with less than we spend, but when we go, we kind of go all-in, so we have to pace ourselves.  Also, it's kind of cool that the owners (the GM and the head chef) are around our age, possibly younger, and they're really busting ass to run an excellent restaurant with a sense of fun and enthusiasm and minimal pretense.

Our fancy menu, as far as I can recall (I'm sure I'm missing elements that will annoy Chef if he reads this, so apologies in advance - we loved it!):
Wine:  La Spinetta Pin Monferrato Rosso 2004;  also a half-bottle of Calera Viognier
(we don't know much about wine, but we wanted to choose our own and liked what we chose)
-  Fried shishito peppers as a table snack  
(not spicy at all; a little bland, but fresh-tasting, sort of like green peppers mixed with anchos mixed with snap peas - apparently every once in a while there will be one that's crazy-hot, so it's kind of like Japanese snack roulette;  sadly, we didn't find any 5-alarmers)
- Mushroom consomme with morels and lemon foam, rosemary stir stick
(delicious)
- Japanese egg custard with jasmine tea floater
(never had a savory egg custard before - interesting.  Not bad, but I don't that it's something I'd ever order on my own);
- Chopped ahi tartare topped with trout roe  
(Love raw tuna, but the roe was a little disconcerting because we don't eat it much - "like bubble-wrap for your mouth," Bill said - my contribution  was "fish tapioca", which then put me off it a little);
- Tempura 'Popcorn' crab with spicy aioli sauce
(Well, what's not going to be awesome about deep-fried king crab?)
- Duck Duck Goose - trio of little appetizers made from the title birds -  duck pate in bite-sized triangle puff pastry;  duck breast cooked sous vide (in a vacuum-sealed bag on low temp - it infuses a lot of flavor and moisture into the meat);  goose sausage patty
(the two ducks were v. tasty, but the goose patty (crepinette?) was probably my least-favorite thing, relatively speaking - they'd used fat netting as a binder, but the fat didn't melt much, so the meat was a little dry and the netty bits just got tangled in my fork like really bad mozzarella );
-Salmon cooked sous vide, on a bed of sauteed diced fennel and bacon with vanilla sauce (this was mind-blowingly good - salmon and sauteed fennel didn't surprise me, but the vanilla and smoky bacon together with salmon and fennel - that's a lot of distinctive flavors going on at once, but the overall combination was exotic and fantastic.  It was really my favorite course of all.  I would order this entree-sized every single time if I could);
-Intermezzo - green tea sorbet  
(at this point we were glad it didn't take up much space in our bellies);
-  Aged Angus filet and ribeye - the ribeye was in tiny rare slabs, but I can't remember how the filet was done - I think a sauce was involved...*shrug*
(the beef was very good  - not a highlight relatively-speaking, but tasty still);
- A little piece of awesome Kobe beef and a chunk of lobster
(again, can't remember how it was prepared, just that it was delicious; maybe the wine was kicking in at this point?)
-  Pannacotta with a fruit glaze and a dollop of maybe mango sherbet on it?  
(Co-owner JC had come around to chat with us while we were eating so I didn't catch the details on that one too closely - i just OM-NOM-NOM'd it down);
-  Chocolates, assorted fillings - in addition to the standard cotton candy they give everyone for dessert.
(swoon into food coma - and really, comatose is the best state of mind to be in when the bill's presented.  Although worth every penny for us.)

Oh, and after dinner we got a tour of the kitchen (our second time, but we loved repeating) - they even take you to the way back to see the massive, hot-tub sized slow cooker where they simmer and eventually reduce demi-glace into a 5-quart pot.   Fascinating.

So yeah - Happy Holidays!

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0

3

Christine C.

San Francisco, CA

I went with bunch friends to Alexander's steakhouse last weekend. This is my 2nd time. I remember this is a Japanese infusion steakhouse last time. I am not a big meat person so I usually order seafood and a bit or two steak will make me full. For some reason, I think this time the restaurant cooking style has been toward french infusion. Very delicate, nice but greasy. I feel my stomach is so heavy after the meal even I don't eat much of the steak. I kind miss the Japanese infusion the first time. Light, health way of preparing food.

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