I love steaks and was looking for a more original steakhouse, far from the classic restaurants when I stumbled upon Prime and Beyond, a Korean steakhouse. I did not know what to expect there, thinking about maybe a large piece of meat marinated like a bulgogi, prior to being grilled or broiled. It was not really that and I'll explain in few minutes. First, I should talk about the decor that was different from the dark and leathered decor of classic steakhouses. It is not a big place for sure, with a small dining room overlooking the opened kitchen where the magic happens. Well, the magic also happens downstairs where one can see the dry-age room: apparently, they dry-age their steaks for 50 days minimum and they also propose wet-age cuts such as the ribeye. I rarely heard about the wet-age process and apparently, although it will give a meat with less marbling and flavor than the dry-age process, the meat will be juicier.
This time, as I was in a Korean restaurant, I decided not to order any wine and went for their cranberry soju cocktail, served in a martini glass (I hate these glasses!). It was good, not too strong and a bit refreshing.
Then, they brought us an amuse-bouche: a melon purée with red bean milk and seaweed. It was beautifully presented and had an interesting texture, the red bean ball exploding in our mouth, unleashing various flavors.
Menu wise, they offer a mix of classic steakhouse dishes such as mac and cheese or crab cakes, but also some Korean one, such as kimchi. We started off with their potato pancake that had lots of cheese on it and was delicious, not too heavy.
Then, they showed our steaks, before cooking them, a sort of teaser that definitely worked. Jodi ordered the wet aged filet mignon and I got the dry aged ribeye that looked fantastic (it was an 18oz piece of heaven).
Few minutes after, the steaks came, medium-rare for me and medium for Jodi. Both steaks were perfectly cooked, juicy and tender, with a bit of a char and the ribeye had the marking from the grill. The ribeye was deliciously fatty, but I admit that I preferred the filet mignon. Understand, it was a good ribeye, but it was not as flavorful or tender.
With the meat came some veggies and some garlic. That is where the Korean part of the experience comes: they explained to us that we can eat it after spreading some roasted garlic on the meat and putting some of the greens that were bathed in soy sauce: it was a delightful way of eating it I have to say. They also brought some salt from the North Eastern that has a great hickory taste.
As for the sides, we decided to order mac and cheese that were very good, creamy and seemed to be made with lots of good quality cheese.
Last was dessert: we decided to go with the planetarium, a dome made of milk chocolate mousse and with a pear cream filling. It was quite delicious, but I admit that I was expecting much more pear taste.
The experience at Prime and Beyond was great: good food and service on point. It is a change from classic steakhouses where the atmosphere can be a bit heavy. Would I go back? Definitely and this time, I'll try their burger that looks delicious!
Enjoy (I did)!
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