Wolfgang's Steakhouse -- Beverly Hills, CA

 Wolfgang's Steakhouse...REVISITED

445 North Canon Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
310-385-0640
Website

We returned to Wolfgang's Steakhouse on 08DEC10, and things were very different.  The dining room smelled a little/lot like sour mop water, and there was a thick layer of dust on every horizontal surface except the tables. Chef Gonzalez was not in the kitchen on that day--Chef Jaime was running the show. Even though there was only one table seated (10 top) in the entire restaurant when we walked in, AND that table had already placed their orders before we were seated, the kitchen's first attempt at my burger came out after a 40 minute wait.  

That cheeseburger went wrong in the following ways:

• Luke warm
• Overcooked to Med Well
• Not juicy
• No sear
• No seasoning
• Over-toasted, dry bun
• Cheddar cheese instead of the American cheese that I ordered
• The rings were shoddily battered, limp, and unseasoned
• The fries were undercooked, not crisp, and under-seasoned.
• It was merely an average cheeseburger--3 Bites.This was based solely on the quality of the beef.

I sent that burger back, since it was not cooked properly, AND it barely resembled the burger from my previous visit. The second burger came out about 12 minutes later.  It was very different from the one that I sent back...

• Hot
• Med Rare...as ordered
• Juicy
• Still not seared as well as what we saw on our initial visit but an improvement. This after very clearly and carefully requesting that the burger be seared on the hottest part of the grill....sigh.
• Properly seasoned
• American cheese...as ordered
• Properly battered and crisped rings with good seasoning
• Crisp, well-seasoned fries.
• It was like a different kitchen prepared my burger.
• This was a damn good cheeseburger 4.5 Bites.

Accordingly, we have reduced Wolfgang's Steakhouse's 5 Bites rating to a 4 Bites rating.  Consistency is key--Umami Burger has managed to put out a quality burger every time that I have visited, and Wolfgang's Steakhouse fell well short of the mark in that respect. This was a matter of attention to detail in the kitchen, and on this visit, that attention was sorely lacking.  In fairness, the burger was comped by our waitress, Jill.