Steak with an Asian twist at Tracht’s
August 27th, 2007, 9:21 pm · Post a Comment · posted by Cynthia Furey
I was hoping (and I mean, REALLY hoping) that chef Suzanne Tracht would include in her new Long Beach steakhouse the Mozzarella Mondays feature that became so popular at her Los Angeles restaurant, Jar. Just the thought of a whole menu devoted to the cheese – whether fried, melted, sandwiched between prosciutto or even on a pizza — made my senses instantly perk at the possibility that I wouldn’t have to drive all the way to Los Angeles to silence my appetite.
But alas, Tracht’s has no plans (so far) to offer the menu. The restaurant does, however, offer some of Jar’s steakhouse choices that landed the restaurant a spot in the Nation’s News Restaurant Hall of Fame and mentions in Bon Appetit, Los Angeles and GQ magazines. Tracht takes those heavy, starchy and meaty steakhouse items and refines them, adding a whisper-light Asian influence in the process. My disappointment with Tracht’s stops with the absent mozzarella and as the weather cools down and we head into fall, the menu will be just perfect for the season.
We started with the Endive, Asian pear and Humbolt Fog salad with apple cider vinaigrette ($11), the produce julienned and topped with a healthy slab of the goat cheese. There’s a welcoming sweetness to this salad that makes it a nice, light starter before embarking on the heavier main course items Tracht’s has to offer. A pork belly in a port wine sauce ($11, pictured above) was lovely, tasting slightly of char sui. I thought the syrupy port sauce would have been too heavy for the tender meat, but it was well suited.
Out of the sides, the Japanese purple yams ($7) are a sure bet. The yams are given a Western twist with creme fraiche and chives (tin foil and all) much like those giant russet baked potatoes seen at any steakhouse, only they’re sweeter and more delicate. I’d choose these over the mashed potatoes ($6) any day.
As a main dish, you’d be lucky if you dined on a day that featured a Kobe Beef plate as a special. This plate rivaled that of Marche Moderne’s, and was served sliced with a caramelized crust. Just as tender was the restaurant’s signature pot roast ($22), also a must-try main course served with roasted whole carrots and carmelized onions. Bread was used to mop up what sauce was left on the plate.
The cocktail list is short, but what it lacks in selection it makes up for in kitchy drink names. Bug Juice is a cute (and questionable) choice to name a raspberry vodka drink with pomegranate and lychee juices. These drink names are a whimsical welcome to the world of stuffy, cosmopolitan-sounding drinks you’ll find at most places.
Dining on the restaurant’s patio is recommended, as you don’t get that displaced feeling you get from a hotel lobby. The only con to dining outside, however, is that the streets of Long beach get loud in the evenings with traffic (and the occasional police siren).
Information: Tracht’s at the Renaissance Long Beach, 111 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach. 562-499-2533. A Web site is still in the works.
