Niku Steakhouse

General Notes

Japanese / American steakhouse featuring a variety of steaks -- from A3/A4/A5 wagyu to various cuts of American wagyu. The steaks are honestly not that good and definitely not worth the money. Surprisingly, the appetizers and sides were the part of the meal that I enjoyed the most. If you just want good steak, there are other (much cheaper) places that you can go. Or you can just buy some wagyu and make it yourself at like $100 / pound.

Dishes Tasted

• ★★★☆ wagyu fat brownie -- okinawan brown sugar ice cream, white soy caramel
• ★★★☆ sunchoke and pear mille feuille -- sunchoke pastry cream, crispy pear, creme fraiche ice cream. Nice and refreshing
• ★☆☆☆ pickled market vegetables -- some were good, others just tasted strange
• ★★★☆ parker house rolls -- cultured butter. The butter is incredible.
• ★★★☆ koshihikari rice -- dungeness crab, salsa macha xo, fried shallot
• ★★★☆ crispy potato -- wagyu fat, chickpea miso. This is delicious
• ★☆☆☆ westholme wagyu tomahawk -- not _bad_ per-se, but pretty mediocre given the price. A lot of silver skin that was impossible to cut through
• ★★★☆ wagyu bone in short rib, myoga jus -- tender + juicy
• ★★☆☆ king river flat iron
• ★★★☆ bone marrow -- short rib, chanterelle mushroom, grapes, pickled spring onion, horseradish. I like that the bone marrow is served with a bit of meat. They also brought us 6 pieces of toast, which was a nice touch.
• ★★★★ crispy pig ears -- chili de arbol, fish sauce caramel, cilantro, alium flowers. Super crispy and delicious! I have never had pig ears like this.
• ★★☆☆ dungeness crab chawanmushi -- brown butter glaze, crab & daikon salad, brown rice vinegar gelee. The gelee was weird, the rest of the dish was delicious
• ★★★☆ beef tartare -- fermented pepper and lime, shinko pear, fudgy egg yolk, crispy beef tendon. Delicious, nice flavor, the beef tendon is a nice touch