LB Steak

By Dining Detectives

We have always enjoyed the upscale Shopping and Dining at San Jose's Santana Row. It is especially lovely during the Holiday Season as they do a wonderful job decorating with beautiful lights and a magnificent Christmas tree. Santana Row has always offered fun dining but the bar has been raised with the recent addition of Roland Passot's LB Steak. At this Modern American Steakhouse, Chef Chris Joslyn and his team prepare sumptuous dishes in a lively chic setting. There is a stylish lounge-bar area, dining room with a communal table, a private dining room that seats 35 and an open air patio with awning for al fresco dining. They serve both lunch and dinner.

We sat in the main dining room which gave us a view of both the lively street and the open kitchen in the back. We knew we were in for a treat as we tasted the breads which were outstanding. We enjoyed both the olive infused rolls and baguette and the butter was extra good. We ordered some cocktails including a Grey Goose Martini with two olives and a Mandarin Orange Cosmo with fresh squeezed lime and perused the menu.

The starter that we loved was a Smoked Salmon Pizzette with crème fraiche, dill, basil and capers. It was just delicious! The Allan Scott New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc paired perfectly with the pizzette. Next, we had one of the best salads we had tried all year. The BLT Salad with crisp Baby Iceberg wedges, perfectly prepared bacon, flavorful tomatoes, Point Reyes blue cheese and blue cheese dressing. This salad is really meant for two and it was delightful. The steaks are all Prime Steaks and are from naturally raised beef. Our favorite was the 20 oz. Porterhouse which was prepared medium rare, as ordered and was quite delicious as you get the best of both filet and New York cuts in the porterhouse. The Twenty Roses Napa Valley Cabernet paired perfectly with this luscious steak. We tried a few of their sauces and really liked the Horseradish Cream and Green Peppercorn. Next time, we were told that we must try their signature Tomahawk Chop which is a steak for two. The sides that we really enjoyed were the Truffled Mac and Cheese with fontina and emmental and the Creamed Spinach which had plenty of garlic which is just how we like it.

Our favorite dessert was a Pumpkin Spice Crème Brule that was a wow...spicy, light and lovely. An espresso and the Royal Tokaji 5 Puttonyos Hungarian dessert wine were the perfect finish to an excellent meal. LB Steak has been open for about six months and was packed on the night we dined. This is not a stuffy steakhouse and you have the option of ordering a Hamburger at dinner. It feels like you are in a toney but non-pretentious restaurant in NYC which is even dog friendly, with water bowls outside for pooch. Bring your friends and family as LB Steak is the new fun place to be on Santana Row.

LB Steak
334 Santana Row, Suite 1000
San Jose, CA. 95128
408-244-1180
www.lbsteak.com