Todd Brown

Review of Mastro's Beverly Hills

I regret to have to lower my years-old rating from...

I regret to have to lower my years-old rating from 5 stars, but the experience no longer seems to deliver what it once did. (photos are from a prior visit)

We were seated in the patio area, which was chilly due to the open-air setting and inadequate heating, but that seems to come with the dining-out territory these days. Our cocktails were all sweeter than would be expected, but we still said nothing; cut them some slack, right? Two medium rare bone-in rib eyes were ordered for the table along with a number of add-ons and sides. The sides came out looking like they usually do, including the wonderful bowl of butter that they call lobster mashed potatoes. However, cutting into my steak revealed a "medium rare" that was nearly medium well. I can count on one hand the number of times I have ever sent food back in my life, but I expect higher standards for Mastro's quality and price. It was removed with an apology and replaced roughly 5-10 minutes later. I expected it to come back slightly under medium rare (since that's how kitchens seem to react to being told that a steak is overdone), but taking a bite revealed that it was not only rare but blue. The center was cold. I do not fear an undercooked steak, but it was nearly refrigerated with a seared exterior. Given the significantly lower restaurant capacity due to outdoor dining requirements, I cannot imagine that the kitchen was so overwhelmed with orders that a re-flame would significantly disrupt the flow. When the waiter eventually returned to check on the status of my again untouched steak, I let him know the issue, at which point he offered to have yet another made. However, my dining companion had already finished their meal, so I was in no position to wait for a third attempt. I informed the waiter that I would have to take it home and re-cook it, and he departed. After all this, nothing was comped on the final bill. Not the steak, not a drink, not the $17 valet, not the $2.50 they charged for table bread that had been brought to the table without being requested. And the manager never visited the table to check on the meal despite being seen chatting with other nearby tables about cocktails.

Mastro's - and this Mastro's specifically - has held a spot in my heart for nearly 15 years. I visited for a dine-in meal this evening since I had been craving an actual, sit-down dinner that has been difficult to find between the many mandatory shutdowns and reopenings of the COVID era. I am also very sympathetic towards the current plight of the restaurant industry in general during these times and am more than happy to support them whenever I can. I nearly never write restaurant reviews and have strong negative feelings towards entitled diners who seem more than willing to rant nonstop about something as simple as receiving ice water when they asked for no ice. All this is to say that it took a lot to get me to this point. A dining companion had a similar steak experience at Mastro's Ocean Club in Malibu when we last went pre-COVID, so I am starting to believe that this represents an overall pattern of declining quality control within this chain, which disappoints me to no end. I unfortunately do not see myself returning here again.