Last night, kl very graciously and generously invited us to dinner at wolfgang puck’s cut and while i was in the bathroom, mr. puck came to our table, shook everyone’s hands and posed for a picture with the group. Typical. I can’t say that i really minded or was hip to the star gazing: i missed him a second time as he was wandering through the dining room greeting other guests and i was staring through the glass walls of his kitchen in his richard meier designed dining room. let’s talk about the decor before we talk about the food. The dining room itself is open, airy, unpretentious and welcomes you in a non-suffocating and completely un-steakhouse way (remember maestro’s?). i love me some richard meier and i love this dining room. The menu points out that adorning the walls is curated john baldessari artwork. Jonathan gold says that tom cruise dines here. I suppose i shouldn’t be surprised; the place is quintessential los angeles all the way down to the prices and how it is tucked away in the beverly wilshire hotel.

I didn’t try the bone marrow flan as jgold suggested, but i can see how he could like the sides over the beef and the austrian touches over the california ones (despite everything i said above-this is now about the food…not the decor). The highlight of my culinary exploration was my banana cream pie ( sorry, mr. puck; thank you, nicole lindsay). It was perhaps the lightest, least sweet BCP i have ever had and was accompanied by a surprisingly tangy and refreshing banana sorbet canele. I also had a taste of ml’s greek yogurt panna cotta and enjoyed that, too. I was not as impressed with m’s doughnuts (too much mascarpone for my taste). My second favorite was the macaroni and cheese with its perfect bechamel sauce that wasn’t too overpoweringly cheesy. I know what you’re asking yourself: why order mac and cheese if you don’t want to be overpowered by cheese?

And, now, the steak. I took our waiter’s recommendation and ordered the kobe-style 9 oz ribeye for $88 (that’s without sides, folks, and that’s exactly what you get-a piece of steak on a big white plate). M got the tasting menu: 4 oz prime sirloin, 4 oz kobe-style sirloin, and 2 oz australian waygu for $135. Here’s where i give you my disappointment and my bottom line: dear mr. puck, please tell your sous-chefs not to overcook and oversalt my steak and if your 1200 degree broiler is so special (your waiter seems to think so) then use it to impress me by cooking a perfect steak.

will i go back? perhaps. am i grateful for the opportunity to eat there in the first place? absolutely. cut is not a place i would’ve gone to by myself and the evening as a whole was memorable.

Here’s what m has to say: “i feel like i have a coating of beef fat on my face…is that wrong?”