My first visit to Lexington Grill, Waldorf Astoria’s signature steak house, began with an introduction to Monroe. This happened at the slightly busy long bar, where my companion and I were passing time while waiting for our table to be ready. Monroe, as it turned out, was one of the restaurant’s signature drinks delightfully concocted with apple cider smoke, which kind of reminds you of that iconic Monroe pose in a billowing white dress. I have two words for both: fun and unforgettable.
But I digress.
New York’s Lexington Avenue provides much of the inspiration behind Lexington Grill’s design and I could see why: It’s chic, sophisticated and social with dark wood interiors and plenty of seating spaces, including private dining nooks in the dining room, which is shaped like a horseshoe. I pointed at a table for two near the centre and the waiter led us there.
After checking the menu, I was ready to give my diet plan a miss for the night. We settled for smoked Atlantic salmon (Dh70) and poached Maine lobster (Dh106) for starters. The lobster came drizzled with sweet sauce, although just slightly overdone for my taste. I loved the smoked salmon, with the strips rolled into small bite-sized pieces nicely arranged in a rectangular platter. They were appetizing. Preparation goes with presentation here and it really shows in the finished product.
Finally, it was time for our main course: rib eye steak made from the house specialty of dry-aged Black Angus beef cuts. We were told the beef cuts were air dried for 4 weeks to give them more flavour. The dry aging process also made the meat more tender. Our delicious steak (Dh225) came with a side dish of creamy mashed potatoes. Having bite upon bite of that succulent steak was definitely the highlight of the evening.
Dessert was art on plate. At first glance, I hardly recognized the New York cheesecake (Dh60), decorated with a tube of white chocolate that concealed thick strawberry sauce. This was topped off with caramelized white sugar delicately shaped like a metal spring. The Valrhona chocolate fondant (Dh60) was a delightful concoction of opposites. The hot, moist chocolate fondant and the creamy vanilla ice cream definitely teased the tastebuds.
Overall, it was a delightful evening of culinary adventure that was definitely worth the drive from Dubai.
