Lawry’s

100 North La Cienega Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90211-2207
(310) 652-2827

I drove down La Cienega Boulevard, a street lined with major restaurants, and came upon a busy spot with a lot of cars. This is Lawry’s, a very famous restaurant for steak. This evening I was eager and ready, and my expectations were high for my first sake tasting at a famous steak house.

I arrived at 6:30 in the evening. The valet parking was bustling as if it were Christmas again.

I cut through the crowds and made my way toward the front. The restaurant was filled with a lively atmosphere not only at the bar, but also at the spacious corridor and lobby at the left hand side. There to greet me at the front desk was General Manager Todd Johnson, who the welcomed me with a full smile. Although it was crowded, my companion and I managed to be seated at a big booth along the left wall of the main dining room. When I sat down and looked up at the center of the high ceiling, I noticed the center of the ceiling was like a dome and is higher than the rest of the ceiling. The walls were decorated with paint, tapestries, paintings, and so forth, and the whole atmosphere was profoundly relaxed - just as one would expect an older restaurant to be.
In 1938, the first Lawry’s was opened here in Beverly Hills. The company expanded to Chicago in 1974, to Dallas in 1982, and to Las Vegas in 1997. Recently, the business has further developed to respond to the needs of customers: Lawry’s Carvery, a casual sandwich restaurant, was opened in Century City and Costa Mesa. And not only is the company developing domestically, but it is also developing overseas franchises. Restaurants have been opened in Singapore in 1999, in Tokyo in 2001, and in Taipei in 2002; and there are no plans to stop there: a Lawry’s will open in a couple of weeks in Shanghai, and another is scheduled for Hong Kong.

Todd Johnson introduced us to our server, Rotimi. His professional service started with an explanation of the Prime Rib Dinner. This dinner comes with the Famous Original Spinning Bowl Salad, Mashed Potatoes, Yorkshire Pudding, and Whipped Cream Horseradish. There are 5 kinds of cuts for the meat. The most popular size is the 16-ounce Beef Bowl Cut ($46). We wanted to try this, but we also wanted to try some other foods as well, so we chose The Lawry’s Cut ($37, 10-ounce) and the smallest-sized steak, The California Cut ($31, 6-ounce). I was thinking I wouldn’t want to miss the Lobster, and I was told that a small-sized lobster could be added to the Prime Rib Dinner (additional $14). For accompaniments, we ordered the Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail ($12), Fresh Asparagus ($7), Creamed Spinach ($5) and Creamed Corn ($5).

Dish 1: Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail
True to its name, this dish consists of five fresh jumbo shrimp soaked in a cocktail sauce and served in a very cool-looking glass. This is a splendid, satisfying starter.
Best pairing: Ginjo “Akita Toji”
2nd pairing: Tokubetsu Junmai “Munenouchi”

Dish 2: The Famous Original Spinning Bowl Salad
In an easy manner, Rotimi spun a silver bowl on the ice, and from the highest place possible over his head, poured salad dressing onto the vegetables and into the bowl. The dressing he poured was an orange-colored sherry dressing, which he applied to fresh cut lettuce, spinach, thin sliced beets, roma tomatoes and boiled egg. The taste was very rich, but refreshing, and we were able to enjoy the original taste of the vegetables. Rotimi told us the salad matches well with Lawry’s Seasoned Pepper, and he hurried back to the kitchen to get some.
Best pairing: Daiginjo “Fukukomachi”
2nd pairing: Junmai Genshu “Akita Issui”

Dish 3: The Lawry Cut, The California Cut
Appearing in a brilliant white chef hat, uniform and gloves and with a Royal Carver Gold Medal on his chest, Chef Carlos arrived with a carver’s silver cart. This cart is custom-made, weighs 1,000 pounds and costs $45,000. The restaurant uses five carts for weekdays and seven carts for weekends. When the cover of the cart is rolled back a bit, the sizzling and aromatic prime rib appears before me. In the next instant, a well-cut steak is served with three kinds of accompaniments on the plate. It was served with two kinds of horseradish - spicy and whipped cream – and this variety of deliciousness made us look forward to the other dishes that are served. The medium-rare steak is tender and juicy, and it makes me want to shout, “Thank you, Lawry’s!”
Best pairing: Tokubetsu Junmai “Munenouchi”
2nd pairing: Daiginjo Genshu “Bishuikan”

Dish 4: Creamed Corn, Creamed Spinach, Fresh Asparagus
The Fresh Asparagus was cut into 8-inch stalks and cooked to a fresh green color. The Creamed Spinach ended up being tasty and creamy, and the side ingredients such as the bacon and the onions did not destroy the taste of the spinach. I love corn, and I was rendered speechless by the Creamed Corn. What a light and simple cream it was!
Fresh Asparagus
Best pairing: Ginjo “Akita Touji”
2nd pairing: Junmai Genshu “Akita Issui”

Creamed Spinach
Best pairing: Junmai Genshu “Akita Issui”
2nd pairing: Tokubetsu Honjozo “Tsukiyo”

Creamed Corn
Best pairing: Tokubetsu Junmai “Munenouchi”
No 2nd Pairing

Dish 5: Broiled Lobster Tail
A good-sized lobster with plenty of volume was brought out and served with lemon and butter. I could really enjoy the sweetness of the lobster.
Best pairing: Tokubetsu Junmai “Munenouchi”
2nd pairing: Ginjo “Akita Toji”

Although we were already full, we ordered the dessert sampler, which had been recommended. It was served with 5 samples of delicious desserts - crème broullet, lemon tart, English Trifle, C.C. Brown’s hot fudge sundae with sugar cookie, and flourless chocolate cake with raspberry sauce. It is only $9.50 – I can’t believe how cheap it is for these days. To top off a magnificent evening spent at Lawry’s, we thoroughly enjoyed the coffee that was served from a silver pot.

Although Mr. Johnson was busy entertaining customers, he frequently stopped by our table to make sure everything was going well. He also introduced us to his wife who had just arrived for dinner. It was surprising to learn that his slender and attractive wife, Aiko, was from Japan. All of the servers were very friendly and we were able to spend a very relaxing three hours. We were impressed not only by the delicious food, but also by the perfect timing that was demonstrated when the dishes were served. I later heard that many of the employees have been working for Lawry’s for more than 20 years. Their employees, who satisfy the needs of 500 to 600 guests on weekdays, and 1,200 on weekends, have established a professional and high-quality level of service throughout the history of Lawry’s. It is probably not easy to continue to earn the trust from customers in the same manner as when it first opened 70 years ago. All of the employees recognize the value of the Lawry’s long history, feel proud to work here, and provide good service with a smile. The sake tasting started with Mr. Johnson’s smile and ended with his smile. I found a portrait of the founder, Lawrence L Frank, in a corridor just inside the front door. When I tried to take a picture of him, a young server nicely offered to take the picture for me. He said he had worked here for just one week, and I was surprised to find out that there was such a new server. Perhaps he will also remain with Lawry’s for the next 20 or 30 years.


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