Puck opens Cut

Eating L.A. stopped by the opening party for Wolfgang Puck's new steakhouse Cut in the Beverly Wilshire hotel Wednesday night.
A motley assortment of food and travel writers, club kids, Beverly Hills businessmen and quasi-celebs like Ryan Seacrest and LaToya Jackson mingled with Puck in the contemporary Richard Meier-designed white space with grey velvet couches and silver window screens, a far cry from the hotel's clubby old bar that formerly occupied that space. We sampled Pisco lemon drops and refreshing watermelon martinis and had tastes of appetizers like Kobe beef tartare, maple glazed pork (even better than pig candy, I'd have to say) and shrimp and crab cups.

At the Moroccan-themed pool and spa area upstairs, I went a little nutso at the dessert bar, feeling it was my duty to sample pate des fruits, churros with vanilla sauce, chocolate cups filled with ricotta, Yuzu citrus bars, chocolate lollipops and a tiny caramel lavender tart.



I would have tried the macaroons too, but Nicole had generously brought in a box of Laduree macaroons straight from Paris that morning, so I was on macaroon overload.

Hired semi-nude models getting massages in the cabanas added to the surreal atmosphere.

The menu hits all the standard steakhouse/chophouse highlights, with just a few discursions like the marrow flan on the appetizer menu. Everything we tasted was completely yummy, but I'm not sure why seemingly every new restaurant has to be a steakhouse.