ABSteak

Celebrity chef Akira Back’s ground-floor restaurant at the Beverly Center offers an elevated take on Korean barbecue, complete with dry-aged steaks, house cocktails and attenative service more akin to a classic American steakhouse. Think steamed egg soufflé topped with cheese and a tasty yukhea (beef tartare) prepared tableside and the splurge-worthy Fantastic 4—which combines A5 Wagyu, sea urchin, caviar and truffle into a single decadent bite. The house banchan, small selection of traditional soups and á la carte meat selections don’t disappoint, even if you’re intimately familiar with L.A.’s Korean barbecue scene. On my most recent visit, I enjoyed the snow flower kkotsal (boneless short rib), named for the cut’s snowflake-like marbling, and the always-trusty chadol. For dessert, the restaurant offers a few styles of refreshing sorbet in traditional Korean flavors and a battered, lightly fried honey rice cake with lemon cream cheese.