The Stinking Rose
July 25, 2007
Today was my cousin's 28th birthday. And in true Donna fashion she
wanted to celebrate her birth with food. And not just any meal would
do. She wanted to get all dressed up to dine at The Stinking Rose
restaurant in Beverly Hills.
wanted to celebrate her birth with food. And not just any meal would
do. She wanted to get all dressed up to dine at The Stinking Rose
restaurant in Beverly Hills.
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The Stinking Rose restaurant pays homage to Allium sativum L. or
GARLIC. If you love the flavor and scent of GARLIC, then a visit to The Stinking Rose is a must.
I ate at the Stinking Rose a long time ago...all I can remember from
that experience was the Forty Clove Garlic Chicken...yes you read it right...40 cloves of garlic!
I returned to The Stinking Rose to celebrate my cousin's birthday. We were seated in a booth along a wall that had a very colorful mural. The booth seating was at first tight for a party of 5. My cousin commented "Hey if those guys can fit (pointing at the table across from ours), so can we!". We busted out in laughter because in fact she was pointing at a reflection of our party on a mirror...hahaha...you had to be there! With good company, our tight seating became an intimate dining experience elbow to elbow with family and friends.
Since it was a special occasion we splurged!
To accompany the house-baked focaccia bread, we ordered the bagna calda which is garlic cloves oven roasted in olive oil and butter. The menu indicated there was anchovy in the mix but I didn't taste it. All that I could taste was the roasted garlic which had a creamy consistency when spread on the bread...yummmy! You can't go wrong with garlic, olive oil, and butter right?!?
Since she wasn't driving home, my cousin had the garlic martini which she requested to be made with the top shelf stuff...I believe it was Grey Goose. I would say this cocktail is an acquired taste...with one sip the raw garlic flavor was a bit too overpowering...even for me. I think the alcohol released the pungent taste of garlic way too much...but at least I tried it.
To whet our appetites, my cousin ordered a large tureen of garlic steamed clams. The dish came to the table in a huge white tureen. As the server removed the lid the garlicky scented steam wafted in our direction. The tureen was filled with what I believe were Manila clams bathing in a broth of garlic, herbs, white wine, and clam liquor. The clams were perfectly steamed and still tender. The broth was equally delicious...I recommend dipping the focaccia bread in the broth.
A friend also ordered the breaded asparagus which was OK...not exceptional in taste as it was pretty plain. And at 9 bucks it was not worth it.
For the entree, all but one ordered the Surf & Turf (Tiger Prawns OR Crab with Prime Rib). Since we didn't want to deal with the mess of cracking crab, we all opted for the prawns. There are 3 cuts of Prime Rib...Regular, Large Cut, and The Slab. I got the Regular, two others got the Large Cut and my cousin got The Slab. The sides included Garlic Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes and Creamed Swiss Chard. The Prime Rib was OK...not the worst and not the best I have ever tasted. I should have went with the crab because the tiger prawns to me tasted slightly overcooked. At the price point, the Surf & Turf also was not worth it.
My cousin's boyfriend ordered the Garlic Braised Boneless Short Rib. All in all we enjoyed our entrees, more so because of the company and the euphoria caused by eating the clams.
Now for dessert, my cousin got the Garlic Ice Cream Sundae, another ordered the cheesecake, and the rest of us ordered the frozen custard. Again, the garlic ice cream is an acquired taste. The garlic flavor was not as raw and pungent as it was in the martini. Garlic undertones mingling with creamy ice cream and chocolate sauce didn't fare well with me. I think it was because I associate garlic with savory food. But it is worth a taste if you can't make it to Gilroy, California for their Garlic Festival, where I hear garlic ice cream is quite a seller!
I think we were too anxious to order dessert because unbeknownst to us at the time of ordering, each order of frozen custard is enough to feed 3 people and we ordered 3 of them! Note to self...read the description on the menu before ordering! The frozen custard, without garlic, was a welcomed treat though to mask the lingering garlic flavor on my palate.
There were some hits and misses on this dining experience at The Stinking Rose. But I would go back because I still have to try their Dungeness Killer Crab. Heck, I'd go back just for the Garlic Steamed Clams and Bagna Calda!
Speaking from experience, The Stinking rose DOES season their garlic with food!
GARLIC. If you love the flavor and scent of GARLIC, then a visit to The Stinking Rose is a must.
I ate at the Stinking Rose a long time ago...all I can remember from
that experience was the Forty Clove Garlic Chicken...yes you read it right...40 cloves of garlic!
I returned to The Stinking Rose to celebrate my cousin's birthday. We were seated in a booth along a wall that had a very colorful mural. The booth seating was at first tight for a party of 5. My cousin commented "Hey if those guys can fit (pointing at the table across from ours), so can we!". We busted out in laughter because in fact she was pointing at a reflection of our party on a mirror...hahaha...you had to be there! With good company, our tight seating became an intimate dining experience elbow to elbow with family and friends.
Since it was a special occasion we splurged!
To accompany the house-baked focaccia bread, we ordered the bagna calda which is garlic cloves oven roasted in olive oil and butter. The menu indicated there was anchovy in the mix but I didn't taste it. All that I could taste was the roasted garlic which had a creamy consistency when spread on the bread...yummmy! You can't go wrong with garlic, olive oil, and butter right?!?
Since she wasn't driving home, my cousin had the garlic martini which she requested to be made with the top shelf stuff...I believe it was Grey Goose. I would say this cocktail is an acquired taste...with one sip the raw garlic flavor was a bit too overpowering...even for me. I think the alcohol released the pungent taste of garlic way too much...but at least I tried it.
To whet our appetites, my cousin ordered a large tureen of garlic steamed clams. The dish came to the table in a huge white tureen. As the server removed the lid the garlicky scented steam wafted in our direction. The tureen was filled with what I believe were Manila clams bathing in a broth of garlic, herbs, white wine, and clam liquor. The clams were perfectly steamed and still tender. The broth was equally delicious...I recommend dipping the focaccia bread in the broth.
A friend also ordered the breaded asparagus which was OK...not exceptional in taste as it was pretty plain. And at 9 bucks it was not worth it.
For the entree, all but one ordered the Surf & Turf (Tiger Prawns OR Crab with Prime Rib). Since we didn't want to deal with the mess of cracking crab, we all opted for the prawns. There are 3 cuts of Prime Rib...Regular, Large Cut, and The Slab. I got the Regular, two others got the Large Cut and my cousin got The Slab. The sides included Garlic Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes and Creamed Swiss Chard. The Prime Rib was OK...not the worst and not the best I have ever tasted. I should have went with the crab because the tiger prawns to me tasted slightly overcooked. At the price point, the Surf & Turf also was not worth it.
My cousin's boyfriend ordered the Garlic Braised Boneless Short Rib. All in all we enjoyed our entrees, more so because of the company and the euphoria caused by eating the clams.
Now for dessert, my cousin got the Garlic Ice Cream Sundae, another ordered the cheesecake, and the rest of us ordered the frozen custard. Again, the garlic ice cream is an acquired taste. The garlic flavor was not as raw and pungent as it was in the martini. Garlic undertones mingling with creamy ice cream and chocolate sauce didn't fare well with me. I think it was because I associate garlic with savory food. But it is worth a taste if you can't make it to Gilroy, California for their Garlic Festival, where I hear garlic ice cream is quite a seller!
I think we were too anxious to order dessert because unbeknownst to us at the time of ordering, each order of frozen custard is enough to feed 3 people and we ordered 3 of them! Note to self...read the description on the menu before ordering! The frozen custard, without garlic, was a welcomed treat though to mask the lingering garlic flavor on my palate.
There were some hits and misses on this dining experience at The Stinking Rose. But I would go back because I still have to try their Dungeness Killer Crab. Heck, I'd go back just for the Garlic Steamed Clams and Bagna Calda!
Speaking from experience, The Stinking rose DOES season their garlic with food!
The Gang and the Appetizers
Surf & Turf
Donna's Birthday Treat...Garlic …
I tried to take a picture of us …
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