[Taipei 台北] 大直 Danny's Steakhouse 教父牛排 木香烤爐 美國頂級肋眼牛排 USDA Prime Ribeye Steak

A 16 oz. succulent, rich, and hearty prime ribeye steak

Danny's Steakhouse 教父牛排
Address: 台北市樂群三路58號(捷運劍南路站) 
Phone #: 02-8501-1838
Website: http://dannyssteakhouse.com.tw/
Date: 2014/2/09 12:00 PM
Price: NT 1530 + 60 NT + 10% = 1749 NT/Person

Danny's Steakhouse (教父牛排) is 牛排教父 鄧有癸's third restaurant north in Dazhi (大直) ，a high class steakhouse directly opposite of Osteria by Angie。 It was opened in 2013 and has been getting lots of attention for its tender，juicy steaks baked by the wood-fired oven (木香烤爐) ，which not only gives steaks a crispy crust,，but also the faint, smoky smell of white oak(白橡木)，hickory(胡桃木) or cherrywood (櫻桃木)。

Grilling steaks over a wood fire has been a traditional way of grilling steaks in the U.S。Although many have shifted to the grill, pan or the conventional oven nowadays，many popular steakhouses still use the wood oven for its distinct taste, crispy texture, and fragrant smell。Having been in the steakhouse business for around 40 years, Chef 鄧有癸's impressive resume includes leading kitchens at the Sonoma Grill，國賓A CUT，and No. 168 PRIME, importing the wood-fire grill from the U.S., and introducing the concept of the dry- aged steak in Taiwan。He cooks steak by first pan-searing for two minutes， then putting it into the refrigerator for the temperature to diffuse to the center， which raises the internal temperature to 40 degrees Celsius。After five minutes，the steak is placed into an oven with the capability of increasing the temperature quickly to 1000 degrees Celsius to seal the juices。The steak is then taken out and set it to rest for five to ten minutes。Lastly，the steak is grilled with the wood oven over open fire。Doneness is judged by looking and touching the steak with fingertips，the so-called "finger test"。

(Simple tutorial of the "finger test" can be found here:  http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/the_finger_test_to_check_the_doneness_of_meat/)



Chef 鄧有癸 has opened DC Bistro，Danny & Company，Danny's Steakhouse，MEATGQ，and is planning to open up a grill and shabu shabu restaurant later this year。This post is on Danny's Steakhouse。

I haven't had steak for a long time，so it was exciting news that Eunice agreed to try out this fancy restaurant when I saw it on a food blog sometime earlier。Moreover, I decided to go for a tour around Dazhi since I haven't been there before, and it's more of a residential area。After walking for a half an hour to 科技大樓 station in the heavy rain, riding on the MRT for 35 minutes, and walking for another five minutes, we reached the restaurant。The signboard was the biggest hint showing that we have reached our destination because the restaurant keeps a low profile。

If you don't look closely，the entrance door to the restaurant is just another long glass window。We arrived here at around 11:50，a bit early since it opens at noon。

   A large bar for people to relax and socialize. Danny's Steakhouse has a substantial roster of fine wines， liquers and beers。

The interior was designed by designer 林州民，the theme is "International Style of Taipei"。He used the native materials and elements of Taiwan

Above this five meter high bar，there is a glass chandelier derived from the concept of  高山雙蝴蝶 found at the Syue Mountain (台灣中央山脈大雪山)。It is the most eye-catchy and colorful part of the entire restaurant，I stared at it for minutes。 

That's the kitchen，where all the magic happens! And the spectacular view of around 2000 bottles of fine wine!

On the two sides are the private rooms。The walls and sliding doors are made from 200 pieces of glass from 南台灣古厝。The meat is stored on the shelves of the huge freezer on the second floor，which looks like a sharp contrast to the nice and delicately designed private room downstairs。

Our table 

60NT/Person for Acqua Panna or Pelligrino water/carbonated water

The Menu

A six-course meal starting from the appetizer，soup，main entree，a choice of sides，dessert and tea with candy

(Larger version here: http://dannyssteakhouse.com.tw/lunch.php)

Danny's Steakhouse offers USDA Prime, US Top Cap, US Dry-aged and the Australian Wagyu。We decided to go with the Prime Ribeye。

Ciabatta bread

Crispy crust and somewhat soft，porous texture，light to the touch。It was delicious，I had a loaf by myself。

History: Italian white bread made from white flour and yeast，created in 1982 by a baker in Adria，Italy 

Spanish olive oil with vanilla ，perfect with the Ciabatta

Appetizer 1: Fish with yellow squash

I forgot to the ask our waitress for the name of the fish and dish。The skin was very crispy，the texture was delicate，it was flavorful overall。

The appetizer that most bloggers recommended

Appetizer 2: Teppan-seared Hokkaido Scallop with jalapeno guacamole and topped off with prociutto powder

The scallop appeared plump and translucent，the texture was crusty on the outside, and firm on the inside。This scallop tasted sweet and juicy，not too chewy。

Smoked Tomato Soup

A few blogs mentioned that the Mushroom Cappuccino was a bit disappointing，so I decided to order the tomato soup。

The flavor was a bit complex: the acidic and sweet flavor of the tomato, faint aroma and sweet flavor of honey，and then the balsamic vinegar drizzled on top。The consistency of the soup was thick，pretty close to a puree。 I liked the soup a lot that I finished Eunice's for her。She was a bit full，and we haven't had our entree yet。

Sea salt and mustard seed sauce for the steak

                            

Laguiole Steak knife

 A high-quality traditional Occitan pocket-knife originally produced in Lagiuole, France。When the waitress placed this silverware on the table，I was excited! Steak time!

 16 oz. USDA Prime Ribeye Steak, medium rare (3分熟) for two

A figure from Wikipedia helps explain the cuts of meat。The Ribeye，the Sirloin，Tenderloin，and T-bone are considered the high end steaks。Ribeye is the front end of the Longissimus dorsi，and sits at the top of the rib primal。Due to the high marbling in the meat of this cut，ribeye is loaded with flavor and remains tender up to medium。 

Cuts of Beef (Source: Wikipedia)

Chef 鄧有癸 said "一條牛只能取出2公斤的蓋子肉 (Ribeye cap)"

And here it is! The ribeye cap! The well-marbled, crescent-shaped outer rim, the Spinalis muscle，and the tastiest part of the ribeye! 

The cap was smooth textured and a bit more fatty than the eye itself。It tasted succulent，and I wanted more。But then I saw Eunice quickly finishing her portion...

Medium rare means seared on the outside with 50% red center。A bit more red and bloody would be nice，that's how I like my steak。But I did not appreciate the smell of hickory，white oak or cherrywood，it was probably pretty faint。 

The glistening of fat told me that this will be a good bite。The mustard seed sauce added a slight sour taste without being overpowering。The garlic was good，but I like the one served at Capital Grill more。The garlic was cooked for a longer time and had a creamier texture。

Side Dish 1: Baked Potato with cheddar cheese, sour cream, green scallions, and proscuitto powder

Baked potatoes were a favorite of mine while I was living in the U.S.。But it became a bit difficult to execute in Taiwan，therefore this was refreshing and made me nostalgic。

Side Dish 2: Sautéed spinach

Dessert 1: Molten Lava Cake with Salted Butter Caramel and Mascarpone Ice Cream 

My dessert，Eunice decided to go with another so that we could try out different dishes。

When the waitress said that the lava cake is on the sweeter side，I hesitated a moment and thought about going with the chocolate walnut cake。But I could not resist my liking for lava cakes and held on to the end。

Lava Cake with oozing dark chocolate, crispy cake outside and sugar powder on top。The chocolate was not that sweet to my surprise，probably similar to the sweetness of a semisweet chocolate or 60% dark chocolate。The filling was dense and moist in texture，very rich in flavor。The salty caramel ice cream was delectable，but I did not enjoy it as much as the one I got at Toscanini's Ice Cream in Boston a year ago。It did not have the burnt flavor that I like。The Mascarpone ice cream was just alright，a bit too sweet。

Dessert 2: Light Cheesecake 

No idea - we both didn't like it

Passion Fruit Sorbet

Not much for these three，I did not like it。Eunice liked the passion fruit sorbet。

(Left to Right，Top to Bottom)

Walnut Brittle + Cranberry Soft Candy + Passion Fruit Marshmallow + Mango Soft Candy + Almond Brittle

This was served with a cup of Earl Grey for me and Chamomile tea for Eunice。Because I am not a big fan of candy，so I ate the brittle's and Eunice ate the candies。

Overall: 

Food:

        Great appetizer and steak，desserts need some work。

Environment:

        High ceiling, beautiful design and decorations were a plus。But the tables are too close together。I tried to ignore it，but I still overheard table top conversations from adjacent tables。The girl sitting on my left side was talking about the Denny's in the U.S.，the middle-aged couple on my right was talking about when and why they stopped eating beef and about their kid's occupations, etc. Make the reservation early to see if there are private rooms available。

Service:

        The waiters and waitresses were well-mannered，pretty attentive，helpful，and knew the menu well。They set the table for you before every dish。Also, after I finished a dish，I immediately heard a voice saying "Let me remove these plates for you", and they refilled the water pretty quickly。

Price:

        A bit pricey。But considering that its location in the Dazhi area，the good service，the 6-course meal，the great cut of steak，and  the spectacular atmosphere，it was acceptable。

Location: 

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