Chef Curtis Stone’s decade-old restaurant, Gwen, has aged as well as its famous steaks. Set in an Art Deco room that radiates Hollywood glamor, the Michelin-starred restaurant fits the bill for special occasion dining that’s far more chill than a multi-course tasting menu. Still, personalized touches — like choosing one’s steak knife from a velvet-lined wooden chest and peeking inside the restaurant’s dry-aging facilities — make a meal here feel like an event. Traditional steakhouses, full of beefy cuts and potatoes prepared every way, can be comforting but sometimes too predictable: Gwen offers an antidote for those who want red meat with a side of bells and whistles. Beyond its well-sourced and expertly aged T-bones, rib eyes, and porterhouses, the menu includes half a dozen pastas and risottos, seafood other than tired lobster tails, and possibly the best lamb ribs in town. These dishes rarely play second fiddle.
Before heading out for the night, scope the glass case at Gwen’s butchershop at the restaurant’s front entrance to bring home a chop or steak for later. Many of the cured meats served on the charcuterie platter can be purchased to go.
The booths running parallel to Gwen’s dry-aged meat fridges are unbeatable for groups of three or more, but sidle up to the chef’s counter for a party of two. Sitting side by side while watching executive chef Marcell Hatten and his team work the white-hot grill offers dinner and a show. The chef’s counter can be reserved in advance on OpenTable.
Brothers Curtis and Luke Stone’s Michelin-starred steakhouse Gwen is just the place for those who associate red meat with celebrations. Dine amid the glass-enclosed dry-aging rooms with views of the kitchen’s roaring fire pit. The house-made charcuterie is particularly of note, as well as any of the fine cuts of beef, like the 30-day-aged ribeye and New York strip. The duck-fat potatoes make for a shareable side dish. Reservations are available on Resy.