Birthday Steak and Crab

We went to L.A. Prime with Mr. Monkey's family for his birthday tonight. For whatever reason, Mr. Monkey's dad loves the place, so we went there. (He paid after all; that's how it works in Mr. Monkey's fam.)

L.A. Prime is on the 35th floor of the Westin Bonaventure Hotel downtown. Riding in the elevator is fun.

And, yes, Little Monkey Niece came, of course.

We all started with a complimentary smoked trout with salsa on toast. 'Twas yum.

Mr. Monkey and I started with baby spinach leaves with warm bacon dressing ($9) and cheese-crowned three onion soup ($9). Both were an awesome start to the meal.

I had a Center Cut Filet Mignon ($46), medium rare. My steak was beautifully rich and juicy (albeit a bit on the rarer side for medium rare), and I opted for warm bleu cheese and onion as an accompaniment.

Mr. Monkey had the Petit Filet Mignon and Alaskan King Crab Legs (Market Price), while his dad just had the crab legs alone (Market Price).

Mr. Monkey's brother and sister-in-law ordered the Primal Cut New York Steak ($45) and Wild Mushroom Ravioli ($26), but I couldn't snap a pic from across the table. Heh.

The whole family shared a number of sides, including garlic fries ($8), smoked cheddar cheese and macaroni with prosciutto ($9), sauteed garlic spinach ($9), and creamed corn ($9). All the sides were quite good. In fact, they almost put our main courses to shame.

I liked the salt and pepper shakers.

After we finished our savory meals, our server brought out a slice of strawberry cheesecake with a candle on it for Mr. Monkey. Mr. Monkey let Little Monkey Niece blow out the candle. Then we all dug into the spittle-covered cheesecake, which I paired with a giganto mug bowl of decaf, which, like almost everything else, was emblazoned with the name of the restaurant, just in case you're an idiot and forget where you are.

We also finished with some flourless chocolate cake and apple cobbler with ice cream. I didn't eat the cake (obviously -- chocolate!), but the cobbler was delightful and was comprised of more flaky crust than fruit, just the way I like it.

Please note that the pretty decoration underneath the cake was all edible chocolatey fruity goodness! Neato!

Sadly, my birthday present to Mr. Monkey did not arrive in time for today, but hopefully it will come soon. Boo! Grr!