carnivores
may 15, 2002
i am always impressed by people who have given up eating meat. no, not just red meat mind you, but all forms of meat because i just haven't been able to do so. i admit it, i am weak. and what kind of animal lover am i if i continue to eat meat and buy leather goods and all that stuff?
i have a major weakness for animals. i cannot watch any type of animal movie or tv show because i just end up brimming with tears and have puffy eyes to pay for it over the next several days. it's not just that though, my heart just wrenches in pain, especially when i was recently watching parts of Blue Planet. i've been that way ever since i can recall -- even as a child watching cartoons in Hong Kong. i've always been hopelessly sensitive to animals and want to stop for every stray on the road.
but somehow, i just can't make the conscious decision to stop eating meat. and what a hypocrite i am for saying how much i care about animals when i'm tying on a bib and reaching for the steak sauce.
about a month ago, i read an article in the AAA magazine talking about the best steakhouses in southern california. usually, i toss this magazine in the trash but for some unexplained reasoning, i flipped through it and the glossy photos of steaks and prime ribs caught my eye. perhaps i was feeling hungry at that moment but whatever it was, i couldn't help but be lured into reading the entire article, which left me salivating.
one of the places they mentioned was taylor's steak house in la cañada and so i figured it couldn't hurt to pay a visit when i had the time and the gas to head out to that city in the valley. we finally went to pay a visit during this vacation week to see what it's all about. la cañada isn't a place i visit too often, only about once a year to see my tax agent. aside from that, it's a town that i know to be nestled in the valley with a really romanticized name conjuring images of exclusivity and where many of my korean schoolmates moved to -- which is odd because i always thought la cañada was very non-minority-ish.
taylor's steak house reminds me of those places where the rat pack probably would have visited. it's a place that got stuck in time with its dark dark wood interior with black red leather seats and where every customer is a regular (except for us that is). i was really concerned that the photos wouldn't come out well because setting off my flash was like a firework show in there. shown in the above pictures are: the prime rib (top) and the 10 ounce culotte steak (bottom) with mashed potatoes and gravy. although some of the other reviews i've read about this place was kind of divided, i have to say that in my opinion, the food was really above par. their meat was very tender and they didn't overseason the meat, so you could still taste the natural flavors. along with the meal, comes with soup or salad and i have to rave about their french onion soup, which was done just right for me -- not too salty, not too much bread dunked into it, and the swiss cheese was smooth and fragrant. i really like restaurants that give you butter and melba toast and rye krisps on the side to curb your hunger, so it was a good throw back to the days when i was young where most american restaurants did that.
so if you're looking for a good steak and if you're like me and think outback steakhouse isn't really what you would call a steakhouse, then you should try taylor's. just be prepared to put on your night vision goggles in there because it is really dark inside. they have another location in koreatown as well. do check out their website for their addresses, maps and phone numbers. i believe reservations are suggested for dinner.
but i should really stop eating meat...red meat at least, because part way through my meal, i started thinking about all these things and was left sitting there with pangs of guilt while a chunk of steak was still speared on my fork.
