Musso and Franks?

[xoxohh]

I am having dinner here tonight. Any recommendations? Thanks.

[martiniman]

I love their pork chops and lobster thermidor......it's a great old school hangout.

[Tom P]

The pork chops are seriously the best in the city.

[kevin]

lobster thermidor at musso's? what is it exactly?

[maxzook]

Like many Musso & Frank favorites, it's something you don't see on many restaurant menus nowadays.

It's lobster meat served with an insanely rich hollandaise-custard-like sauce, typically made with brandy and/or sherry. I've seen recipes that add cheese but that's neither authentic nor necessary. Here is Gourmet magazine's recipe circa 1941:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

[martiniman]

Exactly, it's a classic. The only other place I know that serves it is Dal Rae.....but the Musso & Frank version is the best I've had!

[Hackenbush]

The steaks and chops are all great. They have at least two kinds of french fries (steak and shoestrings) and sometimes they have another. They also sometimes have a very good stuffed baked potato which is never on the menu but regulars know to ask if they're available.

I love the onion soup, the chicken pot pie (served on Thursdays) and anything braised. The scallops are also excellent.

If you're in the mood for something cheap and filling, there's a hot turkey sandwich, a hot chicken sandwich, a hot beef sandwich, etc. These are great and come with mashed potatoes. Everything else on the menu is a la carte.

The one area of the menu I'd stay away from is anything Italian like pasta. It's the one thing they don't do well.

[Baron]

It's been years, but when I worked in Hollywood I'd go there often for lunch. I would order their simple house salad, a wedge of iceberg, fresh peas, tomato and the greatest dressing. Do they still serve that salad? And great bread to go with it.

[LATrapp]

I don't know about the salad, but you reminded me about their great sourdough bread. If you're in the mood, you can ask and they'll toss it onto the grill for a few seconds and toast it up for you.

[kevin]

i actually really like their open faced hot turkey sandwich with gravy. It's not exactly cheap though perhaps cheaper than the other stuff on the menu though.

[chocolatetartguy]

A lot of the specials come with a designated sidedish. Shortribs come with peas and pearl onions. The Pork tenderloin comes with sweet potatoes. I believe that the grill items (great lamb chops) are strictly ala carte.

[TomSwift]

Nope. The grilled items come with baked potato, or fries. The French lamb chops are superb but the regular ones are just regular.

[kauma]

Another too-late response, but...

Grenadine of beef with its spectacular Béarnaise! (Or, as we called it as children, grennadina beef.)

With an equally spectacular g & t. (Not something we had as children...more likely a Shirley Temple/Roy Rogers!)

[TomSwift]

This is way too late. The French lamb chops are better then the regular ones. All grilled items are delicious (there's a reason the place is called a "grill"). The dungeness crab cocktail is very good. The grilled lamb kidneys are great if you like kidneys. The menu reads better than it delivers overall. The chicken pot pie is wonderful but available only on Thursdays. That stuffed celery is really pretty good despite itself. Avoid the sweetbreads.

[Harry Nile]

Either Reagan or Jefferson was president the last time I was at Musso & Frank. This thread reminds me that I need to stop by for a martini and Welsh Wabbit. Also, Caesar Salad, a steak, .... Can you still tie your horse out front?

[monku]

My fav used to be the lobster salad, but when it hit $25 I stopped going.

[kevin]

it's probably thirty by now

[Jerome]

again too late BUT if you're drinking hard mixed drinks - the stuffed celery is a great accompaniment to hearty alcohols.

[kevin]

what's in the stuffed celery by the way?

[Jerome]

a blue cheese spread. and some old school black olive slices.

[LATrapp]

And please give us a report back on the meal!!

[xoxohh]

Last night, four of us had a very enjoyable dinner. Our server, Craig, was wonderful. Very knowledgeable and was right on with his suggestions. The restaurant itself was perhaps a little over half full. Fine with me, not too crazy. Started off with a martini. Love the side pony, kept chilled, in it's own icy glass for refills. Very well made, in fact, I had a second with my entree. Per Craig's suggestion, I shared a Caesar salad. Plenty large enough. A fine Caesar, albeit not as traditional as I like. Nice anchovy flavors though. Three of us ordered Swordfish, grilled and the fourth had fried Scallops. The Swordfish was wonderful. Large enough to take some home and very moist. I ordered well done steak fries, very good, creamed spinach, again tasty with a nice hint of nutmeg, garlic mashed, for me the only weak dish, too cold. No dessert, as Hubs made delicious lemon squares. Love the feel here. Very comfortable place to dine.

[Tom P]

So glad you had a good time! I love the place. And I am happy to know about the swordfish. I never would have ordered it there, but I love swordfish, and now I know. I agree with Jerome on the stuffed celery... they stuff the celery with a very tart blue cheese spread. Kevin, the fries I like are the ones about the size of your finger. I tend to like that size, not large fries or 'fries' that are a potato quartered. Momo... what is the special baked potato??

[LATrapp]

Their swordfish can be outstanding, but careful that they don't overcook it. Musso and Franks seem to cook their fish like it was still way back in the day!

As a result, I think the swordfish is one of the best picks due to how well it stands up to the grill.

[chocolatetartguy]

If you were there on a Saturday, you could have had the beef shortribs. On my visit there last month, I had the beefiest, most unctuous 3"x3" chunk of shortrib. It just went on and on. I had the creamed spinach too. I was too full to even put a dent in the accompanying green peas w pearl onions.

[kevin]

does it only arrive with on short rib or a few?

[chocolatetartguy]

It was one giant shortrib. The meat was literally 9 square inches and I was not able to eat everything on my plate, which is my usual practice. It was a particularly large one, but I am a regular (twice every year during Labor Day week for many years) and am friendly with the day grill cook.

Tim Robbins and Bill Maher were eating in the dining room and the bus boy took my "green" cup in to show to Robbins. He approved.

[kevin]

green cup?

[chocolatetartguy]

Biodegradeable, but not edible.

[Tom P]

This may be too late. But: Martinis. Caesar Salad (though all the salads tend to be great). Grilled Filet or, they also have about the best pork chops in town. Thick, juicy, with luscious juice on the plate. Very good french fries. And the shrimp or crab louis are a kick to order.

[kevin]

which kind of fries don't they have at least three different kinds?

[Jack Flash]

Steaks & chops. Caesar salad. French fries, the thick ones (not the shoestrings). A martini, whiskey sour or sidecar. Chicken a la king, but only if you like that kind of thing.

[kevin]

is chicken a la king like in a cream sauce or casseroley?

if so i'll stay away.

Yeah, the grill itmes are good: porterhouse steak, ny, french cut lamb chps or are the regular ones better, flannel cakes, the louise salads, hot turkey or beef dinner, boisullabaise marseille, corned beef sandwiches.

[Jack Flash]

Yes, it's that kind of thing. Almost like the filling of a chicken pot pie, but without the pie crust.

[Muskrat]

Standard advice is to stick to the "grill." There's some weird stuff on the menu (or at least the last time I was there): cold canned asparagus, Jell-O, etc.

I love the Diplomat Pudding, which is a cold custard with strawberry sauce.

[kevin]

what is bread and butter puddin?

and is the chocolate rum cake any good?

[wienermobile]

I really like their Chicken Pot Pie, but they don't have it every night.

[LATrapp]

A Martini and Welsh Rarebit!

I've also had great prime rib there, but not -always- great.

If it's just two people, I'd recommend sitting at the food bar with a good view of the grill.

[brandygirl]

LATrapp, I agree 100%. Their martinis and welsh rarebit are the only reasons I go!

[momo034]

If the soup tonight is Chicken Okra its amazing. Steaks are great, so are lambchops. Ask your waiter for the "special" baked potato not on the menu, its tasty. Martini's are classic. For fish try sanddabs. Enjoy :)