Entering this sleek spot with its black leather booths and velvet cushioned seats complete with gold embellishments and a signature cocktail which boasts dry-aged beef washed bourbon, rosemary oleo, and bitters, I wasn’t sure if I was in Vegas or good old SB. It turns out at Rare Society, the sophisticated yet cozy steakhouse nestled in the Funk Zone, you can have the best of both worlds.
While Executive Chef and Owner Brad Wise hails from San Diego originally where this growing independent chain was born, his wife is from the Central Coast. While they were kindling their romance, he was also falling in love with Santa Maria Style grilling. That flame-filled passion ignites every delicious piece of meat on the menu.
But an evening out at Rare Society is one you’ll want to savor, so let’s start with a cocktail. With the jazzy old school steakhouse vibe, a martini is the perfect choice to get your evening started Rat Pack style. Three large blue cheese stuffed olives adorn a heaping glass of Ketel One and olive brine. Simple, classy, and it certainly packs a punch.
Soak up some of the power with an equally exuberant Parker House Roll. I know a dinner roll being described as exuberant may have you scratching your head, but with one bite of these succulent, savory, carbohydrate clouds of joy, you’ll understand. Served hot out of the oven in a cast iron skillet and drizzled liberally with truffle butter and parsley, this might have been my favorite dish of the night. Aside from the steak of course.
Chef Wise invites guests to try a variety of cuts of meat, so opting for an Associate or Executive Board is a great way to try an amazing assortment of chef-selected stars of the night. The perfectly cut and generous sampling platter is served on a lazy Susan, and each diner gets their own sweet little golden tongs. It’s an ideal centerpiece and conversation starter for sharing and chatting over buttery tender bites of 30-40 day dry aged and prime cuts. While the flavor-packed woodfired steak didn’t need any adornment, I’m a lover of sauces and had a blast dipping my way through the house-made accouterments that come along for the ride, including bernaise, horseradish, fresh pico de gallo, and even bone marrow. To complement the smoky flavors of the steak, I sunk into a lively yet smooth glass of Tempranillo from the Rioja region of Spain.
In terms of sides, the woodfired broccolini, served atop a brightening combination of za’atar, lemon and sumac kept me coming back for more. The Caesar salad prepared with fried anchovy and served under a blizzard of fluffy pecorino cheese certainly did not disappoint as well.
For desserts, you cannot go wrong with their butter cake, a ridiculously succulent cake served with tangy sour cream ice cream.
Our excellent server, Trevor, was warm and professional, just the person you’d hope would swoop in to walk you through a special occasion type of dining experience like this. For a more affordable option, I plan to go back and make the most of their happy hour at the sophisticated yet convivial horseshoe-shaped bar.
While the food at Rare Society is certainly rich and not something I’d have every day, that’s exactly what makes it so special. It’s an ideal celebratory venue, mixing comfort, decadence and class with the personalized service and attention to detail we’ve come to expect here in SB. It’s rare when a restaurant can comprise all of those qualities, but with one meal at this showstopper of a steakhouse, you’ll see just how readily it lives up to its name.
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Sycophantish “reviews” serve no public purpose. At least give us some information on the cost of this place. And, really, do we want to set “Vegas” as the hallmark for fine dining experiences?
Go to google maps or yelp to look up prices. Crass to mention it when waxing sycophantish. Which I will do right now because – yum!
I agree with your first 2 sentences. But Las Vegas on the strip has restaurants from leading chefs and restaurateurs and the city off the strip has great restaurants too.
It used to be – perhaps no longer – there’d be notification that the review disclosed if there were compensation or complimentary. It’s a good idea and seems more forthright.
Hi Greg, edhat was not paid for this article. If anyone has other questions, it’s best to email us directly at info@edhat.com
I don’t think Greg was thinking about Edhat being paid. I, however, also wonder if the “reviewer” was not compensated by the restaurant in some way (such as giving her a comp meal a la Vegas high roller style).
This is how most reviews are done. Do you think the Independent is paying for their meals? Nah, they get free food and money for advertising for their profiles.
Yeah but not in the “comments” – people post her because they like to think someone might read what they wrote, and we all love to be heard. Now the person posting a rave review is doing it because it was awesome, or maybe because they own the place, but not because somebody bought them a free meal. Love, Pollyanna but true
Then I sincerely hope all the negative Nancy’s on this thread are sending snarky emails to the independent and noozhawk and montecito journal complaining about their restaurant highlights too.
The photo alone makes me want to go there to try out their steak! I’m not much of a fan of the Funk Zone so much, mainly due to the lack of parking, but this place should be supported by locals (and tourists, of course!). I remember going to a place in the Fairview Shopping Center (Jake’s?), and they had very reasonably priced steak meals, but they had these butter cooked mushrooms that were sooooooo good!