Vintage 423

Vintage 423 Restaurant Review:

Dark and sexy in violet and black, filled with sinuous curved booths and the glow of the backlit bar, this is a chophouse for the nightclub crowd. In that light, you’d think the menu might be progressive by the standards of the genre; it isn’t, particularly. Besides Prime cuts of steak with all the trimmings (béarnaise, blue cheese, and so on), there are crab cakes and deviled eggs, wedge salads and fettuccine Alfredo --- you know, the usual, with a few exceptions like bacon-wrapped quail accompanied by chutney and aïoli. Luckily, attention to detail usually compensates for lack of adventure (as well it should, given the typical cow-palace prices). For instance, the seafood linguine, of all things, shines, creamy and juicy with fat mussels and shrimp; so does the prime-rib dip served at lunchtime with green chile and Swiss. More surprising, meanwhile, is the wine list: not only is it reasonable relative to the food, it’s also rife with fun alternatives to California’s steakhouse staples, including Viognier, white Bordeaux from Graves, and ripasso from Valpolicella. And though service can be hit or miss, the practice of bringing a staff-signed card to birthday guests, along with one of the kitchen’s beautiful desserts, makes for lots of goodwill. One word of warning, however: at peak hours, the noise level can be painful; better to be an early bird here than get bombarded by the night owls.