Rare by Drai's, a New Steakhouse in West Hollywood, Now Open

A new steakhouse, Rare by Drai's, opened this past Saturday, Dec. 14, at a part of the Sunset Strip where the lines between restaurant and club frequently — and purposefully — blur. (Bar Marmont, the Den of Hollywood and the House of Blues are all close by.) Taking over what used to be BLT Steak, the new restaurant was designed to continue in those footsteps, done up in a color scheme of deep red hues and dimmed lighting throughout.

It should be no surprise then that the guy behind the restaurant name, Victor Drai, is a nightclub developer well-known in Vegas, a town versed in blending dinner with entertainment. There are bars indoors and outdoors, offering a cocktail menu by head bartender Chris Hewes. And in keeping with the nightclub theme, there will be a DJ spinning tracks in the bar and lounge areas.

See also: 5 Great Old-School L.A. Steakhouses

Drai and executive chef Patrick Florendo developed a menu that hews to the modern steakhouse tradition, more or less — where the emphasis is on meat entrees and sides are offered separately. Steaks come in filet, New York strip or bone-in, with a choice of classic sauces. There are a handful of fish mains, including whole roasted loup de mer with fennel and pan-roasted Chilean sea bass with a tomato caper salsa.

This isn't Drai's first venture in L.A. Some may recall Drai's Restaurant on La Cienega, opened in 1993, which served French fare. His night lounge Drai's recently shuttered at the W Hollywood.

Rare by Drai's is open for dinner Monday to Wednesday, from 6 to 10 p.m., and Thursday to Saturday, from 6 to 11 p.m.

Rare by Drai's: 8720 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood; (310) 360-1525.

Steak at Rare by Drai's; Credit: Carlos Larios

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