Clearman's Steak 'n Stein

Clearman's Steak 'n Stein Inn belongs to the generation of steakhouses that sprang up right after World War II. Uniquely for a luxury steakhouse, this imposing place in a nondescript corner of Pico Rivera takes no reservations, and almost half the floor space is taken up by a huge lounge lighted by red lanterns, where you wait along with everybody else on ranks of couches arranged concentrically around a copper-hooded fireplace.

You get a lot of tableside service once you're seated, from the flourish with which the waiter dishes up your salad to the dramatic moment when he flames your steak. That's right, the steak is already cooked, but he also flames it briefly before transferring it to your plate, alongside a gigantic baked potato he has already wrestled apart in your presence. With all this production, it's no wonder a lot of the customers get to know the waiters by name.

Both salad and potato come with three toppings to play with: blue cheese, sour cream and a tomato-y vinaigrette for the former, sour cream (with some blue cheese), green onions and a rich, semiliquid mixture of cheese and butter for the latter. You also get a classical garlic cheese bread, probably the best one around, and a pot of the house steak sauce, which is heavy on the clove flavor.

With their dark wood and massive modeling, the dining rooms make quiet allusions to a European hunting lodge.

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