So last night, myself and legendary Chicano cartoonista Lalo Alcaraz joined our Bordertown boss Mark Hentemann for steaks at Mastro’s—not the Newport Beach or Costa Mesa locations, but the ultra-ritzy one in Beverly Hills. I hadn’t been to the steakhouse in a while because my expense account only covers Zingers and tacos. But we had a great time: talked lack of Hollywood diversity, the Zika virus, and hopes that our show, which airs Sundays at 7 p.m. on FOX, gets picked up for a second season.
What I wasn’t planning on was to drink—no, seriously. My Mastro’s trips usually just stick to digestifs to aid in the consumption of porterhouses and seafood towers, but I decided to crack open the cocktail menu, to see how good Mastro’s booze game has become. Marone! A stellar, exciting roster that I could’ve gone W.C. Fields on—but I was driving, so I stuck to the Louis II.
It’s their take on an Old-Fashioned, and I gotta say it’s better than any version of the classic I’ve ever imbibed. I’ve always favored Manhattans over Old-Fashioneds because of the former’s bitterness, but the Louis II splits the orange peel between them: a smack of High West Double Rye wrestled down by the soothing caramel of Benedictine, with Averna and orange bitters cheering its respective sides on. The Beverly Hills waiter assured me the Louis II is at their OC locations. And if they’re not on the menu yet? Tell them to call the mothership and ask que chingada.
