Restaurant: BLVD Steak
Location: The Commons at Calabasas, 4776 Commons Way, Suite A, Calabasas, CA 91302 | 818.436.2900
Date: September 14, 2025
Cuisine: Steakhouse
Rating: Classic American Excellence!
Sometimes you just need a really damn good steak. No molecular gastronomy, no foam, no deconstructed anything—just quality beef cooked right, with all the classic sides you crave. Well, Yarom feels that way about 3 times a week so off to this slightly different branch of BLVD we went for our LaLa Sunday dinner.
Located in The Commons at Calabasas, BLVD Steak is the kind of modern steakhouse that gets the fundamentals right without any pretension. The space strikes that perfect balance between elegant and comfortable—polished wood floors, mood lighting, and an open kitchen where you can watch the chefs work their magic. It’s the sort of place where you can settle into a booth, order a big steak, and just enjoy the experience without overthinking it.
Chef Christian Corben brings serious credentials to the table. Trained at the prestigious Paul Bocuse Institute in France and seasoned in Michelin-starred kitchens across Europe, he’s worked with culinary heavyweights like Alain Ducasse and Jean-Georges Vongerichten. But at BLVD Steak, he’s channeling all that experience into perfecting the American steakhouse classics, using California’s fresh local ingredients while staying true to his French training. The result is a menu that feels both familiar and refined.
Tonight’s menu.
Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail—mustard aioli, cocktail sauce. These weren’t your average shrimp; each one had that perfect snap before giving way to sweet, succulent meat. The mustard aioli added a nice peppered warmth that played beautifully against the clean, briny flavor of the prawns.
Tuna Tartare with sesame, Marcona almonds, and avocado mousse. The tuna was impeccably fresh, with the sesame adding a nutty depth and the almonds providing a satisfying crunch. The avocado mousse brought it all together with a silky richness. A Frisée Salad with winter citrus offered that characteristic bitter snap from the pale-green curls, while glistening segments of orange and grapefruit added bursts of sweet-tart juice. The shallot vinaigrette threaded everything together with a savory depth.
Lobster Skewers with soy, garlic, and Fresno chili were a highlight. The lobster was perfectly cooked—tender and sweet—with the soy and garlic adding an umami punch and the Fresno chili bringing just the right amount of heat.
This was actually a blend of 4 different La Tache vintages!
Steak Tartare—filet, Dijon, Worcestershire, pickles. Textbook perfect. Finely chopped filet with just the right amount of Dijon bite and Worcestershire umami, punctuated by the acidic crunch of pickles. Really quite excellent.
The Wagyu Meatball in vodka sauce with Parmesan. This thing was a revelation—rich, luxurious wagyu beef formed into a massive meatball, swimming in a silky vodka sauce and showered with aged Parmesan. Totally awesome.
Spicy Rigatoni alla Vodka—vodka sauce, Parmesan, chili. We couldn’t resist. The pasta was perfectly al dente, coated in that same luscious vodka sauce with a nice kick from the chili. Dangerous stuff—I kept going back for more.
Now for the main event: the steaks. We went big and ordered two different cuts to share. Both were cooked to a perfect medium-rare, with a beautiful crust and juicy, tender interior. The beef quality was top-notch—well-marbled and full of flavor.
Sauces. The peppercorn was pretty good—creamy with a nice kick of cracked pepper that complemented the beef beautifully without overwhelming it.
Steak and potato.
Potato toppings—butter, sour cream, bacon, chives—the works.
Chipotle-Lime Corn brought a nice pop of brightness and smoke to balance all the richness.
Shoestring Fries—crispy, salty, addictive. Yum.
Creamed Spinach—rich, velvety, exactly what you want.
Smashed Broccoli—a nice lighter option with crispy edges and a hint of char.
Cheesecake.
Buttercake.
Caramel Popcorn Budino—silky Italian pudding with a salted caramel popcorn topping that added both sweetness and a playful crunch. Really quite excellent, my favorite of the three.
BLVD Steak delivers exactly what a modern steakhouse should: solid beef, expertly cooked; classic sides done right; and a comfortable, unpretentious atmosphere where you can just enjoy your meal. Chef Corben’s European training shows in the precision and technique, but he’s smart enough not to overcomplicate things. Sometimes the best cooking is knowing when to let great ingredients speak for themselves.
The wagyu meatball, spicy pasta and the caramel popcorn budino were standouts, and those steaks were damn good. If you’re in the Calabasas area and craving a proper steakhouse experience, BLVD Steak hits all the right notes.
