55 North Cienega Boulevard, Beverly Hills, CA 90211
http://www.thestinkingrose.com/

 
After finding out that we were going to go to a garlic restaurant, I got really excited because I’ve never had an all garlic meal before. We did a little research on it and found out that The Stinking Rose was rated 8th in Beverly Hills. As we arrived in the parking lot, we were greeted by their valet attendants. The valet was only $3.50, which is not bad considering that we didn’t have to find parking on Beverly Hills. Once we entered the restaurant you can see that there wasn’t a single empty wall space because it was all decorated with black and white pictures. While the hostess was guiding the way to our table, I noticed that they had a bar and I remembered that they make garlic martinis. Unfortunately I wasn’t daring enough to try it out, but maybe next time.

                                  
 
As soon as we were seated, our waitress brought us the house-baked focaccia bread. The bread was really soft and warm and boy were they good! We had a choice of either dipping the bread with their garlic infused olive oil or the mixture of garlic, cilantro and olive oil spread. I found the garlic spread to be a little too strong for me and a little does really go a long way. We decided that we would start off with their “Bagna Calda($4.95)” which is a whole bunch of garlic cloves roasted in extra virgin olive, butter, and anchovies; that you use to spread over the focaccia bread. This was my favorite accompaniment to the focaccia bread because it was like a burst of creamy garlic in your mouth without the bite. I really should learn control because I had way too many of the focaccia and bagna calda.


The first thing that came out was Cindy’s “Combo Mussels, Shrimp, and Crab Skillet ($34.95)” and that thing was quite a sight. The skillet came out screaming hot and the waiter doused some kind of sauce over it and you could see the steam rise from it while the sauce sizzled. there was a choice between the melted butter or a crab infused melted butter sauce for dipping(not exactly sure if it was crab infused, but it tasted like it). The dish is kind of pricey, but so worth it! It is something that should be shared and if you have a big party, it could be your appetizer.


I really commend Mike for being daring enough to order the “Roasted Rabbit” with olives and an extra virgin olive oil garlic sauce($19.95). It came with a side of garlic pesto mashed potatoes. You can definitely taste the basil and garlic in the mashed potatoes that goes really well with a hardy dish like roasted rabbit. It tasted like chicken and if no one told me it was rabbit, I would have probably guessed it to be chicken. The meat was kind of tough for me, so I didn’t really like it too much.


I just really love seafood and majority of the time I always end up ordering something that comes from the sea! I chose the “Halibut” with cherry tomatoes, roasted garlic, and olives($21.95). It came with a side of acini di pepe pasta, roasted tomatoes & snap peas in a lemon butter sauce. I really enjoyed this dish because I got to experiment with all the different flavors. I tried different combinations of the fish with the olives, cherry tomatoes, garlic, and pasta. The best combination for me was a little bit of fish and olives. The saltiness of the olives blended really well with the fish. The acini di pepe pasta was just amazing and the lemon butter sauce was melt in your mouth goodness. There wasn’t even a piece of pasta left on the dish after I was done with it!

At the end of the meal the waiter brought out their “Gilroy’s Famous Garlic Ice Cream” with caramel mole sauce and a candle on top because it was Cindy’s birthday. I don’t know if it was because of all the garlic we ate from our meal, but I could really taste the garlic in the ice cream. I didn’t like it too much; however everyone at the table really enjoyed it. They gave us mints with our check, but I don’t think 1 or 2 mints is going to help cover up the garlic smell. This is a definitely a restaurant everyone should try at least once.

I really wish I could comment of everything we ordered, but I didn’t get a chance to taste everything. Here are pictures of them, so that you may see what kind of dishes they have.
 
Silence of the Lamb Shank($18.95)               BBQ Garlic Chicken Pizzette($8.75)
What an awesome name!
 
Niman ranch Porterhouse                                Garlic Braise Boneless Short Rib($18.95)
Pork Chop($19.95)  

Taste: 8/10
Service: 4/5
Atmosphere: 4/5
Total: 16/20