Truffle burger brings comfort at $10M steakhouse

Comfort me with apples, a famous Bible verse goes. You know what? Chuck the apples. Comfort me with truffles. Lots and lots of black truffles.

The verse (from Song of Solomon) comes to mind when the truffle burger touches down at Toca Madera modern Mexican steakhouse. This brawny beauty is built from wagyu beef, braised short rib, truffled manchego, mushrooms and a shower of freshly shaved black truffle. The earthy petals spill from the burger onto its wooden serving plank.

At $48, the truffle burger (from chef A.J. McCloud) is both a great deal, considering the cost of the ingredients, and a dish you’d expect to find at Toca Madera, a $10 million spot that opened in early August off a courtyard between Aria and The Shops at Crystals. (If that location sounds familiar, about a decade ago, the space briefly housed two Eva Longoria concepts.)

There’s other comfort on the menu at Toca Madera. Like branzino, presented whole (tail on, head off) atop a board, flavored by chipotle lime butter, topped with a flurry of cilantro, accompanied by a charred lemon half for spurts of citrus. The fish ($52), large enough for two, also is a great deal when it’s shared.

The lively bar does a brisk cocktail trade. Comfort me with truffles, yes. Comfort me with branzino, yes. Comfort me with martinis, always.

For more information, visit tocamadera.com.

Contact Johnathan L. Wright at jwright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ItsJLW on Twitter.