Besha Rodell Drops Three Stars on Beachy Steak Destination The Arthur J

Manhattan Beach has quite the steakhouse on its hands with The Arthur J. David Lefevre’s ode to mid-century meaty homogeny has already put down strong roots in the surfside town, establishing itself as a great date night / special occasion restaurant, in addition to being recognized as one of LA’s premier destination for filets and chops. And now it’s gotten the review treatment from LA Weekly, where critic Besha Rodell lauds the beef and drink.

It’s not hard to see why, from the timelessly impeccable decor to the fully realized menu of steakhouse favorites. Rodell is taken with the usual array of wink-and-nod dishes that pay direct homage to their predecessors — iceberg wedge salad, anyone? — but does ding the place for not playing around with the occasional menu update. She says:

Occasionally, though, I'd prefer the updated version of a dish. The split pea soup is fine, if a little thin and dribbly, though that's likely true to the era. The waiters will push you toward toast topped with bone marrow, and it might indeed be a good option for convincing people who've shied away from the stuff that it's palatable. But if you actually love marrow, the overwhelmingly sweet bacon-onion jam on the toast will rob you of that funky pleasure almost completely.

Ultimately, the critic lands on a solid three stars for the steakhouse darling, which is further helping to anchor the South Bay’s booming food scene right now.

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