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A rounded bar looks out over dark green walls and a glowing back bar.
American Beauty
Wonho Frank Lee

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Venice’s New Dry-Aged Steakhouse Is a Vintage Beauty

Dry-aged beef, lots of fish, and tons of moody vibes

The seaside neighborhood of Venice has a youthful cool, and in recent years tech money and big restaurant openings like Felix and Gjusta have helped bolster that image. But with the Sunday arrival of American Beauty, the whole area just feels a little more grown up.

American Beauty comes to Venice thanks to Jeff Goodman and Paul Hibler of American Gonzo Food Corporation, along with Bruce Horwitz of the Tasting Kitchen and chefs Elisha Ben-Haim and Anthony Goodwin. While the project has many voices (and also includes a daytime takeaway window that’s already up and running), the end result is a singular vision of steak, booze, and mood lighting.

The menu, shown below, moves through countless classics like a charred hamachi collar and wood-grilled flatbread to dry-aged steaks, a $19 steakhouse burger served with fries, and stiff $15 cocktails. Beautifully enough, a glass of house red or what comes “filled to the top,” and lands at just $10.

The folks at Folklor designed the 3,000-square-foot restaurant for maximum dinnertime appeal, from the horseshoe bar to the vintage wooden booths and dark green detailing. The original Venice Ranch Market facade remains, but inside the back bar glows gold while the vintage stained glass artwork shimmers. Expect room for 60 in the dining room, more than a dozen out on the patio, and 25 around the curved bar.

American Beauty opens wide on Sunday, September 8, keeping hours from 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. nightly. Reservations can be made on Resy.

American Beauty. 425 Rose Ave., Venice, CA.

A bright tomato and onion salad on a table.
Heirloom tomato salad
A charred fish collar on a plate.
Hamachi collar
A rare steak cut into section, with knife on top.
Flannery dry-aged ribeye
A crispy plate of hash browns with a spoon digging inside.
Stuffed hash browns with sour cream and onions
An ocean trout steak with charred lemon.
Ocean trout steak
Wooden tables and chairs in a dim steakhouse room.
Looking inside
Low lighting and glass design inside a dim steakhouse.
Another angle
Old wooden booths and an exposed restaurant ceiling.
Old World booths
Dim under-bar lighting and an old photo inside a steakhouse restaurant.
Table settings and low lighting.
Wooden beams and old tables inside a steakhouse.
A slight opening reveals the kitchen beyond.
A glowing back  bar lit up with glassware.
At the bar
Yellow light splashes on a steakhouse facade in Venice, California.
That evening glow
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