I’m a huge fan of chef David LeFevre. He is the chef and co-owner of MB Post, Fishing with Dynamite and Arthur J in Manhattan Beach. I’ve frequented MB Post and Fishing with Dynamite a number of times and my wife and I decided to celebrate Valentine’s Day at Arthur J.
The decision to celebrate at Arthur J’s wasn’t a difficult one. Arthur J is one of the top steakhouses in the LA area and happens to be on the LA Times Top 101 Restaurants list. Dining at Arthur J’s was an opportunity to satisfy both of us for different reasons.
I was ill during Valentine’s Day week and my wife quickly followed me. Fortunately, we both recovered quickly and we changed our restaurant reservations for the following week. While we didn’t enjoy being sick, we were delighted to avoid the craziness associated with Valentine’s Day.
The inside of Arthur J feels like a classic steakhouse. It is dimly lit with booths and conventional table seating. Classic blues played over their audio system as we enjoyed our cocktails. It was a great way to begin an evening.
Arthur J is a steakhouse. In addition to prime beef steaks, they offer true Japanese Wagyu steaks, bone-in pork chops, seafood, and pasta. If you want to top your meat experience, they offer eclectic toppings such as buttered lump blue crab, oscar-style, and more. Sides listed include kale with butter beans, creamed spinach, charred asparagus, roasted sunchokes, and others.
Steaks are grilled with white oak over a wood-fired grill. The result was one of the best ribeye steaks ($59) I’ve ever had. It was served medium rare with crispy edges. The salt and pepper seasoning really brought out the flavor of the steak. I enjoyed adding the truffle butter as a side to this delicious steak.
My wife usually prepares her steaks using a marinade and when she ate her Petite Filet Mignon ($46), she proclaimed “this doesn’t need a sauce”. She said, “it’s cooked perfectly and it’s delicious”. She did try the optional Arthur J steak sauce and found it to be tasty, but thought that the steak didn’t need optional steak sauce.
We ordered two sides – creamed spinach ($12) and crispy brussels sprouts ($13). The creamed spinach was tasty and topped with crunchy fried onion strings. The crispy brussels sprouts dish is a Chinese influenced dish combining flavors of thinly sliced Chinese sausage, peanuts, and sliced green onions in a soy glaze.
The wine list is curated by a sommelier that is both knowledgeable and has a sense of humor. The sparkling wine section is titled Grace Kelly, the Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon is titled Jayne Mansfield and the chardonnay section is titled, Marilyn Monroe. The Senegal Estate Cabernet Sauvignon was full-bodied with an excellent finish. My wife preferred the medium-bodied Behrens Family Homeland Cabernet Sauvignon.
For dessert, we shared the Arthur J Sundae. House-made vanilla ice cream is topped with chocolate malt balls, caramelized bananas, peanuts, caramel hot fudge, whipped cream, and blueberries. The bananas were almost like creme brulee with the caramelized finish.
Arthur J uses quality ingredients and knows how to prepare the food to showcase it in the best possible way. Unless you are on an expense account, the price probably classifies Arthur J as a special occasion destination.
Arthur J, 903 Manhattan Ave, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266, 310.878.9620
thearthurj.com