Beach Magazine Dec 2015

The Arthur J brings a Mid-Century
style to downtown Manhattan
Beach. Photo by Brad Jacobson
in every bite.
We wavered between a classic Caesar
and the Treviso salad, but decided on the
latter because we were intrigued by the
combination of bitter lettuce with ricotta
cheese, mission figs and pine nuts with a
sherry vinaigrette. It was interesting but
not entirely successful. Our server had
mentioned that the Treviso had been
marinated and seared, both of which
usually diminish the bitterness of this
heirloom lettuce variety, but it still had a
rather sharp flavor in bites that didn’t
include the cheese. Using the velvety,
aged ricotta rather than the usual parmesan
was an inspired move, but I would
have preferred more of it, and that it be
cut in smaller pieces so it was spread
through the dish more evenly. The idea
of bitter radicchio with figs and cheese
was excellent, but at least that day the balance
was a bit off.
Unusual variations on classic cocktails are
offered, under inexplicable names. A sidecar
is renamed “Gromit’s whip,” a blood and
sand “Ultimate Degradation.” The fact that
they have any variation of blood and sand is
near miraculous — it’s a mix of scotch
whisky, vermouth, cherry liqueur and
orange juice that was invented in the 1920s
and is unjustly obscure. If you have ever
enjoyed good cocktails, you must try them
here. The booze is top shelf and the people
behind the bar are masters of their craft.
Wine is better with dinner, of course, so
we asked the sommelier to suggest something.
He suggested Champagne with the
split pea soup and a white Montrachet with
the salad. The pairings were spot on. I’m
going to want sparkling wine with pea soup
from now on.
The main courses here are served on an a
la carte basis, though you wouldn’t know
that from the menu. The vegetables and
starches that are mentioned on the same line
as the chops and seafood are mere garnishes.
On the visit with the carnivore we ordered a
ribeye and the sea bream, on the second visit
rack of lamb and a pork chop. (I had been
attracted by an artichoke and cheese dish
that someone at an adjacent table was eating
with gusto, but couldn’t resist the pork.)
The meats followed a simple formula: top
quality product minimally seasoned and
expertly cooked. The pork is from a rare
crossbreed of Hungarian and English
breeds, the meat darker, sweeter and more
richly flavored than even most heritage
breeds and the Colorado lamb will make
you forget that bland stuff from the
antipodes.
The sea bream was less exotic, but used an
interesting, modern preparation. It had been
dusted with fennel pollen, which lends a
delightfully sweet, spicy scent. Bream is similar
to bass but is more sustainable. The
moist, rich fish came away from the bone
easily. Scottish salmon and lobster are also
offered and based on this meal I’d like to
explore their other seafood options.
As for the steaks, the item that is the centerpiece
for most meals here, both prime
dry-aged beef and wet-aged Angus beef are
available. Supermarket beef is wet-aged and
not for very long. It has an agreeable, mild
flavor. Dry aging intensifies the flavor and
adds a funky richness that is generally associated
with lamb and game meats. Dry-aged
steaks are also more expensive because they
lose volume in the process. We decided on
the dry-aged ribeye and after dithering over
the 13 sauces and eight toppings to choose
from, decided to have none. We wanted to
experience the meat by itself. It was a
superlative steak, and as we ate it we mused
that The Arthur J is missing a bet. They
should offer small portions of both wet and
dry aged steak so that customers could learn
the difference. Offhand, I think that they’d
sell more of the dry-aged to repeat customers
because they will have a basis for comparison.
The Arthur J is at 903 Manhattan Avenue
in downtown Manhattan Beach. Open daily at 5 p.m.,
close 10:30 p.m.. Sun-Wed., 11 p.m. Thu-Sat. Street
parking, wheelchair access good, full bar. Some vegetarian
items. Reservations suggested at
thearthurj.com, phone 310-878-9620.
A variety of sides was offered and these
change with the seasons. A terrific fava
bean dish that I enjoyed on the first visit
was gone on the second, replaced by acorn
squash with candied pecans. The mustard
spaetzle was gone too, though I know of no
reason German handmade noodles would
be seasonal. Perhaps they weren’t popular
because nobody knew what they were.
A steakhouse favorite that seems to have
a perennial place on the menu is creamed
spinach. The version here is the classic –
cooked down with real cream and topped
with crisp fried onions.
Desserts were offered, but here the menu
is out of balance. With the exception of
some sherbets, everything was heavy and
rich. Had something light like a fruit tart or
other, similar pastry been offered we would
have ordered it, but on both visits we didn’t
see anything that called to us.
Dinner at The Arthur J is on the high side
by local standards. The less expensive of the
two meals ran just over $250 for two, with
two cocktails and four glasses of wine. That
could have been much less if we had
watched the wine budget. One the sommelier
suggested was almost $25 for a threeounce
pour. It was a splendid pairing, but
there were other good ones at more modest
prices.
The Arthur J is a temple to a certain kind
of dining, the mid-century modern décor
in harmony with the ideas on the menu. At
their best both are about simple ideas elegantly
executed. In one case it’s wood polished
and sculpted to show its beauty, in
the other dishes crafted to show off minimally
enhanced, excellent ingredients. One
could only wish that the patriarch of the
family could have lived to see it. B
December 10, 2015 • Easy Reader / Beach magazine 35