American Beauty in Venice anyone?

Seems no one here has mentioned it.
I haven’t checked to see if it’s on the 101 List :rofl:

It’s another Gonzo restaurant, probably will fall flat like everything they do.

Also I have barely seen any of my food media contacts there which either means they are not bothering with marketing/PR or their company has snubbed many in the food media enough to have them ignore it.

1 Like

how long have they been open? the menu looks interesting. maybe i’ll do my best impression of a hipster and try the window.

1 Like

I’ve been a few times and mentioned the dinner burger in another thread (different than the one served at their window). The food is actually quite good–the steaks compared favorably to the ones at Dear John (and American Beauty offers the less common spinalis cut as an option). In fact, I just recommended both American Beauty and Dear John as options to a colleague who wanted a place to meet a “meat and potatoes” eating friend for dinner near the Marina. The service is friendly, albeit a bit laid back. Decor is not a strong point in my view but seems a deliberate choice.

2 Likes

Spinalis is why I’ve been meaning to make it out to American beauty! Wound up not going last night but now I for sure will

I ate here once and enjoyed my meal. The porterhouse was good (not great). The sides actually stood out more: maitake mushrooms and the stuffed hashbrowns.

My only complaint was that the table we were given in the dining room was wedged so tightly between two other tables that everyone felt obligated to introduce themselves to one another when we sat down. I normally don’t notice seating accommodations (sit me by a bathroom or an entrance no problem) but this was ridiculous - they should remove this two-top for the comfort of their customers. Anyways, we asked to sit elsewhere and they moved us to the bar area.

I would add Charcoal to that list of recs for your friend.

1 Like

Carlitos Gardel also feature Tapa De Ojo (USDA Prime Ribeye Cap) on their menu. Served with their superb Gardel’s Chimichurri Auténtico.

3 Likes

Thank you!

I’ve walked by there a million times and never looked in. That’s my neighborhood. I’ll have to check it out.

Well, so much for American Beauty

Went this week.
It wasn’t very good.
The 14 day dryaged ribeye was very stringy/sinewy - terrible cut.
The squid with Shishito (and other vegetables) had gritty dirt in it - guess the veg weren’t washed properly.
Miatake mushrooms and the Stuffed Hashbrowns were quite good.
Table are jammed together and the noise level is extraordinary.
No need to return.

3 Likes

Welcome to FTC Los Angeles board. I think as you review the postings you will find that press hype is the last thing to influence opinions on the board. It is filled with recs for hole in the wall and Mom and Pop spots that don’t have a dime to spend on press, and pans of places that have spent big $$$ to publicize themselves. It is pretty much only about the food (unless somebody asks for a place with special atmosphere, with food secondary). I won’t speak for JLee, but I took the comment as just an accurate observation --it is odd for what appears to be a major new steak place not to have rolled out with at least some press fanfare. Glad to hear of good word of mouth on American Beauty – that is really what most of us look for on this board in figuring where to spend our dining $$$. Thanks for posting.

9 Likes

I think you stumbled into one thread where a question about press was specifically asked.

I find it odd that there’s been radio silence after all those grand photo shoot sneak preview articles. Which is why I assumed the question was asked.

And I’ve never pretended like I know a lot about food but holy shit have I learned so much more than I ever could have imagined by reading these threads and much of the archives.

Seriously spend a few hours reading. There’s a lot of people on these boards that care about food and have the means and ingenuity to seek out and discuss great eats.

3 Likes

Most of the threads on FTC are not about high end PR heavy restaurants. Sure there are threads about Majordomo, Bestia, Bavel, Nightshade, Mozzaplex, but for every one of those threads there are 3-4 on pizza, tempura, latest Chinese places in SGV, Mexican hole in the walls, Peruvian in the valley, whatever Korean place @Nemroz ate at that makes me jealous… On and on.

We care about good tasting food at all price points. We don’t discriminate.

7 Likes

Welcome @VeniceBeachEater. Make yourself comfy.

3 Likes

Welcome.