There are nights where you just want to indulge and feel special. Right at the heart of Manhattan Ave in Manhattan Beach avenue is one of the best steakhouses to truly indulge. This place is The Arthur J.

This place is located at where my favorite Circa was once located.  Arthur J may have just taken over not only their location but made a place in my heart as well.

The brains behind The Arthur J is no other than the David LeFevre of Manhattan Beach Post and Fishing with Dynamite fame and Chris and Mike Simms. The restaurant is actually named after the Simms’ grandfather, Arthur J. (Some interesting trivia is Arthur J is the founder of the original Mimi’s Cafe in Anaheim as well as The Kettle in Manhattan Beach. Good restaurants run in the family!)

The Arthur J is a beautiful steakhouse has a chic look with a bit of 60s flair. Inside is nice slate floors, a bar with brass details, decorative concrete blocks and walnut siding. The beautiful architecture design was done by designers Julie Fisher and Rachel Crowl of fcSTUDIO inc.  They were the one  who created the look of Fishing with Dynamite as well.

It’s not just the look of The Arthur J that is creative, so is their menu offerings. The menu is filled with unique and tasty items. It’s a steakhouse and so much more.

For the starters, one of the most popular items is the Beef Sirloin Tartare.

This tartare comes with quail egg, green peppercorn and rye toast. I found it to be a very impressive and unique first course. The tartare itself is flavorful in its own right but the addition of the small quail egg along with the peppercorn and horseradish gave it a twist in taste. On top of the rye toast, it was delightful.

Another spectacular dish for an appetizer is the Chilled Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail.

Now when I say “spectacular,” I mean spectacular in every sense of the word . It’s differently one eye-catching dish with its four pieces of chilled jumbo shrimp that is accompanied with cucumber, avocado, celery and dill. It’s a spectacular seafood starter and comes with a spicy cocktail sauce.

In addition the Chilled Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail, seafood lovers are sure to also love the The Arthur J’s Pan Seared Scallops.

These scallops are beautifully seared in brown butter and garnished with celery root puree. They are perfectly soft  and sure to melt in your mouth.

Of all the starters however, my personal favorite is the Burgundian Winter Black Truffle Risotto.

This dish had a silky consistency throughout and was made unique with the addition of pine nuts. The Burgundian Winter black truffle was sprinkled on top. I loved the mixture of flavors, the crunchiness of the pine nuts and the deliciously creamy risotto. It was simply perfection.

As awesome as the starters are here, one needs to make sure to make room for the main course. The Arthur J offers the best USDA prime. The steaks are cooked on a J&R Wood Fire Char Broiler hardwood grill. One of their most popular cuts is 16oz Prime Rib Eye. This is one of their more flavorful and rich cuts of meat.

One of the nice things at Arthur J is the variety of toppings you can add to your steak. Toppings include foie gras, caramelized onions, wild mushrooms, sunny side organic eggs, grilled shrimp, blue crab or mycelia danish blue cheese and steamed half lobster. This is the place to indulge indeed.

The buttered lump blue crab is one of the most popular toppings.

Tender, flavorful pieces of crab are is spread generously on top of the prime rib eye.

Another topping that a lot of restaurant goers get is the seared rougie foie gras.

The seared rougie foie gras is soft and buttery. Similar to the blue crab topping, The Arthur J does not skimp on the portion; for the foie gras is a rather big portion.

To compliment, the excellent steaks here, The Arthur J has some excellent side dishes.

One that is a personal favorite is their Spiced Acorn and Butternut Squash.

This side dish takes me back to the Thanksgiving holiday. The butternut squash is superb and is flavored with Maple Bourbon butter and topped with candied pecans.

Another amazing side is their Vermont Sharp Cheddar Mac and Cheese.

Their delightfully creamy mac and cheese is topped with crispy garlic bread crumbs. I love the soft elbow noodles mixed with the crisp bread crumbs!

Last but definitely not the least and not to be missed is their delectable desserts. They’ve got a fair selection of sweets.

They have a nice take on the classic pecan pie.

The pecan pie at The Arthur J is a pecan bar with large pecans mixed in and on top. It is also served with vanilla ice cream.

The Arthur J also has a divinechocolate tart.

The chocolate tart consists of deliciously dark chocolate that is offset with the creative addition of passion fruit marshmallows! It’s dark and tart.

The food is excellent here and to go along with the food, they have an extensive wine and cocktail list. The Arthur J’s beverage director is no other than Jerry Garbus who is an operating partner at sister restaurants Manhattan Beach Post and Fishing with Dynamite.

My go-to drink at almost any restaurant is the lemon drop and it is here at The Arthur J, that I may have found the best lemon  drop of all.  Their version of the martini has sweet and creamy tones. It has a  sweet vanilla essence.

Overall The Arthur J is simply one special restaurant in Manhattan Beach. It’s the perfect place for celebrations, special occasions, outings with friends or a date. Best of all, it’s only a block away from the beach. Go ahead indulge. You know you want to ;).