The Arthur J

Our friend Sugar invited us to celebrate Christmas at The Arthur J. We were all excited, as we had never been there before. 

I brought a nice bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon.  Sugar insisted we have cocktails, so we looked at the menu, and immediately, something caught my eye. The cocktail was called "Diamonds Are Forever"; though not James Bond's choice, it looked fascinating. This was made with Grey Goose Vodka, a lemon twist, and fried olives stuffed with goat cheese, which was served on the side. Those fried olives were the star of the show. They were most delicious. Our server informed us that we could not order that on the side as an appetizer if we wanted, which was unfortunate. 

We all felt tipsy after that one Martini. I later thought it could have been because we had nothing to eat before drinking it. Nothing in our stomachs could absorb the potent drink. Mind you, it was perfect. Mike decided he would not consume wine, as he was the designated driver. We did get appetizers. Sugar insisted we order the Emmental Popovers, puffed crisps with strawberry butter. The Steak Tartare should be good with fresh chile aioli. The Pan Seared Diver Scallops also sounded good, so that was ordered. Sugar mentioned that the Paker House Rolls served with deviled ham, should be tried. That was a lot of appetizers!  A  Classic Caesar salad with white anchovies was also ordered, along with another salad.  All of them were consumed with no complaints. We were very happy at this point.

Three of us ordered the Filet Mignon after all the appetizers; Sugar had the Ribeye as she left us to gorge on all the appetizers. I had mine with Béarnaise sauce, Mike had it with the Arthur J steak sauce, Sugar opted for no sauce, and Zohreh had the Chimichurri. I think she ordered that because she liked the sound of it. We could not have the steak solo; they needed friends to accompany them. A healthy side of Asparagus, Sautéed Mushrooms, and Mac & Cheese were the friends that came along.

We were all stuffed, and I don't know how we were talked into ordering dessert. It was something chocolate, and it was yummy.

We enjoyed the dining experience. The service was good. We thank Sugar for an unforgettable evening. 

The Arthur J is located at 903 Manhattan Ave. in Manhattan Beach, California.