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When someone asks me for a recommendation on a good steak restaurant in Newport Beach, my answer is usually the same every time: A Restaurant.

I’ve dined at A Restaurant several times and absolutely love their steaks– which is saying a lot from someone who prefers salmon over ribeye.

“Over the las few years, we have formed an identitiyof a steak house– steaks are 50 percent of our sales,” A restaurant perner Jordan Otterbein told me recently. “That’s what really defined what we are here.”

Otterbein and his business partner McG are working on a new definition for their latest venture under their company umbrella, RIver Jetty Restaurant Group: An American Dining concept called CdM that is scheduled to open in late summer on Coast Highway where the old Crow Bar and Kitchen used to be.

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Six years after we interviewed Chef Jon Blackford of A Restaurant, we found ourselves back in the plush dining room for a conversation with chef. And while we spent a good portion of our interview exchanging dining experiences, our main reason for meeting was to discuss his upcoming concept, CdM. Occupying a former gastropub in Corona del Mar, our concern was whether it would be able to distinguish itself from other eateries along Pacific Coast Highway. Blackford gladly explained what we should expect from his next project.

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When a movie producer renovates a restaurant there’s got to be a grand vision. And when that producer is Joseph McGinty Nichol — better known as McG — you can almost see an army of clipboard toting assistants in his wake, jotting down every word.

As he speaks over the phone about his latest project, CdM, opening late summer in Corona del Mar, he telegraphs ideas in perfectly formed sound bites, firing off some zingers. Here’s a guy who digs design, capable of articulating precisely what he wants.

Read the rest of the article at OC Register

We are humbled and honored to be recognized as a top restaurant on the Southern California culinary landscape by Los Angeles Travel Magazine! We strive for excellence and it feels great to be selected as Best Restaurant in Southern California (outside of LA).

Were counting down the days until Christmas—and the number of days left in A Restaurant’s 8 Days of Christmas lunch.

Yes, A Restaurant’s special holiday lunch menu has returned and is available on Monday Through Friday, through Dec. 15.

Executive Chef Jonathan Blackford is offering a variety of classic starters including the roasted garlic soup, chopped winter salad and A’s signature spicy yellowfin tuna. Entrees include the grilled chicken sandwich, jumbo diver scallops and the popular A burger. And, A Restaurant’s classic steak cuts are also available for lunch, as are favorite side dishes including young broccoli, mac n cheese and house bistro fries (twice fried and served with truffle aioli). We sampled the A lunch menu last year and were impressed with the offerings, and it was nice to see A Restaurant during the day.

Last year, Christopher ordered the classic A burger, which comes piled with arugula, cheese (we substituted cheddar for the blue cheese). bacon and caramelized onions, and is served with a generous portion of bistro fries.

If you can’t make it in time for lunch, this is also a terrific time of year to come to A Restaurant for dinner — the restaurant is decorated for Christmas in a classy display of decor and lights.

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Whenever a restaurant is dimly lit with red lights, I have a hard time not feeling a bit devilish, where no one shoulder has a small angel version of myself, and the other a red version, complete with a pointy tail and red pitchfork. In the crimson glow of Newport’s A Restaurant’s bar, let’s just say my pointy red side made my halo-winged side poof into a cloud of smoke while several drinks got ordered.

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The red leatherette booths, polished wood paneling and series of black-and-white photographs pay homage to the 1920s, when this place first opened. Most restaurants of that age survive on nostalgia alone, but A Restaurant continues to reinvent itself and remain not just relevant but also absolutely essential. Much of the credit lately goes to chef Jonathan Blackford, who has completely revitalized the kitchen in recent years. The steaks are superb, especially the prized Japanese Satsuma beef. People-watching in the bar is priceless.

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A Restaurant
Let us count the ways we love A, still a Newport Beach icon. The dark, clubby lounge screams “Stay for one more.” Chef Jon Blackford’s confident New American cooking covers classic steaks, with surprises such as braised rabbit Bolognese. A mood-lifting sound system is a classy asset, and so is the satellite A Market by O.C.’s beloved pastry chef Shelly Register. 3334 W. Coast Highway, newport beach, 949‑650-6505, arestaurantnb.com

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