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Why American Beauty made the SteakMap list

Every steak here is grilled over almond wood. Not charcoal, not gas, not oak — almond, which burns hot and clean with a mild, slightly sweet smoke that does not bully a good cut the way mesquite does.

Almond wood is also a genuinely Californian fuel. The state grows most of the world’s almonds, and orchards are pulled and replanted on a cycle, so the wood is a local byproduct rather than something trucked across the country. Cooking over it is a quiet piece of regional cooking that most people will never notice.

What kind of steakhouse it is

American Beauty calls itself a neighborhood steakhouse, and that framing is accurate. It is on Rose Avenue in Venice, and it is built for walking to rather than driving across the city for.

The kitchen is led by chef Elisha Ben-Haim, working from locally sourced Southern California product. The menu runs wood-grilled steaks and seafood alongside genuinely vegetable-forward cooking — the vegetables are chef-driven dishes in their own right rather than three sides in ramekins.

The restaurant states it carries a range of beef cuts, grades and aging techniques, but does not publish the specifics, so SteakMap makes no claim about which cuts are aged or how long.