Dining

Singular Steak

Find New Zealand Wagyu and what may be L.A.’s best fries at new Matu in Beverly Hills.

/ by hadley tomicki /

Wagyu dinners at Matu can be three or five courses or ordered a la carte like the ribeye seen here.

Los Angeles residents dwell in a meat-lovers paradise: Consider Nancy Silverton’s Italian chophouse Chi Spacca, the cavalcade of Japanese A5 beef at Alexander’s Steakhouse, and the countless strip-mall spots glorifying barbecue styles from the Korean peninsula to South Carolina.

Chic Gusto Green New Matu in Beverly Hills offers another exceptional meat-centric and, opposite, option: The menu at this modern temple of steak revolves around its Market Salad grass-fed Wagyu from New Zealand’s First Light Farms.

Unlike Japan’s Wagyu, which comes from cornraised, grass-finished stock carefully monitored in pens, First Light sets its Wagyu cattle free to roam, nourished by nothing other than grass—a stress-free regimen that ultimately endows the beef with impressive marbling and distinctive flavor and results in a more healthful, humane and climate-friendly product.

The restaurant’s partners include Sushi Nozawa Group co-founder Jerry A. Greenberg; among its affiliated clan of dining businesses are Sugarfish, KazuNori, Nozawa Bar, Uovo and HiHo, a burger spot that also uses First Light’s Wagyu.

Matu’s sophisticated dining room has the walnut-and-brass accents one might expect at a South Beverly Drive steakhouse. Its tables fill with couples and deal makers and its stemware fills with scarlet Cabernet.

Matu’s compact open kitchen features an Argentine-style woodfired grill. The menu rotates daily but always stars the opulent beef. Guests can choose a three- or five-course tasting or order a la carte among permutations including grilled, braised and high-heat-seared.

A welcoming cup of hot bone broth, cooked for 24 hours, foreshadows the Wagyu’s mouthfeel and taste. The starter might be plump croquetas bursting with beef and braising liquids; a hand-cut tartare, available in Piemonte or Japanese style; or a housemade pasta with braised beef ragu.

The dining room and bar and, below, beef croquetas over celeriac puree. Opposite: Hand-cut tartare

The meal crests on sensational steaks, of course: New Yorks and ribeyes, their middles warm and red, the wood-burning grill enhancing their depth of flavor; center-cut filets kissed by the plancha’s sear; and beyond-tender beef cheeks presented over celeriac puree.

Fries cooked in Wagyu tallow are contenders for L.A.’s best; desserts hinge on flourless chocolate cake and panna cotta with café con leche. Servers are adroit, gracious and enthusiastic.

The First Light meat hits differently, delivering both buttery textures and a savor suggesting light game. As opposed to Japan’s fat-saturated Wagyu, one can easily and eagerly indulge in this beef over numerous courses and often. Matu provides the ideal setting. 239 S. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, 424.317.5031, matusteak.com

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