American Beauty at the Grove

At long last, the Grove actually has a decent restaurant in the form of American Beauty, the sleeper-hit Venice Beach steakhouse best known across the city for its smashburger-oriented spinoff, the Win-dow. Here, you’ll find a cozy fire pit, lunch and brunch service, and yes, another Win-dow outpost just outside with the same winning menu that includes a killer fried chicken sandwich, kale salad and fries. The wood-grilled flatbread with smoked honey and labneh is good as ever, as are the stuffed hash browns and newer, citrus-forward bluefin tuna tartare. I'm not usually keen to spotlight second locations, but the much grander dining room and expanded accessibility to American Beauty—my favorite in the under $100 price range—translates into a date night slam dunk for those living in Central L.A., and another good reason (sigh) to come to the Grove. $5 per hour for the first three hours, then $2 per each subsequent half hour (max of $35).