A PCH
The Long Beach version of A Restaurant offers compellingly upscale American dishes and drinks
Located immediately above Dan Modern Chinese at the 2nd & PCH shopping center in Long Beach, A PCH is the third full-fledged location of A Restaurant – originally opened in Newport Beach back in 1926 as The Arches, then acquired in 2008 and renamed “A” by director McG (of Charlie’s Angels and Terminator: Salvation fame). While the Newport Beach A only serves dinner with a focus on steak and seafood, A PCH (2023) and its slightly older sibling A Crystal Cove (2022) offer both lunch and dinner, expanding their menus to include pasta, pizza, charcuterie, and even brunch items such as pancakes, french toast, omelettes, and burgers. These menus overlap significantly and skew heavily American, with hints of Asian and European influence: for instance, Japanese A5 Wagyu beef sits beside semi-traditional Italian pastas and Spanish-style octopus. Nearly 20 modern (but classic-inspired) cocktails appear within a leather-bound list of wines, champagnes, and liquors; if those options weren’t enough, an extra menu card delivered in its own leather pouch offers Macallan chocolate truffles and scotch, caviar bumps, and several premium liquor drinks at up to $45 price points.
A PCH’s interior is worth a few notes. The second-floor space overlooks the harbor next to Alamitos Bay, offering guests a beautiful view of boats and waterfront – or the alternative of a gorgeous rounded brass bar surrounded by red-paneled loungers and tables, televisions, and a photo booth. Darker near the bar and lighter near the windows (during daylight hours), A PCH nimbly walks the line between feeling expensive and exclusive, conveying class and taste without imposing a dress code or instructing servers to act pretentious. To the extent the A Restaurant brand is based on old school steakhouse DNA, this location doesn’t appear to be turning anyone away, and we view that as positive.
Having made an effort to sample bits of A’s American, Asian, and European cuisines – as well as mocktails and a cocktail – we really enjoyed virtually everything we ordered. We started with small plates, including a very American take on squash blossoms ($17), here served like spiceless jalapeno poppers: heavy tempura batter shells with soft, mild cotija cheese and squash flowers inside, plus a bright, strong bell pepper sauce on the plate. Next up was a vaguely Japanese take on spicy yellowfin tuna ($19), served as five miniature scoops of minced tuna trim atop tempura eggplant coins, possessing more sweet soy, scallion, and tobiko flavor than heat. And last but not least was charred octopus ($25) – A PCH’s take on the Spanish tapas classic pulpo a la gallega, pairing garlic and paprika-spiced slices of octopus, smoky chorizo, and potato with celery and tomato confit. Each of these dishes was a B+ in execution, which is to say better than at many restaurants we’ve visited, but not best of breed; like a plate of six raw oysters ($24), each disappeared just a little too quickly for its price point.
Two entree-sized plates were similarly quite good but expensive: The A Brunch Burger ($27) paired thick steak fries with one of the tastiest burgers we’ve ordered in a while – a thick Niman Ranch ground chuck steak patty, cooked medium and wonderfully paired with caramelized onion, a soft fried egg, bits of maple bacon, melted chedder, fresh arugula, and a soft, sweet bun. And Dirty Pasta ($34) was a more intriguingly named and presented duck ragu, hiding al dente rigatoni, ground duck, and a red sauce under a blanket of ricotta shavings, more messy than dirty, and somewhat less obviously poultry due to the treatment of the dark meat.
Drinks and dessert were somewhat mixed bags. La Ultima Fumar ($18) was an Ilegal Mezcal Joven riff on the classic Last Word cocktail – potent and perfectly balanced – while two separately ordered Shirley Temple mocktails were fine, only one arriving garnished with Luxardo maraschino cherries. But the meal’s capper, described plainly on the menu as “New York Cheesecake” ($16), arrived better plated than most versions of that dessert, decoratively splashed with blueberry sauce and topped with a combination of strong vanilla whipped cream and full blueberries. The round, large cupcake-sized piece of cake was absolutely delicious from top to soft cheesecake core to graham bottom, and quite likely our favorite part of the meal.
Although we haven’t visited the other A Restaurants yet, our experience at A PCH was honestly better than we’d expected – consistently good to great quality, generally strong flavors and textures, and a nice selection of menu options that gave every member of our small group multiple enticing choices. While pricing is on the high side, that’s now an issue practically everywhere, and A makes up for it somewhat with its quality ingredients, good service, and nice view. We would return to A for another visit, though likely would try a different location next time just to see how much actually differs between the Long Beach and Orange County restaurants..
Stats
Price: $$$
Service: Table
Open Since: 1926*, 2023
Addresses
6460 E. Pacific Coast Hwy. Suite 200
Long Beach, CA 90803
Additional locations in Newport Beach & Newport Coast
562.784.7498
Instagram: @arestaurant_longbeach