A Nod Toward History: Meat on Ocean’s new rooms have local ties

By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

Meat on Ocean general manager Janette Han likes to go that extra mile for guests.

Recently, Meat on Ocean did just that by introducing The Zephyr Room and the M. Jeffrey King Board Room, private dining areas for guests.

The Zephyr Room “pays homage to the birth of the skater subculture in Santa Monica’s backyard.”

Complete with vintage art and replicas from the late 1960s and early 1970s, the space fits moderately sized private dining events, including wedding receptions, birthday celebrations, holiday parties and business meetings. The private dining room can seat up to 40 guests and can accommodate up to 70 for a standing reception.

The M. Jeffrey King Board Room offers a more intimate experience for meetings and events. Featuring custom-made leather chairs, the room also offers audio/video connections and a 4K televisions with multiple streaming options. The space can seat up to 24 guests and can accommodate up to 36 for a standing reception.

The rooms give guests opportunities to further explore the meat-centric space.

The real showpieces are the steaks. The traditional steakhouse’s menu features an artisanal charcuterie bar and prime beef from dry-aged domestic cuts to the Japanese A-5. Hand-cut filet mignon, prime New York strip and prime ribeye can be blackened, peppered, accompanied by lump crab, served capella style with mushrooms, or covered in melted Danish bleu cheese.

The grass-fed beef sourced from green pastures of Northern Tasmania are offered as New York strip or ribeye.

Japanese satsuma wagyu is for the most discerning of tastes. Cattle raised in Kagoshima, Kyushu, Japan, are fed for over 600 days in low-stress environments. The 6-ounce New York strip cut is served for $99.

The American wagyu is the result of cross breeding Japanese wagyu cattle with continental breeds of cattle. American wagyu beef is prized because of its intense marbling. Basically, more marbling equals more flavor, Han said. The name Kobe is reserved exclusively to describe cattle raised in the Kobe region of Japan. Wagyu cattle raised outside of Kobe must be identified as wagyu or Kobe style.

“Once you go dry-aged, you’ll never go back,” Han said with a laugh.

Han said that along with the fresh ingredients, servers and butchers are integral to the operation. The staff is trained to answer questions about beef, organically farmed chickens and house-made sausages.

Although it’s known for its steak and chicken, Meat on Ocean does have “an amazing” seafood program. Among the offerings are wild Pacific bluefin with mashed potatoes and peppercorn sauce ($44), roasted king salmon with confit potatoes ($44), and wild Eastern sea scallops that are wrapped in bacon and sprinkled with pine nuts. ($47)

Meat on Ocean — whose sister eatery is Water Grill — opened its doors to guests about seven years ago.

“The view are amazing,” she added about the restaurant’s amenities. “We’re across the street from the pier. We have the best ocean view.”