American Beauty - The Grove

Ate at American Beauty at The Grove on Sunday and had such a solid meal. We started with the Stuffed Hash Brown and Warm Sticky Bun since we’d had them before and loved them—still just as good. For mains, we ordered the Charred Chicken Bánh Mì and the Iowa Co-op Teres Major steak. The Bánh Mì had a really nice balance of sweet and spicy, with well-seasoned chicken on a bun that had a light crunch on the outside, plus house-made ruffle chips on the side. The steak was cooked to a perfect medium and came with a generous pile of crispy shoestring fries. Definitely a place we’d go back to. Pics attached if you want to check it out.

We had the ribeye, mushrooms, carrots, hashbrowns, mac n cheese. Cocktails were great! The sides were excellent especially the carrots and hashbrowns. Sadly the steak was not the best. Although it was cooked to the correct internal temperature. It was more burnt than charred. We let the manager know when he came to ask how the food was. He apologized and offered a free apple pie dessert. Dessert was superb! Made up for the steak. Would be willing to give them another shot due to the service and some of the food highlights.

The filet mignon and New York strip we had were outstanding, perfectly juicy, with just the right amount of char and spot on seasoning. The herb salad that came with the steak was a pleasant surprise. Each bite refreshed the palate much like pickled ginger does with sushi. The caramelized carrots were one of the most creative and memorable carrot dishes I’ve ever had. Still thinking about them even now back home. The wine selection was solid and reasonably priced, so we could enjoy ourselves without feeling constrained. I also really appreciated the generous pours on the by the glass wines (so rare these days when many places barely give you a third of a glass!). Every staff member is friendly, attentive, and the whole operation felt very well organized. As someone who truly loves steak, this is definitely a place I’ll be coming back to often.

The steaks were decent and the chicken wings quite good, but the overall service was subpar to me. We made reservations through Resy, yet the concierge claimed they now use OpenTable—though oddly, they still had our shellfish allergy note from Resy. We had also indicated in Resy it was a birthday celebration, but no acknowledgment was made, nothing even a single happy birthday wishes. My hanger steak, ordered medium, arrived medium-rare with a pink, bloody center, wet with some red liquid I assume blood —they corrected and still tasty. The other ribeye steak was great. I requested a sweeter wine but was told none were available, ordered a red wine instead, only to be offered dessert wines at the end, which was confusing they said they don’t have anything sweet. Staff were polite, the cheesecake tasted like a cheesecake, and the restroom was clean. Despite the service missteps, I’d still rate it 3.5/5 for the food quality alone. Fyi, no parking validation.

We will probably go here every single time we go to the grove from now on. By far the best restaurant in the area. The ribeye was perfect for 2 of us and the house red wine is really good, especially for being only $10 for practically two glasses. 10/10 service and lovely people working here making us feel welcomed and looking forward to returning. Beautiful lighting during sunset.