Steak Plus
Charlie G’s is a classic red-booth steakhouse with photos of old-time movie greats on the walls. But Charlie himself (the G stands for Gallo) outshines them all. He’s the natty, charming gent who comes by your table to chat. When he spoke to us, he even gave us a few phrases in the Sicilian dialect he learned as a child.
The kitchen at this Tarzana newcomer is run by Kaz Nematpour, who has both the Peninsula Hotel and the now-defunct Drai’s on his resume. Charlie G’s has the basic steakhouse menu but with occasional twists, such as a delicious pasta e fagioli soup that reflects the owner’s roots. Meanwhile, items such as Maryland crab cakes and iceberg lettuce wedge with Maytag blue cheese reflect a commitment both to regional American cuisine and artisanal food purveyors.
You can order steak with confidence, because it’s always carefully charcoal-broiled prime beef. The star cut is a 14-ounce New York strip, perfectly marbled and specially aged. And my 12-ounce filet mignon, charred medium rare to my order, cut like butter. The menu is not extensive, nor is it complicated. The best appetizer is a terrific “crab cake,” not fried but just molded into a hockey puck of pure back-fin Maryland crab meat. The whole-seed mustard butter sauce served with it is great, though I still prefer the taste of the crab alone.
The Scottish smoked salmon is butter soft and nicely infused with smoke. A roasted corn chowder has a good smoky bacon flavor, though there’s too much cream in the stock. A stand-up Caesar, topped with shaved Parmesan, has a convincing amount of anchovy paste mixed into the dressing. The best salad, though, is a wonderful wedge of crisp iceberg lettuce garnished with chopped tomatoes and Maui onion. The dressing, a thick buttermilk emulsion mixed with crumbled Maytag blue cheese, is fabulous.
As at most top steak joints, nearly everything is a la carte. If you feel like side dishes, the garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus Hollandaise are particularly reliable. But pass on the inexplicably scorched Moscowitz potato skins.
The wine list is small and slanted toward reds, with a requisite number of California Cabs and expense-account First Growth Bordeaux. The restaurant’s only real weak spot is dessert, which runs to overly sweet pastries such as Opera cake and chocolate raspberry mousse cake from a local bakery.
But Charlie G’s is a comer, and a welcome addition to the steakhouse-poor Valley dining scene.
BE THERE
Charlie G’s, 18663 Ventura Blvd., Tarzana. Dinner nightly, 5:30-10 p.m. Valet parking. Full bar. All major cards. Dinner for two, $48-$75. Suggested dishes: Maryland crab cakes, $12.50; wedge of iceberg lettuce, $5.25; 14-ounce prime New York strip, $26.95; 12-ounce filet mignon, $24.95. Call (818) 344-1191.