Matu - $24 cheesesteak (Beverly Hills)

Ok, well the best $24 cheesesteak is the one you don’t buy yourself…my day in the sun came finally today.

Here’s what the menu says

Matu Philly Cheesesteak
Eight ounces of 100% Grass Fed Wagyu Ribeye and Sirloin, Cooper Sharp® cheese with grilled onions and a roasted Long Hot pepper on our freshly baked sesame roll.
$24
House-made Potato Chips
Our house-made potato chips are fried with
100% grass-fed Wagyu beef tallow.
$4


Photos courtesy of the internet - looks the same

I’ll say this: it’s the best cheesesteak I’ve had in LA and one of the best I have ever had. Frankly, it’s one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had. The meat is ample and beefy, not greasy, the sharp cheese works great and the roasted long pepper does add some nice heat and it was pickled too (pretty sure) so some tang. The roll was crunchy and seedy but not too bready. Good balance, not too small or too big. No mayotard etc thankfully - I would have asked them to remove it. Many ways it is traditional (fire away), and some ways not.

Usually chips are not worth mentioning but these are – really really thinly sliced, more than usual, and fried up in tallow.

We had ours “to-go” and sat outside on a table in front. Most folks were sitting at the bar. The rest of the restaurant seats are closed down during lunch. This is the only thing on the menu foodwise at lunch.

Pangs of hunger and guilt subsiding the wise words of Ferris Bueller come to mind:

It is so choice. If you have the means I highly suggest picking one up.

Jersey Mike’s is half a block away. Their cheesesteak that size is about $12. Is this worth 2 of those? It’s worth 2 million of those. Is it a ridiculous price for a sandwich? IDK, Langers is prob about that for pastrami now. In any event, an expensive sandwich is still a relatively affordable luxury for a splurge here and there especially in this neighborhood.

Matū – A Beverly Hills steak restaurant exclusively serving 100% grass-fed Wagyu from First Light Farms. (matusteak.com)

239 S. Beverly Dr BH CA 90212

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It’s actually that much. $24.

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This is better than that. Sink your chompers into this if you get a chance.

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I have no doubt as I am not a fan of pastrami at all.

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Look nice.

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That is one proper cheesesteak! Might be the most legit one on the whole damn west coast. They are doing all the right things imo

  1. The seeded roll. Sarcones or Liscio. Even better they are baking it in house! Just like Angelo’s Pizzeria on 9th and Fitzwater.

  2. Cooper Sharp! Wow you don’t really see this on the west coast. This is the best cheese imo for the steak.

  3. Long hots! In the cheesesteak or on the side.

  4. The cheese is incorporated instead of thrown on the top.

  5. “Grilled onions”. In Philly and the surrounding area they refer it as fried onions.

  6. The steak looks like the right amount of chop. It’s a preference I guess. Some places chop it up really fine like Dalessandro’s.

I don’t know who the chef is and where he/she is from but they clearly did their homework.

But really a cheesesteak can have anything you want. Some sinners put mayo in it. The owner at John’s Roast Pork actually recommend it with a small amount of ketchup which I personally like.

But yeah if I had to put an ideal cheesesteak that would be it…seeded roll, copper sharp, fried onions, medium chopped, long hots on the side.

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There’s currently heated discussion about the authenticity of peppers in a proper cheese steak on Kenji’s IG account. As a non-cheese steak eater non-Philadelphian, this was all news to me!

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That’s the one condiment they provide.

You can get it without onions or pepper too.

The quality meat here really shines.

Folks were drinking Rolling Rock at the bar.

Hope you can check it out when you’re in town.

That bit of heat and tang really works for me.

I’ll take delicious over authentic any day. Sometimes you can have both. Is NZ grass fed waygu ribeye and sirloin authentic ? It is certainly not greasy in any way. Still juicy and flavorful. I tell you what I live with tofu eaters. This was a treat !

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I think that’s what it ultimately comes down to, for me. When I eat cheaper sandwiches, I’m like, “This totally wasn’t worth it.” I do think $24 is ridiculous, but, if it tastes good and is served in a nice setting (interior pics look nice on-line), it’s probably the cheapest point of entry for that steakhouse. An occasional splurge is fun. I do wish they could’ve included the chips, though!

Thanks for the report. :slight_smile:

Well it got me to look at their menu which isn’t ultra extreme in cost for a special occasion. It’s not a place my wife or family would go tho.

Wagyu Dinner Details – Matū (matusteak.com)

I’m good with the cheesesteak - it’s a lot of meat too, not some skimpy bs like a lot cheesesteak spots. Agree on the chips, but other places don’t give em away either and at least they were good. damn good really to scoop up the little bits of steak and onion that escape the roll.

Hope you can get a chance to enjoy - the days and hours for the sandwich are somewhat limited so far as I can see.

Wednesday - Sunday
11:30 am — 2:00 pm

Maybe you can get at the bar during dinner hours - dunno.

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I think it’s all relative.

I mean, a Langer’s #19 is exactly $24, and it’s regular beef (though brined and smoked etc.) but it is just regular beef.

We’re talking Waygu here, and it’s the same price.

In the grand scheme of things, I think it’s actually a bargain and sort of a “gateway” entree to get you to try the dinner menu.

Not that the sandwich is a loss-leader, but it’s certainly not a high margin item.

I do think, however, that the chips are definitely a high margin item for them!

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channeling @Chowseeker1999 further research was in order. All my talk a pal from work needed to see…anyways, it’s friday, the things we do for friends…karma is real


eating at the bar not takeout, out front, pays off cuz the price is the same (tip 18% applies regardless), and the meat is still sizzling on the sandwich, it’s extra hot, which I like. Nice folks working there and it was interesting to hear more about the menu. Also view from bar into the kitchen area where the cheesesteaks were being grilled up. Had to look away from the great liquor selection. The afternoons already going to be unproductive enough.

Chips solution - get one to share, comes in a bowl 2X side of the portion on your plate, same price.

Also you can order a cheesesteak at night off menu at the bar only.

2 cheesesteaks, one chips, 2 tap waters, tax/tip, the damage - $67.19

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Me saying that $24 is ridiculous was more an expression of frustration about how expensive food has gotten over the last 1-2 yrs, rather than a comment on the relative value of the this sandwich itself.

FWIW, I think the Langer’s sandwich being $24 is also “ridiculous.”

But, again, my feeling aren’t any type of commentary on whether the prices are fair (or, as you mention, even possibly being sold at a loss). I certainly think restaurants should charge whatever they need to to stay in business.

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Jeet, way back in the day when Chowhound actually had more good posts than bad, there was a long thread on the differences between a Philly cheesesteak and a “DC” steak and cheese.* The biggest difference was that a steak and cheese had mayo, lettuce and tomatoes usually. The vitriol and angst displayed on that thread were epic!
But it comes down to the fact that these are two separate types of sandwiches and I happen to love both.
And like they were my children, I will never say which one I love the most.

*In the long, detailed discussion of the history of the sandwich it came out that the steak and cheese with mayo, lettuce and tomatoes had been a thing mostly at Mario’s and The Broiler back in the 1960’s, and they are both Arlington places, so maybe it should have been known as the Virginia steak and cheese! LOL!

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I’ve always heard a cheesesteak with lettuce tomato etc referred to as a cheesesteak hoagie.

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I think that alternative name came up in the CH discussion but I had never heard it before so it did not sink in with me as much as the idea that there might be two different sandwiches that were “local” to two different areas that seem like they are spitting distance apart. But I did not grow up with either since I am from Montana, so in some ways it went over my head.

I’m glad we are drilling down on the important stuff in life. Seriously !

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Food is pretty darned serious! And regional food specialties? Almost as important as College Football and that is way up there!

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That dinner menu looks surprisingly reasonable, all things considered.

The cheesesteak looks great, but I need mushrooms on my sandwich! Do they have mushrooms?

In the Boston area, my favorite is Carl’s. Their large steak special (comes with mushrooms, onions, peppers, American, and Provolone) is $14.95 for a large. It is the size of a half a newborn child.

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