Arnie Morton’s The Steakhouse debuts Dec. 1 on the ground floor of the nearly-finished Triana Warner Center apartment building on Canoga Avenue. The restaurant will be the only retail establishment in the luxury complex which has just started pre-leasing activities. Residents are expected to begin moving in after the first of the year. Spokesman Roger Drake said that with this new restaurant, California will have more Morton’s locations (11) than any other state in the union. Eight are located in the southern portion of the state. The Chicago-based corporation will be competing for the stomachs of Valley carnivores with a number of other apostrophized upscale national-chain steakhouses in Woodland Hills including Ruth’s Chris (also of Chicago), Fleming’s and the venerable Monty’s. Foodies will have a grand time debating the new entry. Culinary review Web sites like Yelp! and Chowhound already have active debates going about the relative merits of each restaurant in various other cities where they compete. Is butter, as used by Ruth’s Chris, a positive or a negative? Are hot plates good for steaks or do they cause over-cooking? Which has the best side dishes? Do you have to be a baby boomer to enjoy Monty’s? The newly-released 2008 Zagat survey of other Southern California locations ranks Morton’s other locations on par with its competitors in terms of foot quality, service and price. According to Zagat, the average cost of a dinner at any of these eateries, including one drink and tip, will set diners back about $55. A reservation-only preview party on Nov. 30 will feature a cocktail reception and dinner buffet along with a silent auction to benefit the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern California. At least initially, the restaurant will be serving dinner only, an interesting choice since the area would seem to be a perfect spot for power lunchers. Morton’s Burbank and Downtown locations, both also located deep in corporate office territory, both do brisk lunch business while the Beverly Hills location, in the Le Meridien Hotel is dinner-only.
