The Nixon Steakhouse — Restaurant in Whittier

I would not normally drive 2 hours into the quagmire of Orange County for dinner. No, normally this would be out of the question but The Nixon Steakhouse does not fit the definition of normal. Chef Katauji Tanabe’s creation is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Yes, there are all the expected mainstays of Black Angus beef, a thick cut pork chop, even a towering old school double cheeseburger. But one does not get far into the starters on the menu before eyebrows raise on the faces of the “Ruth’s Chris” crowd. The crab cake, for example, is seated in a cardamom cream and topped by smoked trout row and an escabeche of cueritos (pickled pig skin), not your average steakhouse crab cake.

I came knowing that Chef Tanabe would be there, a rarity given the time he spends hopping from his restaurants in New York City, Las Vegas, Chicago and California. But, if I am honest, it was one menu item, that drove me to drive—a confit half pig head, served flounder style eyelessly gazing up at its enamored patron.

I started with “Abuela’s Corn Bread” with truffle honey butter. It was moist with embedded whole kernels and just the right balance of salty sweetness.

As I tried to pace myself through the bread, Chef Tanabe emerged from the kitchen and joined me at the table just in time for the departure from a steakhouse classic, bone marrow. In this case, the molten marrow was topped by crab meat mingling with a shrimp-based XO sauce—an umami bomb! I ignored the toasts and savored every bite, literally down to the bone.

One special of the day was irresistible—hamachi collar with huitlacoche glaze, salsa macha (made with Marcona almonds no less!), sweet and sour pickled chiles, and fresh watermelon radish. Tanabe’s composition was flawless, succulent, tangy, sweet, spicy and loaded with sticky, satisfying collagen.

My server kindly delivered some shavings from the leg of Iberico ham in the center of the dining room. It is one of sevevral treats prepared table side including salads and a carajillo cart.

Back to the pig’s head... out it came with a crisp golden skin on a bed of cilantro and dill- yes dill! After a quick photo opp, a trip to the kitchen, and basking under the broiler, the semi-skull returned to my table bare, its sweet white meat and skin transformed into a delectable mixture of soft, chewy, and crackling bites. When wrapped in paper thin, blue corn tortillas and dressed with piquant salsa verde and pickled vegetables, the result was stupefying. I mumbled ineloquent grunts and partial phrases like, “oh, the dill....” without finishing my thought. I think he got the gist.

The menu displays a demure block of text encouraging the diner to inquire about the Umami Dime Bag. Let me save you the suspense... it is a tiny satchel of spices for dusting over your mound of heady shredded pork. Use it. Trust me.

It isn’t every day that I get to dine with the Chef and especially not during a meal that so thoroughly exceeds my expectations. We discussed the dishes in great detail and I hung on every word, gathering shards of experience and immense knowledge. We intermittently talked about family and business, opportunities and challenges between moment of geeking out over fish sauce, bacalao, our favorite tongue recipes, and mutual admiration of smelt.

When Chef Tanabe returned to the kitchen, he sent one last indulgence my way. Liz shook an ice cold carajillo, a boozy espresso cocktail, in a copper colored shaker and then torched two marshmallows to garnish the drink. I had no trouble staying alert on the drive back to San Diego.

So, in my final assessment, The Nixon is decidedly traffic-worthy... from anywhere within the continental US. And, for all of you who routinely convene for trade shows in the food wasteland that is Anaheim, you...

Let me just say this, Pastor was absolutely amazing. He served us with such excellence! The ambiance is nice. I want the front door for my own home, lol.

My husband and I got the crab cake appetizer and the andouille Mac with crab. Both were delicious 😋. For entrees my husband got the 2-course lunch special with a Cesar Salad and Petite Filet and mash. Pastor suggested adding the bone marrow butter as an added treat since my husband never had bone marrow. That was great. But my meal ….. MAN… I got the burger (don’t remember the name) but that mess was DELICIOUS 🤤! I’m in love 🥰. We both had the spicy passion fruit as our drink (don’t know if it was a Martini or not but it was great) not too strong, definitely not bland, but just right. We didn’t leave room for dessert but as an added bonus Pastor gave us ANOTHER special treat. We topped off the meal with some of the house made tamarindo (ask for the bartender Ish if you ever come). He’s amazing! The tamarind was the best I’ve ever had.

Overall, our experience was exceptional! We will definitely be back for another visit. Wonderful first impression. Today’s visit REALLY deserved 10 stars but we’ll have to settle for 5 here on Yelp! I hope everyone else's experience is just as great as ours. We did visit early (shortly after opening) so we had the entire place to ourselves. Go early, leave satisfied and come back for dinner because you’ll leave...

Nice upscale restaurant and steakhouse in uptown Whittier. Due to covid, they have a limited menu. But, it works. They have an out door al'fresca seating area which is set up really nice. They also offer limited indoor seating. The food and service was pretty good. They servers where fast, polite and attentive. The food was really good. We ordered their Nixon 40oz tomahawk steak. But unfortunately they where out. We went of a Friday night around 830pm which is thier last seating. We settled for thier 36oz bone in porterhouse steak. As sides we tried some broccolini, mac and cheese, bacon Brussels sprouts and a wedge salad. The steak was good. It was cooked as we ordered (medium) and it had good flavor. Very tender, lean with thin fatty suprises on some bites. I think the sides really won us over. The Brussels sprouts was amazing. It was caramelized with a sweet bacon touch. I would probably go back just for that. The mac an cheese was nice and creamy. The broccolini was really good as well. It had a breading that I cant describe, but was so delicious. This is a really nice place. I would recommend it for a date night or as a good steak night with friends. Hopefully, once everything gets back to normal they will see increased traffic as it would be a shame to...