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ranchandcoast.com 86 JULY 2025 RANCH & COAST MAGAZINE Entering the Solana Beach edition of Rare Society is like segueing from the art-riddled Cedros Design District into e Great Gatsby. at is, say, if Jay's crew traded custom-tailored three-piece suits and flapper dresses for casual wear, shades, and boat shoes. While the environs at this steakhouse concept are decidedly upscale, evocative of 1920s glam with its dark interiors and gold accents galore, there's no stodgy dress code. e goal here is to dispel the myth that fine dining must be rigid and racked with rules. at classy-meets-come-as-you-are appeal is as much a contributor to Rare Society's success as the ingenuity and technique driving its kitchen. at fully visible, high-temp space sports red oak-stoked grills and a calm staff working in harmony to kick out well done (but, of course, nowhere close to "well-done"…or "rare," for that matter) cuts of top-tier steer. e red-meat roster ranges from a 16-ounce Cedar River Prime ribeye and Snake River Farms wagyu cuts to treasures from the restaurant's on-site dry-aging vault. e latter are the focus of "e Executive," one of Rare Society's popular boards, which includes 42 ounces (off-the-bone) of choice cuts, molten in-bone beef marrow, and various sauces (Béarnaise, creamy horseradish, tangy house steak sauce) made easily accessible care of a lazy Susan emblazoned with the eatery's logo. e other board, "e Associate," includes 22 ounces' worth of filet mignon and a wagyu Denver steak that's salty, tender, and juicy as they come thanks to the web-like network of molten fat running through it. e Associate also includes a rarity, wagyu tri-tip with Santa Maria salsa, a nod to Trust's beginnings and its founders' Central Coast roots. Built to serve anywhere from three to five people, Rare Society's boards are a splendid option for first timers and variety-seekers alike. Like any modern steakhouse, beef is the main event, but there's far more to the menu. A la carte proteins include a 15-ounce achiote chili-glazed pork tomahawk, Pacific swordfish served with a beurre blanc flavored with XO sauce (a Cantonese condiment of garlic, chilies, and dehydrated shellfish), and king salmon with salsa verde. ere's also fried chicken that, though it may seem out of place, is beautifully crispy and sore-thumb-licking good. As with Trust's other steakhouse concept, Mission Hills' Cardellino, sides go beyond standards thanks to ingredient combinations and condiments elevating them to dishes all their own. Creamed spinach is truffled, as are potatoes au gratin. Carrots are glazed in miso with peanuts and crunchy garlic while za'atar and sumac-infused yogurt uplift wood-fired broccolini. Even the "crack sauce" (a house take on ousand Island dressing) accompanying gargantuan onion rings is enlivened and made extra-addictive with the addition of horseradish. Maintaining enough stomach space for mains and sides can be a challenge. Appetizers are both plentiful and alluring. Classics like an iceberg wedge salad, pecorino-packed Caesar, shrimp cocktail, and an incredibly rich take on Oysters Rockefeller are present and accounted for along with seafood towers that, like the boards, Indulge dining FOOD: PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATT FURMAN; INTERIOR: PHOTO BY HALEY HILL <<