Chef Matthew Roberts of Alder & Sage has done what chefs claim they like to do but rarely achieve: Harness a local space by keeping its essence while honing the kitchen to their own, introducing change without alienation of its key patronage, and earning the trust of both staff and guests alike with a work ethic and empathetic nature that is admirable.
He has done through his meticulous alteration of Alder & Sage’s consistently crowded, you-are-going-to-wait brunch—a bold move if there ever was one. (Yes, yes, the screamers have been heard: the Turkish eggs are back. Chef Matthew was holding them for seasonality, everyone, so calm down.)
He has done this through carefully crafted special dinners, which meld his adoration of wine, farming, and ranching while showcasing his love for the kitchen larder. This was, until now, perhaps no better expressed than his wine dinner with MAHA Winery, where instead of creating dishes and asking the sommelier to pair them, he asked the winery which wines they would like to showcase and then created dishes based on that.
The recent announcement of Saturday night dinners—launched just this month with little to no marketing and rightfully receiving crowds already—has proved successful enough that come April, the space will offer dinner on Fridays and Saturdays. When you experience the food, you’ll understand why.
A chef’s patience with the process is turning Alder & Sage into a culinary star
“I want people to sit down and take their time,” Chef Matthew said. “This isn’t about turning over quickly. This is about slow dining, sitting for hours. I have dreams of guests running into neighborhoods, bringing a bottle of wine over, and pouring some to share. If you want the table for the evening, it’s yours.”
One could witness that. Groups were not shy, many outright ordering the entire menu, passing plates, passing bottles… And for someone who has known Kerstin Kansteiner, its owner, for well over 15 years, I can confidently say it marks the time when Alder & Sage is about to fully blossom into what she has always dreamt the space would be since it was first realized in 2022.
And that is largely because of Chef Matthew’s presence. This isn’t to downsize any previous chef; not at all: previous iterations were smart in focusing on Alder & Space as a daytime space when it was finding its footing mid-pandemic. With Chef Matthew, it is the return of a food-focused, staff-respecting, let’s-start-slow mentality that has really shifted the space into what is quickly becoming one of Long Beach’s best restaurants.
The March 2026 menu is a flex of what Chef Matthew Roberts does best
There is a beautiful balance, if not outright breadth, that defines Chef Matthew’s first formal dinner menu for Alder & Sage. Echoing the space’s love of Californian cuisine—where the acidic and alkaline sit side-by-side with the salty and sweet, umami and unctuous—the sheer quality of the menu is astounding.
Surely, one will find favorites Chef Matthew has served before on the March 2026 menu. His utterly delightful, umami-bomb of a chanterelle panna cotta, topped with a house-made cajeta layered with rosemary sea salt. You’ll find his equally gratifying duck breast, though this round the demi-glace has blackberry and the plate features clear dawn onion, a yellow varietal whose sweetness and perfect pungency adds a wonderful layer…
But it’s in the roundness of the menu, stepping back to look at the whole that one is most delighted.
Exploring the dinner menu of Alder & Sage…
It’s in his baby artichokes, fried with the heart of a Roman eatery serving up carciofi alla giuda giudia and tossed with a Piedmont cucina slinging out their best versions of the butter-bomb sauce that is bagna cauda. And the fact that, should you get bread service—served with nothing more than a glorious high-fat unsalted butter topped with Maldon, some fresh radishes from the farmers market, and Hey Brother bread—use it mop up that sublime sauce.
Or it will be in his ode to sunflower and sunchoke in his saffron risotto. A marvelous sunflower seed gremolata—brightened with parsley—lines the beige dish in green strips. Sunchokes are grated in, on top of being pureed. Bright, earthy, floral sunflower petals line the top…
Or his spectacularly layered steak tartare, where echoes of Chef Jeremy Fox’s famed play on peas, mint, and white chocolate are turned into a tartare with peas, mint, and cocoa nibs. The result is a wildly textural tartare that is rightfully served with nothing but a spoon and your fork—no bread in site.
Or a spiny lobster-stuffed tortellini made with a broth from the creature’s shell… It’s a momentous menu that is worthy of exactly what Chef Matthews said: sharing with friends, across hours of conversation and wine.
What to expect from dinner at Alder & Sage
For those more on the visual side of things, here is a breakdown of some highlights across Alder & Sage’s March 2026 dinner menu.
Bread service: cultured butter | radish
Baby artichokes: bagna cotta
Steak tartare: cacao | peas & tendrils | persian mint
Sunchoke & saffron risotto: sunflower seed gremolata | blossom pecorino calabrese
Spiny lobster tortellini: preserved meyer lemon | mascarpone | lobster brodo
Juniper-cured duck breast: clear dawn onion | demi | blackberry
Chanterelle panna cotta: cajeta | rosemary sea salt
Citrus olive oil cake: chantilly cream | basil | citrus gastrique
Alder & Sage is located at 366 Cherry Ave. Dinner service is currently relegated to Saturdays, with reservations highly recommended. Come April, the space will be open for dinner on Friday and Saturday evenings.
