Slao—the pop-up gastro-molecular steakhouse that first premiered earlier this year at Partake Collective in Downtown Long Beach—is back.
After previously collaborating with Chef Maxwell Pfeiffer, the man currently heading Sky Room at the Fairmont Breakers, on that earlier iteration of Slao, Domingo is now stepping out on his own, using the Partake kitchen as a laboratory for ideas he hopes will eventually become a permanent restaurant.
Slao returns to Partake Collective’s R&D kitchen in Downtown Long Beach on Monday, July 6, with seatings available at 5PM and 7:30PM. Reservations are now open for the one-night-only dining experience.
Why Slao is such a unique concept for Long Beach—or anywhere, really.
For Chef Jordan, Slao has never been about simply serving steak. The pop-up concept, returning July 6 to the R&D kitchen space inside Partake Collective in Downtown Long Beach, is rooted in family history and a desire to challenge one of dining’s most established formats. Named in honor of his grandfather, a World War II veteran whose nickname became “Slao,” the space is has a culinary mission to rethink what a steakhouse can be.
“The steakhouse format has been stagnant for years,” Chef Jordan said. “It’s always a brown room, big steaks, and all of the sides are the same. Creamed spinach hasn’t changed. Mushrooms and onions haven’t changed. Everyone has this preconceived notion on what a steakhouse is. I kind of want to break that.”
The menu combines classic steakhouse flavors with fine-dining technique, incorporating elements of molecular gastronomy, unexpected textures, and presentations that encourage diners to look at familiar dishes differently. A wedge salad, for instance, swaps traditional blue cheese dressing for a silky blue cheese mousse designed to create a more balanced experience.
“When you’re eating a regular wedge salad, sometimes you get plain dressing, sometimes you get a lot of chunks of blue cheese,” Domingo said. “It’s super uneven. The goal here is to make every bite consistent.”
Exploring the menu at Slao in Long Beach…
That philosophy extends throughout the menu. One course transforms a steakhouse staple—corn on the cob—into a celebration of summer produce, with corn gnocchi presented like an edible ear of corn.
“Corn is one of my favorite ingredients to work with,” Chef Jordan said. “Instead of just putting it as a component on a dish, I wanted it to be the star.”
Another course spotlights lamb, the “underdog of the steakhouse proteins.” The saddle—equivalent to a New York beef cut—has a solid fat cap that Chef Jordan renders in a technique similar to that used on duck breast. Set atop a chimichurri made with diced tomatillo, green apple vinaigrette, and aromatic herbs, it is then paired with a glazed asparagus spear seasoned with a dukkah spice blend of crispy quinoa, dehydrated lemon, and pistachios. Add a grilled apricot for sweetness and smokiness, and you see why Chef Jordan sees the dish as a reminder that premium proteins deserve more creativity than they’ve traditionally received.
“If these are celebratory proteins, we should be treating them as celebratory,” he said. “We shouldn’t be doing the same thing over and over and over.”
Steak will always be the epicenter at of Slao.
The centerpiece of the meal is Domingo’s reinterpretation of the ribeye. Rather than serving the cut whole, he separates the prized spinalis—the richly marbled outer cap—from the eye of the ribeye, allowing each muscle to shine independently. The eye is dry-aged for 45 days and cooked simply to highlight its flavor.
“I wanted to get the same flavor of a dry-aged New York strip because that’s literally my favorite steakhouse cut of all time,” Chef Jordan said. “I don’t want to overpower the dry-age flavor. And I still want it to be the star… The sauce is a playful take on two steakhouse classics: bearnaise and the Manhattan. A Manhattan reduction flavors the egg yolk base and is emulsified with a 50-50 blend of beef fat and Kerrygold butter.”
The spinalis, meanwhile, is grilled over charcoal and lacquered with a smoked watermelon glaze alongside cherries and morel mushrooms. The natural sugars in the watermelon? They are are going to add caramelization, giving the sweetness from the watermelon, the tartness from the cherries, and the earthiness from the morels all tying together.
Slao is as much about ambition as it is simply exploring possibilities.
For Domingo, the menu isn’t merely about serving great food. It’s about proving that the steakhouse experience still has room to evolve.
That message is perhaps most evident in the final course: a deconstructed cheesecake featuring layers of cheesecake mousse, poached rhubarb, strawberries, honey gel, and almond pastry arranged like a staircase ascending the bowl. The presentation is symbolic, representing the future Domingo hopes to build through Slao.
The staircase dessert serves as a visual metaphor for that ambition—a reminder that every dinner is another step toward something larger. For diners, that means an experience that honors the comfort and indulgence of a classic steakhouse while boldly asking what comes next.
Slao Steakhouse pop-up
- When: Monday, July 6, 2026
- Seatings: 5PM and 7:30PM
- Where: Partake Collective R&D Kitchen, 456 Elm Ave., Suite K9, Long Beach
- Reservations: RestaurantSlao.com
- Instagram: @_restaurant.slao
- Email: hello@restaurantslao.com
