Ultrathin films of liquid crystal 12CB with monolayer-order thickness were grown on cleaved (001) surfaces of NaCl, KCl and KBr substrates by molecular beam deposition. The molecular arrangement and the morphology of the films were analyzed by high sensitivity reflection high energy electron diffraction and atomic force microscopy (AFM), respectively. Epitaxial films were formed on KCl and KBr, whereas only one-dimensional ordering was observed on NaCl. AFM images of 12CB monolayers grown on NaCl just below the bulk transition temperature showed a characteristic morphology resembling an arabesque in sub-micron scales. It is attributed to orientational fluctuation of local crystal axes at growth fronts.