By Richard Foss, Cuisine and Restaurant Writer
Anyone who frequents the island of Catalina will attest that the food served there is mostly oriented to the tourist trade. With few exceptions, I’d rather eat somewhere with a view of the island than at most restaurants on it.
Surprisingly, few places on the Palos Verdes Peninsula have a view of Catalina, and the restaurant named after that island isn’t one of them. Catalina Kitchen is angled so it has a view of Abalone Cove rather than the island, so you can’t see one from the other. But the dining experience more than compensates, offering attractively presented riffs on California cuisine with a few novel twists.
Catalina Kitchen is on the pool level of Terranea Resort. Upon arrival, you’ll be offered a choice of dining indoors or out. We unhesitatingly chose outdoors despite the cool and were first offered an attractive table with cushioned benches on one side and chairs on the other. After we sat down, we discovered that the benches are several inches lower than the chairs. The people on benches found the table level awkwardly high. When we asked to move, our server indicated that this wasn’t the first time that happened. (Management should consider having additional firm cushions available to give a boost to those who prefer it.) We moved to a table with four chairs — much more comfortable.
Coating and frying the whites of hard boiled eggs before making deviled eggs is starting to catch on, and it’s more than a novelty. The crisp exterior adds a dash of style to what is usually a casual picnic item, an extra layer of texture to something that is otherwise all about cool creaminess. Each half-egg had a paper-thin slice of radish, a sliver of applewood bacon, a dusting of chives and sprigs of micro-greens to complete both the presentation and flavor. It was as stylish as it was delicious and a promising start to the meal.
We considered ordering more starters but saw some substantial plates going to other tables, so we went straight to main courses. These were a steak salad, cavatelli pasta with eggplant, olives, chard, ricotta and black cod in a miso glaze, and a half-chicken in what was described as a tomato-mustard crust. I ordered the chicken because I was curious about the idea of crusting anything with tomato, which can be very sweet when concentrated. In this case, the mustard counter-balanced it effectively, creating an appealing spicy-sweet combination. It’s a great trick and one I have never seen anywhere else. It arrived with garlic spinach and a parmesan potato gratin. It was an excellent full meal.
Nothing was innovative about the miso-marinated cod, because that combination is already just about perfect. Yet, the accompaniments made the dish: a medley of English peas with bacon and sweet-and-sour pearl onions in tarragon butter sauce over Yukon gold mashed potatoes. The fish in the caramelized glaze and the earthy, smoky and slightly pickled flavors in the vegetables were perfect together.
The other two dishes were more about execution than innovation. The steak salad was just what you’d expect: a good spring mix salad with marinated sliced steak on the side. You might not expect that the spring mix over a potato salad owes more than a bit of inspiration to German tradition. As for the pasta, the kitchen played it straight here. The cavatelli (pasta that has been compared to tiny hot dog buns) was in a light tomato herb sauce with Japanese eggplant, green olives and Swiss chard. Ricotta cheese was sprinkled on top. Parmesan and red pepper were offered on the side. I thought the dish was improved with a little of each since the ricotta didn’t have quite enough flavor to sustain my interest.
We ordered a carafe of Villa Oneiro Chardonnay, made from grapes grown only about a mile from Terranea. It seemed like the best thing to do in a restaurant that emphasizes local ingredients, including sea salt gathered from the property. It was a fine wine made in a Greek style, a reminder that most of this area was once agricultural.
We saved enough room for dessert, and ordered a caramel cheesecake, a crème brulée, a cookie and ice cream combination called “Heaven in a Box,” a chocolate budino and a classic crêpe Suzette.
I’m not a big cheesecake fan, but this one was something special: the layer of cheesecake was topped by a layer of crème brulée — a neat idea. It was served with a berry compote that added a nice tart fruitiness. The crêpe Suzette was delicate and light, the chocolate budino was a dense, rich pudding enlivened with a dash of caramel and sea salt and ornamented with very dark chocolate wafers. Heaven in a Box was huge and unbalanced in terms of flavors; the chocolate chip cookie was a bit too rich with the chocolate, strawberry and vanilla gelato. The combination might have been better with shortbread or an oatmeal cookie — something neutral to better complement each ice cream.
Our meal for four, with four drinks and a small carafe of wine, ran $287, which is not out of line for the food, location and quality of the experience. Catalina Kitchen is good enough to flourish in any downtown location in the South Bay. That is the highest praise for a resort restaurant. They’re not just depending on the view to sell food; they’re delivering a world-class experience.
Catalina Kitchen is at Terranea Resort, 100 Terranea Way, Rancho Palos Verdes. It is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Valet, street parking and wheelchair access are available. The eatery includes a full bar as well as vegetarian and vegan items.
Details: (310) 265-2836; terranea.com