Luxury Life & Style - (Page 79)

and day-boat scallops from Maine. For our lunch at Café Pacific, we were immediately seated at a beautiful table that looked out over the rolling greens and the blue Pacific. It is easily one of the most scenic dining spots I have enjoyed in recent years, and the room itself is warm and inviting with a beautiful stenciled ceiling and comfortable tables and chairs. The crowd looked to be a mix of golfers and nongolfers, which again bodes well for the property overall. The pace was busy but not hectic, and we settled in for a serious feast. For starters, we opted for the Dungeness crab cakes with mango butter and fire-roasted red pepper purée and the not-wildly-creative but delicious baked brie wrapped in phyllo. The ingredients here were top-notch, though it looked as if someone had thrown the crab cakes on in quite a bit of a hurry. Wine-wise, the 2006 Dr. Loosen riesling offered by the glass was a terrific accent for the sweetness of the mango butter. Moving on to entrées, I chose the panroasted halibut with garlic mashed potatoes, pea tendrils, baby corn, grilled asparagus, four citrus butter and baby tomato vinaigrette. If it sounds like a lot, it’s because it was. The fish itself was prepared to perfection and was one of the best pieces of halibut I have ever had, but the plate was overdone with too many good intentions. It was delicious overall, but could have used some pruning of flavors. Similarly, my aunt’s Caesar salad featured gorgeous jumbo shrimps grilled to perfection, if a bit too heavy on the dressing. A successful note was the charmingly executed “Lunch Box,” in which a trio of smaller portioned items were served on a rectangular plate: a large Day Boat scallop wrapped cleverly in Alaskan king salmon and served over porcini risotto, a small ramekin of very good lobster bisque and squash blossoms stuffed with Dungeness crab. The portions here were ideal and the preparations flawless in this dish. A glass of the very good Domaine Drouhin 2005 chardonnay from Oregon proved to be a clean and bracing counterpoint to the richness of the bisque and the fried blossoms. Happily, the individual tiramisu with Kahlua sauce that my mother chose and the ice cream sampler ordered by Miss K. were both outstanding presentations, and we were glad we’d saved room. Pastry Chef Ron Stewart gets my big thumbs up for the best tiramisu I have ever had in Los Angeles. The wine list at Café Pacific and at Trump’s is superb, which in and of itself is rare for a golf course locale. There are lots of big-ticket items, and the temperaturecontrolled case one passes by on entering the dining room prominently features visible labels like Montrachet and Lafite. But it’s the less obvious choices that always impress me as a sommelier, and this list offers treasures that one doesn’t typically find. I sense that Wine Director Thomas Compagnon is buying to suit a certain clientele, but that he also trusts his palate enough to buy more adventurously. This list was a real treat for me to discover. What’s that they say in real estate? Location, location, location. Perhaps that’s the best way to summarize our lunch experience at Trump National Golf Club. As we sipped cappuccinos and gazed out over the golfers below, several sailboats became visible against the backdrop of the cerulean Pacific and the faintest beginnings of a sunset. It was that kind of lunch – wonderfully long, with attentive service and some real high notes of food and wine. It wasn’t flawless, but in such a serene setting, it was easy to forgive minor missteps. I would highly recommend the restaurants at Trump’s whether for a leisurely lunch or a blow-out weekend dinner, as you just can’t beat the view. One Ocean Trails Drive Rancho Palos Verdes, 310-265-5000 trumpgolf.com Mozza Years ago when I lived in the West Village and got my first “real” restaurant job at NY’s beloved Union Square Café, I had a roommate that also did hard restaurant time down on Cornelia Street at a funky spot with poetry readings, bottomless coffee and a redhaired, pony-tailed regular who cooked next door. This particular guy wore Converse high-tops and was passionate about domestic goat cheese, cooking with all parts of an animal and all things Italian. I thought about this era of my own life when dining recently at Pizzeria Mozza on Highland Avenue in Hollywood, because I miss that roommate and because that pony-tailed chef eventually morphed into “Molto Mario.” Thanks to the rising tide of Food Network and all things TV, Mario Batali has become one of the most recognizable chefs in America and deservedly so – I have enjoyed many fine meals at his fleet of New York outlets, most notably at Babbo, where I had tripe and calves’ brains for the first time, and at Lupa, where I reveled in the wonderfully obscure Italian wines. Mario has come west, where his whirlwind style has been happily integrated with LA’s own culinary treasure, Nancy Silverton of La Brea Bakery and Campanile fame. Their joint venture, Pizzeria Mozza, continues to be one of the hottest tickets in town and there is something wonderful about Angelenos in pricey cars queuing up to wolf down really good, inexpensive pizza that isn’t made by an Austrian for a change. Mozza offers the best “authentic” pizza I have had in Los Angeles, though I admit I love Abbott’s Habit in Venice for the greasy American type. Nancy Silverton’s discipline as a baker is apparent in Mozza’s pristinely perfect crusts that act as the canvas for an array of toppings from squash blossoms to nettles to sottocenere to rapini. Not exactly Pizza Hut! Mr. Sexton and I squeaked into the bar at 10 p.m. on a recent Monday, and were lucky to get the seats. Mozza is a tough reservation in a tough town, even when the GM is a good friend. David Rosoff is working his usual magic at Mozza, and after managerial stints at Michael’s and Campanile and his own dearly-missed restaurant Opaline, he is about the best in the business at keeping even the most hec- May/June 2007 Luxury Life & Style 79 http://trumpgolf.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Luxury Life & Style

Editor's Note
Carte Blanche
Interview
Feature Home
Artist Profile
Seen in South Bay
Automotive
Travel
From the Cellar
Entertainmet
Health & Beauty
Restaurants
Coda

Luxury Life & Style