The tony shopping destination Santa Monica Place just gave locals and tourists another reason to visit the luxury property -- Taste of Santa Monica Place, a tasting event that coincides with the one year anniversary of the shopping center. You can take a break from shopping or wind down your shopping day at any one of 10 participating eateries at the mall, each featuring a special pre-fixe menu of a three-course $20 lunch or a three-course $30 dinner option. The event began August 5 and runs through August 14.
Most of the restaurants are literally one of a kind, meaning they are not chain restaurants and feature unique menus. While I had been to the food court at Santa Monica Place, the tasting event was great motivation to check out a couple of the sit-down restaurants. Those participating in Taste of Santa Monica Place are La Sandia, Zengo, Ozumo, Sonoma Wine Garden, Xino, Pizza Antica, True Food Kitchen, Primi Al Mercato, The Curious Palate and Blue Stove.
I started off at Ozumo, best-known at Santa Monica Place for its fabulous happy hours in their new beer garden. I was surprised to find a huge dining room beyond the intimate bar in the front, and I learned from the general assistant manager Hiro Christoph that the restaurant also has three large private dining rooms for parties.
We had an enormous booth, with a very large thick table and long padded benches, which was roomy and perfect for me, my partner and my four-year-old son, who always welcomes a booth that can become a bed if he gets tired. The décor is modern Japanese, dark wood all around with hanging lattices, and the rooms were dimly lit. The lanterns over the tables had had not been turned on yet at 7 pm, which was fine, since the setting summer sun offered romantic lighting through the windows. The groove of mellow house music added to the cool vibe.
Despite the sophisticated atmosphere, there were several families with children, though the menu and service was not quite kid friendly. For instance, the server brought our son’s cranberry juice in a tall glass, rather than the common plastic lidded cup with a straw we usually get at restaurants. To his credit though, the server right away offered a plate of edamame to keep my son busy.
Our very pleasant and attentive server was quick to bring out our drinks. On the recommendation of our server, I ordered the iced green tea. Being a Southerner who grew up on super sweetened tea, I was skeptical, but their lightly sweetened green tea was very refreshing and not bitter. When my son dropped his straw, our server quickly brought another, formally presented on a tray, atop a napkin folded origami-style, which amused us all, as we were not sure at first if it was a course we had ordered.
Besides the straws, highlights of the Ozumo were the inventive three-course dinner menu for Taste of Santa Monica Place, which included a bite-sized amuse bouche to start, followed by a choice of appetizers, including seared beef tataki and garlic daikon ponzu, crispy sushi rice with spicy tuna and a pickled ginger ponzu, Japanese seaweed salad with citrus vinaigrette and a rustic Japanese miso soup with tofu, wakame seaweed and green onions. While miso soup is a staple of most Japanese restaurants, Ozumo’s was superlative, with a stock that was especially rich and flavorful.
For entrees we sample the braised boneless beef short ribs with vegetables in a red miso jus. The ribs were a bit fatty but flavorful, and the Robata grilled assorted seasonal vegetables, which except for the stringy asparagus were perfectly seasoned and grilled. A dollop of green tea ice cream provided a suitable not-too-sweet dessert to top off our dinner.
We saved room for a second tasting at La Sandia, one of the two restaurants at Santa Monica Place owned by Chef Richard Sandoval (the other is Zengo). While this upscale Mexican restaurant rocked a cool and hip vibe, with the hostess station swarmed by well-dressed, good looking 20- and 30-somethings seeking primo tables on the outdoor patio, it was also kid friendly, and we didn’t feel out of place at all having a four-year-old with us. I learned later that the clamor at the front was in part due to La Sandia’s reputation as a straight-up drinks bar, with non-watered-down libations, and also their policy of a free margarita when you check in on Yelp.
The hostess offered us a great half booth table on the patio that backed up to the water wall feature, because she said, “Kids love it.” She was right. My son was obsessed with finding the source of the cascade of water, which kept him busy while we pursued the menu.
We started off with sangria, lemonade and apple juice, the latter served to my son in the obligatory plastic cup with straw, along with crayons and an activity coloring sheet, which affirmed my observation that this place welcomed children.
Our server apologized for the wait, as it took about 10 minutes before he came for our order, but we did not mind too much since we really enjoyed the people watching and the open-air view from the top floor of Santa Monica Place, and we were kept very cozy by the outdoor heaters that for once were just right, warming us without scorching the tops of our heads, so we actually felt we were sitting indoors, temperature-wise.
The ambience and décor are thoroughly pleasing. Rustic and upscale at the same time, modern yet inviting with deep leather chairs and padded booths, though the seating was so deep I felt a bit like Lily Tomlin’s diminutive Edith Ann, with my chin nearly touching the table top.
We munched away on the fresh warm chips and salsa -- liking them so much I had to move the basket away so we would still have an appetite for dinner.
Most of the tasting menu items of the three-course special were typical Mexican fare with a gourmet flair. For something a bit different, we ordered the beef and chorizo empanada, made with braised beef , Mexican chorizo, zucchini , golden raisins , almonds, chile chipotle sauce and crema fresca. When it was served at first I thought the dessert had been brought out early, as it looked almost like a pastry with decorative stripes of icing. The glaze was actually the fresh cream sauce, which was not sweet but subtle and light. Blended with the chipotle sauce and the crunch of almonds this was a very satisfying and delicious dish.
For our second course we again opted for something that was not the typical Mexican option, going with the chipotle tiger prawns with a creamy achiote-chipotle pibili sauce. The prawns were a little on the dry side, but balanced with the sauces were very tasty.
Lastly, we had the Morenita brownie. The cinnamon was definitely dominant, and the brownie reminded me of those dense, chewy brownies you get in the cellophane packages from Little Debbie, but topped with the cajeta sauce it was still a pleaser.
The twist on standard Mexican food combined with the atmosphere earned this a place a sure spot on my come-back-again list. Maybe next time without the little one though, so I can imbibe one of their storied margaritas.
Though there are eight more restaurants I have not yet checked out, Taste of Santa Monica Place was a great opportunity to experience a mixture of menu items at an affordable price at a variety of upscale restaurants. For more information and menus, visit http://www.santamonicaplace.com.
While you’ll want to savor your experience for Taste of Santa Monica Place, if you are in and out within three hours, valet parking is complimentary with restaurant validation. Three separate valet stations are located on Broadway, 4th Street, and 2nd Street.
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