I've been meaning to check out the new Santa Monica Place but got turned off by the crowds and hassle of parking when the mall first opened. Thankfully, the crowd has subsided. Somewhat. It's not dead by any means, but at least the streets aren't as congested as they were two months ago.The old Santa Monica Place holds a lot of memories for me. My aunt used to own a salon nearby so I would spend many weekends roaming the area, often ending up at the Wet Seal store in the mall. Unfortunately as the years went by, the mall started to looked dumpier. Eventually, it became a ghost town with rarely any shoppers in sight. So it was with disbelief and genuine awe when I saw the new Santa Monica Place. I was impressed with its transformation. It was everything I had hoped for, even though I am not much of a shopper (except for hoodies, flip flops and sporting gear). It was clean, upscale with a touch of sophistication. And with the many food options ranging from restaurants to food court stands, this was my kind of place.
We opted for Sonoma Wine Garden which is located on the dining deck with a partial view overlooking the ocean. Apparently the view isn't going to last long as it will eventually be obstructed by a massive construction that is currently in the works.
If you walk along the dining deck, you'll also get a great view of the Promenade. It's a bit surreal actually, and seems like a shot from an architecture book.
When we arrived, we spoke to the hostess and mentioned that we wanted to grab a couple drinks and a bite. We weren't looking to be seated in the formal dining room. She escorted us to the outside bar area. I loved the open space and modern look. The ceiling of the bar was decorated with hanging wine crate parts. It was pretty crowded on a Friday night and it was definitely not your typical mall crowd. There were a lot of working professionals and some older couples.
Sonoma Wine Garden boasts an extensive wine list.
Aside from ordering wine by the glass or bottle, you can also do some wine tasting at their enomatic dispensers.
The menu focuses on California cuisine and includes many small plates and a couple larger entrees including pizzas, pastas and a dover sole that I absolutely have to try when I am next here. We weren't too hungry so we decided to order three small plates to share.
The Albarino Paco was fruity but dry.
Duck Rillette - confit duck, slow roasted garlic, whole grain mustard, crostiniThe rillette was served in a mason jar and was confit-style instead of mousse-like. I usually prefer the mousse version but I appreciated the rustic and heartiness of the confit. With confit duck, you wouldn't really even need the crostini - you could eat the confit on its own. The shredded duck was tender but it was neither dry or oily.
Truffle fries with parmesan and parsleyThe fries were perfectly crisp and aromatic. In fact, it was probably one of the most popular dishes at the restaurant because it seemed like everyone had ordered it.
Fig and burrata salad with hazelnuts, argula and pinot noir dressingThe figs were fresh and juicy. The peppery argula was well dressed with the sweet dressing. The burrata however didn't really hold its shape and was a bit mushy and runny.
Service was attentive and friendly. Oh.. and good looking too, check out the above photo of the fun loving hostess and waiter. I really enjoyed Sonoma Wine Garden. It think it's a great place to grab a drink and a light meal, at a classy and lovely establishment. It's upscale but still welcoming and friendly. The outdoor patio with fire pits and couches is definitely the place to lounge around. When we walked around, we noticed that other restaurants were also filled with diners. Even though I'm partly selfish and don't want non-Westsiders to venture into my neighborhood and increase traffic on the streets, it's really great to see the revival at the mall. As long as they can keep it classy.Hits: fries, rillette, ambiance
Misses: burrata
Rating:***
Sonoma Wine Garden
395 Santa Monica Place # 300
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(424) 214-4560
www.sonomawinegarden.com
Mimosa was served in a glass. Kind of tacky but at least the serving is larger than a champagne
I ordered a plain croissant. I asked for it to be warmed up because I've discovered that it would taste softer and more buttery when warmed, but they didn't have a microwave or any means to warm it up. Humph... that's no good especially if they pride themselves as a homemade fresh bakery but their croissants have been sitting around in the display for hours.
It was dry in the center and tasted almost like day-old pastry. Very disappointing.
We got there right at 5pm, 1st ones there baby! They had seats at the bar or on couches by the window. We decided on the latter. It's a great spot to people-watch and catch people walking outside.
Their HH food menu is pretty awesome. It's quite a selection so pick Fraiche for the stop on your pub crawl where you plan to get some food. If you recall, Fraiche used to be Riva, and Riva had tasty pizzas. I was glad to see pizza on the menu. I like the bar menu at the Santa Monica location over the original Culver City location because the former seems to offer more casual fare.
Two glasses of Prosecco and a Paulaner (HH for $6 and $5, respectively)
Sal's Burger of shredded short ribs, watercress, caramelized onions aioli (HH for $6)
Prosciutto Pizza (HH for $10)
We kind of just stumbled upon this. None of us had been here for happy hour before but we had heard that they had one, so we decided to take a chance and try something new.. which is something quite rare. We're creatures of habit.
All their cocktails are available for happy hour so I selected the sangria. Their happy hour beers were Erdinger, Stella, Bittburger, Peroni, Moretti, Fat Tire, Sam Adams and the Buds.
Fritto misto with zucchini, tiger shrimp, calamari, fresh water smelts, fresh water shrimp, spicy arrabbiata and garlic aioli dips (HH half priced at $7.50)
Proseccos are also on happy hour (yay) and we also tried the margarita.
The Ale House (which used to be called 5th Amendment Alehouse) focuses on craft beers. I have always enjoyed their beer selection. They usually serve a selection of exotic artisan sausages but to our horror, they weren't serving food that day- apparently their grill broke. That's kind of lame if you asked me. To be honest with you, their existing grill wasn't anything fancy (I've seen it). The only thing they used it for was grilling up burgers and dogs. They could have easily bought a makeshift one from Target in the interim. Service was also very rude, which I was very disappointed at because I love coming here and it used to be friendly and welcoming. I think the bartender was having a bad day but based on experience (I've been here about 15 times), I've noticed that service has been erratic. But beers were reasonably priced and good, so if you're just there to drink and don't mind the attitude or lack of food, you should be fine.
Copa has some pretty amazing cocktails and they make them strong. The Moscow Mule (Vodka, lime juice, homemade ginger beer) is always a delight. The Aviation (Gin, maraschino, lemon juice) was also good. Because happy hour ends at 8pm, this is usually a good end-point if you are having an early night-out.
Turkey panini with jack cheese, bacon and mayo
We got to Pourtal after 7pm so we didn't partake of happy hour. We just ordered a bottle of moscato which was very sweet. Think this was when the headache started to slowly develop.
Pintxo has really become one of my favorite Santa Monica bars because I love their food and their duo happy hour. It's hard to get to the ocean in time for the 1st happy hour but the late one works perfectly. While some of the other bars are great for just drinking at, save your stomach for Pintxo. You'll want to get both drinks and food here.
1/2 pint of Stella for $1.50? That could become dangerous.
Happy Hour 6 for $6, you can mix and match or simply choose the ones you like and double up.
Marinated mushrooms with fresh herbs and 25 year sherry vinegar (HH for $6)
Salad (not on happy hour menu but still affordable). I really enjoyed this because the dressing was light and the wilted greens were fresh. After all the booze we had consumed, it felt good to feed the body something healthy.
Pork Belly sandwich sandwich (HH for $6) with aioli greens and brioche bun
Steamed Mussels with tomato, saffron, garlic, shallots, white wine (HH for $6)
Grilled octopus, chorizo, potatoes, saffron aioli
Arroz negro (this was on their specials menu) is absolutely mouth-watering. It's just amazing how much flavor the rice was.
I've been here many times for happy hour and have enjoyed their sliders and mini pulled pork sandwiches. I've also tried a couple of their entree items (beef cheeks) and enjoyed them.
Sweet potato fries are always a great capper to the night.
Poutine is french fries topped with cheese curd and gravy. Perfect hangover food!
The last time we ordered sangrias, which I thought was a little weak, so we went with wine this time. You can't water these puppies down.
6 pintxos for $6 (i.e. $1 a piece). The last time, I ordered one of each of the six items but this time, we only picked the ones we liked, such as the mushroom crostini, jamon serrano and huevos rellenos.
One of the specials on the chalkboard was arroz con negro. I love squid ink rice, both the color and the deep, rich flavors. The seafood was cooked perfectly and there was a nice selection of calamari, shrimp and oysters. The best part of course, was the residual crunchy rice at the bottom of the paella pan.
Any place that shows surf videos is a winner in my book.
Fried seafood combo with oysters, calamari and shrimp. The breading was thick but not oily. I prefer fried oysters over fresh so I was delighted with this. It's also tough to find good, fresh fried oysters in restaurants.
Plump and fresh Gerrish Island Oyster for $3.
Two top neck clams for @ $1.50 a piece. Although fresh clams seem less popular than oysters in general, I like the clams better. They are sweeter and have a firmer texture.