Restauration: A Great Lunch Stop After Your Long Drive from Anywhere

I really love food, like a lot.

If that’s not clear from the last 18 pages of food posts then I’m not doing a good job. If it is apparent how infatuated I am with meals of any sort then allow me to take it to another level: I’ll drive long distances for food. I live in Altadena (which for the unfamiliar) is conveniently located next to little. That being said, if I want to go out to eat, I already know I’ll be putting miles on my car. That’s actually not a problem as one may assume since (refer to the opening sentence) I really love food. Recently I was invited to Restauration, which sits 35 miles away from me in Long Beach. Excited to try a restaurant in a city far away from mine, the only concern I had was whether or not I should bring a meal for the drive.

Relax, Jenny Craig I didn’t do it.

I did think long and hard about it but I was going to pick up TJ and I don’t like sharing my car meals so I left the meal. Instead, we drove just beneath the speed limit in hopes of getting there quickly. About an hour later we were seated in the back patio of the restaurant.

Thankfully, TJ was just as hungry as I was so it didn’t take too long for us to peruse the menu to order. I started with the White Sangria ($9). It was a delicious way to quench the thirst I had developed along the drive. Each sip felt like I was being refreshed from the cities we passed through. The thoughts of going through Pasadena, East LA, Downey, Torrance, and a few others were a faint memory as the fruity accents around the Moscow Mule started to pass over my tongue. It was such a nice start to our lunch after such a long drive!

As I almost finished my cocktail, the first of three plates arrived. The starter that TJ and I split was the Charred Spanish Octopus ($13). While the plate was petite in its size, it was delicious! The dish came with celery heart, marble potatoes, roasted almonds, frisee, and an array of octopus dices underneath a Caesar dressing. I was a bit skeptical about whether the dressing would lessen the flavor of the dish, but I was wrong! The Caesar dressing added a nice creamy sauce on top of the tender and chewy octopus.

Right as we finished the charred octopus, our entrées came. TJ ordered the Smoked Salmon Tartine ($14) with a side of Parmesan Churros. The baguette was covered with a hearty helping of salmon mixed with pickles, dill, Dijon, and a hard egg. While I didn’t have any of it, his handling of the sandwich and almost immediate consumption of it made me believe that he liked it. He quickly licked his fingers was a great way for him to confirm that he did in fact enjoy it. What I did try was the parmesan churros. It’s not everyday that you see a restaurant take a well-loved sweet confection and turn it savory. From my bites of it, I still got the dessert feeling, but because they were sprinkled with cheese they didn’t give me the weighted and high caloric feeling like I get with other churros. These on the other hand, didn’t come with the eater’s guilt that I would get with sugary churros. Realizing that, I wish I had ordered some myself!

As I dusted the cheese off my fingers, I picked up my fork and tried out the Marinated Flank Steak and Eggs ($19) that I ordered. The plate had a pair of organic sunny-side up eggs, momotaro tomato, asparagus, and Anson Mills polenta. The listing of steak and polenta were the two reasons why I ordered this item. Granted, I love tomatoes, eggs, and asparagus as much as anyone else, but my focus was on the meat and carbs! Served on this plate, the steak had a nice salty flavor to it that caused me to keep going back for more. The slices maintained a rich color on its exterior, which bled into the tender meat. Pairing it with the creamy polenta was a great idea! The two together were a nice idea as the flavors and texture of each complimented one another very well. This plate was just what I needed after a long drive and made it all feel like it was only a matter of minutes.

The name alone of the dessert was enough to compel us to order it. Let the three words of it resonate with you as you read it: Torched Honey Crème ($9). Beautiful right? When it arrived, it was as pretty as I hoped it would be. On the plate was a fig cake, creme brûlée, chamomile ice cream and bee pollen. Although there was very gentle coloring in it, it was vibrant in its taste. The cake itself was soft and smooth with moments where the fig would creep through with a sweet and subtly zesty taste. The ice cream was mild and as a flavor I couldn’t get much from it. The only comparison I can make is it’s like a sweet and creamier version of French vanilla. As it melted, I liked the way the ice cream complemented to quality of the bee pollen. This was definitely the type of dish where the flavor and richness were experienced in its totality and not as individual pieces.

It may have taken us an hour to get to Restauration and I may have contemplated bringing a car snack to hold me over, but the food was so nice that the drive didn’t matter once it was over. I’m glad TJ and I got to check out the plates from the starter to the dessert because each one was a great plate to relax after such a long drive.

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