So, my very first review will start with the Chart House http://www.chart-house.com/
This restaurant is located in beautiful Cardiff-by-the-Sea. We went here for lunch/dinner time meal, the weather was kind of gloomy and overcast, but this place has got a spectacular view, especially with the table we were seated at. Originally we started out at a small table for two located right at the main bay type window, then since the table was small, we were able to move to the next table over which was for 4, this was definitely a better seating arrangement, directly centered at the window. The waitstaff were very polite, neat and professional and our waitress was very attentive.
Our order started out with regular beverages, and our appetizers, which were the crab stuffed mushrooms and the calamari and friends. While waiting for our appetizers to come, the view was so spectacular, during this time, we actually saw a whale peak out of the water in the distance and then a school of dolphins, a wonderful view. Must have been our lucky day.
Our appetizers came out in about 12 to 14 minutes, along with a basket of bread. The bread was great, warm, soft and very fresh and delicious. The crab stuff mushrooms were fantastic, very tasty, they were full of crab, cheese and cooked in a white wine sauce. They were not only very hot, since they came out on a iron skillet, but they were appealing. The calamari and friends was a great addition. They were fried very delicately and not oily in taste. They were seasoned well and came with a citrus chili sauce and marinara as well. Once the appetizers were placed at our table, our waitress took our order for our entrees.
The entrees we ordered were the New Wave Surf & Turf, which was tender short ribs with Cabernet demi-glace and a choice of seared scallops in ginger soy sauce or grilled citrus salmon, we chose the seared scallops, the meal was also served with Yukon Gold mashed potatoes, the 2nd entree we ordered was the Prime Rib and Cold Water Lobster Tail, which came with your choice of sides, I chose the Yukon Gold mashed potatoes as well. The lobster was a South African Lobster tail, which I later read is one of the premier lobster tails to order. Our meals came out and the New Wave Surf & Turf was spectacular, the menu clearly defines the short ribs as fork tender, which they definitely are. The scallops were seared to perfection and the mashed potatoes were delicious. The prime rib was not only juicy, but seasoned well and the South African lobster was wonderful, the best tasting lobster I have had, it was buttery in taste, sweet and very juicy, the mashed potatoes were just as great as the ones ordered with the Surf & Turf.
In the beginning when reading the menu and looking at the desserts, the menu tells you if you want the Hot Chocolate Lava Cake you have to allow 30 minutes for preparation, so of course that caught our attention and we had to order the cake. Once our meal was over, the waitress came over to confirm we were ready for our dessert, well by the time the meal was done we were definitely full, but we tackled the cake. Good thing that we did, it was very delicious, the cake was a rich chocolate cake with molten center, made with Godiva liqueur. Served warm, topped with chocolate sauce, Heath bar crunch and vanilla ice cream, we asked for no Heath bar crunch and the ice cream on the side. This was definitely an end to a great meal.
Keep in mind the prices are about a $$$$ on a $$$$ scale, but when you want a great meal and have that extra money to splurge, then I suggest making a reservation at the chart house. They do have a "Distinctive Dining" on the menu, which is basically a Prix-fixe menu served Sunday - Thursday for $ 29.99, which is a great deal. So, if you want to make that reservation or just take a drive down the coast and come in to the restaurant on a whim, the address is:
2588 S Hwy 101
Cardiff, CA 92007
(760) 436-4044
A few more things to remember, if you are hooked up to Opentable.com you can make your reservations online fast and easy, that is how I make mine. The 2nd thing is The Chart House have a rewards card, since they are part of the Landry's Restaurants, so for $ 25.00 you can become a rewards member and anytime you visit a Landry's restaurant you'll accumulate points, and receive rewards, so just ask the waitstaff about the program, it may be $ 25.00 for the initial card, but then you get that back in a reward once you register your Landry's Select Club Card online, there are some great benefits, to see them just go to http://www.landrysinc.com/selectclub.asp
Hope you enjoyed my first of hopefully many restaurant reviews.
