Seasonal Dining at Cafe Del Rey

Just on the other side of Los Angeles airport in Marina Del Rey, Cafe Del Rey is a restaurant and lounge heavily frequented by locals and visitors alike.  Known for careful preparation of home made and seasonally inspired dishes, I was glad to accept an invitation to sample items from their winter menu and spend some time in their recently redesigned lounge. 

The lounge at Cafe Del Rey was nicely appointed.  Whoever did the redesign must have been a fan of couches; there are two plush, leather couches next to a fireplace which I’m told are the most popular seats in the entire bar area.

Also well appointed is the the list of signature beverages.  Browsing the list of “market fresh cocktails”, I landed on the Cali Crush, a Screwdriver of sorts that mixed El Jimador tequila, fresh orange and lemon juices, and agave ginger syrup.

Just beyond the lounge is the the dining room, a long corridor with windows along the far side.  At sunset, just about every seat in the room is front row for the view of the sun sinking into the horizon on the other side of the marina.

The meal was a progression of hot and cold appetizers, several entrees, and a very intense array of desserts.  (I know, hard work but someone has to do it.)

Here are a couple of my favorite dishes from that meal.

Among a trio of hot appetizers was a long, thin cigar looking thing, resting in a cup of creamy sauce.  Indeed it was a cigar; a cigar of seasoned lamb wrapped in a crispy dough.  The chef intended the dish to be play on bar food.  The model was complete with the cup of tzatziki sauce playing the part of the ash tray and ashes.  I had to give points on creativity for that one!

Also interesting and delicious was a lemon and thyme pappardelle — a wide noodle made from scratch in the restaurant.  The pasta was al dente to the finest and the flavors paired nicely.  The kicker for me was the accompanying meat: rabbit!  Even though I’m a country boy, I’ve never had rabbit before and was impressed by the flavor and texture.  It was served shredded almost like a pulled pork.  It was also white like pork; maybe rabbit is the other, other white meat?  What ever the case it was delicious.

Rounding the turn into dessert — which was a platter of assorted items, all made fresh in house —  Executive Chef Daniel Roberts checked in on the dinner party.  He chatted, explaining his take on working with fresh ingredients and making as many things as possible on the premises.

Chef Roberts also reflected on the benefits of having a seasonal menu.  While Cafe Del Rey has a few perpetual dishes, the rest of the menu is altered according to the fresh ingredients available with the season.  I’ll be keeping that in mind as I venture back for happy hour and dinner in the coming months!

Cafe Del Rey
http://www.cafedelreymarina.com
4451 Admiralty Way
Marina del Rey, CA 90292
(310)823 – 6395