33067 Sun Dec 12 04:45:25 -0800 2004 8 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 147266 In September our gang of girlfriends headed to the coast for dinner and the sunset view at Café Gibraltar in El Granada. The five of us requested one of the tented tables along the back wall. On an elevated platform, the low wood-grained table was set with red placemats and surrounded by colorful floor pillows for sitting/reclining. The Mediterranean-style dishes named in Spanish, French, Italian, Greek, and Arabic showed a leaning toward seasonal ingredients and local purveyors in the descriptions on the extensive polyglot menu. We ordered five apps to share and five entrees. Our vegetarian member was happy to see so many interesting choices without meat, and these turned out to be some of the best on the table. The appetizers were a riot of color and huge, explosive flavors. Of the five starters, the marinated and wood-roasted artichoke with chervil aioli fell out. Burnt black on the edges, yet it was still hard and not cooked through, and the aioli was grainy. The other four though were top notch. We were so absorbed by the over-the-top deliciousness of our appetizers that we almost missed the sunset! Organic zucchini blossoms stuffed with seasoned feta cheese glided on a pool of silky eggplant puree. Rough-hewn hunks of wood-roasted beets glazed with orange and balsamic vinegar were topped with housemade goat cheese, tomatoes, red onions, and mint, and scented with a little truffle oil to accentuate their earthy character. Sweet red peppers stuffed with duck confit and savories were baked in béchamel sauce. The least visually appealing, a grilled octopus and calamari salad bathed in olive oil and tons of garlic and served warm, was my favorite for its chewy and tender textures and fresh taste of the sea. Serving size for the appetizers was generous and we were so full after polishing those off, we almost asked our waiter to just box up the rest of our meal. Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/32521#144430 Image: http://home.earthlink.net/~melaniewong/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/gibralter1.jpg Sun Dec 12 04:45:25 -0800 2004 0 Melanie Wong 1 147267 After those brightly colored and intensely seasoned appetizers, our entrees seemed much more tame. This round, I ordered badly and wound up with a bland bouillabaisse and more of the not-quite-right chervil aioli. However, the other entrees were clear winners. Round pillows of gnocchi swathed with wild mushroom sauce and a dab of truffle oil were tender as can be. The thin crust of the fresh fig pizza crackled with each deliciously smoky, charry, salty, and sweet bite. Seared day boat scallops were pristinely fresh. I liked the Indian summer medley of fresh shell and pole beans from Phipps in Pescadero laced with tomatoes and harissa the most of all. I’d brought two bottles of wine, the 1994 and 1995 Gary Farrell “Olivet Lane” Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. Our server readily provided two glasses per place for a side-by-side tasting and only charged us corkage for one bottle. Both excellent years, the 1994 was the consensus favorite with one strong dissenting vote for the 1995. The 1995 was still rather firm and seemed more youthful and aggressive than the one-year difference. Surprisingly full of spitfire and direct primary fruit, the younger wine had not completely integrated and was just starting to show some earth tones and mellowness of maturity. With greater concentration and more intensity, this was actually a better match for the bold, lusty flavors and piquancy of our meal. In contrast, the 1994 showed the sublime suppleness, harmony and near perfect balance typical of the vintage. Slipping out of the glass with a well-developed bouquet and tertiary aromas of damp forest floor, musk and potpourri, it opened sensuously in the mouth unfolding long and deep to uncover layers of dark fruits behind a hazy veil of smoke. Fanning broadly on the palate with the silkiest of textures, the 1994 revealed many intricate dimensions of complex flavor ending with a lingering sweet aftertaste. Its favored partner at the table was the gnocchi with wild mushrooms and white truffle oil. No dessert for us, we were on sensory overload from the quantities of flamboyant style of food. We agreed that this was one of the top meals in our monthly dinner series so far and were very happy we’d made it out here. Watching the fiery sun set over the Pacific was nice, but the dinner was even better. CAFE GIBRALTAR 425 Avenue Alhambra El Granada 94018 (650) 560-9039 Link: http://www.cafegibraltar.com/ Image: http://home.earthlink.net/~melaniewong/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/gibralter2.jpg Sun Dec 12 04:50:38 -0800 2004 147266 0 Melanie Wong 2 147313 Melanie, your photos and words captured the 'flamboyant' food nicely. What an array of colors to match a glowing sunset! The scallops and pizza caught my attn. the most. Looks like a positive example of "fusion" food. If I had read your report before driving from SF to Santa Cruz pre-dusk on the 1 yesterday, I may have been tempted to stop... Don't believe you mentioned price range, and website doesn't include them. At the risk of being dubbed the hound that fixates on cost: can you give me a ballpark range of price for dinner entrees? Thanks. Sun Dec 12 17:25:17 -0800 2004 147267 0 Carb Lover 3 147375 I had a photograph of the menu for the appetizer half of the menu with prices ranging from $6 - $12. Don't recall entrees, but probably $15 - $22 or so. There's an early prix fixe special too. Mon Dec 13 04:10:24 -0800 2004 147313 0 Melanie Wong 4 147389 Thanks, Melanie. Prices sound very reasonable given generous portions. Had a chance to check out photos on their site, and atmos. looks great for a small group gathering or a casual romantic dinner for 2. Will def. make note of this for later since I'm sure I'll be driving through there again soon. Santa Cruz could sure use a few places of that genre! Mon Dec 13 12:25:06 -0800 2004 147375 0 Carb Lover 1 147283 "Sweet red peppers stuffed with duck confit and savories were baked in béchamel sauce." Wow! Two of my favorite foods that I never would have thought of combining this way -- I swooned at the description. That's it, gotta get there on one of my trips to coast this winter. Sun Dec 12 13:15:57 -0800 2004 147266 0 Ruth Lafler 2 147293 The food is heavily seasoned and rustic --- lots of garlic, mint, cumin and pimeton seemed to be thematic. But it all tastes good, and even though I didn't like my bouillabaisse, each piece of seafood in the pan was cooked to its best texture. Below is the picture of the winebar from the restaurant's site. It would be a great place to stop off for a couple appetizers and a glass of wine and to stare out at the Pacific. The wine list has some interesting selections from all over the world, and many by the glass. Image: http://www.cafegibraltar.com/images/photos/9.jpg Sun Dec 12 14:15:42 -0800 2004 147283 0 Melanie Wong 1 147465 sounds lovely, thanks for sharing! i'd always lamented that that lovely stretch of coast was a bit of a culinary wasteland. glad to stand corrected! Tue Dec 14 20:17:26 -0800 2004 147266 0 ed 2 147466 The restaurant used to be in Moss Beach. The new address on Avenue Alhambra in El Granada suits the Mediterranean theme well. Here's a picture from the website of the tented tables. Image: http://www.cafegibraltar.com/images/photos/2.jpg Tue Dec 14 20:23:56 -0800 2004 147465 0 Melanie Wong