The Sea Venture and Efrens Deli Shop
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Showing posts with label Sea Venture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sea Venture. Show all posts
Sea Venture in Pismo Beach, CA
A
day of wine tasting inspires your taste buds to rejoice. A day that is
celebrating yet another trip around the sun of mine (my birthday) calls for a
great meal to go with newly purchased wine.
This celebration calls for an excellent chef in a stunning restaurant
with an attentive wait staff and a delectable menu. The Sea Venture in Pismo
Beach was our culinary destination for my birthday this year.
If
the past, many of my after-work hours has been spent sitting at the Sea Venture
watching the waves roll in, surfers float and the sun set. My girlfriends and I
meet here for Mai Tai’s, Sunday brunches or just to impress an out of town
guest. While the bar boasts one of the most seasoned tapa’s cook (Craig) and
amazing bartender (Krista), the restaurant has at its helm one of the best and
brightest chefs in the area, Casey Walcott. The entire staff here is one of
seasoned professionals that truly enjoy their jobs and provide an unsurpassed
dining experience. Simon Kovesdi (Restaurant Manager) has always been the
perfect host and has turned a blind eye when our celebratory mood was an octave
louder than the rest of the diners. I am a fan. 
I
told Casey to surprise me and bring me what he thought I would enjoy and he was
spot on with each and every dish. Because Gary had stopped at the Apple Farm to
consume a dozen Christmas cookies on the way to the Sea Venture, we both
started with the appetizer. Large Seared Bacon Wrapped Scallops that sat atop
of fried Brussels sprouts with a delectable lemon aioli and goat cheese spread
around the plate for visual stimulation as well as palate pleasing. The
scallops were over a silver dollar in size and perfectly cooked with the
essence of the sea shining thru the crispiness of the bacon. We paired the dish
with a bottle of crisp Barton Label Blanc y Blanc, a white blend that is a new
and delicious offering from Joe Barton of Grey Wolf.
Next
was the Beef Carpaccio, cut thin and spectacularly prepared resting on mustard
vinaigrette and capers dotting the top adding a perfect blending of flavor.
Resting beside this heavenly dish was a baby arugula leaves with shaved
Parmesan and sprinkling of Black Sea salt to enhance the flavor. This
deconstructed dish was pleasing from every perspective that we launched it into
our mouths.
The
next dish was a subtlety delectable Lobster Vol-en-Vent (French for everything
is better between puff pastry). This amazing shell shaped and multi layered
tartlet was swollen with sautéed lobster, grilled asparagus and cubes of
fingerling potato, it sat upon a cloud of lobster cream sauce and green
onions. Every bite was a perfect and rich creating a harmonious experience. We
deemed it 50 shades of lobster, liking the cream sauce to bisque and the meat
inside tasty morsels of the tail of kings. It was absolute flawlessness. 
Our
next main course was a large Confit of Pork Osso Bucco. A succulent meat
shank from the thighbone cooked for hours in its own fat is a favorite of any food-obsessed
creature. Add to it sheared fried beets and carrots all resting on a puree of cauliflower,
oven roasted tomatoes, caramelized onions, spinach, and a thyme jus can make
for a very quiet table. The amalgamation of flavors, textures and sauces made
this a most memorable indulgence. We paired this with a Turley Zinfandel and
both the wine and the meat were so impressive, we were not sure if we should or
could go on eating.
Dessert
was a light Apple Crostada tart with Sea Canyon apples baked to a sweetness
only known to apple connoisseur with a buttermilk vanilla bean ice cream and a
drizzle of caramel sauce. Gazing out on to the Christmas tree at the end of the
Pismo pier, I was convinced I remain the luckiest girl around.
Surprising
everyone, I went for another dessert. It was my birthday after all and there
was all this hearty zinfandel wine left and nothing goes better with that than the
Chocolate torte. The Sea Ventures version is a dense torte with a scoop of DocBurnstein's chocolate motor oil ice cream, chocolate sauce and chocolate
shavings. With the wine, obsession is too soft a word
to describe my
fascination with this dessert.
I
was so impressed with this meal, I floated all the way home and booked our
tickets to celebrate New Year’s Eve at this very spot (dinner has two seating’s
one beginning at 5:00pm and one at 7:30pm). You can call for reservations at 805-773-3463.
I love the Sea Venture as it is paradise and we are lucky enough to call this
kind of heaven our home.
The
Sea Venture Resort Restaurant is open Monday thru Thursday from 4:00pm to
9:00pm, Friday and Saturday from 4:00pm to 9:30pm and Sunday from 5:00pm to
9:00pm. They are located at 100 Ocean View Avenue in Pismo Beach just three
blocks from the Pismo pier. All the restaurant specials and room information is
at www.seaventure.com.
Rumble on the Rocks
Pickle Me Ginger Bloody Heirloom Chocolate KissI do not see myself as a celebrity. I have never been hounded by paparazzi or given elaborate gift bags. Every now and then, I get the honor of being asked to be a judge for a food or drink contest. This one came from my friend, David Klein asking me to be one of the celebrity judges for this years "Rumble on The Rocks" Mixology Contest held at The Cliffs Resort in The Marisol Restaurant. I was flattered to be in the midst of such celebrities as Randol White of Eat, Drink, Explore, Gary Johnson of Southern Wine and Spirits and Patti Piburn of KCOY, (by default of an anticipated tie, my husband Gary Bayus of Prestige Business Sales, Mergers & Acquisitions). It was a lively group and we sacrificed our livers for this worthy cause. They asked us if we knew vodka, as Ketel One was sponsoring this event and much was on the line with the areas best bartenders competing and the profits going to SLO Special Olympics.
After sampling the amazing spread of food by the master chef’s of Marisol at The Cliffs the judges were swept away. Sequestered and unaware of which mixologist’s were presenting us with their unique libations, we began to taste each signature drink. Amazing ingredients followed including herbs, spices, fresh fruits, and vegetables all used to create one of a kind drinks. Think basil, cinnamon, jalapenos, and mangos and that is just for the presentation.
Our first drink was called Pickle Me Ginger and was a spicy combination of grapefruit and vodka with a spicy tail of ginger that lingered on your tongue. I was instantly a fan. The second was a Mexican Mojito with cilantro and jalapenos floating in the Ketel One haze. Our third was a white chocolate kiss with Godiva Chocolate, Crème de Cocoa, and Ketel One garnished with a candied orange striped with white and dark chocolate (this was Gary’s favorite).
Next, we tried the Rumble Punch, which was a fruity mix of Cointreau and then the Banana Strawberry delight with its frothy mist and bobbing fruits. Then came the Sweet Heirloom; a bloody Mary inspired drink using the pulp of garden-fresh tomatoes, jalapeno juice and garnished with a plethora of rockery bounties. It was spicy and delectable. The mango 1051 with a mixture of sweet mango and cracked pepper rocked my taste buds and delighted my pleasure centers.
We were to judge on taste, creativity, and presentation. This job was taken seriously, as we disregarded our livers and tried more of each drink as the deliberations for the winner became lively and passionate.
Later we learned that competing for the title Mixology Master were from Ciopinot Seafood Grill (Rob Horton), from The Cliffs Resort (Dylan Lammers and Egin Davis), from Rosa's Ristorante Italiano (Stacey Giordanengo and Theo Sabatini), and from The Sea Venture Resort and Restaurant (Erin Harper and Brian O'Shea). These bartenders are the best in their field and they all created some amazing and memorable drinks.
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