Looking for a Valentine’s Day setting that forgoes some of the holiday formality with the standard set menus and stiffness? The Santa Monica-based farm-to-table restaurant Rustic Canyon offers a more unique take on the conventional couple’s dinner by creating a special selection of menu items that visitors can choose from rather than being limited to a structured course-by-course setup.
Executive chef Jeremy Fox elaborated on the Rustic Canyon spin for Valentine’s Day.
“What we do every year for Valentine’s Day is offer a special menu instead of putting together a set menu and having it be a too-formal experience,” Fox said. “We make it so that each table can pick six menu items that they can share family-style.”
This style of dining comes as no big surprise, as the initial conception of the restaurant was inspired by the dinners that co-owner Josh Loeb frequently hosted in his own home. In fact, Rustic Canyon is known to feature meant-for-sharing dishes in a sociable setting.
“It’s an ideal place to celebrate a special occasion, but the food and atmosphere are familiar and comfortable for any night of the week,” Loeb said.
Fox frequently revamps the menu, which is heavily and seasonally influenced by the ingredients at the local Farmers Market.
“The Valentines Day menu is different every year, actually,” Fox explained. “Mostly everything is new this time around: we have a prime steak tartare with oyster, caviar, and egg yolk, as well as a local mussel chowder with pumpkin and brown butter.”
A few other dishes of the 16 total Valentine’s menu options include pork belly with red cabbage, mustard, and horseradish; Hawaiian swordfish dish with artichoke, caper, and salsa verde; and wheatberry porridge with slow-cooked egg, mushrooms, and truffle.
Fox’s food philosophy – to “prepare every ingredient with care and without pretension” – seems to shine in the way he views the annual Valentine’s menu.
“We think of it as a chance to do something more outside the box,” Fox said. “The menu items are a little edgier and more interesting. We have a lot of fun for Valentine’s. We try to come up with things that are fairly light, not heavy foods that weigh people down: we want to strike dialogue and conversation at the table.”
A returning Valentine’s menu item comes in the form of double-shucked peas with white chocolate and macadamia nuts.
“I’m thinking that the peas and white chocolate will be a big seller, as it’s a dish that lends itself well for Valentine’s Day,” Fox said.
Of course, in light of the sweets-centered holiday, the Rustic Canyon team has been concocting some special desserts for the occasion as well.
“Our pastry chef, Jun Tan, has been working on some variations of a few base ingredients,” Fox said. One of the desserts will include citrus and almonds, but with very different guises for both ingredients. We’re really excited to see how that actually plays out.”
The six-item offering is set at $95 per person, with an optional wine pairing at $45 per guest.
For more information or to make a reservation, call 310.393.7050 or visit rusticcanyonwinebar.com.
