Executive Chef Dean Grill
The 7th Annual Calabasas Malibu Wine & Food Festival, June 21- June 22, 2013 - Gladstone's Malibu
Sharing a name with a legendary restaurant is always an amusing
experience for a food wri
ter—and
I suspect that it’s even gotten me better treatment at other
restaurants on occasion (although FYI, nobody named Gladstone has ever
owned the place). But it’s been bittersweet knowing that in recent
years Gladstone’s was admired for more for its ability to separate
tourists from their money.
Since its acquisition by the SBE Group, however, things have changed at this beachside landmark, and even more radically than I would’ve expected. From the minute the energetic Executive Chef Dean Grill greets me, he rattles off details. “It was like trying to change Disneyland,” he recalls, but nevertheless Grill got rid of the huge plates of fried food, got rid of almost anything frozen, focused the menu and started buying local whenever possible. Nearly everything from the potato chips to the famous chocolate layer cake is made in-house (La Brea Bakery’s beloved sourdough boules hold the classic clam chowder, which I have to tell you is frighteningly addictive).
Grill shows me his new king crab and beet carpaccio salad—which he’ll be sampling at the Malibu-Calabasas Wine &Food event—as an example of the ‘new’ Gladstone’s approach.
But keep in mind, we’re not talking about some cozy 30 seat café. With some 700 seats, Gladstone’s may be the busiest table service restaurant in the entire county, averaging 1500-2000 on a weekend day, and as high as 3500 on some holidays, when Grill will oversee 50 cooks on on shift (He significantly reorganized the kitchen to improve delivery time).
Having so much traffic already, Grill’s objective wasn’t better Yelp ratings from tourists: he wants locals to feel welcome there, as they once did. To that end, in addition to the improved menu (and creative cocktails), there are daily deals like free Kids’ menu Mondays and half-off wine Wednesdays, as well as locals discount cards for all hours. The food is also more in tune with downtown Santa Monica: his spice crusted tuna (seared ahi over haricot vert, almonds and whipped potatoes with a veal demiglace) is as good a meeting of comfort and creativity as I’ve has in recent memory. A more simple “SoCal Po Boy”with spicy catfish under cooling avocado and tomato is fresh and fun.
Three
and a half years in, Grill says the restaurant is close to where he
thinks it should be. When they install a sit-down oyster bar to
feature their shellfish this summer, he’ll be happy. I could easily
imagine whiling away an afternoon, watching the surf while enjoying
its bounty.
Oh, and here’s an open secret: Gladstone’s front deck is actually open to the public; space permitting, you can just order a drink—or nothing at all. They also have valet parking, a Godsend on PCH.
By E.C. Gladstone
