Dishing Ojai: Treasure Beach
A year ago, D.K. wrote about Treasure Beach. At the time it was a combination dress shop and cafe, which seemed to close as quickly as it opened. Perhaps recognizing the concept wasn't taking hold, it re-opened recently, and has really transformed since it's inception. Bill and I dined there last night and had a very pleasant meal.
While a shopping component remains, it's been pushed to the back, and the merchandise has been reduced to cookbooks and a few gourmet food items. A nice comfy bright orange sofa set adjacent to the bookshelves creates a cozy living room vibe (as if you are dining in someone's home). The restaurant seating - rattan chairs and a combination of clothed or tile mosaic tables surrounded by slate gray banquets - feels modern and minimalist, almost hip. The crowd was the well-dressed hippie set, buzzing with lively intellectual conversations.
The menu, though sparse, is well appointed. We shared a plate of caponata (eggplant, pinenuts, raisins, celery root), peporonata (roasted sweet red peppers and capers) and hummus (a fresher version than I'm used to), which was bursting with fresh flavors (not weighed down with olive oils and garlic). In fact, I would have even enjoyed the caponata on a scoop of vanilla ice cream! Spread atop their freshly baked breads and paired with glasses of local Vino V's "Confundido," it proved to be an excellent start to our meal.
My entree was the fish special: a small local seabass stuffed with breadcrumbs and shrimp, and served with delicious basil risotto and rapini. The fish was presented whole (sans head), and was fun to pick apart. Bill chose the lasagna of the day: a generously portioned cheesy beef Bolognese lasagna.
Dessert was hard to choose since they all sounded so wonderful (and, as with everything on the menu, is homemade) - lemon chiffon tart, chocolate bread pudding, warm apple tart with cinnamon gelato - but we finally decided on the panna cotta topped with chocolate and caramel sauces. Bill's coffee was presented in a French press.
For the shared starter course, two entrees, three glasses of wine and shared dessert, the bill came to about $100 plus tip - a bit higher than we're used to, which may put this in the "special occasion" category, but we'll be back.
Treasure Beach
928 East Ojai Avenue
Ojai, California 93023
(805) 640-0611
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Comments (9)
Sounds like a nice dining experience. Thanks for reviewing this place, it is not on our radar but now it is! We have just finished a sub- par breakfast at Bonnie Lus while watching them lose customers at the door due to inattentiveness( or apathy). Feast had it's doors closed for superbowl Sunday. It seems the economic downturn must not effect these places. I guess the lesson is, location, location, location. My next meal out will be at treasure beach for sure, I hope it puts the arcade off of my radar.
Comment #1 Posted by: Anonymous | February 7, 2010 01:32 PM
Well dressed hippie? almost hip? "Hippies" left Ojai while you were still in diapers. Consider yourself reminded that stereotypes are off the menu.
Comment #2 Posted by: Anonymous | February 7, 2010 08:43 PM
Anonymous #2,
I beg to differ!
Hippies, by definition, are undefined and defy stereotypes. And they did not exit Ojai before LS was potty trained.
May I recommend The Harvard Psychedelic Club? Some of Ojai's most famous hippy types are featured therein...
Comment #3 Posted by: Suza | February 8, 2010 01:42 AM
Glad to see this Lisa! Was the food still beautiful, fresh and very very local? It was a really rare experience I had there and would to repeat that if it's the same.
Comment #4 Posted by: DK | February 8, 2010 03:10 PM
i had a delicious dish of oatmeal for dinner, with huge handfuls of blueberries, sunflower seeds, raisins, almonds, gobs of butter and sprinkled with brown sugar on top.
this is my favorite dinner, with a bowl of popcorn a close second sprinkled with tamari in a spray bottle and a rotating choice from about 10 different condiments.
sometimes i get lazy.
are there any local restaurants that can approach this height of epicurial mastery??
Comment #5 Posted by: mk | February 8, 2010 08:49 PM
Sounds deeelicious!
Comment #6 Posted by: Suza | February 8, 2010 10:44 PM
mk are you on the white food only diet?? I've known a couple of kids that went through a phase of only eating things in the white color family. Boy is that fun to work with! lol
Comment #7 Posted by: DK | February 9, 2010 12:14 AM
the popcorn i eat starts out yellow and magically transforms to white except for the places where the tamari adds a blackish-brown hue.
however i do wear a lot of white clothes hence i need to be careful to not spill any food on them...
Comment #8 Posted by: Anonymous | February 9, 2010 11:03 AM
Just had my first lunch at Treasure Beach since they reopened. We had Lima Bean and Fennel Soup, Split the Beet Farro Salad and Split the Turkey Sandwich. The table then had some of their Thai Coffee and lingered over a lemon tart.
All was very fresh, very yummy. The Turkey Sandwich was hearty and flavorful with caramelized onions and a special infused mayo, the beet farro salad was fresh and hearty with whole grains (farro) mixed in.
My sister had the Sea Bass special but substituted the arugula salad for risotto and broccolini as she doesn't eat either.
Much of the menu was vegetarian; salads, the soups and sandwiches. There were two fish options: sea bass and salmon and there was a tuna and a turkey sandwich.
The Thai coffee is delicious. The Lemon Tart reminded us most of a KeyLime pie. Tart, yummy.
The service was beyond good. The waitress and bus boy alternated between filling our water glasses and making sure we had enough bread. The servers descriptions were spot-on and really helpful.
It's a great place to linger, has tables in the front on Ojai Ave and a hidden courtyard in the back that's private which I just loved. It's a great place to linger and really taste your food. Happy to have it back!~
Comment #9 Posted by: DK | March 11, 2010 04:30 PM