• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
She's Cookin' | food and travel

She's Cookin' | food and travel

culinary travel with a side of heart healthy recipes and libations

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Baking + Sweets
    • Breakfast-Brunch
    • Drinks
    • Heart Healthy
    • Main Dish
    • Meatless Monday
    • Pasta
    • Salads
    • Seafood
    • Sides
    • Soups
    • Veggies
  • Drinks
  • Low Sodium Tips
  • Travel
    • Belize
    • CHINA
      • Beijing
      • Hong Kong
      • Shanghai
    • EUROPE
      • Amsterdam
      • Brussels
      • Cannes
      • Paris
      • Ireland
    • JAPAN
      • Osaka
    • U.S.
      • Central Coast, CA
      • Chicago
      • Eureka Springs, AR
      • Gulf Coast, MS
      • Huntington Beach, CA
      • Idaho
      • Little Saigon, CA
      • Louisville, KY
      • Malibu, CA
      • Napa Valley
      • North Carolina
    • Tours – Food and Farm
    • Travel Guides
  • OC Dining & Events
    • Anaheim
    • Brea
    • Costa Mesa
    • Dana Point
    • Huntington Beach
    • Irvine
    • Laguna Beach
    • Newport Beach
    • Orange
    • Santa Ana
    • Sushi restaurants
    • Tustin
    • Westminster
  • Lifestyle
  • About
    • Let’s Work Together
    • General Disclaimer
    • Privacy Policy

The Californian

December 3 by Priscilla 11 Comments

Share
Tweet
Pin
Yum
Email
Buffer
Reddit
Share

Just before Thanksgiving I was invited to The Californian at the  Hyatt Regency Resort and Spa in Huntington Beach to meet and welcome the newest member of their culinary team, Executive Sous Chef Chris Toth, and  experience an exclusive tasting of the Fall + Winter menu items and new additions to their vast wine selection. I live in Huntington Beach which is more known for sun and surf and a boisterous bar scene than fine dining, so I’m partial to The Californian and have a full appreciation for the fact that it is an AAA Four Diamond Restaurant where you can gaze upon the beauty of the Pacific and feel the beach vibe without any of the grit 🙂

We gathered in the intimate private Cellar dining room and mingled while sipping a delightful Mumm’s DVX sparkling wine.  Once seated, Director of Outlets, Jeremy Lambert described the tasting menu offerings we were soon to experience and how The Californian has distinguished itself as a fine dining restaurant with a diverse menu of contemporary California cuisine that highlights the natural flavors and fresh ingredients of southern California. My mouth was watering just hearing about it! Fortunately, he sensed our ravenous hunger from the look in our eyes;  servers appeared and with a quick and elegant flourish we  were presented the trio of starters.

The Pan Seared Scallops with Porcini and Sweet Corn Hash with a red wine reduction and chili-spiced Grilled Lamb Chops with Greek style yogurt sauce with sumac were definitely noteworthy. Questions for Chef Toth centered around local sourcing and the sumac which added a unique flavor to the yogurt sauce.

Before the trio of Mains was presented, Beverage Manager Gabe Regalado enlightened us on the California wine pairings, some background on each vineyard, and quite a bit of detail on the impressive lineage of Faust. With the starters we enjoyed a refreshing, crisp 2009 Sauvignon Blanc from Brander (Santa Ynez Valley) and the black cherry and plum aromas of  ZD WInes 2008 Pinot Noir, Carneros.

The Beef Tenderloin was a perfect medium-rare and accompanied by a Winchester Farms Sharp Gouda Gratin, Grilled Portabella topped with Roasted Vine-Ripened Tomato with a Sonoma red wine jus. Not to be overshadowed by its beefy partner, the Swordfish with Avocado Risotto, grilled Broccolini and Blood Orange Reduction was the epitome of a seasonal offering brightened with a fresh California twist of citrus. The  Faust 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley , described by the winemaker as a “dark and brooding wine that explodes in the glass with a shock of black fruit and exotic”and the Jordan, 2007 Chardonnay, Russian River Valley were poured for our savoring pleasure.

To wrap up this feast of the senses, we were further indulged with a rich velvety Pumpkin Creme  Brulee with PistachioBiscotti and a refreshingly light Goat Cheesecake with Graham Cracker Crust and spiced Cranberrry Compote, finished with a luxurious Dolce, Chardonnay, Napa 2002.

For your dining pleasure:

The Californian

Hyatt  Regency Resort and Spa

21500 Pacific Coast Highway

Huntington Beach, CA  92648

(714) 968-1234

Photo at right courtesy of Becky Reams Photography

Disclosure: I was not paid to write this post, but enjoy indulging my palate and featuring fine dining and good eats to share with readers.

Related

You Might Also Like:

  • Blues & BBQ - Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach
    Blues & BBQ at the Hyatt

    Here's a quick quiz for you: 1. Do you like barbecue? 2.. Do you like…

  • cider-brined pork chop, Zimzala, Shorebreak Hotel
    Beach Eats: Zimzala

    SEXY, SURFER, CHIC - is a spot-on description of Huntington Beach's Shorebreak Hotel and its…

  • Taste of Huntington Beach, Oktoberfest, Shescookin.com
    Taste of Huntington Beach

    Taste of Huntington Beach on Saturday, April 29th to Benefit HB Children’s Library Don't miss…

Share
Tweet
Pin
Yum
Email
Buffer
Reddit
Share

Category OC Dining| Restaurants Tags Hyatt Huntington Beach Resort and Spa| The Californian

Previous
Latkes for Hanukkah
Next
Chickpea Curry and the Great Divide
logo
Food Advertising by

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Magic of Spice

    December 3 at 12:13 pm

    Sounds amazing…I want to go 🙂 Thanks for always introducing me to my neighborhood, lol. Great write up!

    Reply
  2. Monet

    December 3 at 1:21 pm

    The goat cheese cheesecake and the swordfish sound AMAZING. What a lovely evening with good food and great wine. Thank you for sharing with me. Have a love-filled weekend!

    Reply
  3. Angie's Recipes

    December 3 at 9:49 pm

    wow This sounds really awesome! I love that pan seared scallops…some Russian river Chard. would be perfect for me to go with it!

    Reply
  4. [email protected]

    December 3 at 10:05 pm

    I’ve always thought the Hyatt Regency in Huntington Beach was a jewel – wonderful location and food. What a terrific menu – I’ve been playing with sumac and I am sure that it worked beautifully with the lamb!!!
    I will definitely be adding this restaurant of my list of local favorites!!

    Reply
  5. Pachecopatty

    December 3 at 10:07 pm

    Lucky girl:) I like that tasting menu and the wines sound wonderful. I see you’ve been busy cooking, posting on your blog and generally having a good time. Life is good and I appreciate you sharing with the rest of us, have a nice weekend:)

    Reply
  6. sippitysup

    December 4 at 2:42 pm

    Ahh, such a civilized way to dine… GREG

    Reply
  7. rebecca

    December 5 at 6:02 pm

    wow what a treat ties in with your next post LOL Rebecca

    Reply
  8. louise

    December 5 at 6:48 pm

    you have a great life lady…

    Reply
  9. The Duo Dishes

    December 5 at 7:15 pm

    That is quite a meal. Not sure what’s better…the scallops or the cheesecake. Fabulous.

    Reply
  10. Juliana

    December 5 at 9:22 pm

    What a nice place…have to check it out 🙂

    Reply
  11. Cristina

    December 8 at 10:48 pm

    You dine in the most amazing places…can I hang out with you? While the wines and food all so wonderful…I’m drooling over the Pumpkin Creme Brulee. That perfectly caramelized crust on top of the brulee…

    Reply

We love hearing from our readers! Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Get Adventures by Email

logo
Food Advertisements by

Travel with Me

logo
Food Advertisements by

Top Posts

Ina Garten's Lemon Chicken Breast
Low Sodium Homemade Country Biscuits
10 Naturally Delicious Sodium Substitutes
Spicy Middle Eastern Roasted Potatoes {Batata Harra}
King Cornbread
10 Heart Healthy, Low Sodium Recipes to Stay Healthy All Year
logo
Food Advertisements by
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Drinks
  • Low Sodium Tips
  • OC Dining & Events
  • Travel
  • About

Footer