Rustic Canyon

Rustic Canyon finds itself on Wilshire Boulevard near Santa Monica, and earned itself a Michelin star in 2019. Tonight I attempt to taste the best assortment of what Rustic Canyon has to offer, and each of the dishes deliver, crafted from excellent ingredients in creative combinations.

Rustic Canyon finds itself on Wilshire Boulevard near Santa Monica, and earned itself a Michelin star in 2019. Today I am visiting to experience Executive Chef Andy Doubrava’s Californian farmers market inspired restaurant -- Rustic Canyon.

The dining room features a wide panoramic view of the city street, many tables and booths, and a bar area with high top tables. On the menu is a rotating selection of curated wine and other beverages. The dishes on the menu are designed to be shared, and are broken up into cold plates and hot plates, with an additional section for dessert.

Review

While many of the items on the menu use a similar base ingredient throughout the year, such as asparagus or pork chop, it seems that the accompaniments change with the season or based on availability. For tonight, the items I was recommended include the endive, beets & berries, asparagus, sea prawns, sourdough pasta, or the pork chop. In an attempt to taste the best assortment of what Rustic Canyon has to offer, I selected one cold dish, two hot dishes, and one dessert.

Endive, aaron's strawberries, fresh cheese & pecan

The first dish is the endive which is a thick, lettuce like, crunchy vegetable. They are peppered and dressed in a sweet fruity like strawberry dressing. Located underneath are the pecans with fresh horseradish ricotta cheese. The pecans are very tasty having a sweet and salty coating to them. They go well with the the cheese which is very creamy and amazingly light in flavor, yet still has a very feint horseradish accent. Mixed in with the cheese and nuts are bits of fresh strawberry, which have abundant natural sweetness with amazing flavor. These are really great strawberries.

I really like how the endive has such a refreshing crunch to them. There are many reasons why people love snacking on potato chips. Two big reasons are the satisfying crunch, and the salty flavor. This endive has a satisfying and refreshing crunch, but also has a citrus sweetness, like a pink lemonade, that adds an addicting flavor. Ditch the bag of chips, these are way more interesting to snack and crunch on.

The nuts and cheese are great on their own, but I think I actually prefer them separate from the endive. The endive is crispy and refreshing, while the nuts and cheese are sweet and savory. So, I don’t prefer combining these two together in one bite. The horseradish flavor in the cheese isn’t obvious right away, but the more you notice it, the bigger its presence becomes. It’s rather interesting in cheese could almost pass as a sharp cheese flavor if you were not paying attention. The pecans are super duper tasty on their own. They are finished with a salty sweet glaze that makes me want to continue snacking on the nuts, or just ask for a jar of nuts to go!

Zuckerman's asparagus with smoked duck & mimolette

Next up is a fresh in-season asparagus topped with mimolette, which is a cheese with a strikingly vibrant orange hue. Underneath is a rich creamy cheese like sauce, that goes amazingly well with the asparagus. It also has bits of mint leaf sprinkled on top, adding a subtle but refined flavor. The smoked duck is smoke dried and shaved on top with the cheese. This gives the dish an additional rich smokey layer, along with a bit of texture. While it seems like there is a lot going on, everything is so well balanced and masterfully executed. It is quite fantastic.

This really was a fantastic dish, and was much better than I expected an asparagus dish to ever be. I think it was the supporting acts in addition to the in-season asparagus that really made it shine, as they just went so well together.

Lavender. Seasoned. Almonds.

I loved the roasted pecans that were served with the endive. I would want to take home an entire jar with me, but unfortunately for me, they only make small batches of them. But on the other hand, they are made in small batches with love and care which is what makes them so delicious.

So then I find out that they also prepare their own lavender seasoned almonds. I got to taste some of these and they are fantastic. These almonds are not the typical dark brown bitter tasting almonds. They are the lighter soft shell sweet almonds which have a light buttery flavor similar to a macadamia nut. They have a sweet sugar like coating, similar to a churro, and the lavender flavor is very distinct and present, yet not overpowering. The lavender is closer to a floral sweetness rather than a perfume richness. This gives these nuts a delicious floral snacking sweetness.

Peads & Barnetts pork chop & smoked trout roe sauce

The main course for tonight is a one pound pork chop, served in a smoked trout roe sauce. Even visually, there is a lot to take in with this dish. The sauce is very colorful, speckled with green herbs and orange trout roe. The pork chop is a giant round cut with a skinny bone.

Let’s start with the sauce. The sauce on its own is fantastic. It has a creamy richness captured by the trout, and a salty popping texture from the roe, partnered with a freshness from the many herbs.

Cutting into the pork reveals a beautiful even consistency due to the sous vide preparation. The meat is soft to the bite, is not dry in the slightest, and has a lovely trim of fat around the edge which is such a chefs kiss. The pork on its own is juicy and flavorful, yet still picked up so many more flavors from the sauce and seasoning, it’s such a lovely experience.

To finish off the night, I wanted to try a dessert that was not super dense like a cake. I elected to try the honeycomb ice cream. The ice cream itself is a super super creamy ice cream, probably made with a high fat milk and creamer. It’s so thiccc and rich it’s hard to tell the difference between solid and liquid. I’d give it three C’s of thickness. There is ice cream thic, then there is milk shake thicc, then there is this ice cream level of thiccc.

The honeycomb has a fun crunch to it, and is not like a wax honeycomb. It is more like a crunchy sugar candy. The flavor is a mix between a honey and a molasses chewy candy. Its flavor is very deep and rich, like a toffee or black coffee, unlike a light honey drizzle.

The overall sweetness is high, but it is balanced out by the super thick cream. This is such an indulgent dessert, and if you were to ask me, this is miles better than a particular honey ice cream shop.

When reviewing a restaurant, I try not to get caught up in the high praise and awards that can potently alter our perception of our experience. All the awards aside, I stand by the praise this restaurant is given due to its fanatic combination of high quality ingredients used in every dish. On their own, each ingredient in each dish can sing its own praises with its quality. Together, they combine in interesting ways that provide a pleasant and engaging experience. Well done, I would love to return again to try additional items on their menu, or see if some items change throughout the seasons.