I often give my readers tidbits of information about Salt Creek Grille in Dana Point because they host prestigious wine dinners and such.
A year ago, the owners of Salt Creek Grille, Tim McCune and Pete Truxaw, were sitting in a booth making notes on things they could do to make “a great business even better.”
By restaurant industry standards, they were doing fine. Sales have shown strong growth for eight years running. Private event bookings are rising fast and the restaurant has an extraordinary location close to three world-class resorts.
The restaurant’s quarterly wine dinners featuring big name vintners like Silver Oak and Cakebread Cellars are sell-outs and the restaurant has developed a strong reputation for live jazz.
But the duo decided that Salt Creek’s beloved menu of American classics, centered on mesquite grill cooking, needed a little freshening.
The search to find the right chef began. Scott Floyd, a 27-year veteran of the restaurant industry, nabbed the job.
Scott grew up in San Jose and began working at the age of 14 as a dishwasher and porter. By college, he was fluent in Spanish and decided to pursue the culinary arts as a profession. Formal culinary training school and apprenticeships followed.
He first cooked on his own as chef for an Italian family restaurant in San Jose. For the next decade, Scott worked for high-end hotels and country clubs, which included four years at the Mobil Five-Star Stanford Court hotel in San Francisco.
During two of those years, Floyd mentored under renowned restaurateur James Nassikas. He then opened six restaurants as corporate chef for a micro brewery/restaurant group.
The biggest change at Salt Creek is in doing complete, all-scratch cooking, elevating the quality of food and creating a back of the house environment.
I’m nosy and like wandering through kitchens. This one now greets me with the aroma of rich broth simmering slowly on a back burner of the stove, sudden bursts of culinary perfume in the air from fresh herbs, garlic and wines hitting hot saut & #233; pans and plates of food that are much more sophisticated in their presentation than before.
The tuna stack has quickly turned into one of the best selling appetizers. I can see why. It’s a tall and impressive tower with several strips of sushi-grade tuna criss-crossed atop avocado and cucumbers with a distinctly Asian dash of dressing and the surprise of fine shreds of fresh ginger, crisply fried, on top.
Baby back ribs slowly roasted then mesquite grilled fall off the bone. The ribs are laced with the chef’s terrific homemade barbecue sauce that incorporates apple cider vinegar and pasilla chile as undertones.
Different accompaniments of vegetables and starch come with entrees. This one has an Asian red and white cabbage slaw and house fries, a triumph on their own.
This kitchen now sends out fries that are true compatriots to the original crunchy Belgian frites and brightens them with a sprinkling of finely chopped parsley and chervil.
The restaurant’s signature double thick pork chop is house-brined and fresh roasted daily. The brining ensures both moistness and added flavor. It’s a hefty thing with hot apple chutney as its personal sidekick.
Porterhouse stroganoff is a grand cousin to the original with this quality of meat that’s sauteed with caramelized red onions and shiitake mushrooms.
Chef Scott’s prime pot roast is slow roasted, finished with a natural demi-glace and served with whipped potatoes with horseradish. Very homey, very tasty and so comforting.
Fresh fish also is a big part of what Salt Creek does. I was thrilled with the seared Hawaiian onaga (much like sea bass). It comes crisped on the outside and succulent on the inside with a mango relish that I could enjoy on its own.
The salmon featured at Sunday brunch is hot smoked in-house with fresh fennel, kosher salt and fresh black pepper.
Entree-style salads include the rare steak salad made with thick slices of flat iron steak atop a salad strewn with freshly roasted corn kernels and smoked tomatoes.
Even the burger now is an uptown version: half a pound of prime top sirloin, filet and prime shoulder roast, all of which is ground together daily.
The apple pie is a must. Salt Creek’s version is baked in a deep springform pan with fresh Granny Smith apples laced with caramel, cinnamon sugar, Tahitian vanilla and served warm.
A great bargain for diners comes on Monday and Tuesday evenings when a three-course prime rib meal is $25. Tomato-basil bisque, Caesar or house salad are choices for the first course. Prime rib, of course, with mashed potatoes and asparagus and carrots is the second course and dessert is a bread pudding made with Danish pastry dough and a cr & #269;me br & #369;l & #233;e-style finish.
Salt Creek’s next winemaker dinner is with Justin Vineyards.
The price is $85 and includes a drawing for a free night’s stay at the Montage Resort & Spa. It begins at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 9.
There’s live jazz Wednesday through Sunday evenings and for Sunday Brunch, which also is a spread to behold.
As Salt Creek approaches its ninth anniversary, the owners look to expand beyond the current three locations in Dana Point, Valencia and Rumson, N.J. A site in Manhattan Beach and another in New Jersey are in final stages of negotiations, with openings anticipated in 2006.
AT A GLANCE – SALT CREEK GRILLE
Address: 32802 Pacific Coast Highway, Dana Point
Phone: (949) 661-7799
Open: lunch, dinner from 11:30 a.m. (noon on Sunday); Sunday brunch 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
Cost: Lunch entrees $9-$18; dinner entrees $9-$31; Sunday brunch $26.95 ($9.95 for kids)
