BY GEORGE
FULLER
Golf course dining has traditionally meant a turkey sandwich
from the beer cart or a cheeseburger in the grillroom after
a round. Over the last few years, however, a whole new breed
of clubhouse restaurants has emerged, with top chefs, stellar
wine lists and white linen service. Don’t fret, gents, we can
still get our hot dogs and suds as we play through, but now
our better halves will want to join us after a round for a
truly special meal. In Southern California, four restaurants
are leading the clubhouse dining revolution.
Addison at The Grand Del Mar
The Grand Del Mar, just north of San Diego, opened last October,
and immediately raised the bar for luxury golf resorts in
Southern California. An opulent, 249-room resort fashioned
in the Mediterranean-influenced architectural style of American
architect Addison Mizner (1872-1933), a private Tom Fazio
golf course meanders through the surrounding hills and is
available to resort guests.
As much as you’ll enjoy the golf
course, though, just wait until you get inside the swank
clubhouse, where Addison restaurant is a singular treat.
Chef William Bradley—formerly of Vu, one of Scottsdale’s
top venues—serves up a classic four-course menu accented
by a service level more reminiscent of a royal palace than
a golf course clubhouse.
A sample four-course dinner from Addison’s
delightful menu: an exquisite forest mushroom velouté with
a lobster foam and toasted cinnamon; Meyer lemon risotto seasoned
with rosemary and thyme; wild Scottish salmon in white wine
with roasted eggplant and toasted pine nuts; and pistachio
parfait accompanied by a honeycomb gelato.
Though the course
is open only to members and resort guests, Addison is open
to one and all. www.addisondelmar.com
(858) 314-1900
Argyle Steakhouse at Four Seasons Resort
Aviara
Most guys love beef and potatoes. But
it’s a sure bet they’ve never found a golf clubhouse that does
it better than Argyle Steakhouse at the Four Seasons Resort
Aviara, in Carlsbad. Overlooking the 18th hole of the resort’s
Arnold Palmer-designed golf course, Argyle masquerades as a
clubhouse grill by day, but at night transforms into one of
the best steakhouses we’ve ever tried.
The menu offers beef,
and plenty of it. It’s macho heaven, with choices including
Prime Nebraska Corn Fed, California Brandt Natural Prime, or
American Wagyu Kobe-Style. Prices range from $36 (California
Brandt 8 oz. filet mignon) to $68 (American Wagyu 8 oz. filet
mignon).
A selection of dipping sauces includes: cognac and green peppercorn,
Maytag blue cheese, Bearnaise and foie gras. And since the
steaks are a la carte, sides are important. We suggest the
ultra-creamy spinach, the fingerling potatoes spiced with tangy
Bilbao chorizo, and the mushroom ragu. Makes you want to hurry
up and birdie number 18.
You’ll have to wait until July 1 to
try Argyle, however, as the steakhouse will be closed the entire
month of June for an extensive remodel. Thankfully, the menu
will remain the same upon reopening.
www.fourseasons.com/aviara
(760) 603-6800
Café Pacific
at Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles
On the cliffs
overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Palos Verdes, 18 holes of
golf at Trump National Golf Club can be followed in grand
style by dinner in the clubhouse at Café Pacific.
An extensive
menu features so much to choose from it’s hard to decide. Name
your favorite dish and it’s likely to be offered. Grilled lamb
chops with red wine sauce? Prosciutto-wrapped Maine scallops
in a mustard butter sauce? Peninsula bouillabaisse? Amazingly,
for such a broad spectrum of choices, emerging young chef Garrett
Yokoyama did an excellent job with everything we sampled.
Standout
items from the dinner menu included a thick and creamy New
England clam chowder (Mr. Trump’s personal favorite), red wine
braised short ribs and the signature Trump Tower dessert—a
dark chocolate tube filled with white chocolate and hazelnut
mousse, and chocolate crème brulee.
Complemented by an impressive wine list that would satisfy…well,
Donald Trump himself, and Café Pacific is a welcome dining
choice in the Palos Verdes area.
www.trumpnationallosangeles.com (310)
265-5000
Pelican Grill at Pelican Hill
Golf Club
Pelican Grill is found in the spiff new
clubhouse at Pelican Hill Golf Club in Newport Coast. Two
massive flat screens show sporting events in the bar—a perfect
spot for a single malt or your favorite brew. At sunset—if
you can pull your gaze away from all the beautiful people
who congregate at this hot spot lounge—focus your attention
on the sweeping view out over the Pacific toward Catalina
Island.
Dinner seating is either inside the comfy dining room—where
plush booths have full view of Chef Thomas Ryan and his crew
at work in the display kitchen—or in a heated outdoor atrium
that looks west across the water.
Ryan, whose culinary background includes a stint at The Ritz-Carlton
South Beach, serves “upscale California cuisine,” including
steaks and seafood, pastas and wood-roasted meats.
Among the more memorable items we sampled were the spicy tortilla
soup and the crab cakes topped with caviar; and the bourbon-brined
skirt steak. Whatever you order for dinner, though, the huge
fresh fruit cobblers (the peach was delicious) topped with
house-churned vanilla bean ice cream are an absolute must for
dessert.
www.pelicanhill.com
(949) 467-6800
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