Bel-Air Bay Club
Good friends Tania and Paul were recently married at the Bel-Air Bay Club in Santa Monica, CA. Their wedding was fabulous and absolutely perfect for them – nice weather, gorgeous venue, delicious food, and great times. We hadn’t done any research about the location prior to the wedding other than looking up its location. Being a golfer, I had assumed that the Bel-Air Bay Club was a golf club but as we drove into the venue, I realized that that was not the case and had to do some quick research after the wedding to find out more about the venue. The Bel-Air Bay Club, conceived by Alphonzo Bell and built during 1927 and 1928, is comprised of two main building facilities that sit on 14 acres overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The Bel-Air Bay Club is, to this day, known as “the paddle tennis club,” having spawned several national champion players. In its prime the Club was such a center of social activity during the 1920’s, 1930’s and 1940’s that many celebrities and prominent citizens frequented Club functions. Today, it is a popular destination for family and social gatherings as well as paddle tennis, volleyball, beach activities and Bridge.
The wedding ceremony and reception were held at the upper facilities of the Bel-Air Bay Club. We got there just a few minutes before the scheduled start time on the invitation. Thank goodness things were running a little late otherwise we would have been late since some of us still had to finish getting dressed! Anyhow, once we were ready we headed around to the grassy lawn are for the ceremony where we got to look out towards the Pacific Ocean. It had been a warm day in the L.A. area so it was still a little muggy but thankfully there was a mild breeze and we didn’t have to do too much moving around to cause us to sweat too much while awaiting and during the ceremony.
After the gorgeous wedding ceremony, we were all ushered back around the building to the patio area for a cocktail hour. Fortunately we were able to snag a small table and get in line early for some drinks as there was just one bar with a lone bartender. We were then served some delectable hors d’oeuvres.
- Duck Samosa in a golden pastry
- Lump Blue Crab Cake with mango-avocado salsa
- Bruschetta with prosciutto and romano cheese with lemon truffle vinaigrette
- Mini Truffle Cheese Sandwich with roasted tomato soup
- Lamb Lollypop with apple mint chutney
- Beef Tenderloin Carpaccio with red onion confit and lemon-grain cognac cream
- Lobster BLT with applewood bacon, heirloom tomatoes and hydro watercress
All of the hors d’oeuvres had great presentation and would have received maximal Iron Chef plating scores from me. I think the only dish that I had an issue with was the mini grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup. The little sandwich was easy to take out of the shot glass and eat, but the roasted tomato soup was pretty thick so it was difficult to get to, even with the shot glass fully inverted!
Once cocktail hour was over, we were ushered into the main dining area for the dinner and dancing part of the evening. Good thing we didn’t gorge on the hors d’oeuvres since for dinner we still had a few dishes coming:
- Crab Martini – avocado soup, wild arugula, grapefuit, and a miso-sake dressing
- Wild Arugula Salad – roasted yellow and red beets, baby tomatoes, goat cheese and raspberry vinaigrette
- Miso Soy Marinated Hawaiian Onaga – parsnip purée, radish cucumber salad, pea shoots and miso soy vinaigrette
- Grilled Center Cut Beef Filet Mignon – Yukon potatoes, parsnip, huckleberries and red onion confit
- Tahitian Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlée – baked Tahitian vanilla bean custard with locally grown berries and fragrant mint
Being that we were at a wedding all the dishes didn’t come all at once and were well spaced out so we had time to digest each dish. Like the hors d’oeuvres, all dishes had great presentation. The crab martini was the only dish which I had some issues with. Don’t get me wrong, the dish looked really nice and there was a very generous piece of crab (Dungeoness?), but it was a little hard to eat altogether since the crab chunk was atop layers of arugula and the dressing was at the bottom of the martini glass. We realized we had to cut apart the crab and mix everything up before being able to fully enjoy the components altogether. Other than that, the only thing we thought could be a little better was the fish which was a little overdone. But being that the Club had to prepare food for at least one hundred or so guests and we were probably one of the last tables to be served I just attribute it to being under the heat lamp a little longer.
I haven’t emailed the bride and groom to find out where all the desserts came from, i.e. their wedding cakes and dessert table treats, but I’m assuming the cake and dessert table items were not from the Bel-Air Bay Club. That being said, I can’t really say that our post-meal sliders and milkshakes were made by Bel-Air Bay Club either, but we were served them there and so I’m guessing that the Club made them (even if they didn’t they are worthy of a mention but so were the other sweet treats):
- Mini Kobe Beef Slider – sriracha aioli, caramelized onions and soft slider bun
- Milkshake Shot – vanilla, strawberry or chocolate varieties rimmed with crystal sugar and strawberries
After a filling dinner, some dancing, the cake cutting, and some mass pandemonium trying to get some sweet treats from the dessert table spread, the sliders and milkshake did hit the spot, especially for folks like me that missed out on some of the goodies from the dessert table!
Overall, we were impressed with all the hor d’oeuvres and meal selections, and all the yummy desserts at the Bel-Air Bay Club. As you can tell, we really had to nitpick to find issues with the food that was served. All the food provided by the Bel-Air Bay Club looked really yummy and was delicious, and definitely helped to make Tania and Paul’s wedding a great one.
Bel-Air Bay Club
16801 Pacific Coast Hwy
Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
(310) 230-4700
Swan Oyster Depot
Although I lived just one block away in San Francisco, CA, I had absolutely no clue about the famous gem in my neighborhood – Swan Oyster Depot – until I had moved away. After I realized I had missed out on my opportunity to just walk around the block to grab a bite at a San Francisco classic I made a vow that I would make an effort to eat there some time when I was back in SF. An opportunity presented itself when my wife Connie was scheduled to have tonsillectomy surgery at the nearby hospital (had she been able to go with me to eat there it would have been the perfect opportunity!).
Menu options
While headed to the hospital on a Thursday (February 23, 2012), Connie and I drove by Swan Oyster Depot around 12:30pm and saw the crazy long lunch line to get in. I didn’t have enough time to whip out my camera to photo-document, but the line was easily 30-40 people long! Do those people work and how long do those people have for lunch?! Thank goodness I was not going to attempt to eat there at that time but later in the afternoon with a friend of ours while Connie was in surgery.
The Swan story
Swan Oyster Depot is a tiny place. The setup is basically a deep room with a counter that runs down the middle of the room until you reach the wall that separates the dining area from the kitchen. One side of the counter is for the workers, and the other side is set up with stools for the patrons. I didn’t do an actual count of the number of stools but I’d estimate that there are only 20 spots or so, and the spots are snug. You’ll definitely bump elbows with your fellow diners.
Horseradish . . check
Rayna and I got to Swan’s around 4pm and although it was not prime dining time there was still a line to get in. While waiting in line we salivated at the different menu items available as we watched food being prepared, served, and eaten. Thankfully, the line was short and we just had to wait for four people in front of us before we got seated.
We decided we had to try a couple of dishes:
- mixed dozen oysters
- seafood combination salad
- smoked salmon (with smoked trout)
- sea urchin
Once we had put in our order we got our drinks and some fresh sourdough bread to tide us over until we got our food. The first dish that came out was the mixed dozen oysters which was made up of Blue Point, Miyagi and Kumamoto oysters that day. There were four of each kind so for two people it worked out pretty well. For any fan of oysters one could have easily polished off the mixed dozen by oneself but since we did have a number of other dishes still to come the six oysters apiece worked out perfectly. Mmmmm, so delicious . . . .
The mixed dozen oyster plate made up of Blue Point, Miyagi, and Kumamoto oysters
After slurping down the oysters to open up our appetites we were ready for our main entree selections. I had ordered the seafood salad combination plate which was just an absolute feast. Why peel and crack your seafood if you can just go to Swan’s. The dish comprised of large succulent pieces of prawns, crab, lobster, and shrimp on a bed of chopped lettuce. The portion size was huge but I’m definitely not complaining!
Seafood salad combination - large succulent pieces of shrimp, prawn, crab, and lobster on a bed of chopped lettuce
The smoked salmon dish is typically pieces of smoked salmon served with french bread and a side of shrimp salad, but for a little extra, Rayna had pieces of smoked trout added to the dish in order to try both types of smoked fish. “It’s all in the technique . . . and the freshness of the fish of course” one worker kept telling us as the diner next to us gushed about how incredible the smoked fish tasted. The smoked fish did not disappoint . . . the smokiness in the fish was indeed amazing!
An order of the smoked salmon dish with smoked trout added
We decided to finish up with some sea urchin. It’s been a while since I’ve had fresh sea urchin out of the shell. I still recall my first experience many years ago in the Caribbean when we picked up some white sea urchins off the sea bed, cracked them open, and enjoyed the rich, creamy, yellow roe – mana from the sea. But I digress. Swan Oyster Depot served black sea urchin (Stronglycentrotus franciscanus) presenting the “roe” on the half shell. Sea urchin is a delicacy, but it can be an acquired taste of sorts as it can have a unique texture which some people may not like. When sea urchin is served in little portions you might not be able to taste the texture, just the rich flavor e.g. when it is in sushi. I’m not sure if it’s because it was black sea urchin or if it was due to actual whole pieces of raw sea urchin as it was served at Swan Oyster Depot, but it seemed like the texture of the sea urchin tasted a little different from what I had had before. It was definitely still very fresh but the texture seemed a little firmer and more “filtery”? Essentially, the “roe” or yellow meat is the sea urchin’s reproductive system so the roe isn’t necessarily just eggs as one may think. I surmise that the unique texture may be related to the accompanying gonadal tissues. Whatever the case, the sea urchin still tasted great.
It's not every day that you get to have fresh sea urchin
All of the ingredients were incredibly fresh and tasted absolutely delicious. No wonder Swan Oyster Depot has been around San Francisco for a century and still consistently gets top marks from everybody, not just foodies and food review agencies! For those fans of Anthony Bourdain it probably is no surprise that Swan Oyster Depot was featured recently on his new show “The Layover” when they showcased San Francisco as he openly admits to always being at Swan’s whenever filming in SF. Swan Oyster Depot is most definitely a San Francisco institution and a trip to San Francisco should include this stop. My tip for potential SF visitors – skip the stalls and restaurants at Fisherman’s Wharf and go to Swan’s Oyster Depot instead! You may not be right by the ocean but you wouldn’t be able to tell by how amazing the food is.
Swan Oyster Depot
1517 Polk St
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 673-1101
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