DEL MAR, Calif. The San Diego Marriott Del Mar Hotel, which opened
in January near Torrey Pines, has everything business clients could
want plus one delicious bonus not expected in such a hotel: Arterra
restaurant, the creation of renowned chef Bradley Ogden of Lark
Creek Inn fame in Marin County. Known for using local, seasonal
produce, meats and fish, Ogden has teamed with San Diego chef Carl
Schroeder to produce a dazzling menu.
“Many of our fruits and vegetables are only a few hours out of
the ground or off the tree before we serve them in an avocado and
mango timbale or an heirloom tomato salad,” Schroeder said.
Business travelers will impress clients with such entrees as
zinfandel braised veal with herb gnocchi and organic beet greens
for dinner, and brie-and-wild-mushroom omelets for breakfast.
Designed for comfort, the 284 rooms have pillowed mattresses,
down comforters and feather pillows. Three suites are available for
entertaining and small meetings.
Located in the heart of the biotechnology and telecommunications
district, the hotel provides everything for meetings: rooms with
two-line telephones, voice mail and dataports, 17 meeting rooms
with high-speed Internet access, two dividable ballrooms and a
full-service business center.
Room rates range from $159 to $238.
Call 800-228-9290. Web site: www.marriott.com.
Diners' Delights
On a recent visit, we sampled several of Arterra’s signature
dishes and asked chef Schroeder and Wine Director Matthew Andrews
to recommend wine for the different courses. The suggested Eberle
Viognier went well with our starter of sweet cream corn soup and
Dungeness crab hash.
Next, we were served the Carlsbad brandy wine tomato salad with
pickled corn, warm goat cheese and charred tomato vinaigrette,
complemented by a sip or two of the Long Pinot Grigio.
The freshness underscored everything we tasted, from the
soy-glazed broomtail grouper with cilantro rice, pineapple-mango
salsa and crispy prawns, to the farmers-market vegetable plate with
watercress soup, heirloom tomato-goat cheese tart and braised Chino
artichoke. The recommended glass of Lincourt Pinot Noir worked well
with the fish, as well as the vegetables and sauces. For dessert,
pastry chef James Hampton’s banana-and-coconut cake, with homemade
banana ice cream and Meyer’s Rum caramel sauce, and the twice-baked
chocolate souffle with almond crisp and cherry sauce completed an
unforgettable meal. Dennis Watson
