Sitting in the airy dining room of Summer House Santa Monica—which is in Lincoln Park, not California—on the coldest night in decades, with the ferns hanging from the retractable glass ceiling, the snow scattered on its window panes like wispy twilight clouds, and the wood-burning oven ablaze in the open kitchen, it was almost possible to forget that the moment you walked out the door the elements would try to kill you.
It’s helmed by chef Jeff Mahin, also responsible for the new Stella Barra Pizzeria next door (another LEYE LA transplant that I’ll be writing about in the near future), and for Do-Rite Donuts on Randolph Street. Mahin and his doughnut partner, Francis Brennan, haven’t duplicated the menu of the Santa Monica template—how could they in this climate? But they have presented a far-ranging selection of vegetable dishes, salads, seafood, steaks, pasta, and sandwiches—the familiar something-to-answer-every-whim approach that doesn’t speak much to any sort of Californian pedigree, apart from a few regional dishes like the burger and, say, the “surfer-style” fish tacos. The latter dish is essentially a slab of mahimahi, grilled to an oddly plasticized texture, that you’re meant to break up and use to build your own tacos on corn tortillas, along with some guacamole and corn salsa. The weirdest thing about this dish isn’t its swollen price ($22.95), but the two large slices of out-of-season watermelon dominating the plate. The illusion of summer in Santa Monica shatters.
As scattered as the menu is, it’s a relief to see an approachable wine list focused on California vintners—largely southern California—in particular some drinkable ones on the lower end of the significant markups, such as a superjuicy Santa Barbara zinfandel blend or an almost cheesy-nosed Santa Barbara pinot gris. Barring those, there’s a handful of light, breezy cocktails—a few built on sparkling or fortified wines. Even the bourbon, tequila, and pisco potions won’t make your head spin.
1954 N. Halsted 773-634-4100summerhousesm.com
