Summer is here and one of the culinary trends for summer is rooftop dining. Some of the best restaurants in most major cities are located on rooftops with spectacular views of the urban environment.
Saturday, July 26, Mrs. C and I had the privilege to attend
the sold-out inaugural dinner for the Pomona Fox Rooftop Supper Club. The Fox
management is looking for new ways to utilize the venue and have looked back in
time for ideas. Searching through historic photos they found a photo from the ’40s
of the Progress Bulletin Supper Club with a long table located on the Fox
stage. It was decided that the rooftop (only added as a space with the 2008-9
restoration) might make a good summer time debut of a revitalized supper club,
and a good opportunity to introduce the Fox’s (vLounge) new chef, Elijah to the
community.
The menu, curated by chef Elijah started with a watermelon
basil margarita made with blanco tequila, watermelon juice, basil syrup, and garnished
with fresh watermelon cubes. This accompanied an appetizer of shrimp ceviche in
citrus with tomato, red onion, and cilantro, garnished with crispy plantain
chips. Servers came around offering unlimited plantain chips as the first
course continued.
The second course was a “Pomona citrus salad” of blood and
navel oranges, feta cheese, spiced pecans, with an oregano vinaigrette and herb
blend. This course was accompanied by a shot glass with a lavender infused
cocktail which paired beautifully with the citrus forward salad.
The Main course was a choice of center cut beef tenderloin with
mushroom wine reduction or grilled sea bass with tomatillo sauce. While Mrs. C
and I both went full carnivore and opted for the beef, one in our group at the
east end of the table had the sea bass and pronounced it excellent. The sides
that came with the main course were carmelized brussels sprouts and a potato
gratin. This course was paired with a cucumber honeydew gimlet of gin, lime,
cucumber, honeydew syrup, mint, and fee foam.
Desserts were a choice of orange or lemon mint custard, with
fresh mint and caramelized walnut crunch.
The evening proceeded at a very nice leisurely pace. As a
first attempt, there were the usual, soft opening, glitches. The beautifully
decorated table seating was a little too close, with people squeezed together.
While cozy, it was not as comfortable as one might hope for fine dining.
Service was efficient and friendly, with wait staff more than happy to
accommodate special requests or explaining the dishes and drinks served.
The food was all well prepared and tasty. You definitely got
the story the chef was telling with the citrus forward drinks and food choices.
The only exception was in the main course which felt a little disjointed from
the rest of the menu. The brussels sprouts were carmelized to perfection and
the potato gratin was delicious. The beef and sauce were what one might expect
at a good restaurant. The disjoint here was that the “citrus” theme seemed to
be lacking, with the exception of the cocktail. This one course, while very
good, was the only disappointment of the evening. The dessert of citrus custard
returned to the theme as did a shot glass of a citrus cocktail.
The value: At $90 or $160 for 2, this might appear to
be a pricy meal. But given that there were four courses, 2 full size cocktails,
and 2 little cocktails, the value is really very good. If you’ve gone out to
eat even at a chain place like Outback Steakhouse or Black Angus, you can easily
spend $45 per person on just a main course, add in dessert, and cocktails and it
does much higher. As chef’s tasting menus go, this was an excellent value. For
example, the Fairplex Farm Dinners are about $125 per person.
We’ve been told that these dinners are planned for about 3-4
per year so look for one coming in the near future.
