The Veranda Restaurant in Santa Monica at The Georgian Hotel

(EXPERIENCE MAGAZINE) —  I’ve always wanted to visit the luxurious Georgian Hotel in Santa Monica. It’s like a building from a classic movie. Built in 1933, the Art Deco architecture can be seen outside and in the lobby. This was one of the first high rise hotels in Santa Monica. It sits on Ocean Avenue and looks out on the Pacific Ocean. The bar downstairs was frequented by Hollywood luminaries such as Clark Gable and Carole Lombard. The Georgian was also home base for the Kennedy clan with First Mother Rose Kennedy a fixture at the hotel while she entertained Hollywood royalty and journalists.

Wesley Falcon
The Georgian Hotel. Photo courtesy Wesley Falcon 2018

The Experience Magazine was invited to stop by and sample the menu at The Verandas Restaurant that is in the main lobby at the hotel. The setting is so dramatic. An Art Deco lobby that has a bar on one side and the restaurant on the other. People come from all over the world to stay at the Georgian Hotel and dine at the Veranda Restaurant. The staff is so friendly and professional. We met up with Shawn Masters. He’s the Food and Beverage Director at The Georgian. Shawn was so informative. He told us all about the hotel and their plans for the future.

Executive Chef Garre Battad (L), Publisher Erwin Glaub (C) and Food and Beverage Director at The Georgian Shawn Masters (R)

We were visiting the Veranda Restaurant during Santa Monica Restaurant Week featuring the Pomegranate. Executive Chef Garre Battad took some time from his busy day to chat with us about gourmet food.  He has put together an amazing menu that delivers exquisite taste with excellent perception of value. Chef Garre, Shawn and publisher Erwin Glaub from the Experience Magazine talked about the dish of the evening. We stopped by to sample the Pomegranate Salmon. Cooked on a wood plank, this dish offers the health benefits of fish along with the taste of pomegranate.

The warm olives at the Veranda Restaurant are so tasty! You have to try them!

Before we could try the Pomegranate Salmon, we started with a fresh beet salad. These locally sourced vegetables were served with a great presentation. The beets in the salad are roasted which give them a lot of flavor. There’s also french goat cheese, walnuts, and dried cherries. We also tried the heated olives. Wow! These warmed olives are amazing. Mixed with olive oil, burnt orange peel and herbs. We ate every single olive. The food at the Veranda Restaurant is so delicious. The dining room filled up with locals and hotel guests as we dinned.

The Beet Salad blends gourmet flavors

We were having such a good time munching on olives and fresh vegetables, we decided to try a wine. We went with a Merlot. It was the Parcel 41 North Coast 2015. This wine has a supple and elegant taste. It was perfect for our meal.
The salmon dish was a work of art. Served with a white bean puree, the dish featured pomegranate, radish and cherry tomatoes. The salmon itself was cooked to perfection. The presentation and the flavor were off the charts. I was really surprised at how tasty and delicious this entree was. The Pomegranate Salmon was the surprise dish of the night.

The presentation and the flavor of the Pomegranate Salmon are amazing

Chef Garre was able to blend the flavors together perfectly. The pomegranate added a bit of a crunch while adding its subtle flavor to the fish.

The Pomegrante Salmon

For dessert, we just had to try the Apple Pie. This was served with a scoop of ice cream and a garnish of sliced strawberries. This was an excellent way to end our meal. The Experience Magazine recommends stopping by The Veranda Restaurant in Santa Monica. This place is like walking on to a Hollywood movie set. The food is so good and the prices are affordable. Stop by the Veranda Restaurant the next time you’re in Santa Monica!

Check out The Veranda Restaurant

 

 

About Dustin Brown

Dustin Brown is a writer and editor for the Experience at EEWorldNews.com.

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