Most
hotels have restaurants but not all hotels have good restaurants. Some
have no restaurant but will refer you to a place in town, which means you have
to leave the building. After a long day of dodging traffic in unfamiliar turf
and biting your tongue in meetings, the only thing you want is to get back to
your hotel and unwind. Leaving the building is not an option.
At
a recent stay at the Embassy Suites LAX South, I had the mouth-watering experience
of dining at Capistrano's, an on-site Italian restaurant that left me wondering
how a jewel of a place such as this wasn't in the heart of restaurant row in Manhattan
or Michigan Avenue in Chicago. But here it was tucked away as a precious hidden
treasure for hotel guests and local muckity-mucks who work in the area. Lucky
them...at least while they have it all to themselves. That's about to change.
If you're
heading to LA, or even live there, and are seeking a warm and friendly dining
experience you must try Capistrano's, even if you're not staying at the Embassy
Suites LAX South (although you may change your mind after reading our
review)
The
upscale dining room is on the first floor overlooking a beautiful atrium and koi
fishpond. The stone floors, hanging plants, soft lighting, and stucco walls with
ancient images create a true Italian atmosphere. This is the kind of place that's
great to bring the family for breakfast, clients to lunch, and your sweetheart
to dinner.
Dinner
was superb. The presentation in itself was excellent with enough spacing between
servings to not feel rushed. Appetizers included onion soup and shrimp cocktail
both of which were fresh and delightful. My west coast editor, Steve Siler, and
I shared our appetizers to get second opinions and the decision was unanimous.
The shrimp were robust and the soup rich in flavor. We were very pleased.
The
main meal included halibut for me, and salmon for
Steve. The halibut ranked in the top 3 servings
of halibut I've ever had at any restaurant in the
country, and trust me, I dine out often. It was
excellent, so good that I overstuffed myself to
savor every morsel. Thank goodness halibut isn't
fattening, save the butter and oil.
I
didn't try Steve's salmon as I was gorging on the
halibut and didn't want to disrupt the sensual flavor
I was experiencing. He claims it was excellent and
like me, cleaned his plate. No doubt had other people
not been around, we would have licked our plates clean.
And after a fine bottle of Kendall Jackson Chardonnay,
we were of the right state of mind to do it, too.
You would have thought it was our last meal.
The
dinner was topped off with vanilla ice cream with hot chocolate syrup, which sounds
pretty ordinary but nothing about Capistrano's is ordinary. This was creamy rich,
almost as if handmade, and soft enough from the hot syrup to eat without having
to cut with a knife. I hate that.
The
service was great, the food excellent, and the atmosphere upscale and classy.
The price was upper mid-range with each of our meals averaging $18.00, not bad
for LA. Capistrano's also offers a full breakfast, lunch and dinner menu as well
as theme buffets. They also provide catering services for hotel weddings and business
events, and offer catering for outside events upon request.
There
are actually four Capistrano's in California - all
located inside Embassy Suites Hotels.
LAX
South (310) 640-1622
Arcadia (626) 294-0099
Mandalay Beach Resort in Oxnard (805) 382-8142
O.C
Airport North in Santa Ana (714) 641-7310
If you're looking for a fine meal in a decent hotel,
or just want to treat clients, family or friends
to a great dining experience, check out Capistrano's.
RELATED
LINK: Capistrano's
Website
RELATED
STORY: Embassy
Suites LAX South hotel review
