Stone Restaurant at the Marriott
|
|
By Michael Hepworth
Stones Restaurant at the Marriott in Marina del Rey is an unusual one by any standards, not quite fitting the normal hotel restaurant format. The main asset is clearly the creative energy brought by young chef Victor Miguel who is not afraid to take risks, especially with some of the dynamic combinations he comes up with.
Because the restaurant is also used for breakfast, the ambience and general atmosphere of the long rectangular restaurant is still a work in progress, and frankly slightly old fashioned. The lighting is just about right for the evening although the rather bland jazz music playing also needs a bit of updating. The lobby of the revamped hotel is quite
classy and appealing, however so, a major upgrade of the restaurant is surely just a formality.
The most important development is that the food shows a lot of potential, especially the Aragula Salad ($10) with grilled peach, pickled red onion, burrata and a balsamic glaze, a fresh and sexy dish that really hit the spot. I tried the John Dory ($27) served in a popcorn crust with a superb sweet corn ravioli and a vegetable slaw. Dory is an acquired taste however being a slightly dry fish, and although the contrast with the ravioli was typical of the chef’s creativity, maybe monkfish or even halibut might have been a better option.
Also got the chance to check out the Shrimp Entrée ($26) with the three pieces coated in a garlic sauce and accompanied, again very creatively with bacon and stone rolled grits. The Filet Mignon ($29) came with Yukon Mash and a really tasty cauliflower.
Victor is also rather proud of his signature burgers all priced at $14 including the Stones Original with Angus beef, blue cheese, bacon, onion, and brioche served with sweet potato fries. After a dinner at Stones you can then check out the newly refurbished Glow Ultra Lounge which relaunched last week for cocktails under the stars. The open space features extremely comfortable sofas to lounge on, fire pits, a new dance floor area and nightly drink specials all summer long. On Thursday-Saturday nights guest DJ’s will be invited and premium bottle service will be laid on along with private VIP cabanas.
The specialty drink on the Thursday night opening bash was the Teal Tini, but the Glow bartenders and mixologists will be concocting their own creations, with some of them costing only $5 during happy hour. Although the 395 room Marriott is a corporate hotel by nature, the lobby area here is distinctly modern and trendy with gold and earth tones, or as they like to put it, “going boutique.” The vibe here is good, the staff are extremely friendly and helpful and a good night of food and drinks can be guaranteed.
4100 Admiralty Way, Marina del Rey, CA
310-301-3000
www.marriott.com
Stones Restaurant at the Marriott in Marina del Rey is an unusual one by any standards, not quite fitting the normal hotel restaurant format. The main asset is clearly the creative energy brought by young chef Victor Miguel who is not afraid to take risks, especially with some of the dynamic combinations he comes up with.
Because the restaurant is also used for breakfast, the ambience and general atmosphere of the long rectangular restaurant is still a work in progress, and frankly slightly old fashioned. The lighting is just about right for the evening although the rather bland jazz music playing also needs a bit of updating. The lobby of the revamped hotel is quite
classy and appealing, however so, a major upgrade of the restaurant is surely just a formality.
The most important development is that the food shows a lot of potential, especially the Aragula Salad ($10) with grilled peach, pickled red onion, burrata and a balsamic glaze, a fresh and sexy dish that really hit the spot. I tried the John Dory ($27) served in a popcorn crust with a superb sweet corn ravioli and a vegetable slaw. Dory is an acquired taste however being a slightly dry fish, and although the contrast with the ravioli was typical of the chef’s creativity, maybe monkfish or even halibut might have been a better option.
Also got the chance to check out the Shrimp Entrée ($26) with the three pieces coated in a garlic sauce and accompanied, again very creatively with bacon and stone rolled grits. The Filet Mignon ($29) came with Yukon Mash and a really tasty cauliflower.
Victor is also rather proud of his signature burgers all priced at $14 including the Stones Original with Angus beef, blue cheese, bacon, onion, and brioche served with sweet potato fries. After a dinner at Stones you can then check out the newly refurbished Glow Ultra Lounge which relaunched last week for cocktails under the stars. The open space features extremely comfortable sofas to lounge on, fire pits, a new dance floor area and nightly drink specials all summer long. On Thursday-Saturday nights guest DJ’s will be invited and premium bottle service will be laid on along with private VIP cabanas.
The specialty drink on the Thursday night opening bash was the Teal Tini, but the Glow bartenders and mixologists will be concocting their own creations, with some of them costing only $5 during happy hour. Although the 395 room Marriott is a corporate hotel by nature, the lobby area here is distinctly modern and trendy with gold and earth tones, or as they like to put it, “going boutique.” The vibe here is good, the staff are extremely friendly and helpful and a good night of food and drinks can be guaranteed.
4100 Admiralty Way, Marina del Rey, CA
310-301-3000
www.marriott.com
|
|
