December 09, 2005

Back to the table of Contents Page

Classifieds

Palo Alto Online

Let them eat steak

by Andrew MacLeod Doerschuk

X

For many months, workers were seen inside the ground-floor space of a building erected where the old Mountain View City Hall used to be, at the southeast corner of Castro and California streets. As the interior was slowly being transformed, passersby were apt to wonder, "What the heck's going on in there, anyway?"

The answer came last September, during the bustling Art & Wine Festival weekend, when the lights finally came on at the new California Roadhouse. To this day, many pioneering patrons, including us, are dining there out of sheer curiosity.

On a recent trip to the Roadhouse, we were quickly seated by amiable staff members. A bucket brimming with salted peanuts in the shell was sitting on our table. Ice water arrived with soft butter and warm home-baked rolls that were lightly glazed and creamy inside. Noshing on all those free and filling eats, we began to feel satiated before studying the menu. Slow down, buster.

We first sampled appetizers, including a decadent deep-fried blooming onion flower with a buttermilk batter accompanied by a cool ranch dip ($5.99). Our rich Maryland-style crab cakes ($9.99) were delightfully heavy on the blue crab meat and light on the Saltine filler, served atop squiggles of red pepper and roasted garlic aioli alongside field greens in balsamic vinegar. The Parmesan fried artichoke hearts ($6.99) were crispy on the outside, velvety on the inside, and heavenly with a dollop of roasted garlic aioli.

Not all of the appetizers rated as highly. New Orleans BBQ shrimp ($7.99) arrived in the shell served atop garlic sourdough toast in a tangy Tabasco butter sauce. After peeling a couple of them, my fingers were so gooey and sticky that I had to wash up before the entree arrived. It would be nice if the shrimp were served peeled in that scrumptious sauce.

Roadhouse entrées range from baffling to sublime. Most (except for pasta dishes) come with a choice of sides, and we recommend the corn on the cob, saffron rice, and red smashed potato. Soup is also available as a side and we enjoyed the du jour, a rich beef variety that hit the spot on that cold night.

The meat was tender on-the-oven-roasted Danish baby back ribs ($13.99 half rack/$18.90 full), and our half-rack portion was plentiful. It was topped with diced green onions and slathered in a thick barbecue sauce, which we found overly sweet and sticky. I prefer drier ribs with a sauce that drips off the meat rather than clings to it.

Our waitress recommended the grilled ahi tuna ($17.95), which came with a roasted pineapple-pomegranate salsa. She explained that the fish was cooked just as she prefers it -- simply seared on either side. We should have taken her literally, because instead of having the purplish inner hue we expected, the thick fillet was virtually uncooked on the inside. Too bad, since it was a nice piece of sushi-grade tuna and the salsa was zesty.

We enjoyed the coconut-crusted shrimp ($14.99), which was served with an orange-ginger dip. The shrimp came butterflied with the tails on. Its crispy light-brown crust only hinted at the coconut base. Served on the side, the dip is appropriately described as a "glaze," due to its marmalade-like consistency and fruitiness. The various textures, temperatures and tastes marry well together.

I can't remember the last time I ordered trout, but heeded our waiter's advice. He was right. The Southern pecan-crusted rainbow trout ($14.99) was filleted and lightly fried with a slight nutty crunchiness, and came smothered in a brown sugar bourbon butter sauce that was rich, sweet and a little naughty. Served with saffron rice, it was immensely satisfying.

The real Roadhouse treasure lies in the middle panel of the menu, where burgers and steaks are listed. The burgers ($5.99, add $1 for cheese) are just as you hoped: Quality meat well seasoned, with a warm bun and stack of lettuce, tomato and onions to freshen it up.

Similarly, the chef didn't get too artsy with our 8-ounce filet mignon ($18.99). If he used any spice, it wasn't more daring than a pinch of salt and pepper. Otherwise the cut spoke for itself: cooked to a perfect medium -- pink and juicy on the inside with grill lines of smoky char on the outside. It literally melted in my mouth. Of everything we tried, this was the most memorable experience.

And the least was the red curry-lemongrass shrimp ($14.99). It was listed on the menu as a pasta dish, so we were puzzled to discover that the "vegetable pasta" was in fact julienne strips of carrot and eggplant mixed with shrimp, mushrooms and tomatoes in a watery broth that didn't deliver its advertised curry flavor. Call me provincial, but when I order pasta I expect to bite into some semolina.

Glad I left room for dessert. The chocolate-lovers'-only ganache ($4.99) was two hefty slices of dense semi-sweet cake with thick ribbons of sweet chocolate arranged over a colorful strawberry reduction. The fresh apple tarte ($4.99) was more of a pie, but we won't complain. The slice was oversized and the crust thick and sugary. A mound of whipped cream on top and heavy cream underneath nicely sandwiched the tart caramelized apple slices.

We were informed that the white-chocolate crème brûlée ($4.99) was actually more of a flan. Apparently, the fire marshal wouldn't allow them to fire up the requisite blowtorch used to caramelize the sugar topping. So the chef punted and produced what is actually a very nice, though somewhat indescribable, alternative with a tasty chocolate pudding on top.

However, the fresh strawberry shortcake ($4.99) flopped, because the Roadhouse substituted a biscuit for the typically sweet and moist shortcake. That's right, the dry kind that comes with gravy. Hey, guys, the dish is called "shortcake" for a good reason. It comes with shortcake.

But these folks deserve more slack than that. The California Roadhouse brims with promise. Service was fantastic, and for every disappointing dish we found many that we loved. More importantly, Mountain View has long needed a place where you can get a great steak and baked potato at a good price. Now it has one.

California Roadhouse, 401 Castro St., Mountain View. (650) 254-8981 Open seven days a week, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

E-mail a friend a link to this story.