Salt Creek Grille Dana Point
Tucked away in a cozy corner off of PCH and Crown Valley on the mainland side, lies a restaurant with beautiful Craftsman-inspired architecture called “Salt Creek Grille”. The decor in this restaurant was the first thing that caught my eye. As we walked up the steps to the door I felt like I was walking into a wilderness Lodge. They had a fire pit going with lots of comfortable seating and gorgeous low lit lanterns hanging from the beams. There is so much attention to detail in this restaurant such as the swordfish in the lanterns, the warm heat lamps, the modern yet chic decor, the live jazz, even the sounds of the pacific ocean.
As Erin and I were being shown to our seat I noticed they had a huge glass wall separating the restaurant from the kitchen. I liked being able to see the galley and watch the chefs prepare the food. They had a carving station for the prime rib that you can’t miss and I was definitely drooling as I walked past it. I immediately decided I wanted some sort of meat for my meal.
Derrick, our server was quick to take our drink orders and get us started on some delicious garlic bread. He was on top of everything. Anytime my water got below a certain point it was immediately replenished. It was nice not having to ask for anything. The Garlic bread was great. It was served in a basket with newspaper that looked like LA Times. The bread had butter garlic and parsley and came with just 3 slices. I liked that because it prevented me from filling up on bread prior to my meal.
The first thing we ordered was the Ahi Tuna Stack. I love sashimi and this entree did not dissapoint. Actually it was my favorite meal of the night. Most Poke dishes I have had the ahi is usually cut into cubes. But this time the Ahi was cut into flanks which I really enjoyed. It was not the least bit fishy and It was served atop stacked avocado, cucumber, wasabi and ginger soy.
Erin ordered the Wedge Salad and it came with iceberg lettuce, sweet onions, gorgonzola, and applewood smoked bacon. Then they drizzle blue cheese dressing on top.. It was crisp and flavorful.
We also tried the Salt Creek Grille Rosemary Potato Chips.While the chips were extremely tasty, the onion dip it was served with was only average as it tasted like it might have been a better fit for a topping on some kind of a fish..
For my main course I decided to try the Blue Cheese Crusted Top Sirloin with carmelized onions, demi-glace and mashed yukon gold potatoes. My steak was cooked to perfection and the potatoes were amazing. They were buttery goodness and made an awesome topping for my steak. The flavor was perfect but the presentation of my meal left me feeling a little underwhelmed because my plate looked rather bare. I think they could have put it on a smaller plate or possibly added some garnish to make it look more appealing.
My partner Erin had the Prime Rib. Her dish was filled out much more and had a nice array of different choices. The Au Jus sauce was nice and warm and her asparagus was seasoned and cooked to just the right tenderness. She ordered her meat medium and it was pink just the way she likes it.
After our dinner we still had room for a piece of dessert so we tried the Granny Smith Apple Pie with a side of Vanilla Ice Cream, Apple Sorbet and Caramel Sauce. It was served hot and it just melted in our mouths. Next time I will ask to have the caramel sauce drizzled on top.
For more information visit Salt Creek Grille or visit them on Facebook or Twitter
