Wining and Dining for Tourism

By Jorge Casuso

Nov. 26 -- The Brentwood dining critic stared down at the first dish -- snapping turtle on aspic sprinkled with gold.

"I've written about turtles," she said, "but not as food."

"Isn't that an endangered species?" asked the vegetarian sitting next to her.

As they stared at the dish, the Boston food critic dove in, scooping up a nugget of turtle perched atop the cold jelly of meat juice.

"That's one of the strangest things I've ever had," said the seasoned critic, picking the turtle meat off the bone. "I never had anything remotely like it."

For a half dozen chosen restaurant critics, The Hump -- an exotic eatery flanking the Santa Monica Airport runway that is billed as Los Angeles' most unusual sushi bar/Japanese restaurant -- was the first stop on a whirlwind tour of Santa Monica's premiere eateries earlier this month.

For two days and nights, the critics lunched at One Pico at Hotel Casa del Mar, munched on appetizers at The Hump and Rockenwagners and dined at Capo and Melisse. They indulged in deserts at Michael's and Drago and sipped cocktails at Casa del Mar's Lobby Lounge, where they took in a sweeping view at sunset to the strains of Brazilian Jazz. Then they slept it all off on cloud-soft beds in cottage rooms with ocean views at Shutters on the Beach Hotel.

It was all part of a publicity blitz staged by the Convention and Visitors Bureau to bring visitors back to town following the sudden drop-off in tourism after the September 11 terrorist attacks.

"Our efforts have remained focused on securing journalists to Santa Monica to garner positive media coverage," said Misti Kerns, the bureau's executive director. "Competition among cities has hit an all-time high, especially for the important drive market.

"We're thrilled with the caliber of writers we were able to secure," Kerns said. "We look forward to the positive coverage touting one of Santa Monica's strongest selling points -- dining,".

If Santa Monica is known for its breathtaking views and cool breezes, it also is considered a premier dining destination, with more than 400 restaurants, several of them world class.

"It's not just the number of restaurants, it's the depth," said Koleen Hamblin, whose company KOLI Communications organized the tour for the bureau. "We have everything here. I ask journalists who come here, 'What's the buzz (about Santa Monica) where you live?' They say, 'Dining.'

"The best chefs are here," Hamblin said. "I can rattle off 12 world-class chefs two blocks from the beach. It's a key selling point. Meeting planners come here because of the dining."

The critics agreed, as they savored the four cheese tortellini and the rigatoni with white truffle meat sauce Chef Bruce Marder had prepared at Capo on Ocean Avenue.

One of the critics closed her eyes as she tasted the rigatoni. "This is wonderful," she said. "It has more texture than any bolognese. It's shamelessly earthy. I love it."

She proclaimed the ribs cooked in the almond wood grill "stellar" and the duck "good," and all the critics agreed it was worth the high prices -- which range from $20 for the pasta to $48 for the Dry age Kansas City prime N.Y. steak.

Dinner was topped off with desert at Michael's spacious patio near the Third Street Promenade, where the critics tasted seven deserts -- the Anjou Pear Tarte Tatin and Pumpkin Bread Pudding seemed favorites -- and an assortment of cheeses.

A trip downtown to the Wednesday farmers market the next morning led by One Pico chef Matt Lyman and executive chef Alberto Vazquez, gave the critics a chance to sample what could be done with fresh produce chosen on the spot. (Chefs across the area pick their ingredients at the farmers market.)

Lyman and Vazquez chose the tomatoes, zucchini and squash blossom (which they prepared tempura style and perched atop the pasta) and the strawberries, which they served with tart and ice cream.

"That's the thing you do when you visit the farmers market," said Vazquez. "You create the dish right there."

After dinner, the tour bus headed back to Shutters, a warm bath in the whirlpool tub and a night on what the critics agreed was perhaps the most comfortable bed they had ever slept in.