As printed in the VC Reporter
**Note; images by DK Crawford; the Spa turkey wrap for us for no additional charge so what you are seeing is a 1/2 portion. Also note I did not use my larger camera there because I wanted to preserve the privacy of spa guests so the food looks much prettier in person. Each presentation was beautiful.
** There are more images available for viewing on the VC Reporter website
Summertime at Café Verde: Cooling foods, inspirational views
By D.K. Crawford
08/19/2010
Ojai Valley Inn & Spa
Café Verde
905 Country Club Road
Ojai
(800) 422-6524
$6-$19
Driving toward Café Verde at the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa reminded me why Frank Capra chose to cast this small town as Shangri-La in his 1937 film, Lost Horizon.
To the left were rolling, golden, grassy knolls and dark green trees; the vistas (though partly interrupted by the huge nets of a driving range) are simply breathtaking. Upon parking at the end of the lane after circling the roundabout, we walked up the hill toward the spa – an old-world building of Spanish architecture that features high vertical, a mosaic-tiled dome.
Spa exterior with mosaic tiled dome
The spa interior was stunning with high-beamed ceilings that overlooked a leisure pool, but we were drawn outside as were 90 percent of the diners, to the courtyard where sunny yellow umbrellas cast shadows over wavy glass-topped black iron tables. There were a large fireplace (which must be sumptuous in the fall) and elegant Mission fig trees heavy with ripe pendulous fruit the size of duck eggs.
Ladies were lunching in their spa robes after treatments, and guests lounged by the aqua pool. The grill vent on the roof created white background noise, and everyone spoke in reverent hushed voices, perhaps due to the serene environment, or maybe they were relaxed from being soaked, pounded and preened – but the tempered talking was infectious, like a library or church.
My last spa experience in Palms Springs left my companion and me hungry and wary of spa cuisine. The ascetic food we received that weekend had us smuggling boiled eggs in our pockets from breakfast and signing up like petulant children to beg the spa dietician for more protein. When I perused the menu and noticed an eight-ounce burger and an open-faced salmon sandwich, I sighed.
It also featured fruit smoothies, fresh-pressed juices, strong caffeinated coffees, beer, wine and fruity, tropical alcoholic mixtures the like of mojitos and coladas — my kind of spa!
The details were divine. Heavy, deep-green, mouth-blown goblets held our water, and thick cloth napkins graced our laps. A basket of sourdough bread and Parmesan flatbreads with olive oil arrived alongside a silver spoon rest full of pickled crudités.
Iced Coffee, pickled crudites & flat bread
We settled on two appetizers and sandwiches to share. As I nibbled on pickled carrots and cauliflower, relaxing into the beauty of a moderately warm afternoon, a hummingbird next to me hovered and drank nectar from magenta flowers.
Each dish was beautifully displayed and utilized several layers of delicate ingredients. The Thai-style spring roll appetizer ($8) featured a single roll with two dipping sauces (a sweet chili sauce, a peanut sauce) and fresh sunflower sprouts on the side.
Spring Roll
The intricate roll was bursting with fresh layers of ingredients that cooled my body as I ate them – the perfect starter for a warm summer lunch. It combined mint, carrots, sprouts, shiitake mushrooms and vermicelli in a rice wrapper.
The portion wasn’t large but the flavors were a divine starting bite.
Bite of spring roll
The chicken lettuce wraps ($9), our other appetizer, were also the spa’s take on a Thai classic. It comprised ground chicken, cupped butter lettuce leaves, diced daikon, fresh mint and flat-leafed parsley, crunchy rice noodles, julienned carrots and a spicy, sweet dipping sauce. It was a bit messy, building your own wraps, and there were no surprises to the dish, but neither of us wanted to stop eating it. It was also cooling, crunchy and fresh on a summer day.
Chicken Lettuce Wrap
Chicken Lettuce Wrap Bite
Our sandwiches were the open-faced organic salmon and the turkey wrap, each accompanied by a salad. At first glance, the salads appeared lightly dressed to the point of non-existence but it was an illusion. The tangy rice wine vinaigrette perfectly enhanced each fresh bite.
The turkey wrap ($15) was a wheat tortilla filled with thinly shaved turkey, Laura Chenel chevre (pungent goat cheese from Sonoma), tomatoes, arugula and a lemon herb aioli. It was meaty, simple and filling. The distinct notes of the goat cheese came forward, and the lemon aioli seemed to retreat. It’s a sandwich I would grab for a lunch on the go, but nothing special – just straightforward hearty flavors. I question what makes this a $15 sandwich; then I look around me at the touches and remember the vistas. They are so delicious you almost want to eat them!
1/2 of Turkey Wrap & Salad
Our salmon sandwich ($19) had a stunning presentation. A large piece of glazed salmon sat on top of a fluffy piece of naan (flatbread). On top of the salmon sat a quarter of a perfectly ripe, sliced avocado and some micro-herbs and greens, including tiny potent purple basil leaves the size of small pearls. This dish was truly the star.
Close-up of salmon sandwich with micro greens
Open-face salmon sandwich
The fish was lightly crunchy on the outside, juicy, tender and perfectly cooked on the inside. The floury naan, sweet glaze and omega-rich salmon and avocado made this dish an indulgent, healthy treat.
In true spa-girl-style, we did not try the lemon meringue tart, the chocolate cake, the fruit and yogurt salad, or the chocolate bonbons residing near the front door. We walked to our car, curved round the golf carts and languished in the stunning landscapes.
Lunch was fresh, pleasing and appropriately cooling for Ojai’s hot summers, I had nothing to complain about, yet it didn’t knock my socks off. I wanted Cafe Verde’s food to be as transcendent as the drive to its front door.
