American Farmhouse Tavern integrates regional cooking with high style
Until recently, unless you lived near Santa Maria you probably had no idea that this farm-oriented community on the road to San Francisco had its own cuisine. You’ve had it any time you ordered tri-tip at a steakhouse, since before Santa Marians started grilling this cut of meat it was usually ground into hamburger. In the central coast they learned to rub it with spices and cook it slow over oak, then serve it with bean and vegetable stew, a salad, and garlic bread. They do the same thing with other meats to good effect, but the tri-tip is their specialty.
And so it was at American Farmhouse Grill, a cottage-like restaurant in a corner of Goat Hill mall in Manhattan Beach. The restaurant had some drawbacks; parking was difficult, the place was cramped, and they didn’t serve alcohol, but people kept coming back to eat anything that came from that red oak grill. The owners saw an opportunity and did something daring, closing for months while moving to a far bigger location a few blocks north. They reopened as American Farmhouse Tavern, presumably to signal that people no longer have to bring their own wine.
It’s no longer a cottage either in décor or size, and with the move comes new ambition on the menu. The simply grilled steaks, chicken, and salmon are still here, but so are new items – pastas topped with roast duck, shrimp pesto, and other delights share the menu with a salad that includes mango, a fruit not usually associated with the California coast. Some restaurants expand beyond their skill level, and on first glance at that menu, I was concerned that this might have happened. Several meals at the new AFT have convinced me that it is not a problem, though there is still room for improvement in a few areas.
The starter for most meals is perfect, an assemble-it-yourself vegetable bean soup. You get a small tin bucket of mild vegetable soup and bowls of savory bean soup and some pretty assertive salsa, then just mix to taste. The two soups are good by themselves and excellent together, and the salsa offers some zip for those who like it. It’s a distinctive beginning for the meal, a blend of Hispanic and cowboy traditions from the central coast ranches.
Most meals also include salad, a nicely varied mix of greens with dressings made in-house. Most of these are good, particularly the honey mustard and Cabernet vinaigrette, but the blue cheese has consistently been too bland. On a recent visit I thought I had been given ranch instead, so faint was the cheese flavor.
This timidity with full flavors was also noticeable in the fettuccine Alfredo that came with my order of lamb chops; the sauce was thin instead of richly creamy, and had very little Parmesan flavor. I’ve had better luck with the other side dishes that are offered, so would pick the grilled vegetables, rice pilaf, fries, or onion rings next time. There will be a next time for ordering these lamb chops, because they were fantastic, made with fresh California lamb perfectly grilled for a slight char and smoky flavor. American Farmhouse does not cut corners on quality and charges a reasonable price for these – at $26 for dinner with soup, salad, and dessert, it’s a bargain.
Not all the pastas here are on the bland side; my wife ordered grilled salmon over pappardelle pasta with champagne caper parmesan sauce, and it was delicious. The sauce had a nice mix of sundried tomato, garlic, and cheese, and a gentle pickled flavor from the capers, and it was an inspired flavor combination with the smoky fish with herb overtones. (A note here about clarity in menu descriptions: our first impression was that the fish was cooked in with the other ingredients in the pasta, which was not correct. I like it just as it is, but less ambiguous wording would be helpful.)
One of our companions had ordered another pasta, the spit-roasted duck with pappardelle in a sauce of sage and butternut squash. The balance of lightly sweet flavors we had observed as a contrast with the salmon worked again here, but instead of the summery Mediterranean flavors of tomato and capers, the winter flavors of sage and squash took over. The duck was tender and very nicely done, and I’d order this again; in fact, I looked to see if the duck was available in any other dish to see what else they might do with it. This was the only item I saw that contained duck, and it’s a show-stopper.
The other member of our party decided to stay with the item that defined Santa Maria cooking, a tri-tip sandwich. Tri-tip is a lean meat that turns to jerky in the wrong hands, but here it was lean yet tender, with a concentrated beefy flavor and moderate smoke tang. It was served with more salsa, but I can hardly imagine anybody using it, because the flavor was wonderful just as it was. She had decided on mashed potatoes as a side, and they tasted fresh and as if they may have had just a hint of garlic or herbs. It was a simple set of flavors that showed off good ingredients deftly handled – a fine meal for those who like their flavors uncomplicated.
Dessert was included with our meals, in this case ice cream, apple pie, or a shot of liqueur. On this evening we chose the aperitif, though if they had been offering their strawberry shortcake it would have been no contest.
Anyone who visited American Farmhouse Tavern without knowing their history wouldn’t suspect their humbler roots – this restaurant has integrated regional cooking and high style seamlessly. I’d like a few of their dishes with a bit more boldness, but most what they do, they do superbly.
American Farmhouse Tavern is at 924 S. Sepulveda in Manhattan Beach. Parking lot and main entry in rear. Open midweek for lunch and dinner, Saturday dinner only, Sunday champagne brunch and dinner. Full bar, wheelchair access good, children welcome, corkage $15. Website: AmericanFarmhouseTavernn.com/phone 310-376-8044.
