After a delayed opening and shaky start, Saint & Second has come into their own.
by Richard Foss
Many years ago, I was in a theater company that had a disastrous opening performance. Plumbing problems had closed the space where we had been rehearsing for several weeks, but the show had to open on time. On the first night we knew our lines, because those we could study at home, but the character interactions were another story. Entrances and exits were mistimed, and more than once someone realized that they were on the wrong side of the stage and another actor was about to deliver a line to someone who wasnβt there.
We got through it somehow, and the crowd composed largely of friends and family gamely pretended that we had been at least adequate. If a critic had been present, they would not have been so kind. This encapsulates why I donβt like to review any restaurant when they first open, because even excellent individuals can take a while to become a team.
If I had reviewed Saint & Second after my first visit a week after they opened, the review would have echoed that of a theater critic at our debut. The restaurant facing the plaza at the Manhattan Mall is an offshoot of a popular Belmont Shore hotspot, and since they had opened months late, there would presumably have been time for them to make everything perfect. Instead, our server had to apologize as errors piled up. Our starter was delivered to another table (they ate it and then thanked the staff for the free appetizer), our main courses arrived over a span of many minutes, and the wine showed up as we were clearing our plates. We tipped generously because we knew he was trying but waited some time to return.
When we did, things had snapped into focus. You could see and feel the difference as the handoff from host to service staff moved smoothly and water arrived and was refilled promptly. We had time to survey the menu of contemporary American items, and questions about different items were answered thoughtfully and accurately.
We tried two starters, the brown butter chickpea hummus and the crabcakes. Using brown butter instead of olive oil in hummus was an interesting idea. Olive oil lends a slight fruity tang with the ground chickpea in suspension, while the brown butter has a fattier flavor and silky texture. The hummus was topped with grilled artichoke hearts and served with spicy pickled red onions and flatbread that had been brushed with oil, sprinkled with herbs, and grilled. If you order this, ask them to not oil the flatbread β this dish has enough richness without it.
I canβt recommend that you try the crabcakes, at least as they are made now. The portion was comically small, three tiny pucks of crabmeat topped with a minute amount of salad. Good shellfish is expensive, but there wasnβt much crab here, and it was shredded rather than lump and mixed with too much filler so there was little texture. When I expressed my dismay to the server, he removed it from our bill, which was appreciated.
We were much happier with our main courses β cavatelli pasta with sweet corn, truffle pate, and mushrooms, a smoked and glazed pork chop topped with fruit, and pan-seared salmon with Asian vegetables. I had been more interested in the branzino with fennel soubise at first, but ordered the salmon because the accompaniments were more interesting β forbidden black rice, charred bok choy, pink grapefruit, smoked trout roe, frizzled leeks, coconut dashi, and radishes. It was a beautifully composed plate with an amazing variety of flavors and textures, and a complete success. I ordered the coconut dashi on the side rather than poured over the fish in order to keep the skin crisp, and advise that you do too.
The cavatelli wasnβt as spectacular a dish, but it was nicely balanced β the sweet corn sauce with pepper ricotta and parmesan was balanced with mushrooms that had been cooked separately and a sprinkling of slightly bitter arugula. It was stylish comfort food, and thereβs always a place in the world for that.
The other star at dinner was the thick smoked and grilled pork chop that arrived over cheddar grits and was topped with swiss chard and grilled peaches. A sauce that contained spicy Calabrian nβduja sausage balanced the sweetness of the fruit, making this a sophisticated international riff on Southern flavors. This is cooking of a high order, and an idea I intend to copy at home.
Though the beer list is oddly short, the wine selection is very good by both the bottle and glass. Cocktails are offered, and though the house list is short, there are some intriguing options. The whiskey and cola uses housemade kola nut syrup, which has a much more interesting flavor than the soft drink. The Missing Link, a riff on the margarita that adds yuzu kosho, is like nothing Iβve tasted before, but Iβd certainly have it again.
We tried one dessert, an odd riff on strawberry rhubarb crumble. This was a cake rolled in strawberry and rhubarb topping, and itβs served on a stick for some reason. The flavor is more sweet strawberry than tart rhubarb, which is probably what most people will prefer. Iβm a rhubarb fan so would have liked it closer to 50/50, but I understand their decision.
We returned for a weekend brunch and dined on the patio, only to find out while there that on one Sunday a month a DJ sets up nearby and blasts exercise music. If you prefer a quiet meal, sit inside on that day. I tried the biscuits and gravy made with chicken sausage instead of pork, while my wife had pineapple upside-down French toast made with both fresh and candied pineapple. Hers was too sweet for me but she found it delightful. Mine was a delightful twist on a southern classic, the use of chicken sausage rather than pork keeping it from being as greasy and heavy as the classic. A shot of green herbs added to the flavor, and the side of fennel slaw with apple and dill was very refreshing. I found that preferable to potatoes that are often served with this dish that already has enough carbs anyway.
The price is reasonable for a place in this commercial location, with hearty breakfasts under $20 and most entrees between $30 and $40. Saint & Second has downtown style and flair in a mall location, and is worth a visit β maybe more than one.
Saint & Second is at 3160 N. Sepulveda Blvd,. Suite S100. Open 11 a.m β 12 a.m. Mo-Fr, 9 a.m. β 3 p.m. Sa-Su. Full bar, patio dining, some vegetarian items, sound level moderate. Phone 310-759-3160, menu at saintandsecond.com.
