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Eat this: Steak tartare at Mentone
Mentone in Aptos is one of those restaurants that doesn’t just have great food and memorable service – it has created a whole vibe. It’s all in the details, many of them larger than life: a 5-foot-tall vintage poster of the Rolling Stones intermixed with photos of French starlets on the walls; a custom Valoriani pizza oven decorated with a giant mouth eating a slice of pizza dominating the kitchen; and the way the lighting somehow makes everyone, no matter if they dolled themselves up or rolled in off the beach, look effortlessly chic.
The best dishes on the restaurant’s French Riviera-inspired menu have a certain chic-ness to them as well. At first approach, it might seem simple – a plate of oozing stracciatella doused in local olive oil, or a margherita pizza with carefully blistered bubbles along the crust – but that effect is the result of careful technique and passionate ingredient sourcing.
As of March, Jason Grubbs, a transplant from the Midwest but no stranger to California, is the new head chef, and continuing to offer Mentone’s regional classics, with modern twists. At a recent meal, I adored the steak tartare ($25), beautifully presented with a fan of lacy but surprisingly sturdy crostini. Packed with sharp shallot, briny capers and French red wine vinegar, the assertive flavors enhanced rather than overpowered the rich raw beef. Shavings of cured egg yolk took the place of the traditional raw egg, increasing the amperage on this umami-packed dish.
Have I had steak tartare dozens of times before? Yes – which made this perfect bite, that effortless chic, such a delight.
Read about all the updates at Mentone, including the new head chef, new wine director and general manager, in my story from earlier this week.
Best of the Week Ahead
Below, find a curated list of the best food and drink events in Santa Cruz County for the coming week. At the top, I share my picks of unmissable local happenings.
News of the week
ICYMI – here are the food news stories from Lookout that you might have missed, plus important news from beyond our borders picked by yours truly.
- Monterey Bay region falling short of homebuilding targets to address farmworker overcrowding (Lookout)
- Aptos’ Doon to Earth tasting room, a Bonny Doon Vineyard-Ser Winery collaboration, will close after this weekend (Lookout)
- Aptos restaurant Cafe Sparrow to close after 38 years, citing rising costs (Lookout)
- California’s much-beloved garlic festival is heading to the Central Valley (Eater SF)