Whist

As I gaze Whist-fully at the pictures from my brunch at Whist, I cannot help but salivate (just a little) over what is now my favorite beet salad ever! But I'm getting ahead of myself here...

Recently, an old friend and I caught up with one another at Viceroy Santa Monica's Whist. Like Tavern, Whist's interior demands that I give it a little shout out. Designed by Kelly Wearstler, the restaurant reads like a dramatic and modern version of a proper English parlor. My favorite thing in the restaurant is the green-mirrored wall devoted entirely to a display of black and white fine English china, which provides for a stunning and elegant focal point. The patio space of the restaurant is equally whimsical. With private dining cabanas (perfect for a intimate celebrations), plush leather seats and black and white accents sprinkled through out the patio, the outdoor option echos the chic and retro-glam feel of the interior space.

To start our feast, my friend and I split the roasted beet salad with baby lettuce, candied hazelnuts and truffle pecorino panna cotta. I love this salad for so many reasons that I almost don't know where to start (deep breath)! First off, the beets were served two ways- thin slices of pickled red beets, as well as the roasted halves of red and yellow beets. The pickled slices stood up perfectly to its roasted counterparts and added a nice crunchiness to the salad. Meanwhile, the tartness of the creamy (and insanely sublime, might I add) panna cotta cut the sweetness of the beets perfectly. While there was a lot happening on the plate (beets done two ways, bitter salad leaves, candied nuts, cheesy panna cotta) and there was a lot of playfulness with textures, I appreciated that the flavors of this beet salad were focused and succinct. I covet this beet salad so much so that I told my boss, who was interviewing chef Tony DiSalvo later that week, to tell chef DiSalvo that I heart his sophisticated riff on the beet salad and will be back for more! :)

For our main course, we shared two dishes, the first was an order of the eggs benedict- poached eggs, rosemary ham and hollandaise served with tuscan potatoes (I told you I love love love EB). The star of this dish was definitely the creamy hollandaise sauce. I'm not typically a huge fan of creamy sauces (I don't like whipped cream or anything doused with too much butter- yes I know there is a general intake of breath here) but this hollandaise sauce managed to be rich yet light at the same time. The roasted tuscan potatoes were sprinkled liberally with fresh rosemary and chili peppers which tied in nicely with the rosemary ham.

The second dish we shared was the strawberry french toast with fresh strawberries and strawberry jam. I'm usually a pancake girl (left over influences from an ex-boyfriend) so I have not had french toast in a long time but for some reason, this french toast sounded good to both of us. The strawberries smelled divine and were nice and juicy; and the strawberry jam was lovely too, not too sweet or too lumpy. French toast wise however, I was not too impressed with the sogginess of the bread and was once again reminded why I usually pick pancakes over french toast.

For dessert, we had the spiced pumpkin bread with spiced quince, candied pecans and brown sugar ice cream. Presented in a gorgeous copper dish, the pumpkin bread was beautifully spiced and perfectly moist. My first bite immediately conjured images of fall in my head. The fragrant quinces were the perfect compliment to the autumn flavors going on in this dish and added an interesting bite. Unfortunately, the brown sugar ice cream lacked the molasses punch that I was expecting.

Details:

Whist Restaurant

1819 Ocean Avenue

Santa Monica CA, 90401

310 260 7511