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(Business Wire)
SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Caché, a casual restaurant showcasing a market-based menu by award-winning local chef Josiah Citrin, opens Friday, July 3, 2009, in time for the holiday weekend and summer season. Located just blocks from the beach, Caché brings an unrivaled dining experience to the West Side, with a stunning garden setting and sleek new design.
Shubin & Donaldson, the prominent Culver City design firm, remodeled the former Hidden restaurant to create a relaxed, indoor-outdoor ambience. The clean and modern design highlights natural materials, using white walls, dark mahogany and teak flooring and combining them with concrete, stainless steel and fieldstone surfaces. Inspired by Cachés spectacular garden surroundings, Architect Ann-Sofi Holst chose to integrate the streamlined dining room with the bar and garden patio with a new open floor plan. The outdoor bar and lounge, with its retractable awnings and fire-pit, can accommodate all-weather dining; a counter at the now-open kitchen allows diners to interact with the chefs and invites dropping in for a bite and socializing. Three cabanas encased in fieldstone sit adjacent to the garden lounge and can seat groups of eight or be combined for intimate and private dining.
The dining room features comfortable indoor seating as well as a covered outdoor terrace. Anchored between the open kitchen and dining room is a handsome wine cabinet customized with mahogany detail, displaying many of the 200 offerings of new and old-world vintages. The airy dining room is detailed with vaulted ceilings and accented with local contemporary art.
Three picture windows dressed with handsome geometric metal work and votive candles softly illuminate evening dining and allow for dramatic street views of Santa Monica. Chef Josiah Citrin has had a major hand in the complete remodel of the kitchen, although he has retained the wood-burning oven for cooking the variety of flatbreads that will be served.
Caché, in an effort to make world-class art widely available and expand awareness of the Southern California art scene, is collaborating with Aldis Browne Fine Arts of Santa Monica to organize regularly changing exhibits by prominent and emerging local artists displayed in the dining room.
“We’re thrilled to bring this wonderful outdoor restaurant and lounge, with its unparalleled garden setting, to the West Side,” said Richard Chacker, one of Cachés Managers and the owner of Perry’s boardwalk café businesses based in Santa Monica. “We’re a group of locals and we know there’s a great demand for this type of eatery. We immediately recognized the potential to create a unique dining experience here; Caché clearly surpasses any other outdoor restaurant and lounge experience found in Santa Monica. As long-time admirers of Josiah Citrin, we jumped at the opportunity to bring his creative talent and restaurant business insight to this singular and stunning venue.”
Citrin, a prominent local chef and restaurateur, chose 26-year-old Nyesha Arrington as Cachés Chef de Cuisine after working with her at two of his celebrated restaurants—Lemon Moon in West Los Angeles and Mélisse in Santa Monica. Arrington’s cooking technique has been influenced by a wide range of culinary experiences. As a young girl she was introduced to diverse foods by her Korean grandmother. Years later, she honed her expertise while training with legendary French chef Joel Robuchon at his Michelin and Mobil award-winning Las Vegas restaurants, L’Atelier and The Mansion. “I love all sorts of food—French, Indian, Asian,Greek—and I am a big fan of mixing the flavors of world cuisines,” Arrington said. The front of the house is ably overseen by Tony Trincanello, a seasoned restaurant manager and certified sommelier that helped open the west coast location of Craft, and more recently managed the Penthouse at the Huntley Hotel.
Both Citrin and Arrington frequent the weekly Farmers’ Market in Santa Monica, where they inspect and purchase the produce while establishing relationships with farmers from the outlying regions of Los Angeles. Arrington also is growing her own herbs in Cachés garden. This affinity for fresh seasonal products is clearly reflected in the market-based menus of the restaurant’s bar lounge and restaurant dining room.
Signature dishes begin with appetizers of Wood-Fried Calamari, Parsley, Lemon and Garlic Oil; Market Wedge, Cherry Tomato, Blue Cheese, Egg, Bacon Salad; and Ahi Tuna Tartare with Avocado, Lime-Ginger Vinaigrette. Two sizes of either a Charcuterie with savory garnishes or artisanal Cheese Platter with honeycomb, sweet onion marmalade and candied walnuts are designed to share. Citrin and Arrington will feature a changing menu of six wood-fired flatbreads —among them, Caramelized Shallot with Brie, Arugula and Balsamic; Spicy Soprasetta with Crimini, Sage and Mozzarella; and Zucchini with Feta, Thyme and Lemon Zest. Entrees include a perfectly tender Kurobota Pork Chop, Pineapple Chutney and Mint; Tea-Smoked Ahi Tuna, Marinated Eggplant, Lemon and Rosemary; and N.Y. Strip Steak, Maui Onion Rings and Chimchurri Sauce. Over a dozen sides dishes complement the entrées and express Citrin and Arrington’s imagination – Carrots, Passion Fruit, Thyme, Black Pepper; Asparagus, Curry and Pistachios; and an Artichoke Gratin.
The bar and lounge offers a large number of dishes from the dining room menu and adds favorite snacks of Sliders, Oysters and Parmesan Truffle Fries. The chefs plan to present many of the bar and lounge items in Mason Jars to highlight the abundance of Farmers’ Market products in a “Farm to Table” context – Duck Confit; Eggplant-Olive Tapenade; Mason Jar Marinated Market Vegetables; Foie Gras Parfait and Smoked Salmon Potato Salad. Sweet endings to a dinner or a treat for a late night indulgence are provided by a list of comfort desserts – Nutella Pot de Crème; a Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch with Caramel Sauce and a Caramelized Lemon Tart.
Caché brings a vibrant mood to Main Street and its nightlife: It is one of the few local venues serving a late night menu and open until 2:00 a.m. Starting in August, weekday lunch and brunch on Saturdays and Sundays will be added; there will be a continuous all-day menu offered in the bar lounge from 11:00 a.m. until midnight on weekends. The wine list includes over 200 selections of new and old-world vintages, with an exclusive library from the owners’ private collection. Caché offers full bottle service along with classic and house cocktails emphasizing fresh squeezed juices, muddled herbs and seasonal fruits and vegetables.
Executive Chef Josiah Citrin is also the Chef/owner of the acclaimed Mélisse Restaurant, which has received many prestigious awards including a coveted Two Stars from the Michelin Guide, Four Stars from Mobil Travel Guide, among the Top 40 Restaurants in the U.S. from Gayot.com 2008, Wine Spectator Best Award of Excellence (2001-2008), and #1 Restaurant for Food in Los Angeles from Zagat Guide, which the restaurant has garnered for the past four years. “Caché is less formal than Mélisse,” Citrin explained. “I wanted to create a restaurant with great food and service in a wonderful outdoor location. This is the kind of place where I like to unwind and relax.”
Cachés principal partner group includes brothers Greg and Colin Strause of the prestigious visual effects firm Hydraulx; Steven Lee, a partner in the prominent Beverly Hills-based real estate development/investment partnership Canyon Development; and Richard Chacker, owner of Perry’s, the renowned beachside café and rental operations, and an active member of many Santa Monica associations, including the Chamber of Commerce.
For reservations, the public can call:
Caché Restaurant
3110
Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90405
310.399.4800
Visit
Caché Restaurant on the Web at www.cacherestaurant.com
or www.OpenTable.com
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