2905 San Gabriel, 472-6483
Mon-Thu, 11:30am-5p, lunch;
6-10:30pm, dinner. Fri-Sat 6-11pm, dinner.
Sat and Sun brunch beginning 11am.
Granite Cafe used to be a favorite spot to satisfy my craving for designer pizzas and pastas. But a
recent dinner on the restaurant’s surprisingly breezy terrace found me
venturing beyond the boundaries of Italy, sampling new Asian and
Southwestern-inspired dishes. The restaurant’s menu still features its fair
share of pizzas and pastas, but as I discovered, Granite Cafe, under the
direction of head chef Reggie Ferguson, is also a fine place to do a little
culinary globe-trotting with Italy, Jamaica, Asia, the southwestern U.S., and
the Mediterranean basin all visited on the menu. Ferguson, who was promoted
from sous chef to head chef last March (Emmet Fox remains executive chef of the
restaurant), has concentrated on providing a wider variety of menu options,
adding more game and fish dishes as well as new health-conscious and vegetarian
entr�es.
My adventure began with a stop in Italy by way of the Chesapeake Bay with an
appetizer of sauteed crab and spinach on grilled polenta with a yellow tomato
coulis ($6.50). The heavily peppered crab meat, although not hand picked from a
fresh Chesapeake Bay catch, was nonetheless sweet and flaky with
distinguishable chunks culled from the claw. Under the crab was a mound of
garlic-laced saut�ed spinach that sat atop triangles of grilled polenta
resting in a yellow tomato pur�e. The polenta was grilled until just
crisp on the outside, retaining its creaminess, and the tangy coulis provided
the perfect condiment.
Next stop? The Pacific Rim, with an entr�e of tea-steamed salmon on
organic greens and vegetables with a strawberry-kiwi vinaigrette ($17).
Although the featured salmon was a product of the Atlantic, its preparation was
100% Asian. The method of steaming the salmon over tea resulted in a fish that
was moist and delicate, although the dish lacked pizzazz. The featured organic
greens turned out to be slightly wilted by the fish, and the strawberry-kiwi
vinaigrette, while certainly cool and fruity, failed to rescue the
entr�e on its own.
A better destination proved to be closer to home. An entr�e of pork
loin stuffed with apples and poblanos and served with roasted red potatoes,
roasted corn, and an ancho-lime sauce ($16) was fiery and full of bold,
southwestern personality. “Architectural” in appearance, the dish — actually
two generous slices of pork loin between which the caramelized apples and
tender poblanos were sandwiched — elicited “wows” from nearby diners.
Granite’s rich ancho-lime sauce married harmoniously with the rustic roasted
potatoes and corn, and the apples in the mix offered sweet respite from the
kick of spice. As I regretfully polished off the last bite of the southwestern
delight, my thoughts turned to Dorothy. Indeed, “there’s no place like home.”
— Rebecca Chastenet de G�ry
This article appears in September 27 • 1996 and September 27 • 1996 (Cover).