My wife recently decided to take me to Cafe del Rey, to celebrate my birthday. It had been quite some time since we had eaten there, since we no longer live in LA. We both had fond memories of the beautiful marina view and the exquisite Asian inspired food. Initially, we were a little reluctant to stay, when we found out that after years of serving sushi and various dishes with exotic Asian flavors, Cafe del Rey now serves a Mediterranean inspired menu (as if CA needs another). Our server (a kind jovial fellow named Nick) manged to talk us into staying, as he insured us the food was still top notch. My wife and I were very impressed by his meticulous knowledge of both the menu and the wine list, as he was able to answer in detail all of our questions. We took his recommendation for appetizers and ordered the squash Agnolotti and the Truffle Pizza. The appetizers were amazingly good and each one was packed with flavor. For the main course, my wife ordered the Mahi-Mahi and I took his recommendation and ordered the Lamb Chops. When the food arrived we both marveled at how beautiful the presentation was. The only con was the portion size of the Lamb Chops. Three tiny chops for thirty some odd dollars, left me feeling a little short changed. Nevertheless, the combination of the succulent Lamb and roasted pepper hummus cheered me up immediately. My wife raved about her Mahi-Mahi, which came with a hand made celery root ravioli and green and white asparagus. The dish could have used a little more asparagus, but the fish was cooked perfectly and the flavors worked pretty well together. For dessert, our server sent us a chocolate cake with a candle in it for my birthday (free of charge). The cake was rich, decadent and a good end to a good meal. Kudos, to our server Nick for convincing us to stay and to the service staff at Cafe del Rey for a great birthday experience!
Pros: Excellent Service
Cons: Food is a tad bit overpriced
more