My wife and I both enjoy live music and we especially like going to small intimate venues. Restaurants and jazz clubs aren’t as large as theaters and don’t require binoculars to see the musicians. For Valentine’s Day my wife gave me tickets to a jazz performance with Eric Marienthal and David Benoit at Spaghettini Grill.
Due to the coronavirus, the performance was postponed. We held out hope and learned that they had rescheduled the event to Sat. June 27. At the time we were notified, dining rooms remained closed and I felt doubtful that the event would take place. On May 29, LA County restaurants were given the green light to re-open.
We arrived at Spaghettini Grill 30 minutes early, put on our masks and entered the restaurant. The interior didn’t look anything like our last visit. They removed all of the booths and created a socially distant interior. Co-owner Cary Hardwick gave a short heartfelt speech thanking everyone for attending and mentioned that day, June 27, was Spaghettiini’s 32nd anniversary.
My wife was extremely happy with her cocktail. Named “Sitting Pretty”, it included Grey Goose vodka, limoncello, and pomegranate purée. I picked mine due to its name “The Porcupine”, a tequila based drink with a floating slice of lime that had been torched. With the smoked lime, the taste bordered on mezcal.
The use of wild mushrooms and roasted garlic provided a rustic set of flavors to the Chicken Penne Pasta. It was tossed with a roasted garlic sauce and sun dried tomatoes. While she enjoyed it, she thought the use of more cream in the sauce would make it even better.
Many chefs select Scottish Salmon over other varieties because of its mild flavor and buttery texture. It is also sustainably raised off the coast of Scotland, hence the name. Caramelization of the salmon gives it some sweetness and the soy grand marnier sauce adds salt and umami flavors. The salmon was perfectly cooked and flaked away with my fork.
While we ate, saxophonist and Grammy award winner, Eric Marienthal and three others took the stage. Even the musicians exercised caution as the bass player wore a mask, and the drummer was behind a clear acrylic shield. It was my first time seeing Marienthal in person and I was impressed at how talented he is.
Marienthal’s special guest that evening was David Benoit, one of my favorite Smooth Jazz artists. Despite Benoit releasing his debut album 33 years ago, he showed no signs of slowing down. Benoit selected Cabin Fever from one of his earliest CDs to close the evening because he could showcase Marienthal on the saxophone.
For dessert we shared a creme brulee. The top was perfectly torched and caramelized. The wine we paired with our entree was the Banfi Chianti Classico. This was dark red in hue with long legs in the glass.
Soon after our visit, restaurants were again ordered to shut down their indoor dining rooms. As a result, performances at Spaghettini Grill appear to be on hold since show tickets are no longer on sale. When they restart their shows again, I highly recommend you pay them a visit.
Spaghettini Grill, 3005 Old Ranch Parkway, Seal Beach, California 90740; 562.596.2199
spaghettini.com