Cafe Del Rey Is Where the Nonsmoker Lights Up

“Thank you for not smoking,” reads the sign on the front of the hostess podium at the Cafe Del Rey. In the bar, there are more signs: “Cafe Del Rey--A Nonsmoking Restaurant.” The restaurant, just 2 weeks old, is part of a slowly growing group of establishments where cigarettes are not tolerated, even in a token designated smokers’ area.

Given the relative novelty of the policy, especially in the kind of dockfront Marina restaurant that seems to be half bar, Cafe Del Rey’s enforced social discipline might seem like a gimmick. But the people behind this restaurant have put together a menu and wine list designed to attract both smoking and nonsmoking foodies. The chef, Katsuo Nagasawa, cooked at the old La Petite Chaya, Joachim Splichal’s Max Au Triangle, Bocca on Melrose, Bistango in Irvine and, most recently, at San Pedro’s West Channel Bar and Grill.

His food, for the most part, lies comfortably within the realm of Japanese-inspired French cooking. There are, for instance, fried shrimp with seaweed, and Nagasawa’s signature gravlax and cucumber “spaghetti,” shot through with salmon eggs and served with a “calzone” filled with sour cream--it’s a Japanese take on salmon and blini. In the restaurant’s apparent interest in getting in on every current trend, there are also pastas and pizzas and a smattering of Southwestern-influenced dishes.

The restaurant, on the site of the once-famous restaurant Fiasco, has one of those California-perfect dinner-time views of bobbing yachts at anchor, glistening water, and sunset. The service staff, dressed in white shirts and brightly colored ties pictured with floating food objects, is cheerful-- really cheerful. “This is an exciting menu!” a waitress chirps to each one of her tables. “We even make our own ice cream!” Cafe Del Rey, 4451 Admiralty Way, Marina del Rey, (213) 823-6395. Entrees $9-$23.