A Taste of History : Couple look to past for vision of their new restaurant--Landmark No. 78.

For the record, 211 E. Santa Clara St. in Ventura is a designated city landmark.

The late Victorian-style home was built in 1912 for businessman Carlo Hahn and remained a residence until 1971. That’s when the stately abode was converted into a barbecue joint, possibly diminishing a bit of its architectural and historical interest in the process.

Since the ‘70s conversion to Andy’s Barbecue Heaven, the venerable site has experienced several incarnations as an eatery--all of which strayed from a Victorian motif.

Enter Landmark No. 78--the city’s official designation bestowed on the site in 1991, and the name chosen by its newest owners.

Jorge and Darleen Ramirez--who purchased the restaurant in May when it was the Santa Clara House Grill & Barbecue--are looking to the past for a new vision of the establishment.

In the past few weeks, the couple have been methodically returning the former residence to its ornamented, authentic beginnings.

“From a historical standpoint, it lacked a lot,” Darleen Ramirez said. “This has been a process, like owning a home. You finish one project and begin another.”

The restaurant had long been, in part, a nightspot for live blues and rock entertainment. Gone are the musician posters, the burlap-sack window treatments and the bandstand. An air of elegance has emerged, featuring fresh paint, new window dressings, white linen tablecloths, a recent renaming and much hard work.

“We’ve gone through a lot of Murphy’s Oil Soap,” Darleen Ramirez said.

The restaurant seats as many as 150 patrons, with booths and tables spread throughout the house’s numerous quaint rooms. And the Ramirezes are planning to make use of the lot’s large outdoor patio when springtime rolls around.

Jorge Ramirez has built the menu from his chef experience at Tony’s Steak & Seafood in Ventura, where he spent 18 years before making the jump to proprietorship.

Landmark No. 78’s menu is anchored by its steak fare, which includes New York, porterhouse, rib eye, Kansas City-style (topped with onion rings), filet mignon and prime rib. The steaks are grilled over oak wood-burning barbecue pits. And the savvy steak-eater will appreciate that Ramirez uses only Certified Angus Beef--a beef-grading program established primarily for the restaurant trade, which ensures a consistent supply of high-quality meat.

Seafood items include fresh salmon and halibut filets (poached or oak-wood grilled), bouillabaisse and Scalone Steaks Creole (abalone and scallops combined as a cutlet and sauteed with tomatoes, herbs and wine). There are also specialty salads and pasta dishes.

The restaurant is open from 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday and Tuesday through Thursday, and until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; closed Mondays. Banquet facilities are available, and large groups can request a custom menu. Call 643-3264.

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Togo’s, the sandwich chain that boasts more than 200 company-owned and franchised locations around California and beyond, just introduced its California Roasted Chicken Sandwich. It features a creamy spread of kalamata olives, roasted garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and herbs.

This much is certain: When a sandwich-making behemoth decides to market a new menu item, you can bet the concoction has been put through its paces, long before making its way to your stomach.

It has been consecrated in the corporate test kitchen. Exalted above all others in market-testing groups. Haloed by an advertising campaign.

OK, hail to the California Roasted Chicken Sandwich. But you have to wonder: Which sandwiches failed to cut the mustard?

To learn more about the business of sandwich ascension, we contacted Drew Tyriver, Togo’s culinary development manager.

Just how do you come to anoint a particular sandwich?

“In this case we started with the initial concept that we needed a roasted chicken breast sandwich,” Tyriver explained. “Usually when you come out with one menu item, you start with about 100 ideas.”

That means serious time spent around the round table.

“This is creative, dump-all time for your brain,” Tyriver said. “It’s a no-holds barred, get out all the ideas you can.”

Discussed and debated is how the chosen sandwich will be fashioned. Cajun? Mexican? Italian? Ugandan? Whatever.

“The ideas are pared down to about 25 and they are taken to consumer groups,” Tyriver said. “They give you good feedback on those ideas.”

A consensus on three to five ideas comes out of that market testing, and then it’s on to the test kitchen for preparation.

Ruled out along the way was an Oriental chicken sandwich with bean sprouts, mandarin oranges and black pepper glaze.

“When it came down to it in the groups, it was a little too far out of the ordinary,” Tyriver said. Also nixed was a recipe that called for smothering a chicken sandwich with caramelized onions and another with roasted red bell pepper with pesto. Togo’s final three candidates also included Savory Roasted Chicken and Tuscan Roasted Chicken.

Back to the taste-testing consumer groups, which ultimately gave the nod to the California Roasted Chicken Breast. Tyriver’s summation: “It’s a little different, but not tremendously.”

Togo’s outlets are in Oxnard (1941 Rose Ave., No. 600, 981-1558); Ventura (1725 S. Victoria Ave., 644-4386) and Westlake Village (2731 Agoura Road, 449-9967).

Rodney Bosch writes about the restaurant scene in Ventura County and outlying points. He can be reached at 653-7572, by fax at 653-7576 or by e-mail at rodney.bosch@latimes.com.