Washington St. Bar & Grill Offers a Taste of the Santa Maria Valley

On the site of the old Black Whale in Marina del Rey, Gerri Gilliland, who owns a string of restaurants on Santa Monica’s Main Street (namely Gilliland’s, Jake & Annie’s and Lula), has just opened her fourth Westside restaurant, Washington St. Bar & Grill.

On a rainy night, the bar feels cozy, if cool, but sure, the staff will gladly turn down the air conditioning there--and in the dining room, too. (To be safe, bring a sweater.) Though you walk past the grill man on your way to the dining room, unless you already knew the concept is Santa Maria barbecue, you wouldn’t have a clue. The waiter will tell you meats are grilled over red oak, the fuel of choice in the Santa Maria Valley. But what happened to the poquito beans that are so much a part of the tradition?

Washington St. Bar & Grill’s menu is pitched to Westside tastes with starters such as oak-grilled portabello mushroom, “Matty’s” fine crab cakes with lemon-caper remoulade, “peel and eat” shrimp by the pound, and steamed black mussels in a curry cream sauce. The handful of pizzas include a rather garlicky black tiger shrimp version with mozzarella and fresh tomato sauce and the smoked salmon pizza Spago made famous, this one with caramelized onions, capers and fontina cheese.

Grilling over oak can be tricky, and the kitchen hasn’t quite mastered it yet--but hey, it’s only been open less than a week. For those who like Alaskan king crab legs (and are willing to spend $30), you can get 1 1/2 pounds grilled over oak, served simply with drawn butter. My bulls-eye steak, i.e., rib eye, is nicely charred, but the thin steak is overcooked. Tastiest of the steaks we tried: the New York strip. New Zealand lamb chops are good, too. But that aged prime top sirloin doesn’t live up to its billing.

For dessert, try something light, like the cappuccino sundae. Or the lemon meringue pie. The heavy banana cheesecake just might sink your ship.

BE THERE

Washington St. Bar & Grill, 3016 Washington St., Marina del Rey, (310) 823-9898. Open nightly for dinner; lunch begins early March. Major credit cards accepted. Lot parking. Appetizers $4 to $13; pizzas $11 to $13; grilled main courses $13 to $30.