JiRaffe is a beautifully appointed restaurant in Santa Monica where Chef/Owner Raphael Lunetta reigns supreme. The restaurant specializes in California/French cuisine. For Top Chef devotees, he was the guest judge on last year's beach Elimination Challenge. So, not only is he a much beloved California chef, he is a surfer dude. Gotta love it.
Before entering the restaurant, I had no idea what to expect. Indeed, one cannot imagine the elegant, tastefully decorated two floor restaurant that is JiRaffe. Very simple, but refined. The decor set the tone for the meal. Simply put, the food is both simple and refined. Unpretentious fine dining.
JiRaffe emphasizes fresh, seasonal ingredients. The amuse, which was a little more substantial than a traditional amuse, was a little salad of fresh nectarines and walnuts. It was fresh and delicious.
Instead of the usual glass of wine, I decided to have a cocktail. It was a potent elixir comprised of pomegranate juice and ice wine. Ice wine is a dessert wine produced from grapes that were frozen on the vine. That was my first experience with ice wine. Definitely plan on revisiting it.
For my entree, I selected the Roasted All Natural Chicken with a Garden Ragout of Sweet Corn, English Peas, Caramelized Pearl Onions in a Roasted Chicken Jus. Again, the food was simple, yet very satisfying. The chicken was cooked perfectly. Juicy and succulent. The jus adding even more flavor. The sweet corn, english peas, and caramelized onions ragout was reminiscent of vegetable medley I ate when I was younger. The vegetables were good, however, the caramelized onion was a tad bit aggressive.
If you are in the Santa Monica area, give JiRaffe a try. Fine dining, done simple.
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