Friday, July 19, 2019

Seasonal California Fare and House-milled Sourdough at Coin & Candor (Westlake Village, CA)

The Four Seasons hotel at Westlake Village redid their restaurant and recently opened Coin and Candor. It's a place that you'd likely find me going back to after work for dinner or drinks (on a bit of a splurge). Coin and Candor is a "California brasserie" with executive chef Jose Fernandez, a Barcelona native who's been with the Four Seasons since 2017 (and previously worked for The Peninsula hotels), and executive pastry chef Patrick Fahy, who was head pastry chef at The French Laundry.
Coin and Candor
The round bar at the center of the dining room looks like a great place to drink, but for my visit I opted to sit outside since it was a beautiful day.
Coin and Candor
Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo of the cocktail menu (sorry), but our cocktails were pretty good.

We started off with some house-milled red fife sourdough that they bake daily, served with organic Strauss creamery butter ($5)
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So I didn't really know what the deal was with red fife sourdough, but I had to look it up after because I fell in love with this bread. If I could just come here and eat this bread, I would (I think I could, yes?). So anyway, red fife wheat was the first heritage wheat that was put on the Slow Food Ark of Taste, back in 2003. It was the industry standard in Canada back in the late 19th century. Apparently it pretty much disappeared after the Great Depression but artisan bakers are starting to use it more and more now. Anyway, this bread that's milled in-house and baked fresh daily is amazing.

Next up is the smoked hamachi crudo, tomato broth, olives, onion, cilantro, fresh radish ($11)
Coin and Candor

California avocado, Santa Barbara pistachio, lemon zest, seaweed dust ($12)
Coin and Candor
The prettiest avocado you've ever seen?

Coin and Candor has plenty of options for vegetarians. Our next dish was the Cauliflower steak, corn mole, citrus, caper, chive oil ($12)
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I also had a wood-fired cabbage with bacon jam that I loved, but unfortunately forgot to take a photo of. Trust me, though, that one was good. Especially that bacon jam!

Heirloom corn stew, ancho chili aioli, fresh cheese, cilantro ($12)
Coin and Candor
Summer is corn season, so of course we had to take full advantage of it! The ancho chili aioli was a little salty, but I otherwise enjoyed this.

Dry aged meatballs, San Marzano tomatoes, house made ricotta, grilled bread ($19)
Coin and Candor
I never thought about dry aging meatballs before, but it works.

The wood fire grill is a big deal at Coin and Candor, used to make dishes like the cabbage I mentioned earlier and also the 10 oz Baja California red snapper, adobo, herb salad ($26)
Coin and Candor
The snapper was a good dish; the adobo rub gives it a lot of flavor but just enough to not overpower the fish.

Having a pastry chef who's a French Laundry alum meant they had to showcase the desserts, of course. We ended up getting a dessert tasting (of smaller portions than the regular menu).

Starting off with this strawberry sorbet made to look like a strawberry. Almost too pretty to eat!
Coin and Candor
Pavlova with lemon verbena ice cream (the lemon verbena comes from the hotel's garden) and Thorne Farm blueberries.
Coin and Candor
Thorne Family Farm is located in Malibu and I've come to find out, has really good berries.

Next are some Bing cherries, dipped in chocolate
Coin and Candor
Pistachio souffle, cherry ice cream, chocolate fudge
Coin and Candor
Criollo (pure criollo chocolate, liquid nitrogen hibiscus ice cream)
Coin and Candor
This dessert is a big deal because criollo is the rarest chocolate varietal. There are fewer plantations that grow criollo, the varietal has lower yield and is less resistant to disease, but is thought to be the best chocolate variety. It certainly made a great dessert here.

Coin and Candor
Chefs Jose Fernandez and Patrick Fahy
Coin and Candor offers one of the best dining experiences in Conejo Valley, with a great ambiance, solid drinks and great food from the savory dishes to the desserts. And I do love that bread!
Anyway, if you live or work near the area, make a point to check out this restaurant.

PS. It's Dine L.A. Restaurant Week until July 26 and Coin and Candor is running a 3-course prix fixe menu for $39 so it's a good time to check it out.

Coin & Candor
Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village
2 Dole Dr
Westlake Village, CA 91362
https://www.coinandcandor.com/
Coin & Candor Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato


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