[Restaurant Review
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A Pampering Meal at the Prado
Our scenic walk to the Prado is our first indication that we are in for an extraordinary evening. We meander through Balboa Park, passing illuminated historic monuments, lush landscapes, and romantic Spanish Colonial colonnades before arriving at our destination. It is a uniquely picturesque commencement to our dining experience: instead of pushing through throngs of people on streets crowded with competing restaurants, we are immersed in the tranquil indolence of the park after dark, sharing the wide open walkways with only a handful of evening strollers.
The dreamy ambiance is heightened by the Prado’s courtyard, which transports us to a re-imagined hacienda infused with the timeless, magical nostalgia of a Marquez novel. The trickling water from the fountain mingles with the distant chatter from the restaurant, bouncing off stuccoed walls and echoing through arched walkways. The restaurant peeks coquettishly from behind a screen of palm fronds, intensifying the sense of drama and intrigue that has been building during our slow approach. We willingly succumb to the beckoning glow of the restaurant, and enter Prado’s luscious epicurean dreamscape.
The Prado, we learn, is a multiple-roomed labyrinthine shrine dedicated to the fine arts of feasting and revelry. The restaurant has a unique mixture of private rooms, large-scale banquet facilities, and dining rooms suiting a variety of occasions and dining fantasies. The elegant banquet hall, seating 350 to 500 guests, captures the debonair style of a bygone era with its twenty-foot high hand-stenciled ceiling. Upstairs, the Loggia and El Hambra rooms, seating approximately 80 and 60 guests respectively, are slightly more intimate banquet areas, each with their own balconies and distinctive views. The main restaurant offers a variety of seating areas, including the stylish Lounge, where twice daily happy hours Tuesday through Friday make for a decidedly jubilant atmosphere. With four kitchens, an extensive underground network of catering facilities, and a highly skilled culinary team, the Prado is a well-oiled gastronomic machine.
We are led past the lively Lounge into the Courtyard Room. As we approach our table, I catch glimpses of the other seating areas through windows and doorways: the Solarium, which shares a windowed wall with the Courtyard Room, promises sun-soaked meals and lazy weekends through its wide windows with outdoor views, while the Terrace’s multi-tiered seating area near the verdant Café del Rey Moro gardens offers glimpses of the Downtown skyline through eucalyptus trees and views of the canyon below. In contrast, the Courtyard Room has more of a domestic feel, albeit with luxurious and historic overtones. Large, round tables offer a family dinner feel, while smaller, more traditional tables and cozy banquettes offer intimate atmospheres. My eyes dart around the space, attracted by various unique accents: hand-painted beams salvaged from the original 1915 building, whimsical blown glass sculptures, and baroque mirrors impart a distinctive artistry and Old World aesthetic to the space. Wrought iron lanterns and candles cast a soft glow over the dining crowd, amplifying the warm-hued décor with a faint radiance. We are seated next to the window overlooking the very courtyard that greeted us on arrival, and for which the Courtyard Room gets its name, providing voyeuristic peeks into the world beyond our cozy yet lavish niche. Still overcome by the visual smorgasbord surrounding us, we attempt to focus our attention on the culinary feast to come.
True to its name, the Study in Beets, resembles a painter’s study in Abstract Expressionism. Three large beet discs are aligned in gradations of color across a long rectangular dish, their rich jewel colors standing out against the stark white of the plate. A smaller section of a marinated beet is placed precisely on top of each larger disc, while generous chunks of soft goat cheese and dark-colored balsamic vinegar zigzags disrupt the careful order of the composition and infuse a rhythmic energy into the presentation. A smallish bundle of frisee is placed to the far right of the plate, presenting a light and airy component that is both a visual and flavor counterpoint to the rest of the study. Upon tasting the dish, the title Study in Beets is given new meaning, as the particularities of each beet are juxtaposed and compared on the palate. The earthy sweetness of the beets is punctuated by the acidic balsamic and the slightly sour goat cheese, while the frisee undercuts the puckering pungency of the dish. It is a pleasing beginning to our meal: an expression of the simple satisfaction of quality ingredients.
I am astounded by the size of the Prado Oysters Rockefeller when it arrives at the table. A panko-crusted oyster nearly the size of a salad plate unfurls like a fan from its deep-set dish. A sautéed medley of watercress, corn, pancetta, and parmesan cheese adds a colorful accent to the plate. The dish is as much an exploration in texture as it is in the subtleties of flavor: the crispy panko exterior is juxtaposed against the silkiness of the oyster, a textural interplay that is reflected in the sautéed vegetables, as whole corn kernels and crispy pancetta add crunch to the near-pureed texture of the watercress. It is as well balanced in flavor as it is in texture: the salty, slightly bitter flavor of the oyster is picked up by the salty parmesan and bitter watercress. The layered nuances of this dish leave my palate intrigued, an excellent starter for the culinary expedition that is to follow.
The Pan Roasted Sea Bass arrives floating on a “raft” of garlic potato mash and rapini within a sea of creamy white cauliflower and truffle puree. The rather minimalist presentation belies the complexity of its flavors. Leaning over the dish, my nose immediately detects the slightly musky aromas of the white truffle, which mixes with the faint charred smell of the roasted fish to impart a distinctly wintry sensibility to the dish. Despite this initial headiness, these potent flavors are treated with an expert hand, carefully maintaining the delicate, quieter flavors of the fish, and gingerly layering the more nuanced and potent tastes to create a dish that balances pungency and subtlety in a pleasing and unexpected marriage.
As soon as the Braised Boneless Beef Short Rib is placed before us , the air is filled with the rich scents of red wine, blue cheese, and beef. The vibrant red of the wine reduction blends with the cool white of the blue cheese foam pooling around the dark slab of beef, making for a visually arresting presentation. Off to one side, a mound of creamy potato mash supports two towering green asparagus spires. The Prado kitchen, again, has infused nuance into simple flavor combinations: by transforming the Point Reyes blue cheese into a foam, it manages to make a rather heavy, rich cheese very light and ethereal, while still maintaining the integrity of its pungent flavor. The red wine reduction, like an exquisite wine pairing, complements the short rib’s meatiness with a delightful full-bodied flavor, intensifying the comforting, wintry satisfaction of the dish.
Continuing in the decadent vain that has characterized the rest of our Prado experience, the Apple Tart “Jewel Box” and the Belgian Chocolate Othello arrive together. True to its name, the Apple Tart resembles a treasure chest, its buttery shortbread walls and caramelized apple interior hinting at its flavorful riches that, upon first bite, transform homey apple pie flavors into a light and subtle dessert. The Belgian Chocolate Othello, on the other hand, is anything but light. Its tower of hazelnut and chocolate mousses is a study in rapturous sweet tooth indulgence. Our spoons sink in to its silky layers and excavate hidden treasures: brandied cherries, whose alcoholic sweetness add new levels of opulence to this sophisticated dessert. Crowned by a chocolate-dipped cherry that playfully references an ice cream sundae, the Belgian Chocolate Othello is a dramatically gluttonous crescendo to our gastronomic festivities. Satiated beyond capacity, we leave behind the Prado’s delicious pampering and look forward to our slow, restorative walk through the park back to the car.
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