Mountain Views News          Saturday, February 4, 2012

9

GOOD FOOD & DRINK

Mountain Views News Saturday, February 4, 2012

SURF AND TURF IN ENCINO!!!

Worthy of a reprint from 2010, it’s still a great place today!

Steak and Lobster, can you imagine being at the table the first time that these two were married? 
The wonderful pairing of this edible king and queen, now that is truly genius. As kingly as 
this dish may appear, it is actually one of those dishes that can easily be done at home. I have 
cooked countless steaks in my backyard and boiled many memorable lobsters. But for this 
article, we are going on a road trip. I had a meeting this week and needed to pick a restaurant 
that was at a halfway point. Encino was the center of the universe for this trip. I was destined 
for Delmonico’s. 

They pride themselves on their exceptional Steak and Lobster; 
I think I may wear my good tie for this wedding. 

Delmonico’s is a staple in Encino, you might remember that 
they opened and closed very quickly at The Paseo mall in 
Pasadena. They were never able to develop a loyal 

customer base at that location, but I fondly remember a 
business lunch at the Encino location many years ago. With 
an umbrella in hand and rain in the clouds, I was off to Encino.

Surprisingly, I was on time. For some reason I felt compelled to ask the valet how the food 
is, his reply, a thumbs up and a gleeful smile. The restaurant was half full at best. Hmm….. 
Delmonico’s not crowded. Well, I guess the tough economic times and a rainy night had left an 
impact on this evening’s crowd. The restaurant has a bar in front, with open seating and closed 
booths running along each side. My choice was the booth. My initial sense was that this was 
going to be a great meal. 

The hostess greeted us, and the first person to meet us was a man dressed, more in the armament 
of a manager then a waiter, no matter though, we are not attending a fashion show. I asked, 
“How are the crab cakes,” he responded with an enthusitic, “Great and they would go great with 
our famous garlic bread.” The classic up sell, very well done and I went for it. Crabcakes are 
two medium cakes surrounded by what I can only guess are onion rings, priced at ($12.95). I’ll 
give them a passing grade, but the trip is/was not worth these items. The Garlic Bread comes in 
four large slices of sourdough bread with garlic shallots sprinkled on the surface, nice touch and 
usually when it looks good, it tastes good. That held true to form. 

Okay, appetizers are not so hot, but I’m here for Steak and Lobster, Surf and Turf ($40.95). The 
restaurant strongly boasts of the Lobster, even calling itself a Lobster House. The plate I ordered 
included vegetables, and a choice of a potato. The lobster comes detached from the shell, which 
is helpful, and the last delectable item is a 6 oz filet. The meal is plenty large enough for this 
hungry reviewer. 

The steak is topped with a sauce that I cannot identify, something between a bbq sauce and 
a béarnaise. My suggestion, order this dry and get the sauce on the side. Anytime you are 
ordering an expensive piece of meat there shouldn’t be a need for a pool of sauce or A 1. 

Plenty of seafood items to choose from, with prices in the upper ($20) range. My dinner 
companion ordered the Grilled Sea Bass at ($27.95), a few bites and thought I should have gone 
fish. All and all, it was a decent experience with mediocre food. The to-go menu that I used 
for my notes mentions an award winning Sunday Brunch. The pictures look right for that deal.

Delmonico’s Steak and Lobster House 

16358 Ventura Blvd. Encino

(818) 986-0777


SUSIE’S SEAFOOD GUMBO*

*It’s my birthday, so I though I would share one of my 
favorite dishes. Don’t worry, it’s not as difficult as you 
might think! This recipe feeds about 12.


INGREDIENTS

1 Whole Chicken

1 1/2 pound medium shrimp in shell, peeled and deveined

2 dozen shucked oysters with their liquor, oysters picked over for shell fragments 

1 Whole Dungeness Crab - cleaned and broken into fragments (in the shell)

2-4 Louisiana Hot Links

About 1/2 cup vegetable oil 

3/4 cup all-purpose flour 

2 celery ribs, chopped 

1 Stalk of Celery - whole

1 whole onion

1 medium green bell pepper, chopped 

1 medium onion, chopped 

5 garlic cloves, finely chopped 

2 1/2 quarts fish or chicken stock (or a combination)* 

1 (14-ounce) can chopped tomatoes

1 can tomato paste 

1 pound frozen cut okra (not thawed) 

Gumbo File Powder

1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley 

2 Bay Leaves

DIRECTIONS

 In a pot large enough to cover the chicken with water. Fill with water, add bay leaves, whole onion, 
and celery stalk, chopped celery Put Bay Boil Chicken until well done. Remove chicken and let it 
cool. Keep the chicken stock for use later in the recipe. Remove all bones and fat, from the chicken. 
Cut into bite sized pieces, leaving the wings intact. Set aside.

 While the chicken is boiling, Slice hot links in a 10-inch heavy skillet (preferably cast-iron) over 
medium heat until browned. (Add oil as needed). Remove links from the pan, and pour the drippings 
into a heatproof liquid measure, then add enough oil to bring total liquid to 3/4 cup. 

 Stir together fat and flour in skillet with a wooden spoon, then cook roux over medium-low heat, 
stirring constantly, until well browned (a shade darker than peanut butter), about 20 minutes. 

 Add chopped celery, bell pepper, onion, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables 
are tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a 6- to 7-quart pot. 

 Stir in stock from chicken, tomatoes, okra, and 2 teaspoons salt and 1 tablespoon of gumbo file and 
briskly simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very tender, about 20 minutes. 

 Add the cooked chicken and hot links to the mixture and cook another 20 minutes, then add shrimp, 
and oysters with their liquor and cook, stirring, until seafood is just cooked through, about 5 minutes.

 

 Stir in crabmeat and simmer until heated through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and additional 
gumbo filet to taste. Mixture should be the consistency of chowder and full of seafood, links and 
chicken! Serve over white rice.

*It improves the flavor if you add a bottle of clam juice to the chicken broth.

TABLE FOR TWO by Peter Dills

thechefknows@yahoo.com

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

SIERRA MADRE CIVIC CLUB COOK BOOK

 What do you ask when you hear that some of 
the finest cooks in Sierra Made have published a 
cookbook? You ask where to get one, of course. 
Well, members of the Sierra Madre Civic Club 
have published a collection of their best recipes 
for hors d’oeuvres, soups, salads, entrees, breads, 
vegetable dishes, side dishes, relishes, sauces, and 
brunch items in a volume entitled Recipes We 
Proudly Share. 

 The collection can be purchased for $15 at 
Arnold’s Hardware and Savor the Flavor or by 
calling 792-0852 or 355-7880.

 The Sierra Madre Civic Club is a non-profit, 
philanthropic organization that last year donated 
more than $20,000 back to the community in 
the form of educational scholarships and grants 
to such organizations as the Sierra Madre Rose 
Float Association, the library’s One Book One 
City Program, Sierra Madre Elementary School, 
Creative Arts, and the Sierra Madre Playhouse. 
Proceeds from the sale of the cookbooks become 
part of the philanthropy fund. 

 So do yourself and your community a favor and 
get your own copy of Recipes We Proudly Share. 
We hope you’ll find, as many others have, that 
once you’ve bought one copy, you’ll be back to 
buy additional ones for sisters, cousins, friends, 
and neighbors who’ve asked you where you got 
that recipe for the delicious dish you’ve served.


FIVE 
GREAT 
SONGS 
OF THE 
NEW YEAR 


Delta Spirit – “California” - Delta Spirit is 
prepping their new self-titled album due out 
on March 13. In anticipation of their third full-
length record, the San Diego band, dropped 
the single, “California”. They’ve always been 
pegged as an “Americana” rock band, but 
with the new single, Delta Spirit moves into 
more indie rock terrain. With producer Chris 
Coady (Grizzly Bear, TV On The Radio) on 
their side, the quintet group turns it up a notch 
with fuzzy guitars and vocals that seem crisper 
than ever before. This is a welcoming change 
of resonance that doesn’t stray away too much 
from their typical style. I like the direction 
they’re heading in and with “California” being 
the catchy, classic rock induced tune that it is, 
this evolving young band seem destined to 
make 2012 the year of Delta Spirit. 

Tanlines – “Brothers” - Tanlines is an 
experimental pop/indie rock duo from 
Brooklyn, NY. Jesse Cohen and Eric Emm 
are the two guys responsible for, “Brothers”, 
a beachy, moody, organic pop tune. Tropical 
guitars, bongos and baritone vocal style are 
implanted within this amazing song. On March 
20, Tanlines debut LP, “Mixed Emotions” will 
arrive. If the other songs are just as honest, 
personal, and pristine, then Tanlines are the 
real deal. I’m banking on Tanlines to be the 
definite sound of 2012, which is in need of a 
drastic overhaul as it is. 

Yukon Blonde – “Stairway” - Yukon Blonde 
recently released the single, “Stairway”, a 
blistering, swirling rock song. These Canadian 
rockers are gearing up for their sophomore 
release, “Tiger Talk” due out March 20. Their 
first single is a guitar-driven, full of energy; 
get you out of bed in the morning type of 
anthem. Easily the most mainstream band 
on this list of eclectic artists, Yukon Blonde 
has the potential of being the next Kings of 
Leon. From the looks of it, Yukon Blonde can 
become the next co-headliners at any major 
rock festival. For now, maybe they’ll just settle 
on coming out with their best material yet. 
At any rate, be sure to lookout for their new 
album because this band won’t be under the 
radar for much longer. 

Wild Nothing – “Nowhere” - One of my favorite 
bands of 2010, Wild Nothing has released 
a new song entitled, “Nowhere”. It features 
vocals from Twin Sister’s Andrea Estella. With 
this new song, the hazy, shoegazer band make 
a notable departure to their resonance as this is 
the first song produced in a studio. “Gemini”, 
one of the strongest albums of 2010 and Wild 
Nothing’s debut, was one of those D.I.Y. 
records. It was very lo-fi, hazy in tone, and the 
epitome of bedroom pop. Flash-forward to 
present day, Jack Tatum (mastermind of Wild 
Nothing) and crew seem a bit more polished 
around the edges. This time around, the vocals 
are even more discernible. The new sound is 
something to be excited for seeing that Tatum 
isn’t one-dimensional and the possibilities 
of what the new record may sound like are 
anyone’s guess for now. However, if “Nowhere” 
is an indication of what the record may 
sound like then my eagerness level has just 
skyrocketed. 

Memoryhouse – “Walk With Me” - 
Memoryhouse’s much-anticipated LP, “The 
Slideshow Effect” drops February 28. The 
dream-pop duo consists of Evan Abeele and 
Denise Nouvion. There’s nothing quite like 
the vocals of Nouvion. She’s a Goddess when 
she sings. You will fall madly in love with the 
way she sounds (and possibly her physical 
appearance too). There’s no one quite like her 
in the indie world and she rivals top female 
vocalists like Adele and Florence Welch 
(Florence and The Machine). The recent single, 
“Walk With Me” is impassioned, extremely 
moving, and picturesquely romantic. With 
the other glorious and much more fuller-
sounding song, “The Kids Were Wrong” 
released over a month ago, the odds are strong 
that Memoryhouse’s debut record will be on 
everyone’s top 10 list by the end of the year.