San Diego Magazine, October 2002
by Robin Kleven Dishon

At Arterra, the bacon-wrapped John Dory is accompanied by baby artichokes, tomatoes, French beans and shellfish essence. Set amid the tangle of new construction, freeway congestion and frequent fender-benders that typify Carmel Valley Road at I-5, the San Diego Marriott Del Mar hardly seems a prime dining destination.

But the hotel dining room, Arterra, has star power. Famed chef Bradley Ogden, founder of Northern California culinary meccas One Market and the Lark Creek Inn, is “chef/partner” at Arterra (as well as several other places in his Lark Creek Restaurant Group). As he says, the joint management contract between his business and the Marriott results in a hotel restaurant that draws food-savvy out-of town guests and quality-conscious locals.

Ogden makes monthly visits to Arterra, where the menu salutes his commitment to farm-fresh American cuisine and seasonally appropriate products. In January, he spent two weeks helping with the restaurant’s launch. But it’s on-site chef Carl Schroeder who’s here day in, day out, creating the recipes, buying the produce and supervising a dining room that’s one of the prettiest in San Diego. And it’s Schroeder who deserves credit for some spectacular dishes.

Schroeder worked with Ogden at Lark Creek Inn for three years, so he knows the philosophy behind the name. “What determines my menu is what I see down at Chino’s,” Schroeder says, referring to the remarkable produce stand in Rancho Santa Fe. “It’s so easy for us to jump down there and grab whatever we need. The menu is really seasonally and availability driven.’’

That means diners get heavenly local sweet corn and tomatoes during the summer; fresh pulled root vegetables and glorious squash through fall and winter. You won’t see Schroeder serving anemic imported strawberries in December. And you can expect a menu that changes every day.

During our late-summer visits here, the chef was kicking off meals with clever palate teasers based on fresh melon juices. One night, it was honeydew paired with a lemon granita; another, the juice was watermelon with a dash of lime. Presented in tall shot glasses rimmed with sel de mer (France’s incomparable sea salt, which intensifies the sweet melon flavors) and placed on ice, these represent seasonal thinking at its simple best.

Appetizers follow, the finest of them a creamy white-bean soup ($8.75) speckled with andouille sausage and tiny explosions of heirloom tomato flavor. Other worthy choices are smoked wild sturgeon ($11.95), pulled from the Columbia River and paired with two kinds of caviar and a golden potato blini; the bold Caesar salad ($7.50), fragrant with Reggiano, that’s a Brad Ogden signature; and chef Schroeder’s own duck liver pâté ($11.95) with curry-dressed greens.

Two off-notes in an otherwise stellar lineup: a Maine lobster salad ($16.50) with tough, overdone flesh and a puckery caper dressing, and a plate of Chino’s mixed greens ($7.50) done in by a horrendously salty vinaigrette. Go figure.

With the entrées, consistency is back in the driver’s seat. Few poultry dishes in town can match Schroeder’s roasted guinea hen ($26.50), a gently gamy bird that’s meticulously roasted then dolled up with spaetzle-like dumplings and mop-up-good tarragon pan juices. And do try the duck confit ($17.95), an unusual rendition with the shredded meat wrapped in ravioli and topped with meaty wild mushrooms plucked from the forests of Oregon. Pork loin ($24.50) is another superior choice. Wrapped in bacon for added flavor, this little piglet offered a touch of pinkness, a haunting smoke flavor and a superb side of potato-leek gratin.

A couple of fish are offered each night, depending on what the chef likes at the market. One night’s Asian-styled escolar ($26.95) was incredible, with gingery prawn ravioli and assorted Chinese vegetables making a savory supporting cast. Grilled salmon ($23.50) was moist and full-flavored but came in a red-hot spice rub that might leave some diners cold. Ask ahead about the preparation if you have a tender palate. 

Along with seasonal treats like chilled watermelon soup with pineapple sorbet ($7.50), the dessert lineup features an assortment of tony California cheeses such as Humboldt Fog ($10.50 for four varieties) and a confection platter with divine miniature crème brûlée, cheesecake and chocolates ($7.50).

The dining room is spacious and high-ceilinged, with curtains and upholstery in luscious tones of red and gold. Tables are simply dressed in white, with classic white porcelain plates and a few posies for color. With well-spaced tables, as well as comfy booths and a padded banquette, the room is fairly peaceful at dinnertime (at breakfast, be prepared for occasional wails from the highchair crowd).

Off to one side, the open kitchen provides a glimpse of chefs at work under a magnificent mosaic of purple tile. On the other end of the room is a smart-looking circular bar.

The wine list celebrates the vineyards of California, Oregon and Washington, with superstar reds from the likes of Silver Oak, Shafer and Diamond Creek sharing billing with lesser known treasures like a Willamette Valley Pinot Gris. A handful of bottles go for less than $30, with $50 to $60 more the norm. By-the-glass prices start at $7 for Stephen Vincent Cabernet—very likable, by the way—and go up from there.

Overall, Arterra’s a winner, but the service can be as frustrating as the I-5/805 merge. Dinner servers aren’t too bad, managing water refills and silverware replacement interspersed with long disappearances. At breakfast, though, despite a smallish crowd, we encountered long spells between being seated and being invited to order; between requesting the check and actually getting it; between wondering if our waitress had quit and ultimately taking our payment to the hostess. We waited for coffee cups, for cream, for water. When we’re paying $10.95 for a Brie omelet (delicious, by the way), we expect better.

The food’s already enough to make Brad Ogden proud. Here’s hoping the servers will, too.