It’s back.
After Salt Creek Grille, the 27-year-old Dana Point institution known for its upscale fare and weathered charm, announced its closure in January, fans of the restaurant arrived in droves to bid the venerable eatery adieu. But a handful of regulars, who weren’t ready to say goodbye, snapped up the place with hopes of returning it to glory.
That dream is now a reality as the new Salt Creek Grille (or Salt Creek Grille Orange County, as it’s officially called) makes its return on Friday, June 28.
In a breakneck renovation of roughly 90 days, the new Salt Creek Grille — which includes a gentle revamp of its interiors, new fire and water elements, and a luxe sandbox that will delight the young and old — will have a soft opening on Tuesday, June 25 shortly before its big debut.
After a sneak peek at the refurbished digs, it’s clear that the new owners have respected the integrity of the space during its facelift care of designer Eric Hawkey. Much of the original restaurant’s charm has been maintained, with any rough or dated edges tweaked and smoothed out to bring the stalwart into modern times.
Also making its way to its 2.0 era is hearty, protein-heavy fare that helped make Salt Creek Grille a draw for nearly three decades. Obvious American cuisine showstoppers like a branzino with herb chimichurri, braised short ribs and a tomahawk steak with protruding bone extending off the plate in dramatic fashion all appear on the new menu. (The restaurant’s titular wood-fire grill is now visible from the entrance.)
With a tip of the hat to the past, the coffee-crusted New York steak, a staple at Salt Creek Grille over the years, takes its place on the menu once more. The dish’s history is rooted in another nearby restaurant, according to consultant chef Marc Johnson (Santa Lucia Preserve, The Resort at Pelican Hill), who, alongside executive chef Armando Promotor-Chontal, helped create the menu.
“The dish originates probably about 23 years ago from The Loft at the Montage,” Johnson said. “John Cuevas, the chef de cuisine there, created it and it became one of their favorite dishes.” Then an ex-sous chef from The Loft brought the steak over the Salt Creek Grille years ago, and in turn it became a staple there.
“There’s so much history here and when I saw this dish, I was like, ‘This thing is like a ghost; it won’t go away. And so it stays.” The steak comes with a bourbon reduction, a manageable hunk of Point Reyes blue cheese and pea tendrils.
New fare includes a B.L.T.-esque heirloom tomato salad studded with crispy pork belly, peaches, avocado mousse and basil and a sea bass laced with forest mushrooms, fingerlings and baby peppers. The old ahi tuna stack, once a clumsy afterthought of sliced avocado and hunks of tuna teetering on the verse of collapse, is now a structurally sound tower of layered edamame, diced ahi tuna and pureed avocado that, cleverly, rests securely on a base of crushed wontons.
Another highlight inside the new Salt Creek Grille is the spruced up cocktail area. In addition to a new bar with better lighting and a more open flow, the libation menu features contemporary tipples like an espresso martini, a blackberry lavender gin sour, a bananas Foster mai tai and a burnt pineapple margarita.
While much of the interior has received an updated look (e.g., new paint, seating, lighting — the usual suspects) the exterior grounds merit just as much attention. The long and narrow plant box just off the (ample) parking lot near the entrance has been reconfigured into a combined fire-and-water element that, come nightfall, will provide literal dramatic flare. Some of the property’s hedges and trees that once blocked patrons’ views of Pacific Coast Highway have been pruned or entirely removed to draw attention to the famed highway and its namesake ocean.
“This is the most iconic road in America,” said Jess Walker, one of Sale Creek Grille’s new owners. “How fortunate we are to have this beautiful corner here at PCH and Crown Valley.”
Most notable is the new outdoor playtime area. Guests can still wait outside next to a fire at the restaurant’s grand entrance or dine al fresco at one of many seating areas, but the newly added sandbox, if you will, which will come with more seating and sun-shielding umbrellas on opening day, is the restaurant’s most whimsical design addition that will intrigue both kids and adults.
“We want this to be a safe place for a family to come and hang out, but also a great place for a date night,” said Walker. The idea of a sandbox was a last-minute addition that seemed fitting for a restaurant in a seaside town. “Literally, this just happened organically and unplanned, and we’re so proud of it. It’s going to be one of the best seats in the house.”
A cornhole game and a giant Jenga will also heighten the sandy section’s playfulness while leaning into the coastal town’s characteristically sun-drenched environs.
The new Salt Creek Grille will continue to host live entertainment seven days a week, which will include live bands a couple times a week and a pianist hitting the grand inside nightly.
And yes, for folks still clinging onto them, Salt Creek Grille plans on honoring gift cards stemming from its 1.0 era.
Salt Creek Grille’s new leadership includes Jess Walker, a long-time resident of Dana Point and real estate developer with Master Builders of America; business development executive Steve Vanderweide; Jeff Roberts, the founder of Sgt. Pepperoni’s Pizza; Reggie Robinson; and Sri Divel.
Find it: 32802 Pacific Coast Hwy, Dana Point
