9 August 2008
Treasure Beach and Cafe
Posted by Lelah under: Ojai; Ojai Restaurants .
Treasure Beach and Cafe is a newish store and restaurant on the east end of Ojai Avenue. I ate dinner at the cafe part and browsed in the store while I waited for my party to arrive on a recent summer evening.
The store is in the front half of the square white building with plenty of free street parking in front. It’s owned by Mary Goldberg, who was there to greet myself and my party, and it has tons of thoughtfully selected items, from comfy lounge wear to jeans to Moleskin journals. Almost everything is on the expensive side–even with the 30% off sale they were having–but the items are tasteful and stylish.
Walk through the shop to the charming small white dining room, with its festive chandeliers. Chef Jeri Oshima, who’s known throughout the valley for her excellent catering services, offers a splendid menu of fresh, delicious items. There were three starters, three entrees and three desserts to choose from, as well as a good-sized winelist, with the organic options helpfully noted in bold text. Dinner was a real treat. I ate a beautifully plated first course of red and gold beets on a bed of a creamy horseradish sauce that had a hint of a bite to it. My entree of salmon was perfectly cooked, and the chicken with zucchini that another in my party ordered was so tasty, I almost wished I’d ordered one of each. The portions are not large, a plus in my opinion, leaving you room to sample all the freshly made desserts to come out of the kitchen that day. We tried a delightfully subtle homemade peach ice cream, an apple tart with homemade vanilla ice cream and a selection of cookies.
Treasure Beach and Cafe is a wonderful choice for a casual dinner with friends or a romantic date for two and you can go back frequently as the menu changes all the time. I wouldn’t recommend bringing small children. Entrees are all in the 15-20 dollar range.
The cafe is currently open Thursday through Saturday for lunch and dinner and open on Sunday for brunch. Chef Oshima hints that “Sunday Supper” might become a feature in the fall. The restaurant has become a hit with locals and even transplanted LA folks are finding it–new valley resident Reese Witherspoon has dined there.
Treasure Beach and Cafe 928 E. Ojai Avenue 805.640.0611 Read a review from the Ventura County Star.
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