R & D in Santa Monica

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

I needed to make a quick trip after work to Santa Monica to pick up wine that Stan brought back for me from the Sta Rita Hills.

The three of us ended up at a restaurant on Montana just a few blocks from their house called R & D. It is part of the "Houston's Chain". The R & D stand for research & development and that is what this restaurant does. Has a very small limited menu and they try out recipes before they are put on the menu at Houston's.

We ordered a couple salads, a hamburger, fries and meatloaf with potatoes. All the dishes were good and reasonably priced.

Best of all "no corkage". Stan brought a 2007 Sea Smoke Botella to try. The 2007 vintage is the first for the new winemaker. When the wine was poured we could tell it was much lighter in color and the previous vintages under Chris Curran. The taste was lighter, not so much up front fruit. It was a very good wine. A little more food friendly that the past years.

I enjoyed the wine immensely. For those that have been smitten with the big, bold Sea Smoke in the past this may be a shock.

This restaurant takes no reservations. It was packed when we got there and was packed when we left a few hours later, No sign of a recession here.

By the end of the evening traffic had died down and it was a reasonable drive back home