The Gossiping Gourmet: Earth and sea in a lovely setting
On a warm, summer evening, it is just delightful to sit and enjoy a meal on the outdoor, heated terrace of BLK Earth Sea Spirits, a new restaurant in the space formerly occupied by Spark in Huntington Beach.
The owners have done an attractive remodeling job with repurposed wood, tile floors, pretty little vases of fake greenery on each table, and heaters for when it cools down. A wall of glass overlooks the beach, palm trees and vast sea beyond.
I liked the fact that the TVs were in one area — near the bar — and not on every wall.
The restaurant specializes in Kobe-style, hand-cut steaks, chops and seafood. Food is prepared on a hickory wood-fired grill or a 1,600-degree specialty steak broiler.
Appetizers include such tasty offerings as coconut shrimp with mango dipping sauce, crab cakes, spicy wings and lobster mac ‘n’ cheese.
Soups and salads range from Kobe-style chili to apple chicken with mixed greens, diced green apples, dried cranberries, candied pecans, feta cheese and raspberry honey vinaigrette dressing. Under the separate “Burgrz” listing are three flatbreads and three sliders.
On the entrée list are five cuts of beef and the Japanese Kobe beef steak — 4 ounces for $65.
Seafood includes broiled live lobster, crab legs, six preparations of fish, scallops, and shrimp and lobster linguine.
Serious seafood platters are available for groups — or one hungry diner. A lovely platter of Alaskan King crab legs is $65. For $50, there are two excellent choices: tiger shrimp or oysters on the half shell.
Our waitress was nice and good at her job. When we could pull ourselves away from looking at the view, we ordered the tuna tower and the black mussels for starters.
Both were delicious. The tower was topped with really good, perfectly ripe mashed avocado. Beneath that was a layer of tiny squares of sweet mango and a few fava beans. Then came a thin layer of fresh and flavorful pieces of raw ahi, which had a bit of a kick. On the side were big house-made tortilla chips.
A bowl of black Mediterranean mussels was accented with bits of tomato and onions. On the bottom of these tasty, meaty crustaceans was a rich tomato broth with lots of garlic and spice. My only complaint was that the broth was a bit too salty — and I like salt.
The braised short ribs were tender, but once again over-salted, and the polenta that accompanied them was good and cheesy.
Our favorite dish of the evening was the shrimp and lobster linguine. The al dente pasta was full of little chunks of lobster and lots of little shrimp in a sauce of olive oil, butter and cheese with sprinkles of chopped basil. Hot chilies jazzed it up.
The only disappointment in this very good meal was the desserts. We ordered the cheesecake and the maple cronut.
Cronuts were all the rage for a while but seem less popular now. They should be thin layers of flaky, buttery fried dough with a sweet filling — like fruit or creme — and finished with sprinkled sugar. There are many variations, but these were rather dense and way too sweet for my taste.
The cheesecake had little flavor and a heavy texture.
BLK is serving some very good food in a pleasant atmosphere, with a beautiful view of the ocean.
TERRY MARKOWITZ was in the gourmet food and catering business for 20 years. She can be reached for comments or questions at m_markowitz@cox.net.
BLK Earth Sea Spirits
Location: 300 Pacific Coast Hwy., Suite 202, Huntington Beach
Hours: : 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays to Thursdays; 11 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays
Prices:
Appetizers, soup and salads: $9 to $15
Flat breads and burgers: $10 to $15
Entrees: $27 to $65
Desserts:$8
Wine:
Bottles: $32 to $48
Glasses: $10 to $20
Corkage: $15
Information: (714) 960-0996