At Salt Wood Kitchen & Oysterette, open less than a year on California’s Central Coast, local seafood is front and center. In the tiny town of Marina, basically a suburb of Monterey’s tourist hub, and part of the luxe oceanfront hideaway The Sanctuary, Salt Wood Kitchen is an instant classic for simply prepared oysters, crab, halibut, salmon and squid—whatever is in season and freshest that day.
Executive chef David Baron (formerly of Michelin-starred Atelier Crenn and Coi, Incanto and Casanova) seems to have an obsession with all things raw, cured, pickled and wood-fired, and his menu pairs brilliantly with the carefully curated selection of Central Coast wines.
Start with oysters shucked to order—raw or wood-grilled with kimchi butter, and a side of homemade Parker House rolls. Selection is seasonal; we enjoyed Marin Miyagis from up the coast in Tomales Bay, dressed with “bloody Mary” mignonette and crunchy, caviar-like finger lime.
The first course for the kids (besides the addictive Parker House rolls) was the “JC,” grilled bread with bacon jam and brie—sophisticated finger food—while the adults shared a bright salad of mixed chicories, roasted pumpkin, pomegranate, ricotta salata and sherry vinaigrette.
We also had the grilled Monterey Bay squid, a fish I order whenever possible. This preparation, with chickpeas, chorizo, kale, preserved lemon and romesco sauce was among the best I’ve ever tasted.
When the whole grilled rock cod (for two) arrived, I knew I was sitting in a destination restaurant, not just for the Central Coast, but the entire state of California. Smothered in cabbage, pickled onions, roasted chiles, baby citrus, and micro-greens, the fish was perfectly cooked: juicy inside and crispy outside, a work of art, really.
I have no doubt that the line-caught salmon with roasted beets, black lentils and blistered pole beans was just as spectacular, and we’d certainly have tried it if we’d brought a few more people with us. As it was, we couldn’t refrain from ordering the shelling beans with spanish chorizo, shallot, olive and homemade breadcrumbs, a satisfying meal in itself with a glass of red wine.
Dessert was beyond me, but I enjoyed watching my family devour the caramelized apple cake with chantilly cream while I fantasized about when I could return—for the crab, the salmon, the halibut, the homemade papardelle. And perhaps a room with a view at The Sanctuary.
