805 Magazine Review of Moonshadows Restaurant

MOONSHADOW MOONSHADOW
by Angela Pettera

Sometimes, when the sun sets and the moon rises, you want to go somewhere special. How about a winding drive through Malibu Canyon and along the coast to a wave-splashed location with surprisingly good food? You may think you know Moonshadows, a beachfront staple since 1972, but behind the scenes the tide has been turning for this sandy surfer hangout.

Two and a half years ago, chef Joachim Weritz floated in and quietly washed away the salad bar and uninspired appetizers. The first item he changed was the deep-fried calamari with marinara sauce, deftly switching it our for flash-fried hand-battered calamari with chipotle-lime aioli. And so began a sea-change, wave by wave. The shrimp cocktail has become shrimp with a Peppar Vodka sauce; oysters on the half-shell are now dressed in a ponzu mignonette. German-born Weritz has worked in seaside restaurants in France and Italy so he knew that proximity to salty air didn't necessarily mean the food was secondary or unimportant. And he knew that Asian flavors were an integral part of California cooking since his move to Los Angeles in 1999.

Moonshadows' owners were ready to upgrade the kitchen when the hired Weritz so a switch to high-end purveyors was painless. Now the sake-braised Kobe short ribs come from Newport Meat Company , the honey-brined pork chops come from Niman Ranch, the ginger-roasted hormone-free chicken is provided by Shelton Farms, and Honolulu Fish Company Federal Expresses fresh, cold (not frozen) fish from Hawaii's waters every three days. You'll see nightly dinner specials created from unusual species like blue moki, campachi, hapu'upu'u, and kaku (or barracuda). “We don't have any convenient profit oriented fish,” says Weritz, a member of the Slow Food movement. In other words, you'll never see farm-raised salmon on the menu, only eco-smart wild-caught varieties. Nor will you find overfished species like swordfish or Chilean seabass.

And everything is seasonal. When the menu changes from summer to winter at the beginning of this monthy, the Maine lobster in the Caesar salad and the martini appetizer will be replaced with spiny Santa Barbara lobster instead. The soft-shell crabs will become blue crabs; and the seafood and mango spring roll will instead be filled with duck confit.

Before the night air becomes too bitterly cold, take advantage of a seat on the patio. On the weekends a DJ caters to the crowds for a rowdy good time. Cigar aficionados have the patio from 7:30pm until closing on the second Tuesday of every month. They're served a four-course meal and three fine cigars for $75. During the wee, the patio is quieter and perfect for romance. May we suggest Monday, October 17, when the moon will be full and the waves glittering?