The first impression is one of finery. Both the dining room and bar area speak to an elevated experience – whole fish served with a tapenade, filet Rossini, old world elegance. But that’s only part of what Executive Chef Aaron Rayor has in mind.
“I like starting a meal with something that makes people smile before they analyze it,” he says.
And that something is onion dip, a dish almost never seen on a restaurant menu, let alone one with the smart look and feel of The Caledonian, dining centerpiece of the newly opened Kimpton Mirador hotel in Pacific Grove. Put it to scrutiny, however, and the dish makes sense for the location.
The dip is creamy, with an even-tempered tang, tipped by a natural sweetness that carries a faint earthy bite. It sits well on the chip – almost gossamer thin and fried in house – easing the salt and welcoming the oil, yet still allowing the appealing savor of fried potato to come through on the finish.
Rayor has taken a house party favorite and raised it to a new level, which is exactly what he wants.
“When you treat it seriously – slow caramelized onions, proper seasoning – and pair it with freshly fried, thin, perfectly salted chips, it becomes something else,” he explains. “It’s familiar, but precise.”
The chef has a standout background that includes Cella and Stokes Adobe. But in The Caledonian, he recognized an opportunity to amplify the role of a hotel restaurant.
“A hotel restaurant can be someone’s first meal in a new city, their last nightcap, the backdrop for an anniversary – there’s a built-in sense of occasion. I’m also drawn to the fact that we’re in the heart of a neighborhood, with the chance to become a true community hangout and a place locals can make their own.”
Rayor kept the menu manageable – short lists of appetizers and entrees that still cover the spread. Appetizers include a shrimp tostada, oysters and crudo. Entrees range from a pork chop brightened by compressed apples and creme fraiche to New York strip or cauliflower steak with green tahini, gremolata and marcona almonds.
“I’d rather do fewer things exceptionally well,” Rayor says. “When a menu grows too long, it starts to feel like insurance instead of intention.”
There’s more, but the eye falls naturally toward the filet Rossini, a classic beef preparation. At The Caledonian, it is plated on brioche and topped with duck liver mousse. It’s a dish that fits the room, although it perhaps came with reservations.
“Honestly, it wasn’t a dish that had been in my repertoire, and it’s not something I’ve seen on menus in years,” Rayor points out. “But I wanted to reinterpret a classic with my own twist.”
On the other end of the spectrum – at least in terms of pedigree – is the restaurant’s burger. A stacked double patty lends a perception of thickness. And it’s a juicy burger, one that rewards those who appreciate dripping savor. Yet unlike many burgers elsewhere, Rayor puts beef in the foreground, a nice, plush medium rare with a grassy, mineralic opulence wrapped in a blistered char that gives a nostalgic rush, like the smokiness of a backyard grill only more composed.
So it’s a menu with fewer choices, but none of them wrong – although Rayor admits that the pork chop is his current favorite. He brines the meat for 15 hours and coats it with brown-butter breadcrumbs.
Perhaps he is drawn to it because the preparation and presentation fits a theme. “Those breadcrumbs are really the secret,” Rayor says. “They add a depth and nuttiness that make the final result feel both familiar and elevated.”
That same ethic applies to the restaurant’s sleek bar. There is a mix of modern flair and tradition. Most martinis, for instance, are sophisticated yet reserved. The Mirador martini, on the other hand, carries the appearance of the debonair cocktail, but cannot conceal a depth to the botanicals not normally found in a martini. It strides with a confident swagger.
Elegance is what guests perceive at first. But Rayor’s concept of elevated familiarity is equally impressive. “I’m looking forward to cooking food that feels like the windows are open,” he says.