Dining Review

There are many ways to experience the newly spiffed-up Ventana Inn and Spa, Travel & Leisure magazine''s No. 2 pick for the world''s "Best Small Hotel." Locals have long been using it as a quick getaway, either for a leisurely, sunlit luncheon or a blissful weekend stay. And now is the best time for the latter, with a 50 percent discount on weekday room rates for locals, through March 31.

But if you can''t stay the night--and even if you can--don''t miss Ventana''s indoor-outdoor restaurant, newly reopened and renamed Cielo.

Chef Jerry Regester is a graduate of New England Culinary Institute, coming to Cielo via Napa''s Domaine Chandon and the Highlands Inn''s Pacific''s Edge. The "New American" style of cuisine he brings with him was beautifully articulated in several courses I enjoyed on a recent foray, beginning with the vivacious palate-teaser, a sweet potato and arugula salad. The soft potato oval was dressed in a warm champagne-sherry vinaigrette, the little black vanilla seeds scoring big alongside the peppery arugula, the whole affair carrying a price tag of $8.50.

The very adept sommelier steered us toward a yummy Chalone Viognier that got even better with the next course, a shellfish broth studded with lobster claw meat, clams, diced potato, and a seared sea scallop. A drizzle of orange-infused extra virgin olive oil further amped up the rich, clean flavors, at $14.95.

More kudos for the pistachio and foie gras pâte. As a die-hard foie gras fancier, I found this one to be at the top of the hit parade, served en croute and complemented by a port wine fig compote that sent it soaring, for $11.

After learning from our very tuned-in waiter that the maple cap mushrooms were freshly harvested locally, my dining partner and I both requested them, with equally delicious results. All the syrupy flavor of the mushrooms required was a splash of Madeira and a bit of butter to complement each of our entrees--seared rare ahi and oak-grilled prime New York stead, served with garlicky mashed potatoes. Dinner entrees hover around the $25-30 range, making the chef''s tasting menu a relative bargain at three courses for $43 or four for $55.

We also learned that the chef does his own desserts. Already on a roll, we blew out all the stops with banana bread pudding, a dense version served with frighteningly good banana/black walnut ice cream, and apple tart with sorbet made from crème fraiche and Big Sur honey, both around $7.

The other way to do Ventana is lunch on the terrace, a bit pricey unless you factor in the priceless view. And as of just a few months ago, the "spa" tag now refers to an actual place, as well as a full selection of spa services. With six treatment rooms, the Allegria Spa represents another way to bask in the awe-inspiring tranquillity for which this 243-acre resort is heralded.

As long as we''re dreaming, the peak Ventana Inn & Spa experience begins with a glass-of-Merlot-welcome at check-in, followed by a chauffeured lift to one of four new vaulted, open-beam, cedar and slate suite retreats.

The view from your own leafy bower of redwood and oak, 1200 feet above the briny, blue Pacific, goes on forever. Until the weather clambers in, of course.

But if you have to splash around in a steaming hot tub on your own private redwood deck in the middle of a rainstorm, there are, assuredly, worse ways to work up an appetite.