Dining Review: A.R. Valentien

When it comes to reliably presenting a quality dining experience on all fronts, there are few establishments more bankable than A.R. Valentien. The white-linen pride of The Lodge at Torrey Pines has been cemented within the top tier of San Diego’s restaurant-scape for over 20 years, and Kelli Crosson has been there for nearly all of them.

From working beside farm-to-table trailblazer Jeff Jackson in the 2010s to her current role as Executive Chef, Crosson has played a key role in upholding and advancing A.R. Valentien’s forthright ethos. That includes maintaining a trained eye toward sustainability, a staunch adherence to seasonality, and the sourcing of ingredients from local farms, ranches, and fisheries, with many of which the restaurant has enjoyed relationships spanning well over a decade. Plenty of San Diego restaurants do the same, but it wasn’t always that way, and A.R. Valentien was one of the major forerunners that established a blueprint for others to follow.

Doing things the A.R. Valentien way isn’t easy, but it pays off, especially for guests. The quality of the ingredients — particularly fruits and vegetables — is regularly incredible. Everything is in season and at the peak of freshness. Juicy berries pop, corn kernels burst with sweetness, and herbs go beyond garnish fare with their striking vibrancy. Those components are matched with finely honed skill and impressive restraint, with toques eschewing out-there gastronomy and smoke and mirrors; instead applying solid technique to coax the best out of produce and proteins. 

Crosson and her team have fine-tuned this successful approach over the years and are now equipped to take it even further thanks to a recent kitchen renovation that resulted in an expanded workspace complete with upgraded equipment, plus the addition of a butcher shop, pastry kitchen, and more. After a brief closure to complete the renovation, A.R. Valentien reopened its doors in May. In doing so, the restaurant presented refreshed menus replete with new, seasonally driven dishes sharing space with fan-favorite holdovers.

One of the must-keep mainstays — house-made charcuterie — remains a best bet for starting a meal off right. Again, numerous dining establishments dabble in this area, but A.R. Valentien outright excels at it and, in this critic’s opinion, has the best program of any local eatery. A pair of pâtés — chicken liver and duck — can be ordered individually or together. The latter is studded with pistachios that add crunch and earthy butteriness, mix-and-match mustards (tart whole-grain and spicy Dijon), and Cumberland sauce (a reduced red-currant condiment of English origin).

Summer-geared appetizers include corn soup with caramel popcorn, and a blackberry salad with candied pecans, triple-cream brie, and a sherry-honey vinaigrette. Sticking around beyond spring are meaty morels served atop a traditional, creamy risotto that’s delightfully heavy on the Parm. Meanwhile, shellfish fans can choose from a seared scallop served in brown butter with trout roe or Baja shrimp marinated in Aleppo pepper with Marcona almonds, bright mint, and tender slices of mango. With fresh pineapple syrup, tiki bitters, and fat-washed Kuleana Nanea rum, a mash-up of an Old Fashioned and Polynesian rum drink called Coconut Tides pairs well with the shrimp app.

A half-dozen entrées are headlined by sea fare. White wine-braised northern halibut gets added acidity from blistered Sun Gold tomatoes, while the skin of a kanpachi (greater amberjack) filet is beautifully crispy with a hint of char and served in a mushroom dashi with porcinis and black summer truffles, making for an industrial-strength umami bomb.

Heartier mains include a 12-ounce prime ribeye with truffle butter and an onion tart, rack of lamb with corn polenta and mint gremolata, and a duo of duck. The latter (one of Crosson’s keepers from the previous menu) includes slices of well-rendered breast in a sweet duck jus, but the real treat is a crispy-skinned, confit leg that tastes homey and altogether soul-warming. Also impressive is tender farro wrapped in braised greens à la Greek stuffed grape leaves, making something intriguing out of a grain that can sometimes come across as being rather boring.

Similar inventiveness is applied to a restaurant staple that’s oft discounted on its face: the non-chocolate dessert option. It’s hard to pass up a salted caramel chocolate tart (and it’s OK if you can’t…I mean, c’mon), but those who opt for the green forest cake are in for a pleasant surprise. A riff on Bavaria’s Black Forest cake, this revelation seals matcha mascarpone and espresso-laced sponge cake inside a pistachio-studded shell. Light and refreshing, that celadon green bar is accompanied by cherry in three splendored forms: raw, compote, and ice cream. Created as the final course for a recent wine dinner, this endnote was such a hit that it was added to the everyday roster.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is reliable advice, but A.R. Valentien’s kitchen expansion proves that there’s nothing wrong with building upon something that works exceptionally well. 858.777.6635, lodgetorreypines.com/ar-valentien

Service: 4.5
Timeliness: 4.5
Ambience: 4.5
Culinary Innovation: 4
Food Quality: 4.5
Wine List: 4.5
Cocktail Program: 4
Value: 3