A night at Charline's proves
Downtown Ventura’s newest restaurant serves it up Creole Cajun style
By Michael Sullivan 08/28/2008
It was a Sunday night, and my friend, my son and I decided we wanted to try out one of the latest additions to the eclectic dining selection of downtown Ventura, Charline’s Urban Tapas and Wine Bar, located across the street from the movie theater.
While Ventura’s mild climate and the restaurant’s contemporary patio were inviting us to sit outside, we opted for a small booth inside that would entrap my 4-year-old son in the corner for my friend and me to enjoy our meal.
The first thing we noticed was the chic ambience of the interior design: booths covered with what looked like brown faux crocodile skins; the tables covered with black cloths that had a small candle holder on each table; a massive black-tiled fireplace in the middle of the room with pebble-stone overlay that seemed to bleed onto the ceiling and a small bar that would seat up to about eight people adorned with a dozen bottles of red wine. The smooth jazz, rhythm and bass tunes complemented the restaurant’s simple but modern set up.
Next up for our scrutiny was the menu: one page of food items (about seven total) and about three pages of the wine, beer and mixed-drink selection. Since it was a tapas bar, we couldn’t simply order one plate each and call it a night.
No, we ordered five of the seven items, of which four of them suited my vegetarian’s friend appetite (with the exception that she does eat fish.)
Fortunately for us, I believe our waitress must have been a mother because before she even took our drink orders, she suggested we order my son the Smokey Fried Mac-n-Cheese Balls. She came back, took our drink orders: I ordered the
Luscious Lips cabernet and my friend ordered the Madhousewife merlot. My son: a martini on the rocks, minus the mar and substituted the tini with Sprite. No milk, though, so don’t bother asking if you are set on something a little
more nutritious for your little ones. And FYI, the cab was sweet and fruity — aptly named luscious, says my friend — and the merlot was dry and very drinkable.
Shortly after the waitress returned with our drinks, the food parade began. The first to arrive was my son’s mac-n-cheese balls, which my friend and I desperately tried to get hold of, but were denied until my son was done examining them. First he peeled off the crust and went for the warm mac-n-cheese on the inside. My friend and I indulged on the crunchy outer shell dipped in the spicy sauce that it was served with. It was pretty good. I would definitely try it again.
Then the spiced hummus and fresh pita bread made an appearance. My son notably pointed out our pita bread looked like pancakes. The menu didn’t say much about what else went into the making of the hummus, but my friend and I assumed it was a roasted pepper hummus, although we could have been wrong. It was good, but I wouldn’t put it on the top of my list if I were to choose it out of a line up of hummus.
Then the buttermilk fried chicken and sweet potato waffles were served. My friend and I had to literally fend off my son to stop him from snatching all of the waffles. You simply can’t go wrong with warm syrup and waffles to arouse a child’s appetite. He also gnawed the chicken down to the bone. OK, maybe next time I should feed my son 10 square meals a day so he won’t act like a savage when we eat out. But case in point: The waffles were light and fluffy, and the chicken was greasy, hot, tender and apparently irresistible.
The last two dishes showed up all together: jerk tiger prawns with seasoned smoked gouda grits and collard green spring rolls.
There was no possible way for us to finish either of those dishes. The mound of grits, tasty as they were — could have used a little salt, though — was just too much for any of us to devour in one sitting. The collard greens spring rolls were definitely unique. After having lived in the South, Georgia that is, I never thought I would see east meets southern cooking. But there it was! Pretty good, a little greasy, but good nonetheless.
So now that my friend, my son and I sampled everything but the kabobs and the cheese and fruit plate, the question is: Would we return? Sure we would. Definitely on an empty stomach and when neither of us was concerned about our weight. The food was good, the atmosphere was relaxing and the wine, well, we will always have room for wine.
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