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The Grill Thing

Photo by Robert Scheer

Ostrich Eggstasy: Chef Colby Reade (pictured) and owner Bob Montague have cooked up some intriguing specialties and flavorful menu staples at Capitola's new, oakwood-fired Ostrich Grill.

Ostrich has its wood-fire chops down

By Christina Waters

OK, it's really not Seafood Mama anymore, though it's still very much a long, lean, urban grill with its hardwood floors, zinc-topped bar and oversized booths so private that they positively cry out for power deal-making. Of course, the booths also can be utilized for lusty, romantic dinners for two, like the one we enjoyed at Ostrich Grill last week on a dark and stormy night.

You've gotta hand it to Bob and Julie Montague, owners of Aptos' popular Cafe Sparrow. Once they'd committed themselves to a naming contest for their new place, they stuck to it. And, once committed, the Montagues have really taken the bird and flown with it.

Ostrich murals adorn both the signage on the front of the second-story restaurant and the lounge-area foyer. There's real ostrich hide hugging the molding over the smart little bar, and faux ostrich covering the almost wraparound booths. The light fixtures and sconces wittily suggest freshly hatched ostrich eggs, whose curved shells glow with soft honey-colored light. And there's even real ostrich burger on the menu, for those who need to be able to tell their friends that "it tastes a lot like chicken."

Ostrich Grill sports an intriguing and well-priced wine list, not just fine local vintages but goodies from Australia, Chile, Santa Barbara and Washington state. I chose a half-bottle of Morgan pinot noir 1994 ($15), a crisp bit of spice and fruit that went well with the full-bodied foods to come, and my microbrew-phile companion went with a Wheat Hook draft ($3.75).

Let's get this out in the open: This place is a serious grill--and the action here really centers around meat--wood-fired, grilled, juicy, unapologetic meat. So that's what we ordered.

A gooey pasilla pepper appetizer ($4.35), frosted nicely with basil aioli and oozing a filling of goat cheese, offered some nice sensuous texture moments. An order of crab bread ($6.95) came in fat fingers of sweet baguette, slathered with fresh crab and pimento-laced cheese, all broiled and tasting like a baby boomer's childhood. This is not precious food--more like the edible equivalent of letting your hair down.

Next came a warm napa cabbage salad the size of Napa itself ($5.75). A veritable sea of warm shredded cabbage tossed with chewy nuggets of outrageously wonderful Corralitos bacon, it was simply too much. Its one-note Dijon dressing might have prospered if something sweet--like braised apples--had been added for contrast.

Meanwhile, my companion was fairly happy with his "small" Caesar salad ($3.50)--every menu in California must, by law, provide Caesar salad. Like most restaurant Caesars, this one erred on the wimpy side of anchovy.

For main courses, I chose a double lamb chop ($9.95) done on the wood-fired grill, while my dinner partner jumped at the chance to see what the grill would do for an evening special of peppered rib eye steak ($14.95). My gorgeous chop was crusty on the outside, exactly the right degree of juicy rareness on the inside. With it came destination gratin potatoes, crunchy on top and decadently soft and creamy inside, as well as an over-steamed side of broccoli and carrots. The lamb, the potatoes, the pinot noir all worked together to give me something close to an out-of-body experience. From high above the gigantic floral arrangement, I gazed down on our table and beamed.

My companion loved his very flavorful steak, cut thin bistro-style and flamed expertly on the exhibition grill just a booth away from our cozy sanctuary. It was teamed with tasty wild rice pilaf and more of the boring steamed veggies.

Along with a well-made cup of decaf cappuccino ($2.75), we sampled a pretty version of tiramisu ($4) and picked at a crème brûlée ($3.75) with a (gasp!) soft topping.

But hey, wood-fired meat rules at Ostrich Grill.

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Ostrich Grill
Address: 820 Bay Ave., Capitola
Phone: 477-9181
Hours: Daily 11am-10pm
Cuisine: American grill
Ambiance: Contemporary
Service: Friendly and casual
Price: Moderate, entrees average $15
Overall: *** long on big, bold comfort food
****Great, ***Excellent, **Good, * Okay


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