This is such a great find. So unique, gorgeous, and sexy fine dining at its best. It is located right across from Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank. There is much history here, and Santuari provides a safe and inviting respite from all of the Hollywood madness. Santuari means sanctuary or shrine, and they have done a great job using the name to make everyone who enters find peace and luxury from its astounding interiors and vibe.
The interiors are separated into 3 rooms: the main dining room, the green room, and the patio. Each room is unique and each with a different feel. The main room boasts very rustic chandeliers with big white half-moon banquets, Moroccan arches, a stonewall, with a very grand fireplace. The green room has a nice cozy feel, with lots of Mediterranean light fixtures, and a gorgeous green mural adorns one wall. The patio looks out onto the tennis courts. When the restaurant is open there is no tennis being played in the immediate court outside due to balls that might come onto the patio and could be a potential health hazard. There are other courts that are still being used though if you want to watch some tennis games. With ambient music is very low and sexy, it enhanced my culinary journey.
My host Sean Anderson came from Alexander’s in Pasadena, which I just reviewed. He also helped open Elevate and Takami sushi bar in Downtown Los Angeles. He has a wealth of culinary knowledge and guided me threw my wonderful tasting. Chef Seth Greenberg makes all his menu items from scratch. He gets his produce from Santa Monica farmers twice a week. You can tell that everything is made every day. The flavor profiles are complex but super fresh. My server Ariella Dos Santos was very accommodating, her smile lit up my night. She said “Y’all”, and I knew she was from the South. Hailingfrom Austin Texas she is a dancer and another great staff member at Santuari. Then T.J. Norton introduced himself, he was laughing every time he would visit the neighboring table. His personality was very infectious, all in a very good way. He is a sketch comic actor, and you can tell that he really loves his job.
Here’s What I tried:
Cocktails:
Vodka Martini is my go-to cocktail and this one did not disappoint. Their martini glasses are a big part of this cocktail experience.
Pining For You, with Tequila, Pineapple Jalapeno and Ginger Tepache, Lime, Agave, Yellow Chartreuse, and Lime Ginger Bitters. The marriage of all these ingredients is what really makes this drink pop.
Hot Small:
Mushroom and Polenta with white wine-braised mushroom, Ansel Mills polenta, herbs, and garlic. There is a variety of mushrooms, each one had a different taste, and the polenta round out the perfect flavors.
Parmesan Truffle Fries, with garlic aioli, a very pungent dipping sauce that adds to the overall wonderful experience.
Blue Crab Fettuccine, with a Mascarpone butter citrus sauce, this was not on the menu, it’s a chef special, and it is for sure very special. I just can’t say enough about this house-made fettuccine dish.
Cold Small:
Delta Asparagus with grilled and raw, shaved mushrooms, porcini bream, and smoked egg yolk. The two ways that the asparagus is presented are very creative, light, a healthy starter. The asparagus is grilled on a specialized Binchotan Charcoal Grill, it really made the flavor of the asparagus better.
Albacore Crudo with sashimi grade tuna, kluge caviar ponzu, green onion, and chili crisp. My favorite part of this dish is the caviar, it just melts in your mouth.
Large:
Hokkaido Scallops with little potatoes, lemon, and herbs. These scallops are so sweet and succedent, just the perfect scallop dish. They are specially farmed in cold water, so they are usually plumper and sweeter than your typical scallop. Hokkaido Scallops hail from the renowned northern Hokkaido region of Japan. Seafood connoisseurs consider Hokkaido, Japan a holy place when it comes to fresh seafood. In fact, this area benefits from nutrient and plankton-rich water, allowing the scallops to thrive.
Roasted Colorado Lamb Loin, with shaved fennel, Tokyo turnips, cucumber, olives, citrus, red wine, and olive reduction. The lamb is served medium rare and it is succulent and moist, with the reduction sauce, it makes for one incredible main dish.
Dessert:
Chocolate Budino, with Chantilly cream, sea salt, and honeycomb crumble. This dessert is just so delightful, the honeycomb is really the biggest surprise, crunchy sweet, it’s amazing!!
Strawberry Shortcake, sweet buttermilk biscuit, lemon curd, whipped cream. The strawberries are super sweet and luscious, and the lemon curd with knock your socks off, what a spectacular way to end my astonishing meal.
Wines:
Mercat, Brut Nature, Cava, Penedes, Spain. Enchanting,sparkling wine that started my dining adventure.
Granbazan, Etiqueta Verde Albarino, Rias Biaxas, Spain. A fruity wine that went great with the albacore crudo and the caviar.
Au Bon Climat, Chardonnay, Santa Barbara, CA, 2017. This is a creamy wine that hit all the right notes with the blue crab fettuccine.
Mary Taylor, Malbec, Cahors France, 2018 is a unique wine. Most Malbecs are from Argentina, so I really loved this grassy mouth feel, it was so delicious with the mushroom polenta.
Fortune, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, CA, 2019, I would drink this wine with red meat, it added an overall fruit-forward flavor to the lamb.
In the 1970’s Santuari was a private tennis club. Seeing that it was so close to many of the most important television studios you would see Hollywood royalty; Bob Hope, Johnny Carson, Clint Eastwood, and Farrah Fawcett playing tennis, and indulging in everything this tennis club had to offer at the time. Santuari offers an event space for weddings, birthday parties, baby showers, and any type of private event that you can think of.
Santuari is one of the best dining adventures I have had in a long time. Every detail is taken care of, uniqueness of its location and design really makes for a truly one-of-a-kind experience. The food will match up with the best of its Los Angeles restaurants’ competition. It’s just that good.
Santuari
6711 Forest Lawn Dr.
Los Angeles, CA. 90068
323-902-9700
