“Dishes will come out family-style, to share,” he says. He is especially excited about the menu’s grilled octopus, marinated in green mojo with fennel seeds, cumin, vinegar, and other spices.Īlthough the food will certainly be sophisticated, there will be something casual about the experience at Théa, Valle notes. (Courtesy of Ocean House)įor dinner here, launching later this month, Valle - who spent time working with Greek, Italian and Spanish chefs - hops around the Mediterranean, focusing on fresh and largely local seafood prepared outdoors over an open fire. Valle has also masterminded Ocean House’s new beachfront restaurant, Théa, which occupies the hotel’s Dune Cottage (that is, the chic, sand-top structure that qualifies as a humble “cottage” by Ocean House’s always-exacting standards).
“When I was growing up, I spent a lot of time with her in the kitchen, and all the recipes and techniques I know of traditional dishes, I learned from her.”Īt Dalia, he marries past and present, classical and contemporary in signature dishes like slow-oven-roasted pork shoulder tacos al pastor with grilled pineapple and salsa verde, filet mignon with a mole sauce that requires 50 ingredients and four days to make, and duck breast marinated in hibiscus-flower syrup and served with a prune-hibiscus mole. “I was inspired by my grandmother,” says Valle of his concept for the restaurant. Operating as an elevated lunchtime taqueria for the past few weeks, the restaurant expands to dinner this weekend, adding even more sophisticated, urbane regional Mexican dishes to the menu. The big restaurant launches come courtesy of Mexico City–born chef Dantón Valle, who combines his European-style culinary training and his own personal heritage to bear, in particular at the alfresco Dalia.
The hotel is welcoming summer with some major updates to its celebrated food and beverage offerings, debuting two entirely new restaurants, plus a new terrace bar, and it’s extending the hours of another of its beloved eateries to breakfast.
But it’s not just an interest in a bygone era of bustles and balls, nor proximity to Tay Tay, that’s earning Ocean House attention right now.