“Ribs on the Roof” with a Jalapeno Margarita in Beverly Hills, Anyone?
While many think of The Peninsula Beverly Hills as home to The Belvedere restaurant (the only restaurant in Southern California to have won the AAA Five Diamond Award for 17 consecutive years), the hotel also has an ah-mazing rooftop venue with their Roof Garden. To help spread the word about their more casual and approachable menu options there, they invited a group of us to a “BBQ Eats + Tweets” event at the Roof Garden to sample their Summer Barbecue menu. I know, it’s rough being a food blogger … event after event, calories galore. But, hey, someone’s got to take one for the team so that you can stay in-the-know on-the-scene, right?
So, as these rigorous events typically do, we started out by sampling cocktails …
These were their Specialty Cocktails served with the Summer menu (from left to right above): Speckled Jalapeno Margarita, Sunset on the Roof and Frozen Lemonade. While I sipped all three, the Jalapeno Margarita was, by far, my favorite … definitely a DeathbedFood contender (should I need one during the Summertime).
Continuing with our comprehensive sampling, we moved into tastes of hors d’oeuvres. First up, a Chilled Cucumber Soup …
I adored this totally refreshing soup which made me feel like I was spending the day at a luxury spa instead of being out to dinner. Perhaps its zest came from the spicy cucumber-melon sorbet … meantime, Citrus Tapioca and Hearts of Palm gave it substance.
Next up, we tried the Ahi Tuna Chop Chop …
Definitely a crowd favorite, this salad included avocado, pineapple and herbs. Even though ahi tartare is NOT on my DeathbedFood list, I enjoyed this dish very much. The presentation alone makes it worth ordering … and, if ahi is your thing, this is likely going to be a great DeathbedFood possibility for you.
Next, Free Range Chicken Breast …
While chicken seems to be on almost every American menu, this version was really unique via its combination of cilantro and a mint chimichurri sauce. Plus, we all really enjoyed (and vied for) the purple sweet potatoes served with the dish. Those potatoes are outrageously fantastic … I’m going to be on a continual hunt for them now on menus as well as at Farmers Markets.
Rib Eye Steak also wowed our table …
Served “Jamaican Jerk Style”, this bone-in rib eye would be just the thing for the meat-eating man in your life (or, for you, should you be one of those types!).
Meantime, if seafood’s more you, the Giant Tiger Shrimp are not to be missed …
Served “Char Siu” style, this Chinese-inspired shrimp dish was without a doubt among my favorites of the evening. And, again, that purple sweet potato was to-die-over!
Also as a seafood choice was the Swordfish Fillet ...
With orange chipotle (and purple sweet potatoes!), I’d definitely order this again.
And, back to the meat-eaters, we were served their “Ribs On The Roof” …
Fantastic! I’m definitely going to bring any ribs-fan to the Roof Garden this Summer. Outstanding ribs and a beautiful outdoor venue? Hard to beat that. Plus, even the side dishes were lucsious …
From left to right above, everyone seemed to enjoy Brandon’s BBQ Pickled Salad, the Minted Macadamia Nut Cole Slaw and the Red Pepper Orzo with Roasted Corn, Cilantro and Blue Cheese. The Orzo is total DeathbedFood in my book!
And, for dessert, we tried a sampling of their ice creams and sorbets … delicious.
All told, I sometimes (often) love being a food blogger because of events like this. I’ll definitely be bringing my friends by to sample the Summer menu. Perhaps I’ll see you there?