TABLES lined up along the windows at One Pico offer not only an ocean view, but also a glimpse of Santa Monica's glitzy new Ferris wheel. Its complex computer system dials out the colors, changing light patterns the way a kaleidoscope does when the barrel is turned. In the foreground, palms nod their shaggy heads in the breeze, and the sand below is dimpled with hundreds of footsteps. Joggers streak down the beach as the waiter in a fitted vest pours glasses of Guigal Viognier from northern Rhone.
Something is different about the restaurant in Shutters on the Beach hotel in Santa Monica, and it's not just the reasonable wine prices or the interesting selection. To celebrate the iconic beach hotel's 15th anniversary, One Pico has undergone a much-needed makeover. And the powers that be have had the good sense not to go for a trendy restaurant-slash-lounge, but a comfortable and casual place with an updated California menu that emphasizes simplicity over complication, seasonal ingredients over the pricey and precious. It's a strategy that's bringing in locals along with summer's hotel guests.
Menu prices seem almost moderate for such a high-end hotel. The menu from executive chef Michael Reardon is atypical too. It's smart because it's not too fussy. The food sounds uncomplicated and delicious, very much in the California-Italian vein. If you're just in from Sydney or Shanghai, do you really want to dress for dinner at a formal restaurant serving extremely rich and elaborate dishes? The Tim Zagats and John Marianis of this world may be game, but I'm betting most jet-lagged travelers would rather wander into the lobby, sip an aperitif in front of the sunset, and then go into dinner for some handmade ravioli or spit-roasted seafood.
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Noticeable luxury
THe MENU isn't the only thing at One Pico that got a makeover: So did the room. Shutters is 15 years old this year, and the dining room was very much in need of a makeover. Enter designer Michael S. Smith, who has graced many a shelter magazine and is author of "Elements of Style." He has given the restaurant a lovely and understated update. Blue and gray boat hulls weathered to a vestige of their original color hang overhead. He's installed brass-trimmed lanterns and hung pale seascapes. Beach grasses are planted in the window boxes. The effect is genteel beach resort, relaxed and casual.
