Red Light District
409 F St.
619-255-2800
rldsd.com
Starters $8 to $16
Entrees $19 to $69; optional deluxe sides $20 to $35
Desserts $6 to $8
Chef Jason Mailand’s menu, couple with Nick Majersky’s cocktails, create a special occasion
Restaurant Review | By David Nelson
Just when the Gaslamp Quarter seemed to be changing into a neighborhood of burger and brew sports bars jammed to the rafters with TV monitors, Red Light District came along as a stylish rendezvous for sophisticates interested in exceptionally fine fare and service, crafty cocktails and rich surroundings. In other words, it is very much a special occasion sort of place.
Chef Jason Maitland, highly experienced and engagingly creative, is part of a talented team assembled by proprietor Sean Shoja, whose long-running presence in the Gaslamp includes the neighboring Cafe Lulu. Behind the bar is another talent, Nick Majersky, who wrote a list of specialty cocktails to precisely complement Maitland’s cuisine. Red Light District must be the only place on the planet where a guest can knock back a Molè Manhattan, a sharply bitter, shaken-not-stirred blend of the top-shelf booze Blanton’s Bourbon, Carpano Antica vermouth and a unique, potent chocolate bitters from Germany.
Chunks of dark, streaky “Super Nova” granite top Majersky’s triple-sided bar; the stone was quarried in Brazil but etched in Italy. Silver-embossed black fabric upholsters the very private booths that line one side of the establishment and are topped with foot-high mirrors that run the length of the seats.
The “red light” fantasy very much illuminates Red Light’s scene, established on the menu by the headings “Foreplay” (appetizers), “Down to Business” (entrees) and, in the case of those ultra-luxurious sides, “Special Treatments.” For the sides, guests can get “Hot and Heavy” with a two-ounce portion of seared Hudson Valley foie gras, move a “Tail to the Side” with a poached lobster tail and celebrate “Old Money” with a half-pound mound of king crab legs. A combination of any two, known as “Around the World,” starts at $35.
If your ship truly has come in then make Maitland’s brilliant menu your own by piling a “Down and Dirty” ($20) garnish of shaved black truffles atop the 14-ounce Imperial Wagyu New York strip loin. Even without the truffles, this is a regal presentation, gilded with bone marrow, sauce béarnaise, roasted baby vegetables and truffle-whipped potatoes, priced at a majestic $69.
Good to know, then, that dinner at this handsome restaurant does not have to be as pricey as a visit to an establishment in an authentic red light district, as proved by choices like the $19 pappardelle pasta with mushrooms.
In plain language, the food is savory and delicious. Brussels Sprouts, once as unpopular as April 15, have swept trendy menus in the past, for instance, and it would not be a surprise if Maitland’s frankly spiced, country-fried chicken livers become a similar hit in 2012.
Elegantly presented in a ravier (a long, narrow dish used for vegetable appetizers in France), a shaved Julian apple salad strews the distinctive flavors of spiced pecans, goat cheese and pear vinaigrette amid a jumble of tart fruit and greens. The house-made terrines, earthy and rich, are distinctive pâtès of duck and Port-soaked cherries, and pork studded with bits of crisp pig ear. More familiar, the duo of Hawaiian Ahi tuna (both seared and tartare) is garnished with piquant cucumbers and yuzu aioli, and do not miss the soothing chicken noodle soup, accompanied by a liver toast.
The entree list kicks off with the delightful plate of house made pappardelle pasta, tossed with four kinds of mushrooms, Sherry and a white truffle “foam,” and moves along enthusiastically to duck breast flavored with Chinese “five spice” powder and treated to garnishes like hot-sour mushroom broth and duck cracklings. Other highlights include diver-caught Maine scallops with littleneck clam chowder; butter-poached Maine lobster with crème fraîche risotto; a combo of three veal preparations; and an amazing pairing of braised lamb with rabbit cassoullet.
These strongly flavored dishes—including the Imperial Wagyu loin steak, truffles or not—are best followed by one of their “Happy Endings,” either the warm cobbler of seasonal fruits or white chocolate bread pudding with caramelized bananas.
