Safire (Camarillo, CA) April 2009

Safire
4850 Santa Rosa Rd
Camarillo, CA 93012
805-389-1227
www.safirebistro.com

Happy Easter! Ok..it's still early in the month and I am already naming this hotspot Restaurant of the Month. For a place to be named ROTM so early is a pretty good indicator that I'll be back there again. I really need to go some place where the owner will start putting my reviews on the wall...nah, that will never happen!

Anyway, we went there for dinner tonight. I had no idea there were going to be Easter specials. There was a three course meal for $29. Lucky me, I had my $25 gift certificate from restaurant.com, a website that is fast becoming my bestest friend!

I ordered the shrimp cocktail, bbq salmon and the lavender scented vanilla bean panna cotta....fancy huh...you didn't know I had that in me did ya???? The other half ordered prime rib. I'm not a steak eater so I have no real comments except he ate the whole thing and he did not complain..that should answer the mail for you!

The shrimp cocktail consisted of three jumbo shrimp served with cocktail sauce and a little bit of horseradish. It was served in a large soup bowl filled with ice...that's classy baby! The bbq salmon was served a top of a bed of yukon mashed potatoes and melted leaks and spinach. I love spinach so this dish was a hit for me. The bbq sauce on the salmon was savory.....I almost wished that it was chicken I was eating but oh well, I did order the salmon. My dessert reminds me of flan but with a slight gelatin taste. This dessert was topped with strawberry slices and caramel sauce on the plate.

Now, the food was definitely the highlight for me..but the real surprise was the margarita. I typically don't drink on Sundays (don't ask!!! just kidding!) but I decided to be brave and I ordered the Caribbean Margarita..this drink took me to Jamaica all over again. I literally thought I was lounging in the warm waters of Negril..ok, back to reality! The margarita was freshly prepared and guess what, COCONUT RUM in a margarita...who would have even imagined this. Definitely, probably...maybe the best damn margarita ever. I am sure I'll be going there again just to sample this smooth and silky concoction. Probably tomorrow..any takers???

The bill was about $76 with tax. This place is somewhere in between upscale and kinda urban chic..you decide. I will try it again soon. Who knew we could get this type of food in Ventura County...I'm tired of driving to LA!