Review: The Revere Room

Rosewood Miramar's farm to table concept reveres the Central Coast Farmer

WORDS Ninette Paloma

“Sustainability is the new immunity.”

Chef Massimo Falsini is standing thoughtfully over a composition of rainbow-hued veggies, dressing them up with a delicate tomato brodo as he explains the merits of a seasonally driven menu. “If you take a picture over the dining table,” he continues, “the dishes should reflect the California season and not much more.”

We’re sitting on the breezy terrace of The Revere Room, Rosewood Miramar Beach hotel's newest dining concept that is relying on Falsini’s established links with local farmers to drive the vegetable forward menu. “It’s all about closing the loop in our community,” he emphasizes. “Chefs and farmers should have a direct relationship so that everyone understands the responsibility of sustaining our agricultural town.”

For his part, Falsini can be seen strolling the Santa Barbara Farmers’ Market every Saturday, perusing specialty items at some of his favorite stands including Jimenez Family Farms, Roots, Tutti Frutti, and Frecker Farms. The social camaraderie of his favorite community gathering spot is just as important to him as the dazzling produce on offer, playing an important role in inspiring his ever-changing dishes. “Spring is my favorite time to be at the market,” he muses. “When I see that green asparagus and those beautiful artichokes, and everyone looks so happy, I get very excited, too.”

With choreographic precision, Falsini and his staff begin to weave around our table, setting down plates of garden-fresh pickles and mountains of chiffon-thin arugula drizzled with champagne vinaigrette. The cherry tomatoes are swimming in a Calabrese pepper brine, offering a burst of heat as the sweet morsels explode in the back of our mouths. Shaved asparagus coil around two perfectly poached farm eggs and on another plate, a generous mound of creamy burrata accompanies a quartet of subtly charred artichoke hearts. A chorus of flavors dance around the table with harmonious ease; unfussy yet transformative as the season comes alive with each new vegetable pairing.

When dessert arrives, the sun has already set, and the flickering tea lights cast a warm glow around the Rancho Santa Cecilia Lemon Pie: a complex and balanced layer of citrus custard and toasted poppy seeds and crispy waves of meringue. The Devil’s Food Cake is appropriately decadent, compressed between tiers of buttery caramel as a gentle scattering of dehydrated strawberries offer up a tangy respite. Glasses of digestif clink around the lively table as our group grows larger and our spirits swell. Falsini was right of course, about the benefits of creating a dialogue between farmers and chefs, and more importantly, about keeping our community connected through the simple act of sharing the season’s bounty. The Revere Room, with its thoughtfully curated menu and reverence for the Central Coast's growing season, succeeds with understated grace.