Navio Half Moon Bay: Brunch Heaven at the Ritz
Sunday brunch is an indulgence people tend to save for special occasions, but the Sunday brunch at Navio Half Moon Bay at the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay is for very special occasions. It isn’t likely you fork out $88 for a Sunday brunch unless you’re celebrating a major fork in the road, like a birthday ending in a zero or an anniversary ending in a five. But Navio Half Moon Bay, famous Bay Area-wide for the Sunday brunch, is worth it.
More on the brunch in a moment, but first it should be pointed out that you don’t need to save your pennies for that super-special occasion to dine at Navio. You can still enjoy its Ritz-caliber service, cuisine and ocean view for relatively modest prices at breakfast (entrees $17-$24), lunch ($18-$26) or dinner ($26-$40).
Breakfasts (daily except Sundays, 6:30-11:00) feature traditional favorites like French toast, buttermilk pancakes and eggs benedict, but with special ingredients like Fra’ Mani artisan ham, artichoke spread and date-almond butter. At lunch (daily except Sundays, 12-2), you can start with the pumpkin soup (Half Moon Bay is the pumpkin capital) before trying the braised short rib sliders with aged white cheddar, pickled onions and romesco sauce. At dinner (6-9 nightly, reservations required), entrees include the 48-Hour Braised Beef Short Ribs and two variations on sea bass.
Navio really “puts on the ritz” (there’s a reason for the expression), however, at Sunday brunch. “Buffet” and “fine dining” rarely belong in the same sentence, but they do at Navio.
It starts with gourmet French cheeses at the entrance, then you weave your way through a gallery of foodie fantasies. At the fish bar are smoked trout, citrus-smoked salmon, green-lipped mussels, Caledonian shrimp, tuna tartare and seafood ceviche. Next is the sushi bar, with a sushi chef preparing delicacies like black seaweed salad and octopus salad. Then there are more salads, prime rib, braised short ribs in red wine sauce and, well, you get the idea.
Most items are small in the tradition of fine dining, but it doesn’t matter because it’s all-you-can-eat. Take one plate of everything that looks appealing and concentrate on the best ones during seconds and thirds. You know the drill.
Oh yeah, save room for dessert. You can start with triple espresso cake and tiramisu, have the pastry chef prepare a sizzling plate of Bananas Foster, and conclude with Norman Love truffles—the only item in the restaurant not prepared fresh on the premises (and one of few not to use local ingredients) because they’re flown in from Florida.
This is a meal worth savoring, so eat slowly and enjoy the ocean view out the window while celebrating whichever occasion is a special enough to put on the Ritz.
HelloSanFrancisco tip: The brunch does feature breakfast items like eggs benedict, sausages, and 15 pastries and breads, but skip them and save yourself for the good stuff.
Posted on Jan 24, 2011 by Bob Cooper
