(Photo Credit www.withasoutherntwist.com)

Driving up to the Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes, you can't help but notice the view. Almost all of the dining options at Terranea are perched on cliffs overlooking the ocean.  With views like these it might be a good idea to get an earlier reservation so you can still see the ocean before the sun sets. Palos Verdes is home to an older crowd than the rest of LA, an older more successful crowd, but there were still a few other young couples out for a romantic dinner at Mar'sel. There are two seating options, the patio and the main dining area.  You can get a little more privacy on the patio, as the main dining area is very open between tables and you can't help but overhear your neighbors.

(Photo Credit www.oyster.com)

No complaints on service.  We received a free amuse-bouche as soon as we sat down, and a free bread course came out as soon as we had uncorked our champagne.  Glass refills were prompt, and I was especially impressed that although our dinner pushed into the later evening hours, the waitstaff cleared the other tables as quietly as possible so as not to interrupt our dinner.  The waitress went above and beyond decorating our dessert with "Congratulations", so I was all-in-all happy with the service.

The appetizer was definitely the most creative dish of the night.  I ordered the corn macchiato... yes, that's right, a macchiato.  A corn soup with lots of savory bits at the bottom with a rich creamy foam on top just like a cappuccino. Served with a very small croque-madame this was savory heaven.  We also ordered the bolonese pasta appetizer and, although uncreative, we were blown away by the quality of the fresh-made pasta and rich meaty sauce.

I ordered the pork served three ways for my main entree. The pork was served as tenderloin medallions, pork belly, and prosciutto on top of a green pea puree. The side/vegetable wasn't very memorable, but all three versions of the pork were wonderfully rich, and the plating presentation was exactly what I'd hoped from the flagship restaurant at the Terranea Resort.

We were dining at Mar'sel to celebrate a promotion, and while the dessert wasn't free, the waitstaff did go above and beyond decorating the dessert plate with a chocolate "Congratulations".  We ordered three different sorbets, Blood Orange, Pineapple, and Watermelon Tequila.  I think every high end restaurant that serves sorbet serves Blood Orange, tasty, but less original.  I'm a little obsessed with Pineapple, so that was the clear winner for me.  The part I was really impressed with is that all the sorbets are made fresh in house.  You could tell, the Pineapple sorbet even had a little Pineapple pulp left in it.

We didn't get a chance to look at the wine list as we brought our own celebratory bottle of Veuve Cliquot. The corkage fee was very reasonable at Mar'sel, something like $25, which made the final bill on the night pretty reasonable.

Mar'cel is truly a flagship restaurant of Palos Verdes. The view alone would have been enough, but the quality of the food matched the caliber of the view. I will definitely visit Mar'cel again.