Cezanne Front Entrance From the Hotel Lobby

Whether it’s a casual lunch in the charming courtyard or a romantic evening in
the cozy dining room, Cezanne Restaurant at Le Merigot Hotel promises an enchanting dining experience. Cézanne offers classic French cuisine with a modern presentation reflecting local Santa Monica markets. The casually elegant ambiance
and gorgeous décor set the stage for an enticing blend of upscale comfort food,
with influences from new California and classic French cuisine. Walking into the restaurant, we immediately felt at home. Light, warm tones swept through the
large dining room, that offers an amazing ocean view with a patio outside
where diners can enjoy the dining al fresco experience.  
Indoor and Outdoor Dining

Comfortably elegant chairs gathered around the tables, while a few
enormous booths offered a slightly more secluded dining space.    
 Main Dining Room                                   Long Island Ice Tea

We were welcomed warmly by the hostess and led to a fireside table, walking through the dining room and past the gorgeous and cozy bar customers can gather for drinks.

Even at 7:00pm the dining room was beginning to fill, with a few couples and a family of eight already clearly enjoying their meals. A courtyard patio in the center of the restaurant, facing the magnificent ocean view was full, they were having a wedding for about 160 people, everyone seemed to be extremely pleased with location and food. This is an amazing place for parties and weddings, absolutely perfect for any occasion. Our dining room offered a serene space and at the same time a private dining room with the same casual elegance with the added bonus of privacy. On top of that, the music provided by the piano was absolutely delightful. In fact, Robert the pianist, as soon he saw me, he played my favorite song; Summer 42 by Michel Legrand.     

We were greeted by our server, who eagerly offered to start our meal off with a selection of their new just created hors d’oeuvres, we started with the Shrimp
and Crab Cake with Fresh Hawaiian Hearts of Palm Salad that was
simply one of the best crab cakes I have tried in centuries.    
Shrimp and Crab Cakes                              Spicy Ahi Tuna Tartare


Lobster Seafood Cocktail

Next was the Spicy Ahi tuna Tartare, really nice in presentation and taste, the Seafood Cocktail served with Red and Green Chili Sauce was perfectly done,
with a choice of Shrimp, Oysters or Lobster. Ours was the Lobster, and it was
the great choice, the meat was tender and the green chile sauce was perfect.  
Seared Scallops with Baby Artichokes

The special of the day was the Seared Scallops with baby artichokes
and bean salad, very light and appropriate before any meal.     Black Truffle Mac & Cheese w/Lobster                      Asparagus Side                  

To end our appetizers, we tried the best Black Truffle Mac & Cheese with
Lobster and a Crispy Crust. It was to die for…I’d say the best one in
town, simply fabulous, and the lobster pieces inside were great
and big, with truffle taste, hummmm it was amazing.
The wine list at Cezanne is well thought out, with a generous selection of California, Italian, and French wines. As our server delivered glasses of Russian River, a clairvoyant, grassy wine from the heart of Santa Barbara wine country, we
turned to the menu, which offered an equally tempting array
of what Cezanne calls “Exquisite French Cuisine.”  
 Miso Roasted Chilean Sea Bass

Our server explained that Executive Chef Desi Szonntagh just changed the menu, and created a new one, which has amazing dishes, such as Alaskan Ling Cod or Dover Sole Menuiere, our choice was the Miso Roasted Chilean Sea Bass with Asparagus and the Filet Mignon with a choice of potatoes, ours was that Roasted Garlic Mashed potatoes; a unique twist on a classic combination that was executed to perfection.  
Filet Mignon with Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

While we could not have been more satisfied, we eagerly accepted dessert,
selecting two of the more popular pastries to conclude our meal. The signature dessert, Chocolate Lava Cake, was far from baby-sized: an enormous circular
form commanded the plate, while elegant scoop of vanilla gelato tagged along.
The dense “cake” was actually a large Devil’s chocolate brownie, baked
around a white chocolate and cream cheese core. One bite indeed
seemed devilish, with chocolate so rich it begged to be savored.  
Lemon Short Cake, Crème Brulee, Chocolate Lava Cake

The Lemon Short Cake was a more manageable size, although enormously rich
and flavorful. The cake came with layers of almost cake, coffee butter cream
and ganache, peaks of frosting. And the Chef surprise us with their
delicious Crème Brulee, double vanilla cream and biscotti.  
Taylor 30 Year Tawny Port

While we were unable to come close to cleaning our wickedly rich plates, the
smiles on our faces revealed that we were enormously satisfied. Finding a
place where casual meets comfort is one thing; finding a place
where comfort meets elegance is quite another.

Cezanne has somehow managed to combine all three, and may possibly be the only place in Santa Monica where the staples of comfort food go hand in hand with the pleasures of quality ingredients, artful presentation, and exquisite taste.

                
For map and location click Here!

For more information please visit their website at www.lemerigothotel.com