Nov 3

Nov 3 Circa 55 Unveils Brand New Menu

Beverly Hills, Beverly Hilton, Circa 55, food, Hilton Hotel

In celebration of The Beverly Hilton’s 60th anniversary, I was invited to check out the unveiling of the hotel's acclaimed Circa 55 restaurant's brand new menu. Executive Chef Troy Thompson, along with his team, debuted the new dishes at an intimate poolside dinner where fellow influencers as well as myself got to sit back, relax, and eat. It was such a wonderful opportunity to just chat with everyone and take time to really appreciate the Beverly Hilton since I am usually working an event or red carpet when I'm there. This was such nice change of pace. Circa 55 is named for the year in which the Beverly Hilton hotel was founded. It has pool views with walls of glass as well. The menu is filled with a modern take of California classics. A whooping 95% of their ingredients are locally sourced. So what can you expect on the new and improved menu at Circa 55? I was in awe by the goregous Shaved Candy Cane Beet Salad with lemon juice, choices, diced tomato, sea salt, and fresh ground black pepper. Tasty and healthy! This reminded me so much of Xmas. It was definitely a swift kick in the ass to remind myself to start my holiday shopping. And who doesn't like a wedge salad? The Baby Iceberg Wedge Salad was so itty bitty that it was almost too cute to eat. The baby iceberg was topped with Roquefort Cheese Dressing, heirloom tomatoes, sea salt, fresh ground black pepper, and toasted crostini. I really liked how the portions were small during the tasting so I would be able to make room for the extravagant dishes to come.I thought the Shaved Candy Cane Beets were beautiful, but the Beef Carpaccio was up there as well. The thinly sliced New York strip loin was topped with chives, diced tomato, sea salt, fresh ground black pepper, and toasted crostini. Next up was the Firecracker Tuna. The star of the dish was of course the sliced seared albacore tuna, which was topped with chili oil, ponzu, sprouts, and toasted crostini. Can you believe all of the dishes thus far were considered appetizers? I was already getting full at this point when I was presented with the Sliced Warm Octopus. This dish was divine. The octopus was topped with cherry vinegar, warm "German" Potato salad, and whole grain mustard. It was the heavier of the appetizers, which prepared us for the entrees to come. Yes, that's entrees with an 's'. Plural. I should have worn my stretchy pants. The first entree of the night was the Harris ranch Dry Aged Steak. Wow! Just wow! This may have been my favorite dish of the night. I say may have because it's hard to just choose one because everything was so good. This was a 22-24 oz dry aged Porterhouse Steak with red wine sauce. The meat was so good. Juicy and very flavorful!At this point, I was ready to burst but of course they brought out a plate of Steelhead Salmon. I love, love, love salmon. You don't have to pull my arm to make me eat it. The salmon was pan seared and paired with fava bean puree, tomato, and lemon. Delectable! I had already ate the whole plate of salmon so I didn't think I would be able to finish the next plate of chicken. That was of course until I found out it was Miso Chicken. I would seriously be the worst person to have to adhere to a diet. I have zero self control. The chicken was marinated with miso and topped with corn pudding, chicken jus, and King Oyster Mushroom. The King Oyster Mushroom was extremely satisfying. What a good tasting mushroom! The big star of the night was the TV Dinner. One of the new items Circa 55 is most proud of is their own modern twist on the classic TV Dinner. If TV Dinners all looked like this, I wouldn't mind having them every night. Executive Chef Troy Thompson's take on the dish was insane. There was a waldorf slider, black garlic deviled egg, spicy crispy chicken roll, root vegetable medley, charred brussels sprouts, and tomato ramen! My friend Kiyra had 2 bowls. For dessert, we moved onto a 5-piece sorbet and ice cream cones. A trip of desserts with a cheesecake with sour cream topping, chocolate truffle layer cake, madmen coffee & Kahlua Kreme Brûlée cup. At this point, I wanted to roll over. I really wish I had worn stretchy pants. I can't wait to be back on a Thursday because it's Smores Thursdays. There's even a huge projection of films for poolside guests to enjoy. Circa 55 is located inside the Beverly Hilton. Give them a try next time you're in the area. You won't regret it! The new menu rocks! CIRCA 55