This holiday season, Terranea Resort, Southern California’s premier oceanfront destination, invites guests to celebrate in style with exceptional seasonal dining. Set against sweeping Pacific views, the resort’s acclaimed culinary team is presenting a festive array of gourmet experiences for Hanukkah and Christmas. Highlights include a luxurious five-course tasting menu at oceanfront mar’sel, lavish brunch and dinner buffets at catalina kitchen, and specially curated holiday offerings at bashi and Nelson’s, combining inventive flavors, artful presentation and impeccable service for locals and destination travelers alike.
Hanukkah Dining
Terranea Resort celebrates Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, December 14 to 22, with special menus across its restaurants.
At mar’sel, a five-course tasting menu offers Hanukkah favorites with a gourmet twist. Highlights include Latkes with labne, apple compote and smoked salmon; Fennel Chowder with poached cod and saffron-orange dressing; Tagliolini with mushroom ragu and black truffle; Braised Beef Brisket with Brussels sprouts and mashed potatoes; and a Flourless Chocolate Cakewith coconut Chantilly, mango coulis and passion fruit sorbet.
Just-for-Hanukkah cocktails include the Dreidel Daiquiri and Menorah Martini ($20 each).
$175 per guest, exclusive of tax and gratuity. Reservations available at opentable.com/marsel-at-
Other resort restaurants will feature Hanukkah specials:
- catalina kitchen: Matzo Ball Soup ($14), Sweet Potato Latkes with caramelized onions and tarragon dill cream ($18), Rosemary Roasted Chicken Breast with warm barley, mushrooms and parmesan salad ($26), and Five-Spice Apple Cake with caramel sauce and vanilla gelato ($15).
- bashi: Kimchi Fried Rice with Chinese sausage ($28) and Five-Spice Apple Cake ($15).
- Nelson’s: Za’atar Marinated Half Chicken with roasted cherry tomatoes, zucchini and sweet potato mash ($32), the Torah Torah Torah cocktail ($18), and Five-Spice Apple Cake($15).
mar’sel’s Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Elegant Five-Course Tasting Menu
Wednesday, December 24 and Thursday, December 25, from 3 to 9 p.m.
On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, mar’sel offers an elegant five-course holiday tasting menu. Overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the Forbes Four-Star restaurant presents Chef Fabio Ugoletti’s festive creations featuring locally sourced produce, seasonal seafood and artful plating.
The menu begins with Scallop & Persimmon Carpaccio composed with Siberian caviar, pomegranates, chives and watercress; followed by Clam and Fennel Chowder with gratin oysters, broccoli floret and saffron-orange dressing. Tagliolini embellish
The menu concludes with a Yule Log of chocolate cake, coconut mousse, passion mango gel and meringue. Holiday cocktails include the mar’sel Rompope and Prancer’s Punch ($20 each). mar’sel’s regular à la carte menu is also available.
$210 per person, exclusive of tax and gratuity. Reservations available at opentable.com/marsel-at-
catalina kitchen Christmas Eve Buffet
Wednesday, December 24, from 12:30 to 9 p.m.
On Christmas Eve, catalina kitchen presents a festive dining experience featuring a variety of seasonal offerings.
Guests can start at the Grazing Table with hummus dip with fresh vegetables, a selection of cured meats and California cheeses, and fresh seasonal fruit. The Salad Bar highlights classic Caesar, beetroot and goat cheese quinoa, and spinach and strawberry salads.
Holiday entrées include shrimp fettuccine Alfredo, lemon-caper Mary’s chicken thighs and Chilean sea bass. Guests can also enjoy pizzas from the stone oven and a coastal seafood bar with wakame salad, ahi tuna tartare, salmon poke, lobster tails, mango shrimp ceviche and other selections.
Carving stations feature Berkshire ham with maple honey mustard, molasses-glazed turkey breast and tomahawk steak. Hot appetizers include clam chowder, vegetable spring rolls and cheeseburger sliders, alongside a sushi station with assorted rolls.
Desserts include Mont Blanc tart, matcha cheesecake, eggnog tiramisu, cranberry panna cotta and other seasonal sweets.
$150 for adults, $60 for kids 5 to 12, $30 for kids 2 to 4, exclusive of tax and gratuity. Reservations available at opentable.com/catalina-
catalina kitchen Christmas Brunch and Dinner
Thursday, December 25, Brunch from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.; Dinner from 12:30 to 9 p.m.
catalina kitchen offers a festive Christmas brunch buffet with a Granola Bar serving smoked salmon minibagels, turkey wraps and acai bowls. Guests can enjoy pastries, mini donuts, gluten-free and vegan muffins, and butter croissants, plus an omelet station, pancakes, cinnamon French toast, steak and eggs, and a chocolate fountain. Breakfast meats and a grazing table with cured meats and California cheeses are also featured.
The Christmas dinner buffet includes lobster Cobb, Niçoise, winter kale and quinoa, and butternut squash velouté. A Seafood Bar features oysters, crab, lobster tails, ahi tuna, halibut Wellington, scallops, calamari and seafood chowder.
Carving stations serve prime rib, tomahawk steak, leg of lamb, turkey and porchetta. Other entrees include porcini truffle risotto, grilled sea bass, duck with radicchio and braised short ribs. Stone oven pizzas and desserts such as pies, gingerbread cheesecake, pistachio cream puffs and fruit tarts complete the menu. The holiday cocktail, Pom Pom Spritz, is $19.
Brunch and Dinner Buffet: $150 for adults, $60 for kids 5-12, $30 for kids 2-4, exclusive of tax and gratuity. Reservations available at opentable.com/catalina-
More Christmas Dining at Terranea Resort
bashi, Terranea’s Asian-centric restaurant, will offer holiday specials on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day from 5 to 9 p.m. Highlights include a Surf & Turf Sushi Roll with seared Wagyu beef, spicy lobster, avocado, tobiko and eel sauce ($32) and Singaporean-Style Chili Lobster with two wok-tossed lobster tails in a sweet-spicy sauce ($69). The Merry Sangria cocktail features Daou, orange juice and simple whiskey ($22), and the dessert special is a Chocolate Cardamom Tart with pistachio sesame brittle and Chantilly cream ($18).
Reservations available at opentable.com/
Nelson’s, the resort’s casual oceanfront eatery, will serve Christmas Eve Porchetta with saffron basmati rice, roasted carrots, zucchini and bliss potatoes ($42) and a Christmas Day Crispy Pork Belly Sandwich with Swiss cheese and chipotle mayo ($24), both available 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Holiday offerings include the Rudolph Delight cocktail with vodka, cranberry, Cointreau and Sprite ($20) and a White Chocolate Cranberry Orange Cake.
Reservations available at opentable.com/
Enchanting Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony
Saturday, November 29, from 4:30 to 7 p.m.
Resort guests and the Palos Verdes community are invited to begin the holiday season oceanfront at Terranea Resort’s Front Drive. Admission to the celebration is complimentary. In addition to the lighting of a 30-foot tree adorned with hundreds of ornaments, lights and a brilliant star, the evening will feature caroling and dance performances by local arts groups. Families can capture photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, enjoy rides on a festive trackless train, and participate in seasonal activities such as sending postcards to Santa’s North Pole workshop. Children’s book author Jane Bakerink, creator of “Piney: The Lonesome Pine”, will also be on-site for a special book signing. Guests may indulge in hot chocolate and cider stations, decorated cookies for purchase, grab-and-go bites, and a cash bar.
Attendees are requested to donate an unwrapped gift to Toys for Tots.
Gingerbread Lounge in the Lobby Lounge
Starting Saturday, November 29, to Friday, January 2; weekdays from 4 to 10 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays from 2 to 10 p.m.
Terranea Resort unveils its popular Gingerbread Lounge on Saturday, November 29. This holiday pop-up showcases a gigantic 7-by-7-foot gingerbread masterpiece, adorned with gumdrops, candy canes and royal icing, revealing a functional bar and a magical gingerbread village—crafted from over 1,000 pounds of house-made gingerbread. Yuletide spirit abounds as guests sip holiday cocktails and non-alcoholic favorites, savoring a selection of delectable festive sweets. Children are invited to pen letters to Santa and enjoy some complimentary treats, while live music adds to the excitement in the resort’s Lobby daily, from 7 to 11 p.m.
Terranea Resort is located at 100 Terranea Way, Ranchos Palos Verdes, CA 90275. Phone: 310-494-7891; terranea.com.
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