Hollywood Beach Wine Company

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  Cute place.  Great wine selection.  We had a very friendly bartender, so no complaints about the service.  
  
  We ordered the risotto balls with smoked gouda (see picture).  One of the balls was smaller than the others and had no cheese inside, another had a frozen piece of gouda in the middle and we couldn't eat it, and the last one was perfectly cooked, and excellent.
  
  I read reviews before coming about the food not being that great, but I was assured from Chris at Cantara Cellars that they got a new chef and the food was better.  I guess the chef needs to train the kitchen a bit with regard to making the balls the same size and cooking them for the same amount of time.  Good concept, but not well executed.

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  Posted on 07.19.13 Nikki C.

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  I went for brunch. They serve a brunch menu on Saturday and Sunday. It was delicious. Everything was reasonable and the view of the harbor was lovely. I had an omelette and a fresh squeezed blood orange mimosa made with an imported sparkling wine. Top rate! If you go on a Sunday, there is a farmer's market right there.

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  Posted on 07.04.13 Wendy H.

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  Had our first visit to Hollywood Beach Wine Co, and we were pleasantly surprised.  We opted for a few glasses of wine along with several of their tapas.  
  
  We tried the salmon cakes, anchovy pastry and the veggie sliders......they may not sound that great, but they were amazing.....very impressed with the food, and their chef Danny (?)...this place could really be onto something.....
  
  Cannot wait to return and try their Skirt Steak tapa.........very friendly staff, and live music inside was a nice touch.....

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  Posted on 04.29.13 cory c.

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  We had never had the pleasure of trying Hollywood Beach Wine Co. before, but had a thoroughly wonderful experience.  There were 8 of us and we primarily ordered the appetizers, salads and wine, but every dish we ordered was delicious.  I thought the prices were a little high, but we had a great evening.  The wait staff was very friendly and wonderful.

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  Posted on 03.29.13 Angie W.

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  First of all, I'm being generous with 3 stars.  Closer to 2.5 to 2.75.
  
  Went in for brunch yesterday.  They were featuring blood orange mimosa's and a few from our party ordered them.  They were very good.
  
  The brunch menu is limited mainly to breakfast type items, which was fine, because I was there for a late breakfast.  I ordered "two eggs your way" which is 2 eggs however you like them, potatoes, biscuit, and bacon.  The wait was a little longer than I wanted but not too long.  My 2 "over easy" eggs were browned and toasted to a crisp.  It looked like the cook dropped them on the griddle from on high and splattered the yolks, and then cooked them til brown, flipped them, probably stepped on them and browned the tops.  Needless to say, unrecognizable as over easy eggs.  I don't really know what to call them.  Brown, smashed, toasted eggs maybe?  They tasted like you would think they did.  (by this time, I just figured I'd choke them down and call it a day rather than sending them back)
  
  The potatoes were ok.  The bacon was good, but cut so thin that you could see through it.  So, not very generous.
  
  The biscuit was more like a biscuit shaped scone.  A little on the sweet side.   Actually quite tasty but very dry.  We asked for some gravy and got one small side of it which made the biscuit much better.  (butter was not offered either, but I guess we could have asked for that as well)
  
  Ketchup was a special order item. (strange when you have to ask for it, I always thought it was somewhat universally taken to the table when potatoes are served)  Even pepper needed to be requested.  I didn't bother requesting Tabasco sauce.
  
  Service was ok.  Could have been better.  After 3 requests for a glass of water, I did get it after all.....
  
  Might go back for some Tapas and wine, but certainly not for breakfast.

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  Posted on 03.25.13 Sig R.

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  New chef, new menu. Finally the place I was hoping it would become. Loved the pork tenderloin and accommodating staff. Warning, live music can be a bit LOUD on the patio!

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  Posted on 03.24.13 Xuan R.

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  I called a few days before to make reservations for Valentines Day. I told my husband we should go check it out so we know what to order on Valentines Day. When we got there, it was during their happy hour. It was empty except for an elderly gentleman during at the bar.Since it is a wine company we decided to each do a tasting. The owner and a waitress were there. We ordered some mushrooms and short ribs. We also ordered the onion soup. We really like the Albareno wine so we got a bottle.The ribs and soup were ok but the mushrooms were really salty. I was appalled when I got the bill $ 98 dollars. I asked the waitress if she, had charged us for a wine tasting, she said yes,  ten dollars each. Typically when you buy a bottle elsewhere, they don't charge you for the tasting. I wish we would've known that before we did the tasting. I think the ladies did, not like when I nicely questioned the bill. When I got home, I cancelled Valentines reservations.

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  Posted on 02.17.13 Sylvia G.

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  NEVER GOING BACK!
  DON'T UNDERSTAND THE HIGH REVIEWS, MUST BE THE OWNERS AND FRIENDS!!!
  
  My wife and I decided to go out for a date to a restaurant we had never tried in our local area. We decided to go to Hollywood Beach Wine Company, BIG MISTAKE!
  
  We looked at the menu before entering and decided all of the food sounded delicious, looked a bit pricey, but it was date and we were splurging. Walked in and the place was half-full, but with a party in the back. The decor looked cheap and thrown together, but hey its new and we can overlook these details for now.
  
  We decided to order across the menu to try as much as we could to get a feel for the food. We ordered the COMBO CHARCUTERIE PLATTER for $19, the LOBSTER BISQUE special for $10, HEARTS OF ROMAINE SALAD WITH BACON & BLUE CHEESE DRESSING for $10, and a half rack of CUMIN RIBS w/ MASHED POTATOES & APRICOT JELLY $13.
  
  CHARCUTERIE PLATTER: It was described as an assortment of meats, cheeses, pickled vegetables (plural), fruits and breads. Cant complain about the meats or cheeses, but the bread was MIA, the grapes were brown, warm, and mushy, and the pickled vegetable turned out to only be three mini pickles. This was the highlight of our meal and I would only give it a 5 out of 10.
  
  THEN COMES THE WAIT.
  
  After a 30 minute wait they informed us there was a party going on which was slowing the kitchen so they brought us a FRENCH ONION SOUP to hold us off. The soup was decent, but not decent enough to finish.
  
  15 min later
  
  Our food arrived and we were so excited to try our meal! The romaine was brown, and rest of the veggies didn't look very fresh. Lobster bisque had no seasoning and looked and tasted VERY oily. The ribs, again NO SEASONING, luke warm at best, and the tiny mound of mash potatoes were luke warm and NASTY!
  
  ***Just a note*** We are not picky eaters! We never send food back, but unfortunately this was not the case, it had to go.
  
  After a couple bites of everything we waved someone down and informed them of how bad the food was. They were apologetic and blamed it on the large party they were accomodating in the other room. They removed all the items EXCEPT the COMBO PLATTER which in the end we walked away paying $23, still hungry, and needing to find a new place for dinner. WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT! We hoped this would have been our new local favorite as we live right down the street.

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  Posted on 11.30.12 Alex E.

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  After a long wait, we finally went out to this new restaurant with great anticipation. Ok, it's all new however overall we all were disappointed.
  
  Pros: good service, extensive and well thought out wine list, great musicians, good location.
  
  Cons: Menu choices all 'loaded' with rich, calorific items, same old items revamped like a Hollywood film. Bar fantastic but inside seating arrangement haphazard at best. Feeling of whole place been thrown together at last minute for example gents restroom decor terrible, paint all over door-frames, soap dispenser squint, caulking with holes etc. A small point but for a semi-upmarket restaurant   these are telling signs.
  
  I am sorry but I left feeling I will not go back. Who knows, perhaps with time the potential remains for this place to find its identity and 'iron out' its crumpled corners!

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  Posted on 10.29.12 Gareth J.

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  Just got back from this place after an afternoon down the coast.  Wasn't quite hungry for dinner yet, and it was too late for lunch so I decided to stop and have a glass of wine.  For Oxnard, this place is okay--not great, but okay. The decor is very nice, there's an okay ambiance and it overlooks the water. Ordered the cheese plate, it was okay--again, not great.  Had a bottle of wine that I shared with a friend. Meh is all I have to say to the whole experience. Service was a little slow considering there were very few people in the place. After recently trying Fresco II a few days before, this place rates a distant, distant second I'm sorry to say (I'm sorry to say because that great looking harbor needs a nice place). And no, before you jump all over me for this so-so review, I'm not a competitor, nor do I have an axe to grind--I'm just a guy looking for decent places to stop at on this path of life. This is decent, but there are better.

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  Posted on 10.23.12 Matthew S.

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  My husband and I have been waiting for quite awhile for this restaurant to open after walking by several times and seeing it "coming together" and it was well worth the wait!  We went for just an appetizer and wine last night but ended up having dinner and are so glad we did!  The sommelier, Greg, is excellent and suggested a wonderful Red Zin that we LOVED!  And our meals were fabulous.  The owner, Lois, stopped by to introduce herself (that's always a great touch at a new restaurant) and Hannah and Tonya were so friendly and took great care of us while waiting on us during our meal.  
  
  It's our new favorite "local upscale" place and we can't wait to go back, which will be very soon for our 2nd wedding anniversary!
  
  Oh, and there was a great musician playing music on the patio while we were there and it was perfect background music while enjoying our wine and meal.  
  
  Be sure to give it a try!  You won't be disappointed!

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  Posted on 10.20.12 Dianne R.

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  What a charming, comfortable, upscale place!  The moment we stepped inside the door Hannah, the waitress, made us feel right at home.  We began in the cozy lounge area with the marina view, but moved into the restaurant once we realized we wanted to eat.  Food and service were excellent...with amazing wines and food choices.  Tonight I had BBQ chicken sliders with mango/corn chutney on pretzel bread, and a yummy buttery Federal Chardonnay.  Lois, the owner, swung by to introduce herself, and Gregory, the sommelier, noticed my interest in another customer's selection, and quickly brought me over a taste.   Yes, we will be back.  Probably soon.

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  Posted on 10.19.12 Deborah G.

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  Lovely new restaurant in Channel Islands Harbor has opened up near Moqueca but you have to look for it because there's not a large sign in the area to point you to it.  If you find the Moqueca sign, you've found the right place.
  Its a great location, beautifully decorated and a great place to bring a date and enjoy the patio/harbor setting.  The venue is friendly, as are the owner, management and servers. I have tried a few of the tapas and look forward to more from Chef Marie. The wine list is selected by Gregory Leon and full of interesting wines to try and explore.
  I look forward to learning more about the food and wine and enjoying this place again.

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  Posted on 10.18.12 Lacy W.

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  We came in for the soft opening and loved it.  I was really excited about the fact that there were so many of my favorite things on the menu (how'd they know?), and disappointed that I simply couldn't try them all.  The food we did try was exceptional though, so I'll definitely be going back to try more things.  The sommelier was wonderful and gave us a few tastes to help us pick a bottle of red to go along with the meal.  I know the menu we got isn't final yet, but they honestly do not need to change a thing.  Fantastic!

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  Posted on 10.08.12 Jeff K.

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  I love this new place. It is cozy as well as  upscale. The location, service, and my favorite sommelier, Greg Leon is pouring his own selection of great  local wines. The owner, Lois has hugged and greeted me at the door and I love the idea that the chef is a woman. I sampled her fried lobster appetizer with mashed potatoes and OMG, talk about delicious. This will be a regular venue for us and our wine friends. I am not the most generous with 5 stars...this place rates 4 stars because we found it a bit pricey! Join us on a Friday evening!

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  Posted on 10.07.12 Ferne R.

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  Just sat in on Chef Marie's preview menu and all I can say is YUM!  If you want flavor, you got it! Curried Alfredo pasta, Duck Salad, Cheesy shrimp and can you say Sliders? Lamb, Chicken and Lobster with bacon.  Paper wrapped fish was awesome!. Can't wait for the official opening and to see what other imaginative and flavorful meals Marie cooks up!

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  Posted on 09.23.12 Lisa S.

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  I think this might be my new "Cheers"!  
  
  I attended the Pre Grand Opening event here on Saturday night.  LOVE this new restaurant/wine bar.  It has great ambiance sitting right on the water in Channel Islands Harbor with a lovely outdoor patio to enjoy the sunsets and harbor view.
  
  The owner Lois Ivanhoff is a lovely woman who greeted all her guests warmly and was quite attentive throughout the evening to ensure we were being well taken care of.
  
  This special event was a tasting of many small bites paired with up to 7 local wines.  Her celebrity chefs (winners of Season 2  Master Chef) created very yummy, unique creations including oysters on the half shell with a spicy bite of serrano pepper; ceviche on jicama; ceaser salad on cucumber; peach chicken served on a polenta cake; and a pork belly with apricot jam on a bruschetta.  In addition there were pestos, tapanades and charcutterie to munch on all evening.
  
  Sommelier Gregory Leon poured the local wines to pair with these delicious bites. The Wines  were from   Cantarra, Four Brix, Magnavino and Rancho Ventano.  Once they open their doors in a few weeks, their wine and beer list will expand significantly.  
  
  In addition to the wonderful food and wine, they also had a nice jazz trio playing that really rounded out the ambiance.  All in all, this was a wonderful evening and I will be making this a favorite new place to hang out.  Congratulations on a wonderful event.  Can't wait for them to open officially!

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  Posted on 08.20.12 Debbie A.

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