"Raphael Lunetta’s tenure at Marelle has been mostly under the radar, a sleek but toned-down restaurant along Santa Monica’s busy Ocean Avenue. With distant views of the beach, the Sandbourne hotel restaurant eases into weekends with a sprawling indoor-outdoor space. Long white curtains sway, and a DJ pulses out tunes as the sun sets, a fine place to tuck into Lunetta’s unabashedly California cooking. The menu is packed with seasonal produce at its prime, like a stone fruit salad with arugula, endive, and ricotta salata or a leg of charred Spanish octopus laced in a savory chorizo veloute and dragon’s beard greens. Lunetta serves lamb tenderloin strips, cooked to a wonderfully juicy medium rare, with a refined ratatouille, plump spring peas, and slender roasted carrots. The ocean view isn’t quite right in your face, but knowing it’s there adds just the right amount of seasoning to the experience." - Eater Staff