Traveling: Vacation, business, or a combination of both. Fortunately for me, it’s usually somewhere in between no matter where I go, ‘cause no matter the locale, you have to eat and dining is not merely a means of sustenance.
What does traveling have to do with Maru? Well, for those of you who don’t know, I do consulting work for restaurants from location acquisition to complete opening and operations. This usually takes me to the Bay Area but this past week, it took me to Chicago, a foodie town whose big sis is San Francisco and big brother is New York, but completely holds its own. A town that can be quite “tropical” (hot and humid), so much so that the city plants palm trees at their beaches every spring, and also so cold that it will freeze the snot (oh my goodness, did I say snot? I meant mucus) solid before it has a chance to drip out of your nostrils.
Ruxbin is slated to open sometime soon with their staff selected and in the midst of training. What better time than that for me to see how their prospects of success are. To give you some background, I had worked with Ed and Vicki of www.RuxbinChicago.com in LA before the project got put on the chopping block just before the economy tanked, but at the tail end of last year, I got a call that they were opening something in Chicago and that, “I had to come out.” Also, out of all the people that have asked my opinion of their ability to operate a successful restaurant, they were the only ones to whom I answered positively without hesitation. Ed has had formal training as well as some stints with some powerful people in the industry. One who respects the ingredients but understands that the details will elevate something that is good, to amazing. Vicki has an energy and spunk unparalleled, and Jenny, tranquility and organization with charm, making for a complete package.
What can you expect when you dine with them? An amazing and exciting experience, from the moment you walk into the restaurant, to sitting at your table, and even traveling through the teleportation device next to the pass. (You’ll understand). And no, I didn’t forget about the rest of the experience. The service can be fun and full of teeth exposing smiles or unobtrusive, depending on the energy level you bring in. The food, amazing! Their menu is seasonal and changes according to what is freshest so I will not go into detail because it will change.
If you understand the food that I make, then it is definitely your first stop and the standard with which to measure up all the other restaurants you visit. Just once is all it will take for you to get hooked, and to give you a heads up, you will make plans to visit them one more time before you depart from Chi town. Be warned.
Maru Restaurant is located at 24250 Town Center Drive in Valencia. For more information, please call 661-290-2595 and visit www.MaruValencia.com.