Oxnard's Ox & Ocean at the Zachari Dunes on Mandalay Beach Oxtail Bao!

So the Ox & Ocean restaurant here at the Zucari, sounds incredible in there. Let's check it out. I'm Pat Patterson and I love California. Looks like a great happy hour going. So we're here at Ox & Ocean and I'm with the chef. Damian, give me your last name again. Gilberti. Gilberti. So what should we be eating? What should we be looking at? Oh man, there's so many good things on the menu. One of my favorites is our oxtail bao bun. I make my bao buns in-house with slow braised oxtail, house-made kimchi, jalapeno cupi, and hoisin. It's really awesome. Say that again real quick. You know, there's just a lot going on. You know, you can really tell the difference between store-bought and house-made bao buns and I really think we have something special going on here. Our mussels with red curry and coconut broth is also a hit. Everyone loves it. And our pork chop. You know, so many people are coming out and people are talking about this is the best pork chop they ever had. I do it with an apple bacon chutney, acorn squash puree, garnished with some pistachios and chives. And all the produce local right here. Yeah, I use local purveyors. I use a really good meat company. I have a 14-day dry-aged New York on the menu from Flannery, which is a NorCal beef company. And, you know, just, yeah, trying to use as much local product as I can and, you know, tell the story of Oxnard in California. And, you know, the social dining experience that I believe in of coming in, coming together, eating food, and creating experience. Well, Damian, thank you. I'm excited to be here with Claire Rossi, Assistant Food and Beverage Manager of OxnOcean. This is incredible. Tell me about this restaurant. So we are officially a Curio property, which is an upscale boutique lifestyle brand of Hilton. And we have been open since October. That's when we officially became a Curio. And then OxnOcean shortly opened after that. Wow. And so was there a lot of upgrade done to the property? What happened? A lot. I don't think I'm allowed to say how much, but a lot. It shows. I mean, really, it's such a beautiful property. Thank you. I'm happy to be a part of it. And we talked to Damian and so. So tell me, like, who are your, I guess, local, international, who comes here? Definitely all of the past clientele from Embassy Suites who've been coming here for 30 years. And then, of course, the locals. But we're really trying to bridge the gap in between L.A. and Santa Barbara. Right. So people can come and really appreciate Oxnard and Ventura area. Yeah. I mean, this is a day trip for sure. You even come up here and have dinner and get home. And then go home in an hour and a half. Yeah. So what's your favorite food on the menu? I would say definitely the crispy potatoes and the jidori chicken. Crispy potatoes and the chicken. That is incredible. Yeah. Our food's amazing. Claire Rossi, thank you. You're so welcome. Thank you. I hope you enjoy dinner tonight. It's going to be great. Wasn't that an incredible adventure? Keep watching for more episodes of Pat Pattison's Best of California. I'm going to jump in another unique vehicle and hit the road. We visit unique food, hot spots, restaurants and shopping places. I'll visit California's natural wonders, recommend spectacular camping, hiking, surfing and kayaking spots, as well as local, state and national parks. And, of course, my favorite, historic locations. Often my Hollywood actress daughter, Liza, will join me to see family friendly spots and, of course, add her unique millennial viewpoint. I'm also fascinated by California's inventors, innovators, artists and my favorite made in California iconic companies. We dig deep and uncover weird tales, scary haunted places and famous film locations. The show's pet project is to explore famous buildings and promote ways to help support saving these historic locations. We also find and shine a spotlight on our many deserving local California heroes. But mainly it's just about getting on the road, having fun and meeting new people like you. So join us on our next adventure of Pat Pattison's Best of California.