The Castaway Restaurant Reopens In Burbank

The Castaway restaurant has been a Burbank institution for more than fifty years. Thanks to Specialty Restaurants Corporation, it now has a brand new look and a refreshed menu.

I remember coming to The Castaway for my pre-prom dinner many many years ago. Stepping into the new redesigned space, I hardly recognized the landmark restaurant. It now boasts multi-level seating, a big chef's table, hard wood floors, an expanded patio with stellar San Fernando Valley views, modern light fixtures and a brand new menu.

The new entry resembles a hotel lobby and opens into a big bar area featuring two huge driftwood pieces above the bar and a charcuterie section.  To the right is a wine cellar and a large dry aging room for a variety of cuts of meat, including big bricks of pink Himalayan salt.

We walked through the intimate multilevel inside dining room with big windows that open to the gorgeous patio with banquettes, booths and tables as well as seating around the roaring fire pits.

The menu is designed to resemble a script, playing homage to a Hollywood adjacent location that provides views of a bounty of stars, both human and in the vast panoramic stretch of sky.

Appetizers include a 4 or 7 choice of meats and cheeses for the impressive charcuterie board, crab cakes, steak tartare, scallops, ceviche and octopus as well as a kale Caesar, burrata and heirloom tomato salads. There's also a raw bar with a huge seafood tower and shrimp cocktail.

The menu includes a variety of American Wagyu, grass fed and Black Angus premium brisket, filets, ribeyes, Tomahawks, New Yorks and hanger steaks. Mains also include chicken with corn grits, a whole roasted branzino, salmon with black rice and a wild mushroom pappardelle pasta.

Side dishes include grilled broccolini, mashed potatoes, fries and roasted tri-color cauliflower.

Desserts include a molten lava cake, key lime pie and a passion fruit cheesecake. For extreme sweet cravings, there is also a Midnight in Paris dessert extravaganza featuring macaroons, panna cotta, lava cake, chocolate ganache, crème brulee, fruit salad and a raspberry float.

The restaurant also houses The Green Room, a private lounge allowing no cell phones and a variety of light bites and cocktails.

The Castaway restaurant provided a meal for this review.