Food can’t quite match glorious setting

If you’ve never been to Splashes at the Surf and Sand Resort before, be forewarned: As you walk into the lobby, there is no sign of a restaurant, nor are there any signs directing you to one. Is it a secret? Are you in the wrong place? You’ll never figure it out. You have to ask. You will then be sent to the elevator and instructed to descend.

Emerging into a dank and dimly lighted hallway lined with doors, you make your way down this modest corridor, and suddenly there is a light at the end of the tunnel!

Heaven?

Yes, maybe so. This is one of the most dramatic settings for a restaurant we have ever seen. Perched just above the beach with the waves crashing below and the whitecaps luminescent in the moonlight, you can barely take your eyes off the view.

The design of the restaurant takes full advantage of this magnificent spot. You can dine on one of three patios or in the main room, which has floor-to-ceiling French doors open to the sea. In colder weather, there is a cozy fireplace. The understated contemporary décor with pale wood and Mexican tile floors is romantically illuminated by candlelight. The serenity is enhanced by the gentle music of the waves. Could you ask for anything more? Oh yes. Dinner!

Our most professional and gracious waiter described each item on the menu, as well as the specials. The menu is a modern take on classic hotel fare, with a few innovative touches. For an appetizer, you can begin with lobster bisque, shrimp cocktail or spiced cornmeal calamari or go for something a bit more adventurous.

The spicy tuna spring roll -- a non-fried version -- contains a nice balance of tuna, avocado, mango and pickled vegetables. The spicy, sweet and salty flavors play against each other beautifully. It really doesn’t need the sweet chili dipping sauce.

We were looking forward to eating the intriguing-sounding crispy Atlantic cod potato cakes. Sadly, we could not. Someone had played fast and loose with the saltshaker. Mentioning this to the waiter, he immediately whisked them away and returned immediately to say that the chef tasted them, agreed and said no more would be served that evening. Both the waiter and the maître d’ apologized. This is the perfect way to handle a customer’s complaint (even if the customer is wrong).

We chose instead the Asian calamari salad. It was served in a most unusual dish, a white ceramic bowl with wing-like projections on either side -- very dramatic. It was a little bit of salad with a generous portion of tender strips of fried calamari steak. However, the plate was more exciting than the salad. There are the ever-present Caesar and baby mixed green salads, as well as the panzenella salad, an Italian bread and tomato melange.

The choice of main courses includes a New York steak served with a potato scallion cake, a filet of beef accompanied by a caramelized tomato-garlic tart, a spiced Colorado lamb with saffron couscous salad and herb crusted veal medallions with goat cheese bread pudding.

In the poultry department, there is Zinfandel-braised turkey with Parmesan-herb risotto and roasted free-range chicken. There are also four items from the sea: the pancetta-wrapped scallops, seared halibut in ginger-garlic sauce, salmon roulade with arugula pesto and Hawaiian snapper with jumbo shrimp.

The Hawaiian snapper is actually the wonderful but hard to find opakapaka. Elle’s ecstatic memories of eating this fish in Hawaii prompted us to order it as our entrée. However, we were sorely disappointed, because the fish was seriously overcooked. That was a shame, because the mango beurre blanc was excellent, as was the was the carrot smashed potatoes and the crispy vegetable garnish. We mentioned it to the waiter when he came by, and again he apologized.

After we finished, he returned to the table and said that he would like to buy us dessert. We tried to decide between a rustic apple tart, crème brulée and the warm dark chocolate fondant from the eight selections available. We were very happy with the apple tart, which had a flaky pie crust folded over a sweet apple filling with vanilla ice cream on the side. Our second choice was the cheese plate. Although the presentation was beautiful, with grapes, a fanned apple and crackers, the cheeses were lackluster. The impeccable service and the stunning setting makes you wish that the food was equally amazing.