51.5 F
Laguna Hills
Thursday, Mar 28, 2024
-Advertisement-

Ayres’ Le Chateau Charms With Old World Ambiance

During the past few months, Patrick and I have had several meals at Le Chateau Garden Bistro in the Ayres Hotel & Suites Costa Mesa/Newport Beach.

I’ve dined there with my quarterly lunch compatriots, attorney Don Segretti, Business Journal Executive Editor Rick Reiff and Cisco guy Ray Van Natta, because I thought they should know about the good food and comforting atmosphere. I’ve recommended the restaurant to many others.

Like so many hotel restaurants, this one often is overlooked. That’s a shame. Le Chateau offers a different perspective in that it has a marvelous Old World ambiance reminiscent of the celebrated restaurants that dot Europe.

Add some proudly prepared food from chef Pedro Uribe, and the restaurant’s worthiness is even more obvious.

This is a charming hotel. Instead of the flash and flair, the Ayres Hotel Group owns and operates a collection of custom European-style boutique hotels in prime Southern California locations.

We arrive at Le Chateau with its dark wood touches, banquettes along the wall, genteel artwork and tables draped and attractively set and surrounded by more of that comfortable seating.

We could eat breakfast, lunch and dinner here since it is the only restaurant in the hotel. For me, it’s always about lunch and dinner.






Le Chateau outdoor dining patio: restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, dinner

A bowl of steamed Manila clams is aromatically perfumed with garlic and wine,a good choice for an appetizer. The French onion soup is marvelous: thick with caramelized onions in a rich broth and properly topped with a thick coat of melted cheese.

The crab cakes are almost all crab meat and pan-fried just until adequately crisped on the outside. For pure basics, the cocktail of jumbo shrimp with a mildly spicy dipping sauce is a winner.

There are some sandwiches (also served at dinner) that I keep ordering over and over. Someone recently asked me where they could find a good Monte Cristo. This one with Black Forest ham, turkey and Swiss cheese, dipped in egg batter and fried is splendid and the chef’s Chambord jelly to go with it is just more goodness. I also like the sliced prime rib with bell peppers, cheese and chipotle chile spread on a grilled French roll.

For a burger with panache, this one is a standout: lean Angus beef infused with mild chiles, topped with red onion and slathered with the chef’s barbecue garlic spread. A more traditional version of the burger also is offered. Albacore tuna with green olive tapenade is an enticingly different look at a fish sandwich, while grilled rosemary chicken and mozzarella with kalamata olive spread also goes a bit international.

The chef has a pretty comprehensive section of the menu with his own favorites. I recently ordered the Alaskan halibut coated in crushed pistachios and napped with a nice citrus beurre blanc. Mahi mahi with jasmine rice and sauteed seasonal vegetables in a sweet cilantro coconut milk sauce is on my “best dishes of the year” list.

For an entree almost as good as abalone, try the calamari steak. One can even do more casual fish as in the San Felipe-style fish tacos. New York steak, filet mignon and rack of lamb are some red meat possibilities.

The desserts are of the not too sweet and not too heavy variety. Cakes are feathery light, tarts are filled with fresh berries or subdued creams.

Le Chateau is truly a little gem in our midst.


Below the Equator

Wines of the Southern Hemisphere will be poured at the five-course dinner at hush in Laguna Beach on Monday at 7:30 p.m.

It begins with Norton 2004 Torrontes white wine, and roasted pumpkin soup.

The second course centers on the Norton 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon. A salad of stone crab, tomato and Bibb lettuce will be served with this wine.

We are into serious entrees by the time the third course of Chilean sea bass and the Montes 2004 “Purple Angel” Apalta Vineyard from Chile is served. This is an expensive and renowned red wine blend that has garnered a global reputation.

Then, a grilled rib eye steak with yellow potato dumplings and baby carrots shows up with the Argentine beauty, Achaval Ferrer 2004 Quimera, which garnered 93-points from the Wine Spectator. This is another elegantly blended wine ranking high with connoisseurs.

Finally, for dessert, Chile’s Montes 2004 Late Harvest Riesling should marry nicely with South American chocolate cake and dulce de leche ice cream.

I like that this is a focused wine dinner with something other than American wines to give us some added perspective.

Chef Ronnie Arnold’s food sounds delicious too. Price for the dinner is $135, and seating time is at 7:30 p.m.

Call (949) 497-3616. Hush is at 858 S. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach.


AT A GLANCE: Le Chateau Garden Bistro


Address: 325 Bristol St., Costa Mesa (in the Ayres Hotel & Suites Costa Mesa/Newport Beach)

Phone: (714) 549-0300

Cost: Breakfast from $5.95 to $7.95; lunch from $7.95 to $18.95; dinner from $7.95 to $26.95

Want more from the best local business newspaper in the country?

Sign-up for our FREE Daily eNews update to get the latest Orange County news delivered right to your inbox!

-Advertisement-

Featured Articles

-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-

Related Articles

-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-