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Ambrosia Is Old-Time Luxury in a Real-Time Tuxedo

Certain names carry weight in Orange County. They take us down memory lane and occasionally bring us full circle to something that’s happening right now.

That is the case with the new Ambrosia Restaurant and OC Pavilion in Santa Ana. It’s a showplace reminiscent of a beautiful restaurant that carried that same name in the late 1970s and early 1980s in Costa Mesa.

The gentleman who owned that Ambrosia, Mike Harrah, closed it two decades ago but kept the dream simmering to one day open a truly glamorous supper club that harked of a more sophisticated time in fine dining.

The new Ambrosia is more for the eye, the soul and the palate than I ever envisioned from first hearing about it.

And I certainly did not expect to encounter this chic upstairs restaurant that shares a sisterly spirit with the first class theater on the first level of the building at 8th and Main streets in Santa Ana.






Ambrosia: glamorous supper club in Santa Ana

In an odd twist of fate, I worked for Bank of America on a service staff supporting all branches in OC a long time ago and this particular building used to be the district office for the bank and, thus, my home office.

Working for the bank was my day job and my fun job was teaching cooking classes in the evenings, so the bank career lasted only a few years.

There long has been talk for of downtown Santa Ana’s renaissance under developer Mike Harrah, who has bought numerous buildings with an eye to renewal.

While the art and restaurant scene of the Santora area on Broadway kicked things off in a mild-mannered way about five years ago, there’s talk of the entire downtown area becoming akin to the Gaslamp Quarter district of San Diego. Boutiques, galleries, restaurants and lofts for trendy living are the plan.

Well, that kind of redevelopment is a long way off, but the Ambrosia/OC Pavilion certainly is a grand beginning statement.

Who would expect to drive up to the “old” bank building and find it turned into a marble and glass tower with valet parkers helping customers out of their cars at the massive double glass front doors? You might as well be in Beverly Hills.

Inside those doors is a vast and glossy lobby with custom outfitted elevators to the right. Ahead is the OC Pavilion performing arts theater where top drawer musical acts are booked.

This also is a venue that is surprising for its lovely architectural style. There’s a super sound system and very large stage.

Seating is on levels, allowing all 500 guests prime views of the artists. The seating is in the most modern and comfortable theater-type chairs. Two intimate balconies overlook the action from either side.

From the royal appointments such as fine velvet drapes, gold leaf touches added to the decor and the legroom given for your comfort, this is a fantastic place for an evening of entertainment.

We had dinner upstairs the first time and then came back down to see Kool & the Gang, a two-hour, nonstop show of nostalgic tunes and absolutely delightful music. Performers from Kenny G to crooners, rock ‘n’ rollers to pop artists, even flamenco dancers and comedians are booked.

Also in the downstairs part of the building is The Vault. This really is the old vault from the banking days. Now it offers upholstered comfort and grand looks.

What a place for a private gathering or for having a sublime cocktail. It partners with the Wine Cellar, doubling as the cocktail lounge, with enough bottles to keep an aficionado busy for a stretch by just looking.

Take the elevators upstairs and step into an inspirational setting of real yesteryear mealtime pampering. There are no tables with chairs.

Ambrosia is a room of big, rounded, black leather upholstered booths, the kind we never see anymore because they take up too much space and everyone, except Mike, wants to make the most money on the floor space.

Mike wants to pay the bills but give the dining public back something grand, rather than something crowded and silly casual. He’s also looking to build OC’s tallest office building, a proposed 37-story tower in downtown Santa Ana. What better way to lure tenants than this restaurant and concert hall.

Lovely dual-lit lamps sit at the back of all booths. There’s a lot of tree-like greenery, all dressed to the nines with miniature lights.

Expensive dark woods meet walls of beveled mirrors. In keeping with this dreamy environment, there’s a raised section at one end of the room to accommodate the quartet that serenades with soft music during dinner.

That, too, is something that speaks of a fine evening out but is generally lost in today’s world. We enjoyed this particular evening with the Business Journal’s executive editor, Rick Reiff, and his parents who were visiting from Chicago.

I managed to secretly alert a staffer about Rick’s great voice and love for Sinatra, which the quartet happened to be playing a lot of. During our dinner, Rick was asked if he’d like to sing a Sinatra style song for the diners and we were treated to Summer Wind, while he was rewarded with a grand round of applause from everyone.

Surprises kept coming.

We were halfway through the meal when Mike came to the table and we reminisced a bit about the old days. I told him I was rather astounded at the high level of the food, ultra-good looking presentations and certainly fine tastes and asked about the chef.

Mike said the quality was due to consulting chef Jean-Marie Josselin. That got my attention. I remembered that about 10 years ago, Jean-Marie had been in OC, conversing with a restaurant investor about opening a restaurant.

Ultimately, that restaurant did not happen. Jean-Marie is admired for his restaurant in Lahaina on Maui, and Restaurant 808 in La Jolla and at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. He also has at least one cookbook in print that I’m familiar with.

The beautiful plates of food with Pacific Rim and French-tinged food began to make perfect sense. This is the reason for every coastal and inland OC resident to dine in downtown Santa Ana.

As we were about to finish our entrees, a tall, slender gentleman walked past our table and then came back to chat with us.

It was Bill Medley, the Righteous Brother himself. We used to listen to him and Bobby Hatfield a lot when they had their little music venue, The Hop, here in OC.

Bill now is chairman of the board of the OC Pavilion, booking all the talent.

The restaurant is open for both lunch and dinner. One can dine in the evening and end it at that, or attend the musical concert in the Pavilion after dinner.

A separate ticket is needed for the performance and that should be done well ahead of time.

Every accoutrement at the table denotes class. The plates are emblazoned with the Ambrosia name. Sparkling wine glasses are ready.

There’s not a crease in the white linen cloth. When our waiter discovered that I was left-handed and kept drinking from that hand, he quietly moved my wine glasses and water to the left so that I’d be more comfortable in picking them up. That’s class.

There’s a comprehensive lunch menu. Appetizers of note: poached scallop ravioli, baby lobster cocktail, steamed mussels in riesling wine, crispy calamari and flank steak with avocado and a marvelous grilled asparagus salad.

Entrees that are seriously memorable: potato-crusted sea bass with white truffle mashed potatoes, miso-marinated salmon with coconut sticky rice and lobster tarragon broth, grilled NY steak with a blue cheese souffl & #233;, grilled baby back ribs with smoked passion fruit barbecue sauce and rock shrimp risotto with eggplant in a moat of light Thai-style broth.

Dinner is made up of specials of the day, a full a la carte menu and prix fixe menus that change regularly. You will find similar quality and choices as the lunch menu.

Typical of a serious restaurant, desserts are treated with equal respect. The Meyer lemon custard cake with fresh fruit and the creamy br & #369;l & #233;e with assorted homemade cookies were desserts that seemed to disappear even though we professed to be quite full before they arrived.


Wine Find

Soon to come, my thoughts on the cute, rather new restaurant opposite the San Clemente pier called White Horses Restaurant and Bar.

This is another good restaurant to know about. I have to try a few more menu items before moving on. However, this does give me the chance to mention the Flora Springs Wine Dinner they happen to be having this Wednesday. Res-ervations are definitely needed because the restaurant is pretty intimate.

Flora Springs Family Vineyards is in Napa Valley. They have been making fine wines for many years.

The guest speaker at the event will be Marcelino Cosio of The Estates Group, a purveyor of wines and spirits. I know Marcelino well and you will enjoy his friendly demeanor.

White Horses owner and chef Mark Norris will be serving the following: citrus seafood trilogy of lemon lobster pot sticker, lime-perfumed conch fritter and orange flavored crab cake as a first course with the Soliloquy 2003 Sauvignon Blanc.

A leek and gruyere souffl & #233; follows with the 2004 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay. Next: smoked duck breast salad with the 2003 Merlot. The weather’s now perfect for an intermezzo of warm soup.

The main course is filet of venison with a coffee and red peppercorn crust, accompanied by a 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon. Nothing like ending a good meal with a molten chocolate lava cake and a glass of Flora Springs’ 2002 Trilogy wine, a blend of cabernet, merlot, cabernet franc, petite verdot and malbec.

The dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. Cost is $85, including wine but excluding tax and tip.

I’m so happy to have been introduced to this restaurant and this seems like a fine opportunity for you to discover it, too.

White Horses is at 610 Avenida Victoria, San Clemente, (949) 429-1800.



AT A GLANCE – AMBROSIA

Address: 801 N. Main St., Santa Ana

Phone: (714) 550-0880 for Ambrosia, (866) 468-3399 for OC Pavilion theater

Prices: lunch appetizers $7 to $13;

entrees $16 to $30;

dinner appetizers $8 to $15, entrees $22.50 to $49

Hours: lunch Tuesday through Saturday, 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Parking: valet

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