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Ambrosia, Five Feet and Hush Restaurants Close Down

Some of Orange County’s more recognizable restaurants are going, going, gone.

Santa Ana’s Ambrosia, the beautiful restaurant sitting atop an elaborately redone downtown Santa Ana high-rise with a live entertainment venue on the ground floor, is out to make way for a massive redevelopment for the Orange County High School of Performing Arts.

Owner and operator Mike Harrah, a big-time redevelopment specialist, said he plans to open a similar version of Ambrosia—a legendary, upscale OC eatery situated in a trio of spaces over four decades—in another building he’s renovating. There’s no definite timeline on that.

Laguna Beach’s Five Feet marked its last day on Aug. 31. The restaurant fell to failed lease negotiations.

Michael Kang, Five Feet’s owner/chef of 25 years, told me that he’s very much looking forward to completely relaxing with his family and to writing his cookbook. I wish him the best and look forward to his signature recipes when the book is published.

David Wilhelm has plans to occupy the Five Feet location with a tentative November opening of a casually chic eatery to be called El Diablo.

David, the visionary behind several OC-based restaurants in the past, is currently part of the team at Jimmy’s Famous American Tavern at America’s Cup Harbor in Point Loma. That’s a new, romantically casual concept with stellar views of water and yachts.

My understanding is that David has not been able to work out an affordable lease with the landlord either, though he has most of his other ducks in a row. I’m pushing this one to the back burner and will merely monitor it.

And then, there was the surprise closing of Hush, also in Laguna. I did know that the managing partner, Danny Reyes, was moving on to Echo at The Camp in Costa Mesa, but the actual closing of Hush caught the media and the dining community off guard. No word yet on what’s next for that location.

Tour de France Dinner

La Vie en Rose in Brea is having a seven-course Tour de France Food and Wine Pairing Dinner with six wines from the Alsace, Loire, Burgundy, Bordeaux and Côtes du Rhône appellations of France, all for only $65 per person (plus tax and gratuity). Plan to be there Sept. 23 at 6:30 p.m. to “tour” France via the seven regional food specialties and the lineup of wines indigenous to each of those same areas. I promise your palate will be very happy.

La Vie, in case you’re in arrears in knowing where it stands on OC’s culinary ladder, is a home away from home for French natives and those of us who respect the serious food culture of places like Italy and France. Factor in that La Vie is loaded with French countryside charm, has a finely tuned waitstaff and is a beloved getaway for some of OC’s movers and shakers, and you get the idea that you should also be there.

La Vie en Rose: 240 S. State College Blvd., Brea, (714) 529-8333.

Wine Dinners, Discovery

There are many reasons to visit Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar in Fashion Island. This week is the unique Caymus Dinner on Sept. 22. Perhaps you can join vaunted Caymus Vineyards owner and winemaker, Chuck Wagner, along with Fleming’s director of wine Marian Jansen op de Haar and executive chef Russell Skall, via live video from Northern California for an interactive wine dinner like no other.

The Napa-inspired menu is paired with Conundrum, Mer Soleil Silver Chardonnay, side-by-side tasting of the 2000 and 2008 vintages of Caymus Special Selection Cabernet (the only wine ever named twice as Wine of the Year by Wine Spectator) and 2004 Mer Soleil Santa Lucia Highlands Late Harvest Viognier, all from Wagner Family of Wines. Cost is $125 and I’d say that you should keep your fingers crossed that there’s still space available.

Yet another reason to be at Fleming’s before September is over is for their Month of Discovery for wine lovers. Attend one of the “opening nights” (on Thursday evenings in September) that will feature 20 different wines from their trademarked Fleming’s 100 wines by the glass on each of the evenings. For $25, guests have the rare opportunity to sniff, swirl and sip like an international wine expert. Being able to taste so many fine wines at one time is remarkable and, at this price, it really becomes a session not to miss.

Further September bargains beckon with the $99 for Two Dinners. In a nice touch, the price of $49.50 is offered if only one person wishes to have this menu. The three-course meal consists of a trio of entrees served “flight” style—filet mignon, ahi tuna and lamb chop—along with a broiled peach and goat cheese salad, three varieties of roasted vegetables and a trio of crème brûlées for dessert.

And, finally, Fleming’s New Icon Wine Series for September sets the stage for Staglin Napa Valley Salus Estate 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon at $125 per bottle (it’s $175 from the winery). Since its founding in 1985, Staglin Family Vineyards has achieved cult status among Napa Valley producers. Robert Parker of Wine Advocate goes as far as to describe Staglin as “the pre-eminent estate winery in Rutherford.” Since their annual production is low, their wines are a well-kept secret among Napa Valley connoisseurs.

Flemings: 455 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, (949) 720-9633.

October Events

While we all know and respect the ongoing menu at Five Crowns in Corona del Mar, there are two good reasons to make reservations now for special dinners to be held in October. Both an Oktoberfest Celebration and a Halloween Mystery Dinner will sell out, I’m sure, because they have done so in the past.

Oktoberfest is happening Oct. 12 at 6:30 p.m., for $69. This one will feature their accordionist playing traditional songs and offering toasts. A selection of premium Bavarian beers will complement the buffet meal. Among the entrees are sauerbraten, pork loin, sausages, beer-marinated chicken and salmon. A wide array of European-themed appetizers, seasonal vegetables, Bavarian side dishes and desserts also are included in the price.

Then, at 7 p.m. on Oct. 31, is the Mystery Dinner so perfectly suited to Halloween night. It is $96 per person, all-inclusive. The award-winning chef, Dennis Brask, is creating a deluxe four-course meal to be enjoyed while the drama of a mystery unfolds.

Five Crowns is part of Lawry’s restaurants.

Telephone reservations are required for either event by calling (949) 760-0331. Five Crowns is at 3801 E. Coast Hwy. (at Poppy), Corona del Mar.

Balboa Bay Club has its own version of Oktoberfest in the First Cabin restaurant. I love this food! Among the themed dishes available in October are marinated herring, goulash with spaetzle, wienerschnitzel, beef roulades, Bavarian bratwurst, roasted pork shank with dumplings, and the requisite apple strudel for dessert. I will definitely show up for these culturally significant treats.

The menu is available at both lunch and dinner and a slightly smaller version of the menu is also available during October in Duke’s Place Lounge.

Balboa Bay Club: 1221 W. Coast Hwy., Newport Beach, (949) 645-5000.

Ruth’s Chris

There are restaurants that I truly regret having so little time to enjoy. One of those is Ruth’s Chris Steak House in Irvine, a place where comfort embraces me every time I do manage time for another meal there. I recently sat quietly and recharged my batteries surrounded by fine woods, attractive furnishings and a general aura of competence that manages to exude the warmth of a private home. It’s attractive and yet never pretentious.

Ruth’s Chris restaurants—130 of them make up the largest upscale dining group in the world—are celebrating their 45th anniversary. Over the decades they were always leaders in doing what was most pertinent to the dining community. Today, I find two classic prix-fixe menus priced at $39.95 and $49.95. Price is based on entree choice, but both meals come with selections of appetizers, entree, side dishes and dessert.

This particular location is one of the busiest in the company and it benefits greatly from the friendly, consumer-oriented general manager, Todd Lounsbury, who leads the polished staff—including five certified sommeliers—in making guests feel so at home. He’s been there several years and I like that he has mandatory monthly wine discussions and training classes for the staff.

What’s calling to me right now is the Friday lunch. They only do lunch that one day of the week and I’m lining up a few friends to tuck into the prime quality midday fare with me. It will no doubt be another of those long, lingering afternoons for us.

Some time ago I stopped in for a cocktail and discovered a lot of wines, beers and mixed drinks at those lovely discounted prices and a bunch of bar food from $4 to $7. This is dubbed their Prime Hour and goes Monday to Friday from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. to 10 p.m.

I have a soft spot for the New Orleans-inspired gumbo and the luxurious lobster bisque. You can’t go wrong with the prime-grade steak or crab cakes, lamb chops, poultry and fresh fish.

The bread pudding with whiskey sauce also speaks to past memories for me, but there are several other fine endings that range from simple to downright decadent. The whole meal is about comfort and feeling relaxed.

Ruth’s Chris: 2961 Michelson Drive, Irvine, (949) 252-8848. There’s also a Ruth’s Chris in Anaheim at 2041 S. Harbor, (714) 750-5466.

Royal Khyber

Royal Khyber is making customers happy (including us, who are frequent diners) with their $10 and $15 two-course meals for lunch and $20 and $25 three-course meals for dinner.

For a daily express lunch there are five entree choices in the $10 range (including meat dishes) and there are six choices including chicken and fish specialties for $15. With the entree, there’s a choice of soup or a terrific salad of mixed greens and fruit with a tamarind-ginger dressing.

The a la carte dinner menu is strewn with delicious goodies. One of my favorite entrees anywhere is Khyber’s Nectar (lamb shank cooked in a sealed pot at very low heat for 14 hours). Others are lobster masala, basil and coconut chicken, jambalaya tandoori, fish with mustard fennel and tomatoes, shrimp vindaloo (one of the spicier dishes) and kebabs roasted in the tandoori oven. I am not a vegetarian but I sometimes love to eat a vegetarian meal here since there’s a whole section of the menu devoted to non-meat eaters. The $20 and $25 dinner deals include an appetizer choice, several selections of entrees and dessert.

Royal Khyber: South Coast Plaza Village, 1621 W. Sunflower (next to Antonello), Santa Ana, (714) 436-1010.

Good Deal

One thing the economy keeps bringing us is good food at bargain basement prices. Brasserie Pascal at Fashion Island has a three-course French meal for only $18. Pascal Olhats, who also has Traditions by Pascal and Epicerie Pascal in Newport Beach, Pascal at MacArthur Plaza in Santa Ana and a couple of eateries at Sherman Gardens in Corona del Mar, runs this establishment.

I have friends who keep repeating this inexpensive dining adventure since you have enough leeway in what you order to keep it interesting. It begins with a choice of four appetizers: onion soup (very authentic and delicious) or soup of the day, salad or a plate of pates, entrees of steak, fresh seafood or chicken cordon bleu, and a dessert of floating island (my choice every time), chocolate mousse or creme caramel.

Brasserie Pascal: 327 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, (949) 640-2700.

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