As I start the new year, I think back on good food I’ve had and what I look forward to now. The following restaurants are high on my list, but we have so much good food in OC now that it’s decidedly an everyday dining-out adventure, should you want it. I could make my list much, much longer, but really there’s only so much space for this column.
Hamamori—3333 Bear St., Costa Mesa—will remain a favorite for the creative and compelling sushi of chef-owner James Hamamori and his many impressive Japanese presentations. Beautiful surroundings blend in on the first-class experience.
Oak Grill at Island Hotel—690 Newport Center Drive—is a romantic setting, especially beneath the willowy trees on the patio. But it’s the food of chef Marc Johnson that is so cleverly and deliciously conceived that leaves a craving for more.
Marche Moderne—Penthouse (third level), South Coast Plaza—owners Florent Marneau, the chef, and his acclaimed pastry chef wife, Amelia, provide both the most authentic and beautiful bistro and a juxtaposition of rustic and modern French food. The prix fixe lunches and dinners, which are reasonably priced and undeniably delicious, are divine bargains. I sometimes stop by for only the steamed mussels, perfection in a bowl.
Din Tai Fung Dumpling House—level two (Sears wing), South Coast Plaza—brought us true Shanghainese noodles and dumplings. And now the public is pretty well-addicted. More sophisticated in taste than some other regional Chinese food, the famed hand-made dumplings make their mark. Besides the dumplings, a menu of Shanghai-style vegetables and other specialty dishes keeps me coming back.
When Cathy Pavlos opened Provenance—2531 Eastbluff Drive, Newport Beach—last year, it gave us a veritable casual Napa Valley experience in looks and built on the finest-quality food. The patio features hanging gardens of greens and herbs used in the cooking, and Cathy’s interesting presentations make the palate sing. I love the whole unique-to-OC aura as background for her seasonal food.
Vine—211 N. El Camino Real, San Clemente—is another Napa-style restaurant whose food is so good and its casual wine country ambiance—wine barrels, lots of wood—so inviting that it’s a favorite I will continue to visit. The highest-quality dishes are all prepared daily from scratch. Menu selections include noteworthy meats, flavorful seafood, and handpicked produce from its garden. Appreciate as well the unexpectedly sophisticated presentations.
Then there’s my palate’s penchant for more exotic flavors interspersed with the modern California fare at so many meals. Two particular places resonate highly:
Royal Khyber—1621 W. Sunflower (South Coast Plaza Village), Santa Ana—the only fine-dining Indian restaurant in OC is my oasis of absolute, almost dreamy calm and quiet relaxation. White-linen service, the soft, lilting decor of India, and utterly refined North Indian specialties emerging from the tandoor oven and woks make it hard for me to stay away for long. Ready to go back right now. P.S.: big bargains on Mondays: 50% off all food items.
Thai Kitchen—4250 Barranca Parkway, (Stonecreek Plaza), Irvine—has many dishes I savor, though I never, ever miss the Chicken Coconut Soup (Tom Kha Gai). Like other genres, there are so many Thai restaurants, many good ones, but my memories of eating in Thailand start again with this kitchen’s aromatic potage. An impressive menu of nostalgic dishes follows, and the service is superb. This is also a pretty place that was designed by a professional architect.
Anaheim White House—887 S. Anaheim Blvd., Anaheim—is the most acclaimed restaurant in Orange County. That’s due in great part to its owner, Bruno Serato, feeding 1,200 latchkey children each evening. He’s been honored as a CNN Hero nominee, with coverage on NBC and Fox News and in People magazine, and has been knighted for his efforts by the Italian government. For the public, the charming 1909 historic landmark house is a lovely backdrop for the sophisticated and certainly delicious Italian food, plus steaks. One of my all-time favorites.
Baked Grief
Scandia in Laguna Beach is but a memory now. It was hometown bakery that since the mid-70s made fresh pastries in the European manner—buttery, rich dough, not as much sugar as super-sweet American-style pastries, fillings that could hardly be beat for finesse. We lament that it’s another small business that has closed.
Over the years. when in downtown Laguna, I often stopped by to bring home a few goodies. I guess I am now on the search for a bakery like it, one that has the same passion for unsurpassed authenticity in its goodies and the cafe-like warmth. I’m open to suggestions from readers.
Sparrow May Make New Nest
Really, for sale? Little Sparrow, the popular bistro that opened 2 ½ years ago, really caught everyone off guard, from customers to restaurant writers, when it was recently put up for sale. It’s part of the downtown Santa Ana renaissance and quickly gained acclaim with word of mouth and its selection as one of the top new restaurants in America by Bravo TV. Now we wait to see who buys it and what they do with it. This is the time to catch it before any changeover.
300 N. Main, Santa Ana, (714) 265-7640
New Selanne Offering
Selanne Steak Tavern, owned by ice hockey icon Teemu Selanne and business partner Kevin Pratt, has become a favorite OC restaurant. Now they’ve added their TS Gourmet Shoppe next door, and it’s a dandy. The quality and quantity are really impressive.
Prime steaks and chops are cut to order by the restaurant’s chef and butchering team. Fresh seafood; signature sauces and truffle butter from the restaurant; caviar; and a terrific assortment of cheeses are compelling. Add in a fine assortment of sea salts and appetizer snacks. There are also a lot of interesting gift items, among them Selanne’s signature Moscow Mule Mugs, signed Teemu hockey pucks, and some apparel.
TS Gourmet Shoppe is a must-see food and gift boutique.
1450 S. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach, (949) 715-4497
Brick Built Right
Brick Pizzeria may be in a well-populated niche, but it’s so much more than a good pizza joint.
It’s a nice fit for San Clemente with an exterior that has a hometown look and presents a warm welcome. The interior is impressive, including its long and busy kitchen along one wall. Tables invite throughout the nice but suitably casual space.
We’d been there a few months ago, and then, as is my MO, we went again with a handful of our intrepid diner friends to try several more dishes (please note that we pay for meals, splitting the bill equally).
From my perspective now, the Roasted Acorn Squash Antipasti appetizer complemented by burrata cheese, roasted hazelnuts, sage and house-made focaccia is a palate-pleasing item. A crispy pizza is a must, of course. I like the one called Funghi, which is topped with mushrooms, braised leeks, mozzarella and grana cheeses, and truffle oil. Then there’s the Carne Pizza, whose creative combo of tastes elicited favorable comments. Imagine both porchetta (boneless pork roast) and pork belly, plus Calabrese salami, tomato, house-made sausage and provolone cheese.
Pastas sport sauces that depart from the ordinary. Buccatini is draped in a duck ragu enhanced further with Hen of the Woods mushrooms and mascarpone cheese. Pork and Porcini Ravioli come with butternut squash and grana cheese and a moat of brown butter and sage sauce.
You should order Brick’s Special Meatballs, which outshine what you may have tasted elsewhere. There are also chops cut in-house, steak and fresh fish entrees.
Vowing “never to be static and boring,” chef-owner David Pratt has weekly specials that expand possibilities even more. Ongoing Lasagne Tuesdays feature variations of the dish. Sunday family-style dinners speak of true family weekend get-togethers in the homeland and invite us in.
Kudos for their kid’s menu, which offers Roasted Chicken and many choices of pasta. Kids can even make their own pizzas.
216 N. El Camino Real, San Clemente, (949) 429-1199.