Chef Chris Garnier, whose culinary talent and personable way with the public have made dining at Roy’s such enjoyable experiences for us since the restaurant opened, has left. He’s going back home to Hawaii, his birthplace. I have a feeling he will end up at one of the Roy’s restaurants over there since Roy Yamaguchi (the founder, who, along with chef Alan Wong, introduced the world to modern Hawaiian cuisine) controls his namesake restaurants in the islands and Chris is his prot & #233;g & #233; (he began working with Roy before he was 20). The restaurant has not sent out an official notice of who is taking Chris’ place as chef/partner, but I will, of course, let you know as soon as they make his name official.
At The Ritz, partner Freddie Glusman has sold his interest and opted out. There’s a very convivial guy that many of you know at the helm now: Ray Jacobi. He’s the former manager of the Island Hotel (and for a stint before that when it was Four Seasons) and, along the way, he has also served as an executive with Rosewood Hotels and some world-class resorts. Chuck Mathewson remains a partner with Ray, who is working long days and it’s wonderful to see the turnout of people revisiting The Ritz to welcome him to his new endeavor. Ray is a person who puts customer well-being and comfort on an easy platform and he enjoys sharing friendships with his customers. He makes us all feel so at home and ready to enjoy a fabulous meal. Let’s all get back to the wonders of a splendid hometown restaurant, The Ritz.
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Pescadou: holding a casual French vs. California wine-off June 24 |
Pelican Hill’s Andrea
The big wait was over. We finally made it to Andrea, the signature restaurant in the luxurious Resort at Pelican Hill. Irvine Company certainly rolled out a sumptuous affair when the resort opened last fall. We stayed at the resort, in a villa fitted with tons of marble, a professional kitchen the likes of which I’ve never seen in a commercial property, a plethora of good art and furnishings way beyond any personal budget I may ever have. But we had only dined at the Pelican Grill, still part of their resort but down the hill in its own separate building.
It’s notable, even before ever seeing this main restaurant, to hear about how many people they interviewed for each position (hundreds) and then, for us, finding out that we knew some of the staff from other times and other places. We have known the executive chef of the hotel for almost three decades. Jean Pierre Dubray was a young kid “chefing” here in OC and then he went off to San Francisco and earned himself a worldwide reputation for his culinary prowess. We did not know the chef of Andrea restaurant, Gianluca Re Fraschini, who came to the resort from Italy. But, even after only one meal, he impressed us with his stops in the dining room to check on diners and discuss the food with them.
From the moment of arrival, a sense of superior teamwork by a staff of obviously contented pros sets the stage for an entire meal. The sommelier, waiters, restaurant manager and the chef deliver quite the harmonious experience as the polished service unfolds throughout the evening. At precisely the right time, the waiter explains the specials of the evening slowly and in a descriptive manner we can actually understand and remember when he steps away from our table. But first, we order drinks, which arrive quickly.
The menu offers a surprise in pricing. The food is much more reasonable than I ever imagined. And, though this room is a haven of beige luxury,soft fabrics with a circle of booths in the middle of the lushly carpeted room and sophisticated tables given lots of individual territory,the menu is quite unpretentious. There are pizzas, for example, and a savory sounding array of pasta and risotto selections.
Designed to amaze in taste and presentation are items like the caramelized white onion soup with a lobster medallion and a ravioli lolling right in the middle of the bowl. Now, that’s a way to begin a meal. Baby eggplant and arugula, dappled in olive oil and sitting atop transparent carpaccio, and a creamy and rich burrata cheese (fresh mozzarella blended with pure cream) straight from Italy sitting with crisp greens and really delicious tomato followed it. Gnocchi, light as a cloud, came in a Caprino cheese fondue sauce, while the pan-seared turbot played seriously against its bright green spinach and spring onion salad accompaniment. A few other “go to” dishes I’d recommend are the bucatini (thick spaghetti strands with holes through their centers) with braised veal, saffron risotto, ravioli filled with ricotta and dressed with a delicate sage-butter sauce, roasted lamb with braised sweet onions, and sea bass with fresh sea beans and braised fennel. I’ve heard that the veal osso buco is terrific and I’ll be having it on my next visit.
Prices for appetizers are $12 to $19; entrees are $16 to $36 (for a pan-seared filet of beef). To go with all this food, there’s a substantial wine list, also very fairly priced.
The commitment to authenticity and quality is extraordinary. Being a former cooking instructor, I was thrilled to see their temperature-controlled pasta kitchen equipped with a custom built pasta making machine and premium pasta flour and salt, all imported from Italy. Eggs in the pasta, as in all of the food, are organic and the reliance on locally sourced farmers raising organic produce is paramount. Certain ingredients, though, are Italian through and through and they are flown in weekly. I caught sight of a platter holding fresh porcini and morel mushrooms. Chunks of imported Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese stood ready to be shaved into and atop certain dishes. The salty-sweet prosciutto from abroad would adorn someone’s order momentarily.
Andrea completely captures the essence of authentic Italian food in a rather divine atmosphere and it has the service to back it up. The Resort at Pelican Hill: 22701 Pelican Hill Rd. S. (Newport Coast Dr.), Newport Coast, (949) 467-6800.
Beachcomber’s Guest Chef
There’s certainly no better way to live the summer outdoorsy California lifestyle than dining at the Beachcomber Cafe at Crystal Cove beach. It’s a gem owned by Doug Cavanaugh and Ralph Kosmides, the principals in the Ruby’s chain.
French chef Edouard Loubet of the Luberon, who is the proprietor of two well-known properties in that area, Bastide de Capelongue and Moulin de Lourmarin and its restaurant, Le Comptoir, stopped by the Beachcomber to help with the menu.
Loubet left us the following two dishes. Truffled egg tacos are a breakfast item. Cute and very delicious! Organic eggs are scrambled and infused with white truffle oil, placed inside four crispy, mini taco shells and topped with shaved black truffle. They are then served on a crimini mushroom cap ($10.95). The dinner entree of pan-seared sea bream reveals much about Loubet’s style. It mingles seemingly non-cooperative flavors that surprise the palate with rewarding layers of complexity. In this dish, there’s the complement of black beans flavored with chilies, some braised leek and a dapple of coconut vinaigrette that is like a ribbon tying it all together ($29.95). Really, really good.
If you want to have a meal that will reinvent what you think about breakfast, Beachcomber has the menu to try. Or if lunch is more your speed the roasted French feta, bleu cheese tomato or gazpacho soup, creamy clam chowder, tuna melt with Gruyere cheese, cranberry chicken salad sandwich and filet mignon Cobb salad are a mini smattering of lunch items that I can order over and over again. The dinner menu sports most of the above and banana leaf mahi mahi, maple-glazed salmon, astoundingly good kabocha squash ravioli, wild mushroom and truffled macaroni and cheese and agave-roasted chicken as personal delights for me. For one of the most refreshing summery desserts, I’d go with the coco-mango yum-yum affair of fresh tropical fruit diced and mingled with mango sorbet atop a slice of coconut cake.
This place embodies the lifestyle that we are so lucky to have. A portion of tables,mainly littering a deck looking over the ocean,are kept for walk-ins but the wait can be long, so I recommend the reservation route. Call (949) 376-6900.
Wine Event
Pescadou, the cute and very authentic French bistro in Newport Beach, is on my radar for June 24, when a buffet of chef/owner Jacques de Quillien’s Gallic appetizers will accompany four glasses of wine for your comparison,a chardonnay from Burgundy to compare with a chardonnay from California and a red wine from France with a California red.
The tasting takes place from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and reservations are necessary since it was a sellout the last go-around.
This is not a formal wine class, but rather a casual guided wine and food tasting with lots of tips about both French and California wines to pair with food. Munch and sip and have fun with some other wine enthusiasts. Well known Newport pianist Ed Waters will play for the occasion. Cost is only $25 and you should e-mail your reservation request to pierrick@pierrickbouquet.com. Pescadou Bistro is at 3325 Newport Blvd.
Harry Potter Fans
Alert for Harry Potter Fans: Five Crowns in Corona del Mar will be offering a whimsical prix fixe dinner,Broomstick Salad, choice of Shepherd’s Pie (beef and veggies under a potato crust) or Toad and Pigeon in the Hole (sausage and chicken in Yorkshire pudding with peas and onion gravy) and a choice from two desserts,available July 15 to 31. A couple of bottomless non-alcoholic beverages also will accommodate the meal.
The aura of the English country inn is perfect for such a dinner and at only $28 per adult and $16 per child up to 12 years of age (plus tax and tip) this is surely an affordable and fun way to dine with the younger members of your family.
You should make reservations by calling (949) 760-0331. Location: 3801 East Coast Highway, Corona del Mar and there’s valet parking in the lot on the side of the restaurant.
