David Wilhelm is back.
The famed chef-restaurateur created some of the most noted restaurant concepts in this area over the past three decades, including Rouge, Chat Noir, French 75, Chimayo, Diva, Kachina and many others.
Wilhelm is an icon in the OC restaurant world. His Culinary Adventures empire—launched at the end of the millennium—was based in Newport Beach and included a handful of fine dining restaurants in Orange County and Los Angeles. His Chimayo restaurant—later renamed Rouge—was a fixture in Fashion Island for many years.
I was a regular at Chat Noir in Costa Mesa and French 75 in Laguna Beach, upscale concepts that struggled during the recession in 2008. One segment that was thriving: the premium casual sector, including gastropubs. De rigueur now—think Haven Craft Kitchen + Bar in Old Towne Orange or Blind Rabbit at Anaheim Packing House—but at the time were a newer thing.
Wilhelm pulled out of Culinary Adventures, consulted a bit, then took his palate to San Diego and in 2010 launched Jimmy’s Famous American Tavern, known by regulars as JFAT. Elevated comfort food in a lively setting hit a nerve connected to taste buds and he opened a second JFAT in Dana Point, followed by Brea, Santa Monica and Woodland Hills.
He returns home in a big way this summer: longtime Coast Highway staple 3-Thirty-3 Waterfront will close, reopening in June as Tavern House Kitchen + Bar. The news comes just weeks after Wilhelm sold his JFAT equity to the family of his late finance partner, a San Diego developer.
After his death, JFAT expansion was on hold and Wilhelm offered to sell, planning to take some time off.
“I thought I would get out and play a little golf,” he said. “I did not expect this would happen so quickly, but it did, so I am super excited to be back in Newport.”
Wilhelm teamed with longtime restaurateur and former business partner Gregg Solomon, who, like Wilhelm, has developed, launched and run many restaurant concepts for more than 30 years.
Bay View, Food Focus
“Back in the day, Gregg and I did Kachina, Bistro 201, Barbacoa, a lot of restaurants,” Wilhelm recalls. Solomon served as a senior vice president at Quiksilver for many years and “We reconnected a couple of years ago.”
Wilhelm had been talking with 3-Thirty-3 owner Jeff Reuter about refashioning the Bayside Drive eatery—possibly into a JFAT—but nothing came of it.
When Wilhelm sold his stake in the gastropub, he got Solomon interested in remaking 3-Thirty-3 and they took their majority stake in it. Reuter keeps a minority interest in the new eatery; Jeff Hatch of Hatch Design Group in Costa Mesa, designer of 3-Thirty-3, will redraw it as Tavern House.
Other changes are coming as well.
“3-Thirty-3 slowly morphed into a bar and late-night entertainment spot,” Wilhelm said. “There was less focus on the food. Ten years ago when we launched JFAT, I was of the mindset that was the kind of restaurant that people were looking for, and clearly that proved to be the case. I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel with this one.”
Some JFAT signature dishes will be at Tavern House, he said, alongside a seafood focus matching “spectacular views” on the bay.
Career Menu, Neighborhood Nostalgia
“We want to offer a great experience, great food, a lively bar. We want to be the local neighborhood go-to place.”
Interior changes include new lighting and booths, reconfigured seating, and “doing a number on the covered patio” among other elements.
“I don’t want people to walk in and think we just painted it a different color,” he told me. “We’re also making substantial changes to the back of house because we’re going to do a lot more volume on food than 3-Thirty-3 did.”
The current occupants did about 40% of their business in food, he said, “but I want it to be 75%.”
The route to that number runs through Wilhelm’s playlist over the years.
He kept the rights to every dish he created in 10 years at JFAT, so expect to see many of those same items.
Items from his other concepts may well reappear, too, such as Kachina’s famous side-by-side soups or the soufflé from French 75.
“They may not all make it on the [regular] menu, but we’ll have some fun with some special nights,” he said. “It’s not a huge kitchen so we have some limitations but I thought it would be fun to bring back some of the dishes that people ask me about all the time.”
My big question: Will the sensational Jimmy Burger from JFAT make it?
“That’s one of my personal favorites,” he said. “If you’re a fan of Jimmy’s, you will not be disappointed.”
333 Bayside Drive, Newport Beach 92660, (949) 673-8464, tavernhousekb.com
Speaking of Burgers …
May is National Hamburger Month and who doesn’t love a good burger?
To mark the occasion, I’ll share some of my favorite gourmet options at local restaurants. Not calling them the best as all palates are different. But it’s easy to spot good ones: quality beef and toppings, proper prep, and—almost as vital—the fries that come with. I favor creativity: interesting flavor combos and toppings that elevate.
• The Mexicali at Vine in San Clemente is beyond ordinary: American Kobe beef, queso fresco, avocado, chile de arbol creme, sweet onion slaw, and roasted spicy serrano chiles, with house cut herb fries.
I was afraid the spices would overpower the beef. Wrong. The flavors integrate spectacularly. I’d call this a “wow” burger. And the fries are perfect—slightly crispy outside, soft inside, perfectly seasoned and insanely addicting.
• Vine’s sister restaurant, Olea in Newport Beach, has an American Wagyu Wine Country burger, my go-to. They use Hook’s Cheese Co.’s two-year aged cheddar, red mustard leaf, cabernet-bacon jam, preserved tomato, pickled onion, soft potato bun and a secret sauce for this burger beauty, accompanied by those signature herb fries.
• Selanne Steak Tavern in Laguna Beach has a short tavern menu at the bar, which is where I prefer to enjoy my burgers. The Flash has ground Snake River Kobe sirloin, angry onions, baconnaise, arugula, tomato and white cheddar on a pretzel bun; truffle parmesan fries. I wolfed it down.
• The first Noah had one; ours has two: ARC in Costa Mesa and new sister site ARC Butcher & Baker on Balboa Peninsula. The burger is legendary: a 16-ounce patty stacked with accouterments, served on a wood platter. An impressive sight, but so is the baby ARC burger at the latter location, which I tried last week.
Chef/owner Noah von Blöm mixes his beef patty with herbs and whipped duck fat, then adds roasted garlic, red onion, tomato and homemade aioli, all between a buttermilk cornmeal-crusted bun. Add the wedge cut fries and you’re set.
And of course: this summer don’t forget the Jimmy Burger David Wilhelm is bringing with him. Elements include pecan wood smoked, jalapeño jam and Southern pimento cheese.
Vine: 211 N. El Camino Real, San Clemente 92672, (949) 361-2079, vinesanclemente.com
Olea: 2001 Westcliff Drive, Newport Beach 92660, (949) 287-6807, oleanewportbeach.com
Selanne: 1464 South Coast Highway, Laguna Beach 92651, (949) 715-9881, selannesteaktavern.com
ARC Costa Mesa: 3321 Hyland Ave., Costa Mesa 92626, (949) 500-5561, arcrestaurant.com
ARC Newport: 417 30th St., Newport Beach 92663, (949) 877-0190, arcbutcherbaker.com
A Decade of Conscious Cuisine
Andrei’s Conscious Cuisine & Cocktails in Irvine—a labor of love from Natalia Ostensen, daughter of OC real estate stalwart Igor Olenicoff (see story, page 22)—celebrates a decade in business this year—great news for local charities. Restaurant profits fund the Andrei Foundation, which for 10 years has backed many causes and organizations.
Last month, I was invited to a brunch media tasting to meet Executive Chef Porfirio Gomez and sample his spring menu, which mixes California and Mediterranean cuisine.
Among new items that impressed me most: salmon breakfast toast with salmon gravlax, egg salad, cherry tomato and capers on grilled sourdough—so good I could have eaten a plateful.
The buttermilk fried chicken and waffles were tender and disappeared fast. So, too, a refreshing grilled halloumi cheese and watermelon.
The Idaho rainbow trout with fingerling potatoes, sautéed spinach and shaved almonds was the perfect light dish, with flavor and texture.
Of the three desserts I sampled, the peach bourbon cheesecake stood out as lighter than expected; the peach flavors take precedence over the bourbon. As a fan of carrot cake, a piña colada version was a fun twist. Chocoholics will want the California Dream bar with chocolate semifreddo, crunchy chocolate hazelnut shell, caramel, raspberries and edible gold leaf.
Lunch and dinner Monday through Friday; brunch, lunch and dinner, Saturday; event space also at the ready.
2607 Main St., Irvine 92614, (949) 387-8887, andreisrestaurant.com
Taste of … Huntington?
I grew up in Huntington Beach and the town—in dinosaur days it was just a town—never seemed a dining mecca.
That has certainly changed.
Surf City now has numerous noteworthy nosh-pits, especially those in Pacific City: Ways & Means and Old Crow Smokehouse are two of my favorites, though Il Barone Sicilian Street Food is close behind.
I discovered a few more last month at the 19th annual Taste of Huntington Beach, which showcased nearly 50 local restaurants. The chains were there—as were several indie gems:
• 2nd Floor on Main Street bills itself as a fusion of trendy menu offerings, gallery art with a flair of tattoo-inspired lines and eclectic music. I sampled its Kobe-style meatloaf with mushroom sauce. Yes, I went back for seconds.
• Tanner’s at Paséa Hotel & Spa served delicate, flavorful mini albacore tuna tacos with a slice of watermelon radish as the taco shell and cucumber pearls and sea beans on top.
• Solita, sister restaurant of SOL Cocina in Newport Beach, offered a fine Loco BBQ taco with chipotle-smoked pork rib tips, sauce, creamy slaw and pickled jalapeño.
One thing I learned from it all: I need to spend more time exploring dining options in Huntington Beach.
