Several years ago, then-Business Journal Editor-in-Chief and Insider columnist Mark Mueller and I enjoyed a multi-course dinner at Knife Pleat, one of Orange County’s few Michelin-starred restaurants.
Chef-owner Tony Esnault created a black truffle tasting menu that included a black and white salad with truffles, Dover sole with truffle scales, poached chicken breast and roasted thigh, cheese with truffles and white chocolate panna cotta with—what else—truffles. Perfect wine pairings accompanied each course.
It was an exquisite experience, breathtaking in its plating and execution, with taste sensations that lingered in the memory long after the meal had ended.
My favorite Knife Pleat dish came during lunch at Knife Pleat several months after the dinner experience. The dish was so simple, yet so elegant: house-made pasta in a simple butter sauce with shaved truffles on top. I can still smell the aromas and taste the truffles that languished in the sauce.
Unassuming ingredients take on a new level of sophistication in Esnault’s skilled hands.
Knife Pleat is at South Coast Plaza: knifepleat.com
The Winery Restaurant and Wine Bar
NEWPORT BEACH/TUSTIN — One of my go-to restaurants is The Winery Restaurant and Wine Bar in Newport Beach, along with its sister location in Tustin. Both restaurants boast fabulous cuisine courtesy of chef Yvon Goetz.
I dine there several times a year and always enjoy it, but that experience was ramped up when chef Goetz created a wine pairing dinner for six of us at the Winery Restaurant.
After settling on a date, chef Goetz designed a fabulous six-course dinner that included grilled Spanish octopus, seared Hudson Valley foie gras, thyme roasted squab, wild boar Bolognese and espresso cocoa rubbed venison loin. The dishes were perfectly paired with wines including a Kosta Browne pinot, a Brunello di Montalcino and a Napa cab.
We were dazzled by the dishes, wowed by the wines and thoroughly enjoyed our dining experience.
Outside of special dinners, I love the wild game entrées at The Winery Newport, plus the wine selections and the harbor view—and of course gracious host and co-owner JC Clow, who knows how to work a room.
The Winery: thewineryrestaurants.com.
I said I wouldn’t share my favorite restaurants. I lied. There are several I enjoy for the cuisine, the ambiance and the service.
• Selanne Steak Tavern: A multi-course meal to celebrate the restaurant’s 10th anniversary was an over-the-top dining experience that showed why Selanne remains one of the most popular restaurants in Orange County.
• Tavern House Kitchen + Bar: Having enjoyed chef David Wilhelm’s other restaurants over the years (especially French 75 and Chat Noir), I love his comfort-food creations at Tavern House. His fried chicken is excellent, and he still has his signature French 75 onion soup on the menu.
• Bayside Restaurant: Live jazz, seasoned servers and classic cuisine makes Bayside a standout—and the fact that 10 friends joined me for a multi-course birthday celebration here during the early days of COVID-19—makes this restaurant extra special.
• Il Barone Ristorante: They have moved several times, but the food remains as superb as ever. Their Facci Ri Veccia pizza alone is worth the visit.
• Vine: Best burger in OC is Vine’s Mexicali burger.
• Olea: Second best burger in OC is the Olea burger.
Editor’s Note: Christopher Trela has been the Business Journal’s executive dining columnist for nearly eight years. Due to other commitments, his column will appear quarterly in the Business Journal starting later this year. Have an idea for a dining column? Contact executive editor Nancy Luna at luna@ocbj.com
