I first met Chef Alfonso Ramirez when he was at the helm of Pinot Provence at The Westin South Coast Plaza, a one-time Patina Group standout that was closed several years ago.
After Pinot Provence, Ramirez migrated to Catal Restaurant & Uva Bar, another Patina property in Downtown Disney. Then came the pandemic. Downtown Disney closed, as did the entire Disneyland Resort. Perfect time for Ramirez to move on to his next opportunity, but this one came from outside the Patina Group.
River Jetty Restaurant Group partners Joseph “McG” Nichol and Jordan Otterbein said in June that Ramirez had been named the new Corporate Executive Chef of A Restaurant and CdM Restaurant.
“We’ve been overwhelmed with positive messages from our community over the past few months,” Otterbein said. “We were excited to reopen our restaurants with Chef Alfonso’s inspiring influence on our menus alongside our incredible chefs de cuisine, Roberto Gomez at A Restaurant and Elvis Morales at CdM, who have been instrumental in the success of our food over the years.”
Ramirez takes over for Chef Jonathan Blackford, who had been with River Jetty Restaurant Group since 2010. While Blackford has plans to open his own restaurant, Ramirez is excited for the challenge of running two noted restaurants that are markedly different than his previous culinary forays.
Ramirez said he’s not planning any major menu changes at the moment, although he has added a couple of dishes at CdM and several at A Restaurant. He said the folks at A and CdM have been “awesome to work with, they have been super supportive, but given the timing it’s still a strange transition. It was a challenge to get everything up and running again; we had to get everyone back and meet with employees at both restaurants. But it’s been good. We’re getting busier, people have been super responsive.”
Since Ramirez has been spending time at CdM, I nabbed a reservation and once seated perused the menu—similar to what I remembered. Ramirez’s new dishes fit in perfectly. His heirloom tomato salad with burrata cheese, crispy shallots, watermelon and aged balsamic was listed under “Some Veggies,” while the charred octopus with chorizo picante, roasted potatoes, confit tomato and aji amarillo sauce (a spicy yellow sauce starring the aji amarillo pepper) was listed as a “Smaller” dish.
The heirloom tomato salad is perfect for summer, with a nice crunch from the green tomato contrasting with the soft red tomatoes and burrata.
The octopus is a standout, with the sauce sneaking up on the taste buds and providing the right amount of heat to balance and not overpower the ingredients.
To top it off, I added one of the most popular dishes on the menu: duck liver pate with huckleberry gelee, huckleberry and grilled bread. I dare anyone to not like this dish. It is truly decadent, and a pleasure to savor while sipped a cocktail.
CdM Has expanded its patio seating, while A Restaurant has erected a tent with “thoughtfully spaced tables” creating a “posh” dining experience, so they say.
CdM Restaurant: 2325 E. Coast Highway, Corona del Mar, (949) 287-6600, cdmrestaurant.com
A Restaurant: 3334 W. Coast Highway, Newport Beach, (949) 650-6505, arestaurantnb.com