There’s a lot going on this week in the Orange County restaurant scene.
True Food Kitchen—a collaboration between integrative medicine pioneer, author and TV personality Dr. Andrew Weil, and Fox Restaurant Concepts—opens Monday.
Situated in the former Blue Coral space in Fashion Island, the space has been totally redesigned and offers comfortable surroundings and healthy food.
I had the opportunity to taste a few of the menu items as they were being honed a few months ago and I’m excited to try more of the menu.
The county really is ready for this concept of high-quality, locally sourced ingredients on a menu that nourish the mind, body and spirit. The restaurant’s philosophy is that simple, fresh, pure ingredients create the most satisfying and memorable dining experiences. Even though the menu is packed with nutritious vegetables, whole grains and proteins it does not sacrifice flavor.
• True Food Kitchen: 451 Newport Center Drive (next to Roy’s and Fleming’s), phone (949) 644-2400.
You can catch the last Summer in Provence dinner Thursday at Pinot Provence in Costa Mesa.
This is a series of summer dinners—started a few years ago—that replicate the allure of dining al fresco at a beautiful chateau in the South of France. Instead of dining indoors, these dinners are held on the garden patio of Pinot Provence, which is decorated with statues, artifacts and fountains from France. An outdoor kitchen is set up on one side of the patio and Pinot’s chef, Lulu de Rouen, cooks a special menu of French specialties in full view of diners.
I have loved these dinners since their inception because they remind me of dining at wine chateaus in Bordeaux, Burgundy and the Loire. I wish they could be held all year-round, but it’s only for a few weeks in the summer. You have to seize the opportunity this week or forego this particular pleasure until next July.
The menu for Thursday’s Summer in Provence is studded with French dishes that will take you beyond the restaurant’s regular a la carte menu. In addition, there’s a list of affordable wines, by the bottle or glass, selected to match the food—although you may order from the full wine list if desired.
Just to make sure the experience of lovely dining on a chateau patio is complete, a classical guitarist plays soft music throughout the evening.
• Pinot Provence: at the Westin South Coast Plaza, 686 Anton Blvd., Costa Mesa. Call (714) 444-5900 for reservations.
Starting Sunday, Manhattan Steak & Seafood—on Main Street near St. Joseph Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Orange County in Orange—begins offering Sunday Champagne Brunch. The cost for the brunch—which runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.—is $39.95 and features unlimited champagne and live jazz for entertainment.
Their menu features wild-caught fish, all-natural steaks and organic vegetables. They have worked hard at corralling a good range of foods to suit everyone. I like that their lunch and dinner menus offer Colorado lamb, Kurobuta pork, Hudson Valley duck (with a superb gorgonzola potato gratin), fresh water and salt water fish, and four kinds of wild game entrées on the dinner menu.
You will be tempted by the very French onion soup simmering beneath a cloak of melting gruyere cheese, and there are several attractive salads. Their lunch menu is sprinkled with suitably sized entrées, many of them similar to dinner preparations, and the requisite spread of sandwiches.
This is a semi-sophisticated atmosphere with a good charm factor throughout the five dining areas.
• Manhattan Steak & Seafood: 202 S. Main St., Orange, (714) 978-6161.
Another interesting tidbit: Lawry’s Carvery at South Coast Plaza is offering—through August 31—some $12 deals. Select from a full hand-carved sandwich or an entree salad plus any two starters, sides or desserts. For $16, a prime rib plate is being featured as well.
• In South Coast Plaza, on level two, next to Macy’s Men’s store, phone (714) 434-7788.
Must Visit
Be sure to put the brand-new Raya restaurant in Dana Point’s Ritz-Carlton on your imperative list. I’m revving to go back again for some ceviche (rock shrimp and ahi tuna), salads so interesting I wish I could eat them all the time, the best fresh corn soup I’ve ever had (well, it does have a truffled masa dumpling and shellfish teaser as part of the magic), Pacific halibut that also fell into the best-dish-ever category, succulent steak, and a litany of other superb items that have my palate singing.
Raya is located in the space that once was the Ritz-Carlton’s long lobby lounge dining and bar overlooking the ocean. It’s simple, with clean lines and super comfortable seating, which allows the ocean to be the dramatic backdrop for an excellent dining experience.
• Raya: One Ritz Carlton Drive, Dana Point, (949) 240-2000.
Add a trip to Michael Mina’s Stonehill Tavern at the St. Regis Resort to your agenda to taste new menu items. I recently began a trek through some of the small plates that have been added. Priced from $9 to $17, there are about a dozen items to try, including the cone of fish and chips, succulent lobster fritters, a fun cheese fondue, a really marvelous grilled romaine lettuce salad strewn with generous strips of Hamilton Ranch steak, steak tartare with violet mustard and pulled pork sliders that will make you rethink that genre. In a major entree selection, I was the happiest of diners when encountering the crispy skinned bass with shaved fennel and a signature olive vinaigrette ($29). When it comes to textures, subtle flavors and a really compelling presentation, this was top drawer.
I keep talking about staycations now; if you’re needing a respite and want to stay close to home, the rooms are romantic, a bit dramatic, indulgent and just generally wonderful at St. Regis. Do yourself a favor and stay at least overnight. I treat myself every once in a while.
• For reservations or information on Stonehill Tavern, or the St. Regis Resort, call (949) 234-3200. The resort is at One Monarch Beach Resort, Dana Point.
Antonello’s New Food
I always have items that I’m passionate about sharing with readers. For those who truly appreciate culinary revitalization, I insist that you explore the new cosmopolitan-inspired menu items at Antonello Ristorante.
To miss this is simply foolish because this is food that is unique to OC dining and has put a layer of culinary polish on our dining scene. If you thought Antonello was a destination before, wait until you taste these modern dishes.
Yes, it’s still true to Italian authenticity, but a whole new section of the menu is devoted to modern Italy via plates of fusion food that bring together Italian culinary traditions and California chic.
There are many reasons to go to Antonello—such a compellingly beautiful atmosphere, superb service, resonating food from the two co-executive chefs, Gino Buonanoce and Sal Ferrara, and a serious commitment to wines perfectly matched to the food. Now you can add these new, sophisticated menu items as another reason to dine out.
• Antonello Ristorante: 1611 Sunflower Ave. (in South Coast Plaza Village), Santa Ana, (714) 751-7153.
Laguna Gourmet
I recently stopped in at a cute little table and pantry emporium called Laguna Gourmet. It’s the little sister (conveniently located across the street) of the iconic Stephen Frank Garden & Home store. This is a rather intimate and friendly shop, like being in someone’s private home. Shelves are stocked with fine condiments, a variety of olive oils and vinegars, sea salts from around the world and gift items suitable for anyone interested in fine dining and cooking.
An assortment of tablescapes provide fascinating shopping and there’s top-of-the-line cookware, professional implements—including French bakeware—and beautiful ceramic serving and dining pieces.
Since we all enjoy the artistic charms and many facets of Laguna Beach, this is another place worth discovering on one of your strolls.
• Laguna Gourmet: 424 Forest Ave., Laguna Beach, (949) 376-1615.
School Food
How heartwarming it is to learn of a chef going way beyond his structured days cooking and running a restaurant to create a healthy eating program for school children.
Azmin Ghahreman, chef/owner of Sapphire in Laguna Beach, started Sapphire at School, which has professional chefs preparing daily meals for school children.
Azmin developed the program in 2007 and has been quietly expanding it.
According to Azmin, “teaching children about food and nutrition has been a passion for many years. I believe that kids should be given the skills and education they need to make smart, informed decisions about the foods they eat. Every child deserves a healthy start.”
Azmin sees each child as his responsibility, and coined the phrase “Every Child Is My Child,” making it his mission to develop and nurture culinary programs for kids.
Azmin’s landmark menus and educational curriculum are based on the Mediterranean food pyramid, which relies on healthy whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, herbs and spices, protein and dairy products, and, in spare amounts, sweets. Each meal and snack is prepared daily by expert chefs, using fresh, local ingredients that never are shipped.
Azmin says he is always on the lookout for new food sources and ingredients to incorporate into the Sapphire at School menus. Currently, participating schools include Sage Hill in Newport Coast, St. Anne School in Laguna Niguel, Harbor Day School in Corona del Mar, and St. Margaret’s Episcopal School and Capistrano Valley Schools in San Juan Capistrano.
In many of the schools, the comprehensive program also offers hands-on educational classes that expand students’ knowledge of food and nutrition and increases their awareness of flavors from around the world.
For more information regarding Sapphire at School, contact Catherine Nguyen at Sapphire Laguna by calling (949) 715-3355.
