Okura, a robata grill and sushi restaurant, has opened in Laguna Beach and is making use of the space that previously housed Hush and then Katsuya.
Sam Lee and his wife, Jay, have had their original and very successful Okura in La Quinta for eight years and had been anxious to bring their concept to Orange County.
The general manager, who the food-savvy public will recognize, is Danny Reyes, who also ran the Hush operation and was one of the founders of Ecco at The Camp in Costa Mesa. He’s known for his hospitality and keen interest in customer satisfaction.
Some refinement has been made to the decor of the space. A new sushi bar and kitchen with state-of-the-art equipment sits at the rear of the main dining room. A big, friendly bar features mixologists energetically whipping up fashionable cocktails. All of the general furnishings have been changed, and the look is now tremendously inviting.
The food is described as a fusion of Japanese and California cuisine, with sushi and sashimi, assorted rolls, meat and fish carpaccios and assorted fusion appetizers.
Do try one of the soups, the soft-shell crab spring roll, the refreshing cucumber salad. A la carte entrees include a hangar steak, chicken and several seafood preparations, all with Asian-influenced marinades or sauces adding to the party.
The robatayaki, or grilled, section of the menu includes ishiyaki beef—rib-eye steak served on a searing hot stone—always a highlight for me. Also from the grill: spareribs, barbecue beef and chicken, and yellowtail collar. Grilled skewered items include shrimp, beef, chicken and salmon. Vegetarians will like the grilled assortment that goes beyond the common vegetables offered almost everywhere else.
Hurry over and say hello to Danny. If you’re not already in his customer-becomes-friend category, you’ll get there quickly.
Okura: 858 S. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach; (949) 793-4320.
A Mercado in OC?
Guess who might be scoping out a restaurant location here? None other than a guy with Orange County connections, Jesse Gomez, co-owner of Mercado in Santa Monica and the just-opened Mercado at Third Street and Fairfax Avenue in midtown L.A.
He also has Yxta in downtown L.A. His family created the 49-year-old El Arco Iris, which is also part of his restaurant group.
At Mercado, his partner and chef is Jose Acevado, the guru in the kitchen at our Taleo restaurant until the founder, Nic Vil- larreal, sold it. The new owner subsequently went out of business, and the Taleo building still sits empty at Park Place in Irvine. Jesse also had a hand in operating Taleo, along with Nic.
That means that if he opens a restaurant here, we would have Acevado’s remarkable carnitas pork again, the best I’ve had outside of Mexico, and I try carnitas at almost every Mexican eatery I go to.
In the meantime, if you want food from the heart of Mexico that chef Acevado prepares from his family’s generational archives, think of a time to go to either the Santa Monica or the L.A. Mercado and indulge.
Mercado in Santa Monica: 1416 Fourth St., (310) 526-7121; Los Angeles: 7910 W. Third, (323) 944-0947.
New Balboa Bay Resort Chef
I mentioned in my last column that Josef Lageder, the vaunted chef at the Balboa Bay Resort, had left. I now have confirmation of the new culinary leader. It’s Vincent Lesage, formerly executive sous chef at St. Regis Monarch Beach in Dana Point.
It’s good that Vincent—who will manage the resort’s culinary operations and oversee its dining outlets—has worked at acclaimed restaurants in France in previous years and comes from such a highly regarded resort here in Orange County, because he has some big shoes to fill in this new position.
As soon as I can find an evening free on my dance card, I will start to look into the menu changes he will undoubtedly make as he puts his signature on the culinary status of the popular bayfront property.
Balboa Bay Resort: 1221 Coast Highway, Newport Beach; (949) 645-5000.
Break of Dawn In Nearby Digs
When Dee Nguyen left his position as executive sous chef at the Ritz-Carlton in Laguna Niguel and opened Break of Dawn in Laguna Hills, he ushered in the concept of truly fine food served in a casual atmosphere at decent prices.
That was seven years ago, and the restaurant became known as the “hidden gem” among the media that kept track of restaurant happenings. It’s still highly admired by those with pens and microphones, and the loyalty of his customers draws the admiration of other chefs.
His lease ends next spring, and he thought he’d have to move the restaurant to another location, possibly another city. The new news, the good news, is that he’s moving to another location in the same center, so we won’t have to search him out.
Dee’s personal vision for Break of Dawn was a belief that he could cook upscale food with hints of the fine dining like that experienced at high-maintenance places but in casual and colorful surroundings and without having to charge anything near the same prices. It’s not as inexpensive as a pancake house, but Dee’s food is in a culinary world of its own. He launched his concept in a friendly 50-seat space with interesting artwork as a highlight and an easy indoor-outdoor flow. And he decided that he would serve only breakfast and lunch, leaving him more time for his family.
Break of Dawn’s menu embraces multinational nuances. On the seasonal menu, one might find crispy shrimp rolls, Hawaiian-style sausage and tempura eggs as morning intros or sides with other breakfast dishes. His meatloaf has gotten lots of good press, especially with the flaky cheddar biscuits and a couple of fried eggs as a breakfast-style dish. French toast takes on a crackly creme brulee exterior and layers of coconut throughout. If you want only something sweet and a cup of great coffee, then order the hot-from-the-oven huge cinnamon roll with coffee-almond glaze.
Slip into lunch mode, and Dee does a superb duck entree with accompaniments of creamed corn and an haricot verts (French green beans) omelet. His barbecue pork with a jalapeño corn cake is one of my favorites.
The restaurant is open from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Wednesday through Friday; until 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday; and closed Monday and Tuesday. The absolute truth about Break of Dawn is that it surprises at every level with its unique fusion-tinged food that sings with flavor and quality and the whole aura of friendliness that permeates the space. Add another pat on the back for having a full-service bar, which allows us to have our favorite daytime liquid enhancement.
Break of Dawn: 24351 De La Carlota, in the Trader Joe’s corner of the secondary mall at the back of the Laguna Hills mall, Laguna Hills, (949) 587-9418.
Fireside Eating, Imbibing
Special Fireside Dinner: Cabernet Sauvignon from Around the World is the title of the intimate meal to be held Nov. 20 at Pinot Provence in Costa Mesa.
Jörn Kleinhans, founder of wine appreciation forum Wine Elite, will host the five-course menu, and Executive Chef Alfonso Ramirez will be prepare it.
The dinner offers wine novices and aficionados an opportunity to educate and expand their palates with carefully curated wines in a warm and friendly fireside chat setting. The cost of the dinner is $110, plus tax and gratuity. Should there be someone in your party who does not drink wine, the restaurant will gladly serve the dinner for only $70.
Another good thing that Pinot Provence offers is 25% off all bottles of wine on Wednesdays—no restrictions and available all day. If you can’t finish the bottle, the restaurant will store your unfinished bottle(s) for up to two days, or your server can seal them up for easy and legal transportation to enjoy in the comfort of home.
If you can’t make this dinner, there’s a seasonal menu ready for personal dining. I had a good run-through of several items from Pinot’s autumn menu, and there are some seriously good things to try.
The Special Cabernet comparison dinner begins promptly at 6:15. Reservations are required. Call (714) 444-5900.
Pinot Provence: in the Westin South Coast Plaza hotel, 686 Anton Blvd., Costa Mesa.
Zov’s To Go
Zov Karamardian, owner of the three Zov’s restaurants in OC and a chef herself, has just launched Gourmet To Go Dinners at all locations. They are available after 3 p.m. and offer a great way to eat at home sans cooking, but you do have to pick up the food yourself.
There are two variations of the rotisserie chicken take-out meals now offered, and I can personally vouch for the succulence of these birds. For $29.95, a dinner for two consists of half a chicken with Caesar or mixed green salad, a choice from two pastas, and a choice from one of three other side dishes, along with dinner rolls. A meal with a whole rotisserie chicken is $49 with all accompaniments and choices as above. Should you merely want to take away one of Zov’s delicious, hot-off-the-spit chickens, it’s $15.95.
Zov opened the Tustin restaurant way back in 1987, and it is still going strong, with expanded full-service facilities at that location and at two other successful spots. On a more subdued scale, there’s a Zov’s in John Wayne Airport.
In Tustin, it began with Zov’s Bistro. Back-to-back with that restaurant, she soon opened her casual cafe. She was baking so many desserts and breads that when yet another adjacent space became available, she opened her bakery. A little later, she introduced a cushy lounge and bar in Tustin. The last two restaurants she subsequently opened with her whole family involved her husband, Gary; son, Armen; and daughter, Taleen.
The menu at all Zov’s locations is based on a blend of Middle Eastern, Armenian and Mediterranean cuisine. Have a look at the Zov’s website, and perhaps you’ll even find an interesting cooking class or a visiting culinary celebrity giving a demo.
Tustin: 17440 E. 17th St., (714) 838-8855; Irvine: 3915 Portola Parkway, (714) 734-9687; Newport Coast: 21123 Newport Coast Drive, (949) 760-9687.
