Fig & Olive is taking over the space vacated by Coco’s in Fashion Island, planning a total makeover for an opening next spring.
The first Fig & Olive, located in New York, dates back almost eight years and is still going strong. The new Newport Beach restaurant represents a sixth location and second in Southern California, along with a Fig & Olive in West Hollywood.
The restaurants are known for their cool, upscale atmospheres forming the backdrop for their homage to the finest extra virgin olive oils and the cuisines of the South of France, Italy and Spain. Every one of the savory dishes incorporates fragrant olive oil notes.
Just as a fine wine list is part of the concept at fashionable restaurants, olive oils on display are an imperative here. I’m truly anxious to have Fig & Olive in our midst.
Elsewhere on the shifting landscape, Red Robin at Tustin’s Market Place is closing this month and making a short move to The District at Jamboree Road and Barranca Parkway, also in Tustin. It will occupy, after extensive remodeling, the space of the closed Marmalade Cafe.
Mr. Stox
A trio of events involving Mr. Stox in Anaheim:
n De Loach Vineyards Dinner on Thursday, June 14. This fine Russian River winery was purchased in 2003 by Jean-Charles Boisset, a famous wine producer from Burgundy, France.
His love and knowledge of pinot noir and chardonnay has led to the creation of some exciting wines that will be enjoyed at the reception and multicourse dinner.
Winemaker Brian Mahoney will be there to host.
The reception starts at 7 p.m. followed by dinner. Cost is $125 per person and is all-inclusive.
• The Getty Villa and Dinner will take place June 17. The event will be hosted by Mr. Stox, which has become well known for hosting outings to interesting venues. The Getty itself replicates a villa excavated near Pompeii, Italy. The sojourn begins with a 10:30 a.m. departure with a boxed lunch served en route.
Docent tours have been reserved. The luxury motor coach will depart for the return trip at 4:30 p.m. for an early dinner at Mr. Stox.
The outing is $125 per person and includes lunch, dinner, tour and luxury bus transportation. Should you not be able to make the first outing, there will be another on July 21.
• There will be a Pride Mountain Vineyards Dinner at Mr. Stox on June 29. The event will be hosted by Stuart Bryan, national sales manager for the winery.
This lovely winery on Spring Mountain above the Napa Valley is noted for full-bodied red wines and delicate whites. The evening will start with the 2010 Pride Viognier, and a merlot will be poured with one of the entrées, along with a couple cabernets. Chick Marshall, co-owner of Mr. Stox, loves the 2008 Quartz Hill Syrah, so I’m not surprised to hear they’ll finish off the evening with that wine.
Mr. Stox: 1105 E. Katella, Anaheim, (714) 634-2994. Note: Mr. Stox offers limousine services from your home at reasonable prices.
The Ritz
The Ritz in Newport Beach is in a delightful summer mood.
The full Ritz menu is available, but summertime alternatives make things even more fun.
Starting June 5 and every summer Tuesday there will be Martini Nights in the Ritz Garden, featuring martinis and Chef Art Shegog’s signature barbecue items.
Check out the Ritz Garden Pardi Gras on Fridays, starting June 22. The Ritz meets the French Quarter with Creole-influenced barbecue, Mason jar cocktails and Dixieland music reminiscent of Bourbon Street.
Take advantage of the 50% off on bottles of wine on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings when ordering a dinner entrée.
Looking for interesting food and drinks late afternoon to early evening? Consider the Fab Five Happy Hour (Tuesday – Friday, 4:30 to 7 p.m.), with a list of bar menu items, certain cocktails and wines by the glass at $5 each.
Live music enhances dinner Tuesday through Saturday evenings between 7 and 10 p.m. in the main dining rooms.
Contemporary songs, light jazz and classic ballads are offered by Jimmy Hopper and The Baker Boys, with occasional cameo appearances by Jim Roberts.
I like the bargains that come via the prix- fixe options: two-course lunch for $17.50, and a three-course prix-fixe dinner for $35.
The Ritz: 880 Newport Center Drive, (949) 720-1800. Special note: The Ritz will be at this location for at least another year!
Dual Concept
Patrick and I made our first visit to The Ranch & Saloon in Anaheim with our friend Beth George, whose palate for fine wines I admire along with her constant search for new fine restaurants. (Other friends—Dave Walser and Barbara Greenfield, collectors of fine wines who dine out with us often—had also just recommended the place after visiting The Ranch & Saloon on successive nights.)
We’ve hung around this 6-month-old place a lot since then, even coaxing a big bunch of friends to join us one evening for a repast par excellence.
The Ranch & Saloon is the brainchild of Andrew Edwards, founder and owner of Extron Electronics.
The company’s headquarters are in Anaheim, and Edwards—possibly the most friendly businessman and unlikely restaurateur ever to come out of North Carolina—loves fine wine and great food made from farm-fresh products.
And he’s smitten with America’s iconic country music and the kind of down-home line dancing and two-stepping it inspires.
The amazing side-by-side venues were designed for the downstairs floor of his new headquarters building.
Patrons can wine and dine in peaceful and chic surroundings and never hear the vibrancy of the saloon next door.
They can dine on inspired cuisine first and then slip next door to listen to the energizing music and perhaps dance away the calories. The Saloon’s cover charge is waived if you eat in the restaurant first.
Hiring began two years ago with one of the most highly admired food and wine people in SoCal, Michael Jordan, coming on board as the vice president of food and beverage.
Jordan is the former global wine executive for Disney, who many of us have also known as general of the acclaimed Napa Rose. He is one of only 190 people worldwide who has ever passed the prestigious Master Sommelier test.
Then came the addition of chef extraordinaire Michael Rossi and a supporting staff of proven managers and service personnel.
I should mention that Edwards owns a lot of undeveloped land nearby, on which Jordan served as primary “farmer” while waiting for the restaurant to open. For exclusive use in the restaurant, Jordan planted almost three dozen fruit trees and a vast array of garden vegetables, melons, berries and herbs—everything organic—on this proprietary farmland.
Local specialty farmers supply whatever else is needed: produce, specially bred animals and sustainable fish. Food from farm to table doesn’t get fresher than this.
The restaurant’s design features beautiful woods and leather. One wall in the entry is crafted entirely from men’s belts, and the kitchen is partially visible along the back wall of the main dining area and the bar.
There are a few thousand bottles of wine, and the selection of rare and world-class wines by the glass is over-the-top impressive. The grandest surprise is a commitment to keeping food and wine in the affordable range.
Jordan and Rossi told me they never want to leave this place, a dream come true of the highest quality. Edwards, they say, encourages them to tap the pinnacle of their abilities in the creation of the food, the matching of wines with the dishes and the overall experience delivered to customers.
Upon being seated we’ve been regaled with a variety of freshly baked breads and even steaming-hot popovers. On a current seasonal menu we found a gazpacho that was roundly hailed as so good that it will forever be the new standard.
Imagine a small mountain of fresh crab in the middle of a bowl, surrounded by a gastrique mingling the essences of tangerines, mango, blood orange and a hit of spicy vinegar.
It was one of the best things I have ever eaten and eons away from those same old vegetable gazpachos.
Fresh blue crab sliders with harissa mayo and heirloom tomato from their farm, Skuna Bay salmon, lobster cobb-style salad and heirloom beets with marcona almonds and cara cara orange sections have all been delicious appetizers.
Grass-fed lamb provides the chops surrounded by pecan spätzle. Short rib aficionados will savor the Thumbalina carrots, portabella mushrooms and cabernet reduction married to the fork-tender meat.
I loved the string bean and radish salad almost as much as the sticky spare ribs sharing a plate. Ditto on the lentils served with the confit of duck. Barramundi was on a recent menu, too, offering genteel taste extending to the fresh artichoke and fire-roasted tomatoes.
I haven’t even gotten to the steaks in my visits, but I certainly vouch for the fish and chips. Savory sides include Italian butter beans in a tomato-olive oil stew, lobster mac ‘n’ cheese, creamed corn and fresh vegetables.
The Saloon features the finest in tavern décor with a 40-foot stage and big dance floor. There’s a menu of more casual food, and patrons can also order from the full dining room menu.
The dress code: no flip-flops or backward baseball caps, please.
The Ranch offers dinner only, and both restaurant and saloon open at 5:30 p.m. Corkage is only $15.
The Ranch & Saloon: 1025 E. Ball Road, Anaheim, (714) 817-4200.
