Bonefish Grill has come to Orange County. It’s very good-looking and friendly, and the food and libations I’ve had so far are primo.
It occupies a prime spot facing Jamboree at the Market Place in Tustin.
Bonefish comes under the Tampa-based umbrella organization Bloomin’ Brands, which also has Fleming’s restaurants, Outback Steakhouse and a few other dining brands in its portfolio.
The contemporary design is quite pleasing and would fit in a much more expensive atmosphere. This restaurant is, in fact, the prototype design for any upcoming siblings.
A chic atmosphere includes attractive furnishings, a Big-City bar and an appealing see-through divider/wine storage wall.
A custom focal wall art piece—a shimmery fish with shiny metal scales that move gently as air from the vents circulates about—commands attention in the main dining room.
It’s also nice to walk into a space given to our comfort without the ego of an open kitchen in full view. The cooking scene has come full circle and is back behind walls in its own private area. Taking a cue from high-end restaurants, expediters are always stationed in the kitchen to make sure every order is on track. It makes for more precise service.
Corporate Chef Mark Adair was in town for the launch. He’d been in Orange County helming the kitchens of Blue Coral and then Fleming’s in Fashion Island some time ago.
He and his team concentrate on preparing globally and locally sourced fish.
They’re dedicated to responsible, economically sound fishing practices and healthy stewardship of global aquaculture.
Fresh fish, such as Pacific salmon and swordfish, are caught at their seasonal peaks, hand-cut daily and cooked on a wood-burning grill, along with steaks, pork chops and chicken dishes. Market fresh specials change daily and feature several signature sauces.
The menus for lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch are not frail affairs. There’s a lot to choose from, and it all has a slightly different approach than what we’ve seen everywhere else. For instance, Bang Bang Shrimp, one of the best things I’ve eaten this year, come as a dinner appetizer, in a po’ boy rendition at lunch and as a taco at Sunday brunch. These crustaceans, I’m told, go through many prepping stages to arrive at their crispy succulence. Whatever those steps are, when these guys get tossed in the chef’s creamy and spicy sauce, it’s a sure-fire taste treat.
Other things I’ve tried: Wagyu beef potstickers in a terrific sauce; fresh oysters with a blackberry mignonette that goes surprisingly well with the brine of the oysters; the Asian salad, which takes on a whole new persona with the addition of sweet peppers and a miso-based dressing; Chilean sea bass; yellowtail; and wild Pacific salmon.
Regarding sandwiches, Kobe burger, grilled wraps and a fresh fish sandwich are in the mix. Entrees include at least 10 kinds of fresh fish and shellfish. There are chops, steaks and chicken, too. Just about everything you can imagine in the breakfast realm turns up on the Sunday brunch menu, along with a large variety of sandwiches, salads, main dish proteins and desserts.
A daily “Happier Hour” from 4 to 6:30 p.m. offers specially priced drinks.
Available all day are four $5 hand-crafted cocktails, innovative “bar fresh” cocktails, such as Meyer Drop Martini, and local craft beers. I had a rum-based drink with an edible orchid floating in it. It’s on my repeat list for being a modern cocktail that excels in refreshing sips. The wine list includes 30 wines by the glass and includes affordable selections; the reserve list has about 10 offerings that reflect the local terroir.
There’s also a wine offered only during the crush season, like our own Beaujolais nouveau: Hidden Crush, which is created by Central Coast wineries and is a proprietary Bonefish Grill wine.
This restaurant is hitting all the high notes, and I think it’s destined to be a very busy place. We are already planning to take some friends there in the next few days.
Bonefish Grill: 3040 El Camino Real, Tustin, (714) 368-7613
Rich Not Attending Reunion
Most foodies have noted that Canyon in Anaheim Hills is now closed. Rich Mead is out of his contract in Anaheim Hills, a location in which he created Canyon with the owner of the property. He said he always knew it wasn’t a long-term, permanent commitment.
Rich, the first chef to bring actual farm-direct-to-table cuisine to Orange County, and owner of Sage and Sage on the Coast, both now closed, is working on a new concept at another location.
The incoming restaurant that will occupy Canyon’s reconstructed site is Reunion Kitchen + Drink. The location, at 5775 E. Santa Ana Canyon Road in Anaheim, is going to be a joint project between the landlord and restaurateur, Scott McIntosh. It’s a few weeks away from opening.
Some have gotten the impression that Rich would be involved in Reunion, but that is not the case. He expressed appreciation for customer support over the past three years and said that, “Canyon will be reinvented into a new concept called Reunion, with the goal of bringing a much more casual dining experience with an emphasis on value, great food and community.”
He went on to say, “We will keep you apprised of our progress in the coming weeks and look forward to seeing you all again soon!” That led to the impression that he would be involved, but actually, he was speaking only about the stated concept of the incoming restaurant. His statement of letting us know about the “progress in coming weeks” related to his own future plans, not to any association with Reunion.
Canyon was such a good-looking space, so much money spent on its decor, but it’s been gutted and is being reformatted into an inviting neighborhood spot of another sort. The Anaheim Hills area can use more good restaurants. Here’s hoping Reunion hits a good community accord with locals.
Culinary Paradise
Perhaps I am just paying more attention, but I don’t remember a year in which more friends have vacationed in Hawaii than in 2013, and we’re included in the island visitor category. My husband, Patrick, and I went over to celebrate the 30th anniversary of La Mer restaurant in the Halekulani hotel on Waikiki Beach and to simply take life easy for a couple of weeks. We are also avid fans of Chef Alan Wong and his eponymous restaurants, so his food was also on our “Must Do” list.
For those of you who will visit Honolulu, here are my specific reasons for dining at La Mer and Alan Wong’s and why I think you will also be impressed. If you plan to go to either of these restaurants, feel free to let me know via email at chaothyme@aol.com, and I will give you the person in charge to talk to.
La Mer is Hawaii’s longest-ranked AAA-Five Diamond restaurant and is a gorgeous open-air space at the ocean’s edge.
I was in Honolulu for the debut of the hotel and this restaurant three decades ago. It was all so sophisticated and impressive, and La Mer remains a remarkable dining experience today. The current chef, Alexandre Trancher, brings neoclassic French food to the table in camera-worthy presentations with memorable tastes, and the pampering service is something rarely found these days.
This is the only restaurant on the islands where all staff members, servers included, are in suits and ties. With tables draped in fine linens, tableware that exudes finesse and quiet, romantic ambiance, it’s always like a gift to ourselves to dine here.
Halekulani—ranked as one of the world’s finest hotels—has gotten hundreds of honors, including awards, honoraria and accolades.
For many years before 1984, the year it opened, this property was an assortment of cottages, most belonging to stars of the Golden Age who used them as private retreats. The hotel and its La Mer restaurant captured that aura of elegance.
Chef Trancher’s multicourse degustation menus are a good way to experience the highlights of La Mer. He fuses indigenous ingredients into uniquely blended dishes inspired by flavors mostly from the south of France. A few highlights on the current menu: lamb loin crusted with shredded phyllo dough with lemon-scented onion and thyme jus; foie gras with pineapple chutney; and mille-feuille of seasonal truffles and scallops with sauce Perigueux (signature sauce of Perigueux, France, made with veal demi-glace, Madeira wine and black truffles).
La Mer also has a gorgeous bar where sampling unique wine flights or having a cocktail with the sea breezes wafting through and the palms swaying becomes something way beyond the norm of the bar and lounge experience.
Please note that La Mer requires a long-sleeved collared shirt or jacket for gentlemen. And as an elegant fine dining restaurant, it restricts patrons to adults and children 8 and older.
La Mer: 2199 Kalia Road, Honolulu, (808) 923-2311.
Hoot of a Menu
Alan Wong was at the forefront, along with a small group of Hawaiian chefs, of the revolution in Hawaiian cuisine a couple of decades ago. They turned their regional and multicultural foods and local ingredients into a modern phenomenon. Their mantra is that “Hawaii Regional Cuisine has all the soul of our immigrant, plantation and agricultural past and all the freshness you would expect from locally farmed products prepared with the best culinary skill and creativity.”
Chef Alan has two restaurants in Honolulu: The Pineapple Room in the Ala Moana Center and Alan Wong’s King Street (this is the one we go to).
The vibe is pretty casual on King Street. It’s an industrial area. Every local knows its exact location and its fame. I would recommend upfront that you call for your reservation before you even leave the mainland. Despite the easy going spirit, the food is just remarkable, and we have nothing similar here.
Your attire can be dressy-casual as opposed to dressy for La Mer. The room, which occupies an upper floor, is inviting but totally unpretentious. Service is friendly and very good, and they are most helpful in explaining the nuances of the food.
It’s hard to decide whether to peruse one of the chef’s prix-fixe tasting menus or order a la carte. Take your time in reviewing the menu, as it alone is an interesting read.
People laugh when reading of an appetizer called Da Bag, and then they sigh after tasting the delicious clams steamed with Kahlua pig and mushrooms in a foil bag. Another smiley is called Poki-Pines, crispy won ton ahi poke balls on avocado with wasabi sauce. If you love foie gras, the Hudson Valley brand is served either on rice with Japanese myoga ginger or seared with li hing mui chutney.
Might as well stop here and explain li hing mui. My husband is Chinese, and they eat dried salty plums for a snack. We have Caucasian friends who crave them, so they aren’t ridiculously adverse to our palates. They are wildly popular as a seasoning in real Hawaiian food. The children even dip their ice cream or snow cones (shaved ice) into li hing mui powder. This is the flavor enhancer in the chutney that accompanies the aforementioned foie gras.
It’s also in the dressing that adorns arguably the best tomato dish I’ve ever eaten and would never miss at Alan Wong’s, the reconstructed Whole Tomato Salad.
His lamb chops crusted in macadamia nuts and coconut are crazy good, and his seafood and shellfish entrees are on a planet of their own. The whole menu is an adventure in unique and wonderful dining, and it’s as much a part of my Honolulu experiences as the beaches. I think it would be a grand meal for you, too.
1857 S. King St., (808) 949-2526.
