Give someone—perhaps yourself—an early holiday present with the very intriguing hands-on preparation courses upcoming at the Resort at Pelican Hill’s Chef’s Culinary Academy.
The sessions, led by one of the resort’s chefs, are limited to 10 people in each class and offer insights into the flavors of Italy and France. They take place on Friday evenings from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. in a luxurious Villa kitchen. Wines accompany the menu.
Resort at Pelican Hill is at 22701 Pelican Hill Road South, Newport Coast.
Reservations are required and can be arranged by calling (800) 820-6800.
The schedule:
Tuscany—Nov. 12 ($120 per adult)
Burgundy—Nov. 19 ($120 per adult)
Piedmont—Nov. 26 ($120 per adult)
Bordeaux—Dec. 3 ($120 per adult)
Champagne—Dec. 10 ($195 per adult)
Venice—Dec. 17 ($120 per adult)
Seasons 52
Construction is complete and two restaurants now occupy the building that was once the Clubhouse at South Coast Plaza, topping off a pseudo avenue of dining that began with Charlie Palmer, then AnQi and now Seasons 52 and Capital Grille (both from Florida’s Darden Restaurants Inc.).
All of the restaurants are within steps of each other.
Seasons 52 opened two months ago and is pleasing crowds big time with its take on affordably priced, seasonally inspired chic dining with attention to healthful preparations.
It doesn’t hurt that the surroundings are pretty sophisticated and friendly. The taste of roasted figs and artisanal cheese atop utterly crispy flatbread, Tasmanian trout, tender lamb chops and absolutely clever desserts are marching through my memory right now.
Seasons 52’s concept is food made from local products with farm-market appeal on a menu that strides through a lot of America and proudly touts that no dish has more than 475 calories.
They’ve basically zeroed in on a blend of culinary art and science and come up with a landscape of dishes that quickly reveal that delicious food can be made without cream or butter and, in this case, without any deep frying.
Instead, wood-fire grilling and brick-oven roasting play an important part. I can assure you that one of Seasons 52’s entrees will fill you up despite the scarce calorie count.
At our first dinner, we clinked our glasses of wine at the very large circular bar, behind which are the bartenders and a pianist/songster with his trimmed down piano smack-dab in the center of the rounded back bar (evenings only).
On recent menus I’ve tasted items such as chipotle shrimp flatbread, Maple Leaf Farms duck salad, cedar-planked wild salmon, chile relleno stuffed with goat cheese and corn cake on the side, wood-roasted pork and Canadian black mussels in marinara sauce.
Top dinner entree price is $26, with many entrees in the $14 to $20 range. All come with vegetables and starch.
The wine list also has many boutique wines that I’ll be trekking through for awhile. I give Seasons 52 extra points for having sulfite-free wines as well (we have a friend who is highly allergic to sulfites, so this is a thoughtful thing for people like her).
Many wines are from biodynamic vineyards and most also fall into the really affordable realm.
And just wait until desserts are presented: nine unique decadences to choose from, each served in a liqueur glass.
The best cheesecake, Key lime, macchiato, pecan pie, French mousse and others are found in these marvelous little endings that also manage to refrain from assaulting you with calories.
Seasons 52: lunch and dinner and Sunday Brunch; 3333 Bristol St., Costa Mesa, (714) 437-5252. Since they are very busy, reservations are recommended. Feel free to say hello to the managing partner, Rikin Lakhanic, for me.
Capital Grille a ‘World Apart’
Gone is the grand stairway that once took us to the upstairs Clubhouse dining room.
It has been replaced by a simpler stairway for access to the top level that now houses Capital Grille, the upscale home of dry-aged steaks, fresh seafood and the traditional trimmings that have become requisite for high-end steak house dining.
Chris Szechenyi, the former longtime manager of Five Crowns, has been tapped to lead Capital Grille, thus many of you already know him and his presence means that good service also is paramount.
Situated as a completely separate entity from Seasons 52, this place is a world apart in concept.
It’s like stepping into a private club in which a bar/lounge area immediately greets you.
Beyond that are booths, some offering truncated views of the kitchen at work. Take a sharp right and the dark, woodsy atmosphere morphs into a dining room where tables are all the rage.
Huge and impressive chandeliers march down the middle of the combined dining complex, and wine glasses on the tables sparkle in anticipation.
A waiter walks by with his cargo of huge steaks for a neighboring table. Makes me rethink the appetizer I’d planned on ordering, as I’m wondering if I’ll ever find room for all that food.
Most people are walking out with shopping bags carrying their leftover booty. On our visits, Patrick and I also left with the remainders of our meals, and those still sufficient morsels did supply the two of us with outstanding lunches the next day.
The menu is huge—not in content but in size. It’s only a single fold-out, but you’re dealing with 18 inches by 24 inches of heavy duty cardstock. The menu takes the front with the two inside pages dedicated to their big, international wine list.
Happy news, for sure, is that most of the wines are priced less than $100 and about half of those range from only $28 to $50. There are presently 27 wines by the glass.
I am on a Malbec kick (several very smooth and sufficiently complex wines from the Southern Hemisphere) and enjoyed toying with the Catena Vista Flores, Mendoza from Argentina at a mere $10 per glass on my first visit. I like the diversity of this wine list and its many excitingly affordable tastes from afar.
Try the calamari with hot cherry peppers for an appetizer. Big shellfish platters always can please a tableful of people. I like the prosciutto-wrapped mozzarella with sliced tomatoes and the salad of baby spinach with warm bacon dressing is wonderful.
There are 19 entrees carrying on the protein theme. Steaks first: Capital Grille has built their concept and reputation in large part on their dry-aged steaks.
The Delmonico (rib eye) is rubbed with crushed, dried porcini mushrooms or grilled straight up without coating.
Bone-in sirloin is rubbed with a Kona coffee coating before grilling (fine shallot butter with this one). There’s a filet of beautifully marbled Wagyu beef, filet Oscar (with Dungeness crab, porterhouse and such). Four double-cut lamb chops are fantastic and, for those who like poultry, a lone chicken dish also shows up.
Seafood selections wander through fresh lobster, halibut, tuna, salmon and shrimp stuffed with crab and lobster. A popular surf and turf combo emerges. Much of this appears on both the lunch and dinner menus, but midday finds tempting sandwiches added to the mix.
As is common in the higher-end steak house genre, sides are a la carte. Dinner entrees range from $32 to $46.
According to my count, there are now 43 Capital Grilles, two in California, with the Beverly Hills location opening just before this one. So, this concept certainly is working nicely for Darden Restaurants. It also bodes well for Orange County and our lineup of fine dining.
Capital Grille: 3333 Bristol St., Costa Mesa, (714) 432-1140. Reservations are recommended.
Casino for a Cause
One of the fundraising events that seems to keep things interesting each year is the Irvine Adult Day Health Services Benefit. This year’s event is sponsored by the new Irvine campus of Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian.
It’s hard not to have a good time at this event and the food has been very good in the past.
This year they are having a casino night with a buffet dinner rather than a pre-plated affair.
That helps keep the price down for participants too. Tickets are only $50 (tables of eight are $350).
The event is scheduled for Saturday, at 6 p.m. at the Lakeview Senior Center at 20 Lake Road, Irvine.
Just put on your business casual attire and come and dine, do a little gaming, dance and enjoy a fine selection of silent auction items—all for reasonable prices and such a good cause.
For those of you not in the know about this center, they do remarkable things with impaired individuals and help families survive the stress of taking care of relatives with debilitating illnesses. We’ve seen what they do for families and how comforting it is, and we’re familiar with this fine facility and its programs to help others lead more positive lives.
For tickets and more information, please call (949) 262-1123.
Catch This Dinner Deal
The Catch in Anaheim is offering a three-course dinner for only $34.95. If you happen to be attending a sporting event or other venue over that way, there are some tasty choices within this full-meal offer. It’s probably as reasonable as having a few items of stadium food.
I’ve had meals at this restaurant, and it’s standing tall with good food, really good-looking space and friendly service.
Start with clam chowder, lobster bisque, a salad duo, teriyaki dragon rolls or seafood quartet. Order a second course of filet and scampi, prime pork chop, mahi mahi or cioppino. End with dessert of crème brûlée, soufflé or fresh fruit sorbet.
If this has inspired you, The Catch is at 2100 E. Katella Ave., Anaheim, (714) 935-0101.
Tree Time in Anaheim
The tremendously popular Tree Lighting Ceremony and Dinner is coming again, scheduled to start at 6 p.m. on Nov. 21, at the Anaheim White House.
There will be plenty of real snow to please the adults and delight the children, who love romping through the white stuff. Santa Claus, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman and other holiday characters also will be on hand.
The tradition at the Anaheim White House calls for tons of snow and a gigantic tree placed on its front lawn. The tree is decorated to the nines, a full choir is brought in for the evening, along with Champagne and butler-passed hors d’oeuvres.
Following a short ceremony honoring one or more people, a multicourse dinner ensues. The evening always sells out and reservations already are pouring in, but if you call now, you might still secure a place. The cost is $110.
Please bring an unwrapped toy that will be brighten the holidays for kids who live in low-cost motels in the area with their families and finish their days at the local Boys and Girls Club while the parents and guardians work.
Each evening Bruno Serato, owner of the restaurant, delivers dinner to as many as 150 children at the club so that they don’t go to bed hungry.
Call (714) 772-1381 for a reservation. Anaheim White House: 887 S. Anaheim Blvd., Anaheim.
