February is certainly the month of romance and heavy-duty attention to chocolate. This is the fourth year that Island Hotel in Newport Beach presents—for a limited time only—the beauty and flowing decadence of the Cocoa Lounge.
An ethereal array of elegant gourmet chocolate desserts sit atop their chic props, all to be savored as a very special and gracious experience in a separate room at the back of the hotel’s chic Palm Terrace restaurant.
The Cocoa Lounge dates and times are: Feb. 1 to 17, from 6 to 10 p.m. every night. The experience can be accessed in various ways.
• $12 per person with dinner at Palm Terrace, excluding tax and gratuity.
• $18 per person for Cocoa Lounge only.
• $50 per person, excluding tax and gratuity, with your choice of two drinks (wine, Champagne or port) or a flight (three 2-ounce tastings of wine, Champagne or port).
Call (949) 759-0808 for reservations or more information.
Island Hotel: 690 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach.
Romantic Charm
I’ve found over the years that many in Orange County have missed the abundance of romantic charm that McCharles House in Tustin offers. I’ve enjoyed many genteel hours there in the past. Chocolatea Soirees are a highlight this month, perfect with thoughts of Valentine’s and romance in the air.
Imagine delicate chocolate indulgences from heirloom recipes served amid strolls on little pathways through their personally tended gardens, conversation given over to the pleasantries of life, a nod to all things simple and gracious. It rekindles the easier times of yesteryear when a deliciously simple lunch and a fine cup of tea were part of life more so than today.
So, instead of merely a dinner out, perhaps this would make a nice surprise gift. Aprons are donned in the morning. Dough for scones take shape. Desserts for the day are created in a happy and warm atmosphere, all with the essences of chocolate on the beaters of the mixer, tantalizing aromas drifting from the ovens, nibbles beyond willpower being popped into your mouth.
McCharles House is the project of mother and daughter, Audrey and Vivian Heredia, who serve as hosts, chefs, gardeners and keepers of nostalgia. Audrey is a painter as well, and her visions of a gentler world add to the bubble of contentment within the house.
McCharles House: 335 S. C St., Old Town Tustin, (714) 731-4063. Chocolatea Soirees are available on Feb. 9, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 22 and 23.
Send Vivian an email to make reservations for one of these special days, at tea@mccharleshouse.com. Please include your phone number in the email, so that she can call you to personally share more information and discuss possible reservation times for you.
Mr. Stox Set to Close
This is my last reminder that everyone should make time for at least one more meal at Mr. Stox restaurant in Anaheim before the culinary icon permanently closes on March 15. There also is one more way to have a fine historical adventure, thanks to this restaurant, along with their food and some all-day hospitality.
On Feb. 10, Mr. Stox is offering one more chance to visit the Ronald Reagan Museum and Air Force One and see an exhibit titled Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives. The special exhibit, presented by the Official Disney Fan Club, will be ending soon.
On another note: Since Mr. Stox is now closed on Sundays and Mondays, Ron and Chick Marshall, owners of the restaurant, are arranging to provide customers a 20% food discount for dinner at a nearby restaurant on Sunday and Monday nights. Make reservations quickly. Mr. Stox: 1105 E. Katella Ave., Anaheim, (714) 634-2994.
Update on Alessandro
Alessandro Pirozzi knows a thing or two about building and running successful restaurants. His name as the owner/chef of the Cucina Alessá restaurants in Newport Beach and Huntington Beach garnered much respect among his peers over the last few years.
Then, in the fall of 2011, he opened Alessa on Forest Avenue in downtown Laguna Beach. Nine months ago he revealed Mare Culinary Lounge on Pacific Coast Highway, also in downtown Laguna. This is my shot at keeping his customers informed about what’s happening now.
Alessandro owns both of these restaurants on his own. He’d had some investor help in the Newport and Huntington locations but has now finalized his separation from those two, preferring to give all his energies and passions for his everything-made-from-scratch true Neapolitan cuisine at only the two Laguna locations.
His handcrafted pastas are, to me, dreamy stuff as are his very unique pizzas (just as they are made in Napoli—not the stretched veracity versions all around us). Plus his impressive list of Italian small plates and larger entrées transport the mind to Italy via their construction from highest-quality produce, specialty meats and sustainably sourced seafood.
Alessandro himself is as important as his food to his customers. It’s that exuberant smile and personality that he brings into the dining rooms as he comes to tables to inquire about your dining experience so far.
An Italian grandmother at her home on a Sunday with family can’t do it any better.
So there’s the rather intimate and quite cute Forest Avenue location for Alessa—sporting the only mozzarella bar in the county—and the newer Mare with its come-hither comfortable beauty and a lively bar/lounge scene as well. Alessandro works between the two. You can inquire when making a reservation if he’ll be in the restaurant of your choice. Even if not, his teams are also engaging, and the food is consistent. Also ask about upcoming cooking classes, which Alessandro will be teaching.
Mare Culinary Lounge: 696 S. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach, (949) 715-9581—serving breakfast (surprise!), lunch, dinner and a late-night menu every day (lots of entrées under $20 at dinner, only a few over that). Alessa: 234 Forest Ave., Laguna Beach, (949) 497-8222—lunch and dinner daily.
Enjoy Laguna
There are plenty of good restaurants in Laguna to enjoy. Do a bit of dining and have an art gallery visit while in the city. You pick the restaurant—I give you the info on a special showing of artworks: Beyond Words paintings by Bernie Taupin at Coast Gallery. Taupin is the famed lyricist who has worked with Elton John for decades.
Taupin also is a noted painter and is doing a tour presenting his artworks. His paintings will be on exhibit from Feb. 7 to 10 at Coast Gallery: 540 S. Pacific Coast Highway, Laguna Beach, (949) 376-4185.
Klemek’s Blackmarket Bakery
Here’s an invite I’m sharing. We might as well have some goodies together. It’s the grand opening of Chef Rachel Klemek’s Blackmarket Bakery at The Camp in Costa Mesa on Feb. 11, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The enclave of restaurants known as The Camp is at Bristol and Baker streets.
This new bakery has comfortable seating indoors and on a friendly patio, which gives it a level of hospitality unusual for bakeries.
Chef Klemek’s baking skills have become well known and highly regarded since the opening of her first bakery in 2004. On this evening there will be samples of her scratch-made baked goods, including cobblers, brioche buns and cookies.
An RSVP is required for the free event; email blackmarketbakerycamp@gmail.com. Provide the names of those who will come to the event with you. More information: (714) 662-3095.
Downtown Brea
Downtown Brea continues to give diners and shoppers tasty and trendy options. The upswing began in part when revitalization plans for the whole downtown area were launched years ago with the opening of Taps Fish House and Brewery and have extrapolated since.
Taps was and is a spot-on replica of a New Orleans experience situated in its beautiful brick building and oozing with an undaunted aura of our historical Southern city, right down to the flavors of the food and even a live jazz group for the acclaimed Sunday brunch. This restaurant is known for its borrowing of flavors from New Orleans. It is also known for its menu of sustainably raised seafood, variety of Americana selections, major quality of all kitchen ingredients, and its award-winning beers.
I could do several columns on dining in this area, but am guiding you right now to Bruno’s Trattoria – San Marco 865. It opened last fall and has since brought the friendliness, flavors and distinct impression of a well-groomed trattoria that might be found in any major Italian city. It’s amazing what a good architect can do.
It’s even more amazing what seasoned restaurateurs and chefs sometimes bring forth when spreading their wings. Bruno’s is the second restaurant for Don Myers and his chef/partner Peter Serantoni. They’ve both polished their skills at high-end venues, and I’ve followed their progress. When they opened Cha Cha’s Latin Kitchen three years ago—also in the same downtown area—I think even they were surprised at the level of its success. We are still enjoying that upscale format for a broad spectrum of Latin flavors and, certainly, good looks.
Chef Serantoni’s father, Papa Bruno, was the inspiration for the restaurant’s name. The San Marco 865 addendum is the address of the Sera-ntoni family home in the heart of Venice, Italy.
The food came from that same familial connection; they’ve built the menu on the dishes that hark back to simpler times when meals were the cornerstone of bringing families and friends together. Thus, they side stepped the trendiness that permeates so many restaurants and stayed with comfort in surroundings and food.
Warm colors and accents of amber glass and dark-colored wood meld with exposed brick and flickering candlelight in an atmosphere that can double down as an uncomplicated-yet-romantic setting. The service is decidedly hospitable. There’s a full bar and a streamlined wine list with a few California, and a lot of Italian, labels.
Venetian salted cod (baccalà), steamed mussels, assorted salumi (cured meats), arancini (rice balls filled with meat, cheese and herbs) are but a few of the appetizers. Entrées march through an array of toothsome pastas, fresh fish, chicken, veal and beef dishes, even risotto—perhaps with savory lobster? It’s just a very comfortable place that reminds one of the soul of Italy.
Bruno’s Trattoria: 210 Birch St., Brea, (714) 257-1000.
