The holiday season is upon us and stress levels will rise when it comes to planning various functions and getting holiday shopping done.
I have asked around and found that some restaurants still do have rooms available for your holiday parties.
My suggestion for gifts this year will go no further than picking up gift certificates from your favorite restaurants.
In this careful economy, everyone would appreciate a meal out at a nice place—and we certainly are blessed with many good restaurants to choose from.
Here are some suggestions, sent along with wishes for a good year ahead in all aspects of your life.
Sage Eastbluff
One of the places that always calms my soul and revitalizes my palate is a cozy treasure called Sage Eastbluff in Newport Beach.
The owner and chef, Rich Mead, helped start the Santa Monica farmers’ market many years ago. Rich continues to get up before dawn every few days to purchase produce directly from the market for Sage and his newest eatery, Canyon in Anaheim Hills.
Rich is known as a chef’s chef, meaning that other chefs devour his cuisine just as we do. He calls it creative California food, but to me it is friendly and satisfying cooking that takes pride in redefining what we know about ingredients. Within that parameter, he manages presentations that are very appealing, with layers of flavors that keep revealing the best of each ingredient.
There are offerings on Sage’s menu that are unsurpassed. Tortilla soup may be fashionable at many restaurants, but the one at Sage is special.
After many years of trying roasted chicken everywhere, Rich’s juicy version is tops.
You may have had lamb shank elsewhere, but I’ll vouch for the depth of taste and tenderness here. Home-style meatloaf with green veggies and mashed potatoes is comfort food supreme.
Seasonal produce such as beets and squash (roasted and tucked into ravioli or in a wonderful soup of the season) now are appearing.
And do not miss the desserts, which seem to be a reward for handling your life with aplomb.
Sage at Eastbluff: 2531 Eastbluff Drive, Newport Beach, (949) 718-9650. Lunch and dinner.
Simply Alessá
Super chef and restaurant owner Alessandro Pirozzi quietly opened—at least to most OC residents—his third restaurant at 234 Forest Ave. in Laguna Beach; phone (949) 497-8222.
While his very successful restaurants in Newport Beach and Huntington Beach are called Cucina Alessá, the Laguna eatery is simply called Alessá.
We sneaked in during his first few days with our friends from Shady Canyon, Beth and Vern George, who have the Showhomes franchises in L.A. and OC. They were so impressed that Beth kept taking pictures of the food and posting them immediately on Facebook.
On the business front, I’d like to know of any other restaurant that managed a clean-up, mini renovation and opening only six days after receiving keys to the door.
Pirozzi had hoped to get the space months before, but escrow dragged on. When it finally worked out, Alessandro did not want to waste time before introducing his menu to Laguna and neighboring cities.
There were no big announcements or press notices, yet the place has been packed since it opened.
Alessá screams gracious intimacy with its banquettes along an historic brick wall, the small, open kitchen, intimate bar (now dubbed the mozzarella bar, the first in OC) and a cadre of helpful servers.
Topping it off is the excitement of the food, which delivers an adventure by exceeding expectations in deliciousness and artistry for the eye in a litany of chic dishes.
Want some interesting wine with your meal? Don’t worry—Alessandro has plenty of food-friendly vintages. From major names to intriguing boutique finds, he’s put a lot of thought into satisfying diverse palates.
Like the food, the approachable prices are part of the thrill.
Have a plate with two kinds of stuffed burrata cheeses that are meltingly silky (filled with cream and possibly other stuffing, they are one of the world’s great culinary delicacies) and a charcuterie board with some prosciutto di Parma, speck (smoked and salted prosciutto from the Tyrolean area of Italy and Austria) and some truffle flavored prosciutto.
The truly amazing crudo comes as small batons of sashimi tuna march the length of an elongated plate, all of it sprinkled with a bit of micro greens and some crystals of sea salt—on our first evening, it was pink Himalayan salt but it might vary.
Continue with a pizza, some of which also are drizzled with fine threads of truffle oil.
Organic beets with sliced strawberries, some arugula, candied walnuts and mascarpone cheese in a dappling of gentle vinaigrette was a fine reconstruction of what one would consider a salad.
An order of wild boar ragout sitting on fat strands of freshly made pappardelle topped with grated Pecorino cheese also had us smiling broadly.
Gianduja is a chocolate/hazelnut mix from the Piemonte region of Italy. Seeing it was available as a dessert—topped with the now trendy sea salt—and just to put a stamp on the envelope of our dining experience, we devoured that too.
You might as well join the others clamoring for the dining experience at Alessá. They serve lunch and dinner.
True Food Background
I recently had the opportunity to taste many of the dishes at the newly opened True Food Kitchen in Fashion Island. I’ve also learned more about the background of the concept.
This one comes from under the umbrella of Fox Restaurant Concepts and its principal, Sam Fox, who oversees at least a dozen different dining imprints. In talks with Andrew Weil, an integrative medicine and anti-inflammatory diet specialist, he hit upon the idea for a restaurant featuring internationally inspired food for nourishment of the spirit, body and mind.
Fox and Weil knew they had to keep it accessible and interesting to a broad segment of the public. That led to restaurants with clean lines, airy and light in nature, with food that was healthier than the broad range of what’s typically available on the dining scene.
With the first True Food Kitchen under their belt and doing fine in Arizona, the pair saw Fashion Island—in the land of beautiful and svelte people—as the ideal place to open their second restaurant. They took over the spot that formerly hosted the Blue Coral and completely redefined the space.
Michael Stebner, a chef who’d previously cooked at restaurants in San Diego and Arizona, came aboard. A menu was developed and honed in a way that the principals describe as nutritious without labeling True Food Kitchen as a health-food restaurant.
They went for flavorful recipes with wide appeal. Fresh, tasty and nutritious ingredients are worked into recipes in ways that actually enhance flavors. The concept is to have you eating right without compromising taste.
During the summer, I had the opportunity to taste many of the menu items as they were being finalized at a local commercial kitchen.
The Tuscan kale salad has turned out to be a big seller. Chopped fresh kale (minus the fibrous center stalk) goes into a bowl generously rubbed with a clove of crushed garlic, extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, a sprinkling of chili flakes and a dusting of Parmesan cheese. The real trick is to toss it and then add a touch of salt and let it sit for about 15 minutes before eating. At the last minute, add some toasted breadcrumbs for crunch—it’s quite good, with real depth of flavor.
Herbed hummus, edamame dumplings dappled with truffle oil, caramelized onion tart and ceviche of the day are intriguing beginnings.
An heirloom tomato and watermelon salad spiked with goat cheese and cashews takes on dual textures and compatible flavors. Quinoa taboulla salad with beets also suits my palate quite well.
I love curry and the Panang curry chicken with brown rice is on my high-five list.
Halibut street tacos, roasted eggplant pizza, grilled Steelhead salmon and stir-fried beef with broccoli and black rice also are nutritious dishes worth trying.
There’s a whole list of very unusual natural refreshments, along with a suitable list of teas. Coffee is free-trade and organic. I leave the imbibing category entirely up to you.
Lunch entrees are $10 to $18, dinner main courses are $10 to $24. All come with selected vegetables and sometimes with grain or pasta as well.
Instead of being laden with fine wood, dim lighting and intimate settings, True Food is light and airy with a front wall of glass, skylights and sleek, contemporary lines given a garden-like essence with lots of plants. Yellow and green tones dominate.
This is a casual, unpretentious setting that feels clean and fresh. It fits with the food concept, and that’s important in restaurant design.
True Food Kitchen: 451 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, (949) 644-2400. Lunch and dinner.
Celebrity Chef Fundraising
Another way to stay ahead of the pack in the bragging department is by attending functions that feature celebrity chefs.
It’s even better when the money raised will go toward a good cause.
Such will be the case when two Food Network stars—Iron Chef Michael Symon and TV cooking host chef Anne Burrell—show up on the weekend of Jan. 29 and 30 at Zov’s Bistro in Tustin for a five-course dinner on the first evening and a culinary concert lunch the next day. This event also would make a great gift for someone special.
The money will go to the James Beard Foundation Scholarship Program, which celebrates, nurtures and preserves America’s diverse culinary heritage and future. The VIP dinner includes special wine pairings and will be held Jan. 29. The cost of the intimate dinner is $500 per person.
On Jan. 30, Symon and Burrell will participate in a culinary concert, along with chef and owner Zov Karamardian. Each will be demonstrating favorite family recipes for guests.
Tickets for the culinary concert are $250, which includes the demonstrations and a lavish lunch.
Space is limited for both events and reservations can be made by calling (714) 838-8855, ext. 22. Zov’s Bistro is at 17740 E. 17th St., Tustin. Zov’s Bistro and Bakery widely is known for its progressive presentations of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine in a chic-yet-comfortable environment.
Sushi Icon
Every once in a while I get a palate-pleasing reminder of some icon of dining in OC that has flown under my radar for a long time.
That recently happened when I came across chef Ken Mukai’s sushi and other Japanese specialties at an SOS fundraiser. I kept going back to his table for more of his Asian magic and promising myself that I’d be treating myself to another meal in his Yorba Linda restaurant, Yoshi’s Sushi, soon.
It’s a great experience. Yoshi’s has been pleasing foodies with private catering of events since 1982. The restaurant first began in Garden Grove and subsequently relocated to Yorba Linda. Ken’s dedication to pristine quality and camera-worthy dishes has been the engine of success for this North County place.
Sitting at a table in the traditional, serene Japanese atmosphere is in itself relaxing. And, let’s be honest, we can get sushi and a few other classic Japanese dishes elsewhere, but there’s definitely an inherent sense of honor for the palate here.
The soft shell crab that’s stuffed with even more crab meat is a fine start when it’s in season. Hiyayako (chilled tofu with ginger, green onions, and bonita flakes), pickled octopus, beef teriyaki on skewers and plump gyoza (pork and vegetable dumplings) all fire up the palate.
One need not be a sushi lover here. There’s sea bass on a searing hot teppan plate, tonkatsu (pork steak similar to a Bavarian schnitzel), chicken teriyaki and vegetable or meat tempura on the vast menu.
I also could do oysters on the half shell and then have a bowl of thick udon noodles studded with slices of beef or chicken for a fine wintery meal, never going near the sushi.
However, sushi and sashimi lover that I am, I could not pass up one of their rolls or delicate slices of hamachi, salmon, tuna or eel. I do not feel rushed, so it’s easy to allow the Zen-like atmosphere to take away the stress of the outside world as silky tastes evolve.
This place remains reminiscent of Japan’s true culinary culture because Ken never has felt the need to Americanize the food. He merely keeps ensuring that, through superb ingredients, caring preparations and happily affordable prices, we get a lot more than anticipated.
Yoshi’s Sushi: 18220 Yorba Linda Blvd., Yorba Linda, (714) 524-0829. Lunch Tuesday-Friday; Dinner Tuesday-Sunday; closed Monday.
Oak Ridge Christmas Show
A great way to share a holiday evening with your loved ones is at the Oak Ridge Boys Christmas show at the Cerritos Center this Friday. Do it the easy way by beginning the evening with an early, 5:30 p.m. dinner at Mr. Stox in Anaheim, followed by a short bus trip to the Cerritos Center.
The Oak Ridge Boys will sing hit holiday songs from their albums as well as other favorites, including songs such as Elvira, Slow Train, Bobby Sue and Crazy Love.
Mr. Stox has secured prime seats in the center of the grand tier. The full package is $150 per person, including all gratuities and taxes. There’s a 10% discount for six or more.
Call Mr. Stox at (714) 634-2994 if you want to get in on this one-time dining and entertainment event. Mr. Stox: 1105 E. Katella Ave., Anaheim. And, while you’re at Mr. Stox, pick up one of their newsletters or put yourself on their e-mail list since they have stellar winemaker dinners and other entertainment outings throughout the year.
