Freshness and quality ingredients have become mainstays of serious restaurants.
So I thought it would be enjoyable to give you a little information on some of Orange County’s premier purveyors.
I love hearing the chefs tell me about small, independent farmers who are supplying them with specifically grown produce, a mushroom guy who pops into their kitchens only when he comes up with an unexpected find or some variety sporting extraordinary quality, a purveyor of unique spices that has just received a cache of some exotic flavoring that will send the chef into a creative frenzy.
The list goes on.
A couple of restaurateurs told me they have people who supply lettuces, herbs and all sorts of vegetables only for them. And one chef said he was sure I’d understand if he kept his local sources secret.
But Orange County does have some legendary food suppliers that are part of the restaurant economy. Here are those that are a lifeline of quality for a majority of restaurants.
Dry Dock Fish in Fullerton: owned by Mark Lewis, who was born in Marseille, France, and grew up in Casablanca, Morocco.
He has been supplying the freshest seafood to restaurants since 1986, and the public has access to the pristine seafood at a majority of the Southern California farmers markets. I love their friendly attitude at the farm stands, and sometimes there are even free samples just cooked for us to try.
Ingardia Bros. Produce: Is there anybody in OC who hasn’t heard this name? It’s one of the largest food distributors to commercial enterprises in our midst. The name came up again and again as a favorite purveyor to chefs. Since 1973 it’s been supplying a broad spectrum of food items and produce to area restaurants.
Newport Meats: Its storied history dates back to 1975. It has bragging rights for supplying some of the most famous chefs in America—guys like Thomas Keller of the French Laundry—and almost every high-end restaurant in OC, with the highest-quality meats. The value of their products is based on the farmers and ranchers they buy from and the customer service they are known for.
Orange County Produce: These are fourth-generation family farmers. The Kawamura family is OC’s leading farming family growing both conventional and organic produce. They have a broad spectrum of produce, and it’s nice that we can find them at weekly local farmers markets all over the county. I get a lot of my own organic vegetables from their farm stands. The family recently signed a lease with Irvine Company of Newport Beach for developing the 114-acre community farm at the Great Park.
Penjoyan Produce and Growers Ranch Market: It’s at Newport Boulevard and 20th Street and was started by Rich Penjoyan in 1969. Penjoyan began by selling produce along the popular Newport Boulevard beach route in Costa Mesa and enjoyed it so much he opened his retail market, now run by his son Mike. Local chefs and restaurant owners get superior, quality green grocer items, and we get to shop at this Costa Mesa market. Readers should check out the good weekly specials.
Santa Monica Seafood: We can buy our own just-caught seafood and shellfish here, or we can have it—and a few other non-swimmer sandwiches, salads, soups and such—as sit-down customers in the bistro-like dining space overlooking the deli and fish cases. You are eating a lot of its products in restaurants, and you really should have its clam chowder sometime. This is where I buy my fresh tuna for poke, an addiction of mine.
Sun Meat Co. in Placentia: It has been around for 30 years. It is family-owned and supplies prime and other grades of meat, wagyu (America’s answer to Kobe beef), halal, organic, free range, jidori (all natural) chicken and all other versions of protein. Of great interest to chefs and a fantastic treat for diners is the genetically pure premium corn-fed Black Angus that delivers finest- quality Mid-Western beef.
Santa Monica Farmers Market: This market—although it’s outside of Orange County—is of such importance, is so big and so connected to both chefs and public shoppers, that it has to be mentioned.
Started in 1981 this is the star among farmers markets with a mission statement of committing to promoting healthful eating and sustainable agriculture in California by providing fresh agricultural products from small farms to urban customers, thereby building community and preserving California farmland.
Trip to Van Nuys
Van Nuys doesn’t ordinarily qualify as a dining destination for us, but an ethnic, family-owned restaurant we were happily introduced to might hit the spot if you love Middle Eastern food and are in that area.
Our excursion was prompted by conversation about an OC musician, Udi Yervant, who drives each weekend to Koko’s in Van Nuys to play his stringed instruments and sing.
Yervant does take a couple of months off from his regular engagement in the late summer to return to Diyarbakir, Turkey, where he’s an acclaimed native son. He also occasionally travels to other places across the U.S. and elsewhere to perform for special occasions.
Diyarbakir is situated in the ancient region of Mesopotamia near the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, a historically important area that makes the story of this restaurant all the more interesting to me. Curiosity really took hold after I was told I should hear his music and that the restaurant where he performs has superb Middle Eastern food.
So my husband Patrick and I trekked to the restaurant—16935 Vanowen St. in Van Nuys, (818) 708-1877—to see what was really going on.
It was such an enjoyable evening of music and delicious food that we stayed for many hours.
Koko’s is family-owned. Patriarch Elie Janesian is the chef, and other family members work as part of the service team.
The food is Lebanese and Armenian. The place was packed with loyalists, who obviously appreciated the combo of finely tuned food and the joy and romance of Yervant’s Middle Eastern folk songs and ballads.
Our long evening allowed us to nibble leisurely. We began with creamy hummus with a wonderful undertone of sesame.
A tasty trio of barbecued eggplant (baba ghanoush), tahini-perfumed falafel and stuffed grape leaves came forth. We tried an assortment of pickled vegetables, a dish that is near perfection as an opening act.
I wish I could find that taste here in OC.
We tried many versions of lamb, chicken and beef kebabs, but I can’t say which we liked more—the cubed meats or the ground versions, as they kept us happy whatever their personality.
We had an assortment of side dishes and a decadent dessert called koonafa, admittedly stuffing ourselves.
This was a journey into a world of ethnic music and food that enhanced our happiness and education. Here’s my nod to the friendliness, family fortitude and tasty food at Koko’s—and to Yervant’s music on Saturday evenings. Make a mental note of this rather small and really unpretentious place.
Ranch Restaurant
The new Ranch Restaurant & Saloon in Anaheim is packing in customers. Michael Jordan—not the NBA great—is vice president of food and beverage, gluing the culinary and service team together while presiding over a more-than-impressive wine program.
Jordan is the former general manager of Napa Rose in the Grand Californian hotel in Anaheim and a master sommelier. He is joined by highly regarded chef Michael Rossi, front-of-the-house pro Ray Gonzalez and Andrew Edwards, who is president of technology company Extron, which owns the office building that’s home to his brainchild, the Ranch.
The food we’ve had has been enticing, and I’m on my way to try more. Service has been top notch, and the surroundings are completely comfy and unpretentious.
I’ll be giving a full report in a forthcoming column, including the tie-in with a real country western saloon and country entertainment venue in the same building, but first I need time to take in even more of their fun and food.
Meantime, hustle over there yourself. It’s located at 1025 E. Ball Road (at Lewis Street) in Anaheim. Phone number: (714) 817-4200.
Strip Stake
Not every restaurant is flying in Las Vegas, not even when situated in the newest, highly touted eye-candy hotels. But Javier’s—which has two successful locations in Orange County—is taking over a space where another restaurant recently closed at the plush Aria in City Center. That’s the massive residential and commercial community smack dab in the center of the Las Vegas Strip.
The newest Javier’s will be opening there in the summer.
So put this on your itinerary if you need your cosmopolitan Mexican food fix while in Vegas and already realize how good owner Javier Sosa’s menus and libations are.
