I am happy to report that several restaurants are about to debut, signaling positive vibes for our economy.
Five of them are casual restaurants set to open or relocate to the Atrium Cafes at Fashion Island this spring and summer.
If you’re used to the laid back, casual style of Wahoo’s, revise your expectations. One of the new places will feature a more chic environment and is to be unveiled when Wahoo’s introduces a large indoor and outdoor space overlooking a 24-foot water wall with a superb view of the Atrium Court Garden.
This will be the company’s largest restaurant and feature a full bar. Imagine, we’ll be able to have cocktails, beer and wine with those tasty fish tacos.
Hana Grill, featuring Japanese cuisine such as teriyaki bowls, sushi rolls and combo items, recently opened in the Atrium Cafes.
Stone Oven is slated to open soon. It will serve gourmet sandwiches made with flatbread baked fresh on site, along with fresh tossed salads.
Sbarro Fresh Italian Cooking will join the group this summer, with fresh pizzas, pastas and other Italian entrees.
Along with all this news, the Coco’s in Fashion Island is set to become another Houston’s (our other one is in Irvine at Jamboree and Michelson).
The debuts and conversions coincide with the renovation of the Edwards Theatres there.
Headed to Spectrum
Irvine Spectrum also will be home to several new restaurants in coming months.
This summer it will get Wood Ranch BBQ, offering a premium but casual American menu featuring award-winning barbecue.
Capital Seafood, a popular Chinese dim sum and seafood restaurant, also is planning a new spot at Irvine Spectrum. Capital already has an outrageously busy restaurant in Irvine’s Diamond Jamboree Center at Alton and Jamboree (busy because it’s so good and has such a vast menu of both a la carte dishes and dim sum items served from requisite carts).
Cucina Enoteca, a California-inspired Italian kitchen and wine shop, is under construction for its debut this fall.
Another autumn introduction at the Spectrum will be Paul Martin’s American Bistro. It’s a new concept from Paul Fleming—the founder of Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar, P.F. Chang’s China Bistro and Pei Wei Asian Diner—and fellow restaurateur Brian Bennett.
Following in the contemporary sophistication of their locations in Roseville and El Segundo, this bistro will offer a menu built upon locally grown organic and seasonal foods from sources who were handpicked by the two.
London to Newport
In the upscale environs of Crystal Cove Promenade in Newport Beach, get ready for Tamarind.
Intro info: When a group of eight friends joined us on trips to England and Austria, one of the restaurants I chose was the nouveau Indian restaurant Tamarind in London.
The place was new back then but already getting lots of high-end publicity. It certainly was quite a hit with all of us.
Now, the restaurant sports a Michelin star rating and I am so pleased to find that we’ll be having our own Tamarind. They’re remodeling the space that formerly was Sage on the Coast, and will open later this summer.
In England, it’s a beautiful space with forward-thinking specialties of the subcontinent. I think it’s going to be a very interesting addition here.
Katsu-ya in Laguna Beach
I hear that the already good-looking space of the recently closed Hush restaurant in Laguna Beach is way too quiet for the upcoming Katsu-ya. Word has it that lots of cash is being put into the redo since uber designer Philippe Starck is closely associated with this restaurant group.
Be patient, it will take a few months for this elegant renovation to be completed.
Michael Jordan’s Latest Comeback
Skip over to Anaheim and make note that The Ranch Restaurant and Saloon also will be gracing our landscape. This will be an 18,000-square-foot Texas-style steakhouse and concert hall with Michael Jordan in the mix.
No—not the basketball player. This is our Michael Jordan, the former manager of Napa Rose at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa in Anaheim and one of only 180 people worldwide who have been able to pass the rigorous tests to acquire the title of Master Sommelier.
They are hiring and the space is under construction. As soon as I find out the proposed opening date, I will let you know.
Franco Returns, Too
Franco Vessia is a restaurateur many may recognize as the guy who built the heavy business clientele for many years at Prego and then opened his own restaurant in Irvine.
The movers and shakers followed, but the downturn in the economy still affected him greatly as a one-site operator. He ended up closing the restaurant.
We’ve missed Vessia’s hospitality and superb food for the last 18 months.
The good news is that he’s back! He’s now the managing partner at Nello Cucina on the lower level of Crystal Court at South Coast Plaza.
Vessia’s engaging personality is something customers always like. We continue to appreciate the food from his kitchen, thanks to long time chef Pino Domicolo. Enjoy the ambiance of the center, shop as much as you need or want—and then relax at Nello for lunch or dinner.
Secret’s Out
I know I might regret spreading the word—it means I might be looking harder for a place to sit when new customers drop in and fill up the place—but Bacchus Secret Cellar in Irvine is too good of a find to keep as my own secret hideout.
This European-like but very modern wine tasting place has certainly gotten my attention.
I love the variety of wines to purchase and to sip by the glass, and it’s decked out with a most convivial bar with walls of displayed wines and private wine lockers, various places with tables for seating, and a central area with two ultra cushy couches facing each other.
Towards the back of the room are a piano and a smallish space for another musician or two to join in on occasion.
The music happens on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings. Many Thursday evenings, the piano is getting a workout from Rabbi Blue, who drives in from San Bernardino to entertain with his swinging style—and, yes, he does have a congregation.
One evening, a local, Adam Thorpe, put down his glass of wine and picked up a guitar the Rabbi had nearby. After one short riff to determine where they were going, Adam and the Rabbi smoked the place. Adam, it turns out, is an architectural student who just happens to know how to make a guitar reveal its whole soul.
As we nibble on cheeses and charcuterie, enjoy the wine and soak up that weekend music, we’re reminded that Bacchus Secret Cellar has become a fine place in which to repack our mental suitcases from the racket of daily living.
Treat yourself to a look at this inviting place—and please do not tell any of my friends that I made it harder for us to get seats.
Bacchus Secret Cellar: 6735 Quail Hill Irvine, (949) 502-4600.
More on Jazz Festival
We’ve all heard about the highly acclaimed Newport Beach Film Festival—to be held this year April 28-May 5. But this time there’s an extensive new addition to the party. And it’s not about films at all.
Riviera magazine is inventing Riviera Village, a pop-up amalgam of stores, spas and restaurants along Via Lido and Via Oporto in Newport Beach.
The film festival, which showcases a vast array of mainstream and indie film releases, is expected to draw an audience of more than 50,000 this year. The virtual one-week village is yet another layer of the friendly community lifestyle to be enjoyed by visitors and local alike.
Some high-end retailers will join boutique shops of many kinds and several top restaurants will sate our appetites.
It seems destined to be a fine supplement to the legions of movie patrons who will be among the first to see new films. Plan your time carefully and you can even enjoy the Newport Beach Boat Parade that happens from April 29-May 1.
About Ecco
I have been having a lot of fun and a lot of good meals at Ecco, which is in the fun atmosphere of The Camp in Costa Mesa.
Consider this casually chic dining in spades. Hard to stay away once you’ve tasted chef Kris Kirk’s food and experienced the genteel hospitality of managing partner Danny Reyes, a highly regarded restaurateur here.
Start with the amazing white pizza consisting of a thin, very crisp crust topped with crème fraîche, mozzarella, fontina, grana padano and basil leaves. Just as decadent in taste is the current seasonal pizza with red pears, guanciale (sometimes called the “magical Roman bacon”), caramelized onions and fresh mozzarella, mascarpone and gorgonzola cheeses.
The pizzas are fired in a bona fide pizza oven and they rival the best in our territory.
I’m also inclined toward the stratified tastes of the prosciutto pizza with its engaging tastes of imported San Marzano tomato, prosciutto di Parma, fresh mozzarella, sweet onions and peppery arugula.
There are 10 pizzas offered and all can be personalized with Italian meats and/or an egg, which is quite common in Italy.
Beyond pizza, do not miss the pork Milanese entree. It’s a cutlet whose crispness and flavoring meld well with the little knoll of linguine and the zucchini, yellow squash and spinach vegetables on the side.
There are fine pastas, but the freshly made gnocchi incorporating both ricotta and fresh mozzarella and sitting in a puddle of red sauce with the fragrance of basil might sway you as much as it does me.
Somewhere in the meal, I’d suggest you have a plate of cheeses: gorgonzola dolce (softer and creamier than what’s normally encountered), sottocenere al tartufo (a beautifully mild, semi-soft cheese from Venice, Italy) and taleggio (semi-soft and mildly fragrant).
If you want to really jump for joy, wait till you see how affordable the food is. Have a cocktail or a glass of nice wine at the same likeable prices and complete the fun.
Ecco: 2937 Bristol St. Costa Mesa, (714) 444-3226.
Cooking for a Cause
On May 16 at 6 p.m. and May 17 at 11 a.m., we can learn something about South African cooking from well known cookbook author and celebrity chef, Sharon Glass.
Better yet, your $85 fee is designated to help a local 5-year-old girl battling cancer, and the demo includes a three-course mealIas the ultimate taste treat.
Another temptation: Two airline tickets to South Africa will go to someone.
The most appropriate of venues, Mozambique in South Laguna, is the place. And the restaurant is even offering complimentary shuttle service from San Diego and L.A. for the occasions.
Space is limited, of course, so you should call (949) 715-7777 for your reservation.
Mozambique: 1740 S. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach.
