There’s a very special event happening at the end of this week.
Gourmets have given me such good feedback in years past about the annual Festa dell’Autunno at The Resort at Pelican Hill—and I too have experienced this adventurous weekend—that I think it’s important to let serious diners know about it.
And most especially, you should know about the two-star Michelin chef from one of Italy’s iconic restaurants who will be here for one evening only—this Friday—to prepare a dinner representative of the food that has earned his family restaurant international fame.
The weekend of events brings Italy’s best traditions to Pelican Hill, from Oct. 10 through 12. There’s abundant authentic Italian cuisine, a Sunday jazz brunch, children’s activities, art and live entertainment. Two gourmet dinners are part of the weekend: The visiting chef’s dinner on Friday and the Festa dell’Unitá, an al fresco Epicurean dinner experience on Saturday evening.
There are all sorts of packages, or you can pick which venues fascinate you the most.
The special dinner prepared by the chef/owner, Massimiliano Mascia of Ristorante San Domenico in Imola, Italy, will be at Andrea, the signature restaurant at Pelican Hill. The cost is $195.
Chef Massimiliano’s menu is a five-course affair, and there are multiselections within several of the courses.
Start thinking about Stuzzichini—Robiola cheese, polenta, white truffle fondue; Steamed Lobster Salad with burrata cheese; Rosemary Roasted Quail; Gnocchi with tarragon shellfish ragout; Egg Yolk Ravioli with Malaga butter, sweet Parmesan and truffle essence; Roasted Turbot with asparagus salad; Roasted Squab sided with shallot-blueberry mushroom sauté and black truffle sauce; Thyme Roasted Lamb Chop with eggplant cake; Soft Sponge Cake Siciliana; and Florentine Cake with rum gelato.
I am sure some of our readers have visited the historic city of Imola and perhaps dined at the beautiful and ultra-sophisticated San Domenico. Yes or no, this is a stellar opportunity to meet the chef/owner and indulge in an evening of his cuisine.
Do not linger. Make your reservations today, as some of these unique culinary affairs will sell out! Complete details, including menus for each event, are available at
pelicanhill.com/festa. Call (855) 553-3782 for reservations and information. Ticket quantities are limited, so advance purchase is recommended. All pricing is inclusive of
service charges and tax, unless otherwise noted.
Kimera Space Reimagined
A trio of restaurants is upgrading the Irvine dining scene.
The most upscale and sophisticated is Twenty Eight Restaurant and Lounge, which opens in early November. It’s the complete renovation of the former Kimera space nestled in the same place as the Google and Equinox buildings on Jamboree.
Gone in favor of sleeker design elements are all the massive bamboo poles that played such a unique and prominent part in Kimera’s decor.
The food chatter about this anticipated restaurant has been buzzing for a few months already. That’s because it’s the darling of partners Stacie and Ken Tran, owners of the famous and very beautiful Furiwa Chinese restaurant in Garden Grove, and Bravo’s “Top Chef” contender in New Orleans, Shirley Chung of Las Vegas, who has worked with some of America’s most prestigious chefs. This will be her first restaurant. Her menu is comprised of very modern Chinese-style dishes. No plain noodles here, no plates of rice with some stir-fry simply plopped on top. Think instead of squid ink pasta with uni and fusion dishes that really speak of creative California liberty.
I have full faith that Orange County is in for a very different and enjoyable treat. It bodes well that Stacie and Ken already have deep restaurant roots, and adding Shirley Chung into the mix certainly piques the curiosity of the dining crowd.
Twenty Eight Restaurant and Lounge: 19530 Jamboree Road, Irvine.
Waffle-Wrapped Goodness
There’s always love for the indie restaurant that’s run by an enthusiastic owner and serving interesting food. Gaüfreé is a modern but casual spot situated in the shopping center at Alton Parkway and Culver Drive in Irvine. Long blond-wood tables and benches make up the seating, you order at the register, and your food is delivered to the table, keeping it really unpretentious.
Never were accent marks more relevant. The name, you see, is a take on the French word gaufre—waffle to us. In this case, owner Paul Hortobagyi accentuated the pronunciation and leaned a little on the “freé” part. What results is a rather free-spirited approach to good eating and good philosophy.
There are a couple of TV monitors on which uplifting, positive, and profound sayings are scrolled as if to match the good vibes we are getting from our food. I call it a sense of subliminal well-being and freedom to relax.
Paul, who comes from an extensive restaurant and hotel background, says his goal is to serve food packed with good taste, and in the items I’ve tried, he succeeds. His menu is packed with food made from scratch using local, farm-fresh and organic ingredients as much as possible. Even his dressings and most condiments are made fresh daily, while waffle dough is made ingredient by ingredient every day by Paul wielding his giant whisk. He said he feels a mixer is too rough on the dough, and perhaps this is why his waffles deliver the textural sensations of both crispy and fluffy.
At the first meal, while perusing the menu with our neighbors who introduced us to this restaurant, we found ourselves munching on some waffle chips slathered with Paul’s hummus. Loved it. The pulled pork sandwich (utterly tender meat with Boston-style coleslaw and homemade barbecue sauce), one of their gourmet burgers, a salad, and a few other treats for out taste buds landed on our table.
Sandwiches can be ordered with either waffles or fresh pretzel bread to hold the ingredients. We ate, we liked. We were so full and yet could not pass up some of the waffles turned into desserts reminiscent of Brussels.
Paul’s fresh dressings are more interesting than in many restaurants, making salads a refreshing side or entree. There are breakfast-type entrees, a very nice selection of sandwiches with personality, and even Organic Buttermilk Fried Chicken. Belgian street fries, a beer, or wine by the glass will naturally be a part of any meal here for us. I like that they also serve Boylan artisan sodas.
Good, fresh food served with pride in a clean-lined and friendly space. Open daily 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Mimosa weekends are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. Most entree items cost $4.95 to $7.95. Gaüfreé: 3851 Alton Parkway, Irvine, (949) 222-5622.
Noodle Time
Capital Noodle Bar from the Capital Seafood restaurant group opened three weeks ago in the Crossroads Center at Barranca Parkway and Culver Drive, just around the corner from Gaüfreé. This is down-home noodle territory and also has a good amount of stir-fried dishes and rice plates with various meat and poultry toppings, all in the $7.95-to-$11.95 range.
The interior seating, like Gaüfreé, consists of blond-wood tables and benches in the middle of the room with a few smaller tables on the sides. There is one wall of cute artifacts and a semi-open kitchen at the back of the space.
Some dishes are made with rice noodles, some with egg noodles. We have tried several things, and I think this will be a popular place for those looking for the comfort factor of noodles and other home-style dishes at a good price point.
Satay Rice Noodles are a bit spicy and made with sliced filet mignon. The Beef Chow Fun is a good jumble of wide rice noodles stir-fried with slivered beef, green onion and bean sprouts. Even Thailand gets into the picture via a few dishes. One of them is Thai Basil Spaghetti with pork, bell peppers, chiles and Thai basil. It’s got a spicy kick to it. If you like curry flavors, the Singapore Vermicelli checks in with the shrimp and barbecue pork adding flavor to the curried spaghetti.
The downfall came in the soup dumplings—four to an order in a small bamboo steamer basket. All of them had broken wrappers, and the soup within, such an important part of these dim sum specialties, was gone. Only the little meatballs remained.
They advertise Hainan Chicken as a specialty. I’ve never seen this breast of chicken dish served without a lovely browned skin on the outside, but here, in deference to healthfulness, they serve it sans skin. Nevertheless, it’s very tender, and you dip it into one of three sauces provided to give you your preferred taste profile. Cantonese Roast Duck is another tasty poultry dish.
This is unpretentious and easy comfort food, all day, every day.
Capital Noodle Bar: 3850 E. Barranca Parkway, Irvine, (949) 651-8088.
