Dining by a Different Shore at Waters
by Fifi Chao
When you mention the words restaurant and water in the same sentence in Orange County, the natural mental segue is to think of some place overlooking the ocean. Rethink that idea and visualize instead the tranquil waters of a large lake with rolling green lawns forming the shores and the added bonus of a handsomely appointed restaurant situated right out on the water. The view, however, would be moot without good food and good service.
Fortunately for our discerning readers, Waters Lakehouse, on the North Lake of Woodbridge Village in Irvine, is a good place to do some personal or business dining. In the daytime, with the light streaming in, the wood of the big horseshoe-shaped bar reflects shards of sunlight and the blue of the lake is gem-toned. The restaurant takes on a casually sophisticated personality. I very much like the evening aura at sunset and beyond. Then, the water turns to a carpet of dark blue velvet and the restaurant, aided by candles twinkling on each table and dimmed chandeliers, takes on a more romantic ambiance.
You cross an elevated bridge to enter and descend one level via a honey-toned stairway. More blond wood huddles beneath dark green ceilings. That wonderful bar takes up a good part of one side of the restaurant, while the other side, centered by a large aquarium, is the multi-level main dining room. There are lots of comfortable booths, and free-standing tables wander their way through the room and out to the heated, enclosed wrap-around deck, which has a verandah-like charisma of its own. The latter is my choice for Sunday brunch. On weekend evenings, we are treated to live music.
Robert and Jodie Kinney are very hands-on owners, who greet and seat customers and stay around to oversee service. They had worked at Waters since its inception 11 years ago, and purchased it six years ago from the original owners. Their enthusiasm is visible. They have done a nice job of refining the menu to include an interesting brigade of dishes that make use of fresh ingredients in dignified presentations. There’s plenty to choose from: a dozen appetizers, eight salads, lots of pasta dishes, many sandwiches and 17 assorted entrees. Specials of the day are also offered.
As you study the menu and think about wine, crusty French bread comes right from the oven, accompanied by a ramekin of butter. There’s a comfort level in the aroma that wafts from basket. When we were here on yet another visit the other evening, we ordered a Folonari Pinot Grigio at $19. It’s a friendly little white wine that did well with our shrimp, saut & #233;ed in Cajun spices and cream (with a snappy retort on the palate). It also accompanied our duo of Dungeness crab cakes, crunchy lobster taquitos and soups a chunky New England style clam chowder and a profound mushroom soup: a big bowl of dense and creamy broth with hefty slices of saut & #233;ed mushrooms floating through it.
Then we changed to a Kenwood Pinot Noir ($26), which we sipped with entrees. Penne pasta had lots of smoked salmon and a delicate Dijon cream sauce and Thai-influenced linguine mingled with chicken and scallions in a spicy peanut sauce. I highly recommend the marinated halibut with a crisp potato crust surrounded with a sun-dried tomato cream sauce and the Hawaiian chicken with grilled pineapple and bananas and toasted coconut-cilantro rice. That rice is so good, that it’s made my “favorite dishes” list for this year.
On another occasion, we went straight for the red wine, the $29 Grgich Hills Zinfandel. That was fine with beginnings of seared rare ahi and an excellent appetizer of lamb three tender little chops on a blanket of shredded red cabbage with a hoisin-perfumed sauce on them. Hoisin is a slightly sweet, thick soy-based sauce we most commonly associate in Chinese restaurants with roast duck and the flavor component slathered on mu shu crepes stuffed with pork. This lamb and hoisin combo turns out to be a fine marriage that the Chinese overlooked. Grilled ribeye steak topped with meaty slices of Portabello mushroom was a worthy entr & #233;e with the Zinfandel. Even the briny, saffron fragrance of the broth and the accompanying seafood and shellfish that studded the cioppino was fine with this wine. I appreciate that for only $2.95 extra, a generous Caesar or composed salad can precede your entr & #233;e. Yet another few things on this menu are lobster, fresh salmon, swordfish, prime rib and rack of lamb.
Waters is a fine place for Sunday brunch. You order an a la carte entr & #233;e and the waiter brings you a fresh fruit parfait, hot sourdough bread, coffee, orange juice or champagne. What’s impressive is the range of entr & #233;e dishes. There’s eggs Benedict and crab cake Benedict. French toast is made with brioche bread and stuffed with mascarpone cheese, while omelets come with various fillings. Fresh salmon is grilled, as is the top sirloin that comes with eggs. Those wonderful lamb chops mentioned above are offered. Halibut is flavored with sesame and ginger and angel hair pasta is tossed with chunks of lobster. There’s even a big chicken salad full of Caribbean flavor thanks to meat spiced with Jamaican rub.
You’ve no doubt gotten my clue that the wine list here is quite fairly priced. In fact, you will find lots of good pours in the $16 to $29 range. I hope you can now also visualize this nice restaurant with its pleasant surroundings, caring service and value pricing. Considering the quality of food they are putting out, this is a keeper.
