The Ritz Restaurant and Garden used to close on Sundays, then somewhere along the way, owner Hans Prager decided to serve Sunday dinner. As of now, the Sunday dinner service is discontinued. Hans thought it more important to consider the family time of his employees and felt that this would provide a better workplace for them knowing that they all had a day of rest. I like that.
The Sunday closing will not affect special holiday dates though. The Ritz will continue to be open on Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Christmas and New Year’s Eve. The restaurant also will be available for a limited number of private gatherings.
In case you did not know, Cond & #233; Nast magazine honored The Ritz by declaring it has the “Best Service in America.” The foyer walls are lined with awards the restaurant has garnered. Whether dining in The Ritz Garden, the convivial lounge or in the elegant Escoffier room, The Ritz has always been a very special restaurant in OC.
Early Birds Get the Vermicelli
If you can get yourself out of the office a tad earlier on weeknights, the new Twilight Dining Menu at Villa Nova offers some bargains. Just arrive between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. and enjoy both the discounted prices on the food and a beautiful sunset over Newport Harbor.
There is an assortment of pasta dishes available in the $6.95-to-$8.95 range. Veal Milanese is only $9.95. The homemade linguine with assorted shellfish (shrimp, mussels, scallops and clams) is $13.95. An assortment of salads, soups and desserts also are offered at discounted prices. The Grand Marnier Chocolate Souffle with fresh raspberries is only $3.95.
The Twilight Menu is not available on Saturday; however, it is available on Sunday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. I encourage you to request a window table to soak up the views of the beautiful harbor.
Burgundy Tasting Set at Sutton Place
Sutton Place Hotel has become known for its in-depth food- and wine-matching dinners, its vertical tastings of famed wines, and its regional wine tastings, especially those of the major wine areas in France. Here’s another golden opportunity to be part of a one-of-a-kind wine tasting, this one called “A Tour of Burgundy.” The time and date: 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Friday, May 26.
The fine wines of Burgundy long have been out of reach for most of the wine-drinking world because we just cannot afford them. This is a stellar chance to compare six Grand Cru wines you most likely don’t have in your cellar, and probably can’t get even if you wanted to put them down.
Here’s the list. 1996 Corton-Charlemagne, Louis Latour; 1989 Clos de Vougeot, Joseph Drouhin; 1996 Clos de Vougeot, Frederic Esmonin; 1996 Corton, Hospice de Beaune, Laboure Roi; 1996 Chateau Corton Grancey, Louis Latour; 1985 Chateau Corton Grancey, Louis Latour.
Food specialties from the Burgundy region will accompany the fine wines, making this a memorable experience. The price is $115, plus tax. For reservations and further information, call (949) 476-2001, ext. 2194.
A further Sutton Place tidbit has nothing to do with food or wine; it does have to do with some of the best lounge entertainment,in a very beautiful lounge, at that,in OC. Where else but at the Trianon Lounge do you sink into cushy chairs and couches to listen to music from a band?
Every Saturday evening from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. it’s a jam session par excellence with the Stonebridge Band playing popular music and nostalgic music from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. Richard Street, former lead singer for the Temptations, is but one of the frequent guest artists. Several famous performers have made this their hangout and can be found “sitting in” from time to time.
The Trianon Lounge is the best place to be on Saturday night, and there’s not even a cover charge. However, seating is limited. Solution: have dinner in the hotel,you do know how good the food is in Accents, don’t you?,or have dinner outside and arrive a little before 9 p.m. for a pre-music cocktail.
If You’re Ever in Scottsdale …
A call from a businessman in Dallas wanting my suggestions for very fine restaurants in the Phoenix-Scottsdale area served as a reminder that this morsel of information might be worth mentioning here. I’m sure many OC execs end up from time to time on business out in Arizona.
If, like my friend Alan, you want to impress someone over a business meal, or if you want a special place to eat for personal reasons, it’s hard to top Mary Elaine’s in the Phoenician Hotel. In charge of the kitchen is James Boyce, who last year left his position as executive chef of Loew’s Hotel in San Diego to move to the prestigious restaurant within the equally prestigious hotel.
There’s something else distinctive about Mary Elaine’s: the 44,000-bottle wine cellar and wine list with 1,800 labels.
As if that weren’t enough, one of the five sommeliers, Greg Tresner, just passed the prestigious Court of Master Sommeliers exam. Understand that of many hundreds who have taken the exam, which originated in England and now has a branch in America, only 97 worldwide have ever passed and 42 of them are in this country. It is one of the hardest exams to pass in any discipline anywhere.
