Laguna Beach’s Sorrento Grille Has Hit Its Stride Under Wilhelm
When it came time to get a cake, and it just had to be an extra-special one, I headed once again for Savoie’s Fare in Laguna Niguel, my favorite place for pastries. While I was there, I stayed for lunch!
The name comes from its owner, Jacques Savoie, who had a distinguished career as a pastry chef with the Ritz-Carlton hotel chain before opening this wonderful caf & #233; and pastry shop a couple of years ago. The pastries that keep me coming back are of the true French genre in that they are all delicate and rich, yet never cloying. In each one you can taste the pure butter, the pure flavoring ingredients, the barely sweet tinge, and yet there’s a lightness about all of them that allows you to enjoy without getting sugar overload. In fact, you will pardon my spanking Americans for their inexplicable penchant for dumping far too much sugar into all desserts. All that sugar does nothing for the taste; it merely makes them too much for the palate at the end of a good meal and it’s a turn-off for people who care about their health.
I never have that problem with cakes or tarts, breakfast pastries or cookies at Savoie’s Fare. I knew that the girl who needed the aforementioned cake was very fond of white cake and loved banana cr & #269;me anything. So, I ordered one with banana cr & #269;me filling. Wow! What a good-looking cake I took away the next day. He’d covered it in butter cream frosting and had embellished it with superb decorations and around the bottom third was a crispy brown border not covered by icing at all. That part was an edible “fence” of marshmallow. Two dozen people,I am not exaggerating,wanted the address and phone number of the bakery.
Having popped in to place the order just past midday, I suddenly wondered if I was harboring some subconscious desire to eat some of Jacques’ caf & #233; food as well. I had spent a busy morning, and I was hungry.
Last time I was here with Patrick, I had grilled chicken on a huge, light-as-air croissant, while he had possibly the fluffiest French toast this side of Heaven, with a variety of fresh berries dancing all around the edge of the plate. Now, I did not know what I wanted to eat. Too late for breakfast, not in the mood for a sandwich. Aha! One of the nine salads. I love the warm pork loin with pineapple sauce on greens, but the big, classic Cobb salad caught me once again. It has all the requisite ingredients and is certainly the best I’ve found in the area, so I was once again a happy diner. The menu is made up of a dozen breakfast items, half a dozen sandwiches, those salads and a few specialties such as quiche and lasagne.
While the restaurant is open only until 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, and 5 p.m. on Saturdays (closed on Sundays), during this holiday season, it’s being used for private dinner parties in the evening. Jacques will prepare full meals from casual to haute cuisine to suit your needs. I would urge you to look into having your holiday party here if you do not have a huge group.
Sorrento Grille Pleasing Across the Board
We had not been to Sorrento Grille in Laguna Beach for a while so it was high time we tried it again.
This, of course, is one of David Wilhelm’s restaurants. Mediterranean d & #233;cor and food are in full swing now. Several years ago, when this restaurant was first built and before David took over, it was fully reminiscent of that style. Stucco walls and tile floors in flavors of terra-cotta define the interior. An open kitchen takes up most of one wall and cuddles closely with the tables downstairs, meeting a curving balcony outlined with wrought iron that hosts more intimate seating and a chic little martini bar to greet us as we enter the glass-walled structure. And the aromas that fill the air make you hungrier than you thought you were.
In typical Wilhelm fashion, the menu is eclectic and interesting. You are fed well on big portions that are presented with flair. We began with a trio of prosciutto-wrapped shrimp atop a cheddar potato cake. There was both a good balsamic reduction sauce and some corn-tomato relish adorning it. The ahi carpaccio is thinly sliced and covers the plate. There’s a mini salad of arugula, red onions and capers drizzled with sesame cream. If you like crispy calamari, do try the cornmeal-crusted ones with fresh herbs and serrano chiles. Loved the dipping sauce of roasted garlic that came with the calamari pieces. There is also a clever Portobello mushroom appetizer stuffed with fontina cheese, basil and ham and sided with that above-mentioned arugula salad.
Salads are pretty bountiful and make use of heirloom and miniature vegetables. There are four pastas; I had some linguine Alfredo as a side dish that was remarkable in its correct texture and just enough sauce to coat the strands in the real Italian manner. So tasty.
Of seven meat and poultry dishes and five seafood specialties, it’s hard to go wrong. Our group tasted several. The blackened swordfish with a papaya salsa is pretty awesome. Roaring with flavor, just perfectly cooked and briny fresh. The potato-crusted halibut offered a crunchy exterior and more meltingly fresh seafood flavor. I could take home a bottle of the sweet garlic jam that highlights my bites of rosemary-grilled lamb chops (with this you get David’s signature cheddar potatoes). For simple poultry flavor, the Tuscan chicken cooked under a brick is right on target. I had as an entr & #233;e the grilled filet mignon with black pepper-gorgonzola sauce. Fork-tender and worth a revisit any time. I’d advise the orange cr & #269;me br & #369;l & #233;e for dessert.
This is a lively place where good martinis and good food meet and greet. There’s a good wine list and service is very professional. I need to make it a priority to do Sorrento Grille more often.
