57.5 F
Laguna Hills
Monday, Mar 18, 2024
-Advertisement-

RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR: Anaheim’s Mr. Stox Nabs 2002 Honor in 25th Year Under Marshalls

RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR:

Anaheim’s Mr. Stox Nabs 2002 Honor in 25th Year Under Marshalls

EXECUTIVE DINING by Fifi Chao





Exactly one month from now, Mr. Stox restaurant in Anaheim will celebrate its 25th anniversary under the ownership of brothers Chick and Ron Marshall, and Ron’s wife Debbie. I’m adding one more banner to the story by naming it Restaurant of the Year.

The story of Mr. Stox actually dates back nine years earlier than the Marshalls 1977 entry into the picture, when the original owners had an architect design the attractive Mission-style building.

Over the years, the Marshalls have done extensive work on the interior, but the outside is still reminiscent of early California with its pretty pink stucco walls, graceful arches and colorful bougainvillea hugging posts and trailing across the roofline.

The Marshall heritage in the hospitality business began in 1945 when their parents purchased a hotel and restaurant in the seaside resort of Wildwood, N.J. That business remained in the family until the brothers sold it when they bought Mr. Stox.

All three of the Marshalls are hands-on restaurateurs. Chick is a graduate of the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration and the former vice president and general manager of Lawry’s Associated Restaurants. Ron is a graduate of Florida State University where he majored in hotel and restaurant management. Prior to 1977, Ron managed a chain of full service restaurants in Baltimore. Debbie is a graduate of the University of Maryland and serves as the day manager, banquet coordinator and is largely responsible for the restaurant’s attractive d & #233;cor.

When Mr. Stox came on the scene, there were few decent restaurants in Central or North County. The Marshalls accumulated loyal customers who were somewhat starved for any bright light in the dining desert of that area. They worked diligently in turning Mr. Stox into a restaurant with a sense of class.

Today, Mr. Stox provides quiet elegance with a cosmopolitan hue. The spaciousness of the restaurant allows for some booth seating and sensibly spaced tables, all allowing quiet conversation. Stylish furnishings, modern marble and glass accenting the entry and quality materials in the general d & #233;cor all add to its graceful personality.

Some of the restaurant’s fame comes from the extensive wine cellar stocked with 22,000 to 25,000 bottles of wine at any given time. The hefty wine list offers 800 choices. The first prestigious Wine Spectator Award came 16 years ago and they’ve continued to arrive yearly. Ron and Chick, building on their love of wines, conduct wine classes in the Chateau Room that connects to the well-endowed cellar. At least once a month, there’s a special food- and wine-matching dinner with an acclaimed winery owner or winemaker present to pour semi-precious wines, and occasionally there’s a once-in-a-lifetime tasting.

Where does the food fit in?

Chef Scott Raczek has been making culinary waves of his own since he came onboard 17 years ago. He’s been honored as Chef of the Year for Southern California and he’s participated in a number of our nation’s culinary extravaganzas. He classifies the food as Contemporary American.

He’s given the green light to purchase the finest food ingredients. There’s an on-premise bakery where at least half-a-dozen varieties of bread are made daily, not to mention the array of nearly decadent desserts created by pastry chef Hector Gonzales.

Scott has always had a flair for giving his food the artistic presentation a labor of love deserves. For instance, on the current menu, he presents sea bass in a little moat of rich sauce coaxed from carrots, chardonnay wine and saffron cooked together and greatly reduced. Scott lightly fries a tangle of carrot ribbons and places them colorfully and jauntily atop the fish.

He’s doing some very interesting dishes with in-season soft-shell crab. One entr & #233;e has a generous filet of halibut propped on a thick slice of potato dusted with freshly grated black pepper. Bright green saut & #233;ed spinach and a plump day boat scallop teasing each other with their light and dark colors accentuate the presentation.

This has long been an important restaurant in Orange County. In the midst of a difficult year for the industry, they still managed to provide what diners so badly need. Consequently, customers have remained loyal.

Mr. Stox is a place where we can actually hear the background music, have a decent conversation, enjoy lovely food, find lots of great wines and come away feeling so satisfied. I’ve been keeping my intention to name it Restaurant of the Year under wraps for a few months now. I’m glad the secret is finally out.

Special dinners, wine classes and cooking classes all sell out rapidly. It’s necessary to make reservations for them as soon as you get the information. However, the restaurant is large and a table for lunch or dinner is more easily acquired.

MR. STOX

1105 E. Katella Ave., Anaheim

(714) 634-2994

Lunch, dinner

Want more from the best local business newspaper in the country?

Sign-up for our FREE Daily eNews update to get the latest Orange County news delivered right to your inbox!

-Advertisement-

Featured Articles

-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-

Related Articles

-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-