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RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR

I’ve been thinking for a long time about Napa Rose as the Restaurant of the Year. I toyed with the idea of finding a title even superior to that because this restaurant has given Orange County a global stature in fine dining, easily defining itself as a true culinary temple.

Napa Rose is the stunningly gorgeous restaurant in Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel that has a couple of world class people at the helm. Its wine country cuisine has been raved about in the best international culinary publications and it boasts a wine program that’s also one of the most serious on the planet. No wonder the dining room always has a mix of locals, celebrities from many disciplines and culinary aficionados from afar.

I am thoroughly convinced that Napa Rose would never have achieved its level of fame had it not been for general manager Michael A. Jordan and chef Andrew Sutton. Restaurant owners can only dream of finding such a dedicated duo. The two are such a complementary pair of co-workers, both imbued with a love for the public and a greater love for what they do,it’s rare to find such a combination. The relationship between Michael and Andrew is, in a word, remarkable.






Napa Rose sauteed diver scallops: some menu items change every week

To put this in proper perspective, we have to back up a few years. During the past decade, I have written many times about the dedication that Disneyland has put into its dining facilities. Even before Napa Rose, the major dining venues had managed to separate themselves enough psychologically from the park and amusement aspects of the resort’s reputation to have vaulted to the forefront of fine dining in this county.

Steakhouse 55 in the Disneyland Hotel and the distinctive Yamabuki in the Paradise Pier Hotel have become destination restaurants. But it was the opening of Napa Rose in early 2001 that set the stage for national recognition and then international acclaim.

First of all, the Grand Californian Hotel, which houses Napa Rose, is, to me, the most beautiful hotel in OC. Napa Rose is accessed by traversing the hotel lobby and you have to force yourself to keep walking. The soaring open-beamed ceilings, the magnificent multicolored marble floor depicting a flowing flower pattern (reminiscent of Tiffany artwork), the massive fireplace, the artful aspect of the lighting elements and the cushiest of furnishings make you want to linger.

You arrive at Napa Rose and find it decorated in the same rich and breathtaking style. The slate-lined entry unfolds into a large lounge area with club style chairs for the most comfortable seating. One long wall is an artwork of fabric insets behind wrought iron framing. Soaring over the large bar at one end is a massive circular tower of yellow glass that doubles as art and a lighted ceiling of sorts that is beyond chic.

To the left of the entry another beautiful scene emerges, the dining room where the image of a rosebud is a recurring motif subtly depicted in the restaurant’s carpeting, light fixtures, handrails, chairs and restaurant staff costumes. The room has one exterior wall of glass overlooking a park-like setting and at the other side is the open kitchen where the culinary crew is busily building eye-catching plates of food.

Beautiful light colored wood accents and a showcase wine cellar also are impressive. There’s a prominent Wall of Fame with magnums of premium California wines that have been signed by California winemakers and are available for purchase.

Before we even get to the food, a bit about the two “famous” guys, Andrew Sutton and Michael Jordan, is in order. Nabbing Andrew as the chef was a coup for the restaurant , it helped get press and appreciative customers quickly. He’d been happily cheffing for the previous seven years at the acclaimed Auberge de Soleil in Napa Valley, where he’d acquired a world-class clientele. But the new opportunity was appealing and he agreed to be the culinary visionary for Napa Rose.

Before Auberge de Soleil, he spent five years with famed chef Dean Fearing at the five-star, five-diamond Mansion on Turtle Creek in his hometown of Dallas. He is a graduate of the prestigious Culinary Institute of America and also completed a classical French apprenticeship.

I’ve stayed at the Mansion at Turtle Creek, eaten there and visited with chef Fearing on a few occasions when visiting family in Texas, so I am sure I was dining there when Andrew was in the kitchen.

Andrew’s food is inspired by our rich seacoast, farms, ranches and artisans making specialty products. He takes the finest, personally selected produce, seafood and meats and dazzles us with his creations that beg to be paired with wine.

Michael Jordan is an old friend to the food- and wine-loving folks of this county. We’ve followed his career for at least a couple of decades and watched him gain fame. He is the general manager and wine director of Napa Rose, responsible for managing all of the fine-dining venue’s staff and operations and he also serves as the restaurant’s expert sommelier and wine educator for the Disneyland Resort.

With Michael’s guidance and Andrew’s food, Napa Rose has received a litany of awards, including the top culinary and wine awards in the world. Even Food and Wine magazine chimed in, awarding Napa Rose a Best New Wine List honor. Another long list of accolades has been bestowed on the two gentlemen personally for their respective professional disciplines.

Michael oversees a wine cellar of 17,000 bottles and about 1,000 labels. He is at his zenith when helping customers pick the perfect wines to match with the food they are ordering. It is especially nice that he’s totally comfortable recommending affordable wines as well as expensive cult specialties for guests. However, they are not snooty about corkage. Bring in your own bottle and the corkage is only $17,waived if you buy another bottle.

Not far behind Michael’s joy of interacting with customers is doting on wine education with his staff. This is the only restaurant in the world that has 42 Level I sommeliers,under the Court of Master Sommeliers program,on staff, with six currently at the advanced level. Michael is a Certified Wine Educator and, due to his efforts, there are now more than 250 staff members throughout the entire Disneyland Resort who have passed the Level I course. And, Michael’s also the local voice of wine on two radio programs.

Prior to joining Disney, Michael opened the award-winning Pinot Provence restaurant in Costa Mesa where he was the general manager. We used to visit him often when he was the owner and chef of Bella Teresa restaurant in Corona del Mar and when he was general manager of the five diamond, award-winning Pavilion Restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel in Newport Beach. In his younger years, he was chef, and later general manager of his family’s chain of Italian restaurants, Matteo’s, in California and Hawaii. Michael grew up in Hawaii and holds a bachelor’s degree in food service from the University of Hawaii in Honolulu.

Together, Michael and Andrew have made an art of matching food and wine. Patrick and I sat, only a few nights ago, in the Napa Rose lounge for a drink and were so comfortable, we had our appetizers there. With a glass of Williams Selyem Russian River Pinot Noir,one of the finest pinot noirs in the world,we had Andrew’s wine country duck confit that was joyously tender, amazingly flavored and surrounded by a multitude of miniature mushrooms and a tiny pond of porcini foam. Then, we had some grape leaves stuffed with highly flavorful chicken.

One of the fun ways to start an evening is by sharing a plate called Seven Sparkling Sins which comprises spicy lobster, ahi tartare, cured salmon, California caviar, pheasant, smoked sturgeon and truffled quail egg.

Some menu items change every week, so take my thoughts here as guidelines. Other appetizers of note on the current menu would include hand-harvested diver scallops with a lemon-lobster sauce, first of the season heirloom tomato salad with goat’s milk Brie fitters and saut & #233;ed wild Alaskan halibut with lobster tempura.

There are so many yummy sounding entrees seeking attention. If it’s on the menu, order the Colorado spring lamb prepared two ways,as a roasted rack double chop with sun-dried tomato crust and as osso buco that’s been braised with roasted sweet garlic jus. Another affirmation of Andrew’s wonderful way with food is in the saut & #233;ed veal medallions with lacquered bacon, golden beets, English peas and pureed spring onions.

There are so many wines to choose from, but here are four that I can quickly recommend. Baileyana Chardonnay, Grand Firepeak Cuvee 2005 is a seamless, well balanced wine. 2005 Nora, Albarino, Rias Baixas (Spain) has amazing peach/nectarine/tangerine fruit with brilliantly racy acidity. 2005 Tantara Pinot Noir is plush rich, ripe and soft (only 300 cases made). And the 2005 Robert Biale Black Chicken Zinfandel is one remarkably smooth wine that might turn you into a permanent zinfandel drinker. All of these wines are available by the glass or bottle.

The desserts are of the comforting sort and not too sweet, which makes them easy to have as a finale. Try the silky cr & #269;me br & #369;l & #233;e with a sprinkling of berries, the superb Manjari chocolate layer cake with a memorable Rainier cherry sorbet or the warm wine country style berry crisp with fresh berry sorbet.

I promise that you will feel like you are being pampered in the wine country and I promise that if you don’t already know Napa Rose and this article gets you over there, you’ll be a fan forever.

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