After a Kitchen Fire, Sam Woo Reopens in Record Time
Ruby’s Waxes Nostalgic on 20th Anniversary; Thaifoon Hits Irvine Spectrum
Executive Dining by Fifi Chao
Usually when a restaurant is damaged by fire, it takes a long time to reopen. Not the case with Sam Woo Seafood in Irvine. After an accidental fire started in the kitchen and seriously damaged a part of the restaurant, manager Elbert Wu told us that it would reopen in a week. Making believers of us, it did indeed meet the very short deadline. Since I found out the rumor is still going around that the restaurant is closed, I thought I’d quell it right now. Sam Woo is the same as ever, fully functional and waiting to serve you some of their Hong Kong-style Chinese food.
Don’t forget that there are some big bargains on the three dozen or so signature dishes listed in the smaller format lunch and dinner menus that are presented along with the full house menu of about 200 items. Another reminder I’d like to leave with you: order the exceptionally refreshing Chinese ice tea with your meal. This is not green tea with ice cubes in it. Instead, it’s a mix of fruit juice, plain tea and soda. It’s become habitual with our friends. There’s also a decent wine list to supplement the great food.
Ruby’s Turns 20
It’s 20th anniversary time at Ruby’s Diner. The 38 locations are all taking part in the celebration and the main focus for us is the addition of combination meals that were not on the menu before. The new Ruby Burger Combo combines the most popular menu items, Ruby-Burger, half-order of fries and a full-sized dinner salad. Customers may also substitute the RubyBurger with their choice of sandwich. These combos offer a 20% saving from ordering a la carte. Beyond this new combo offering, the whole slate of breakfast, lunch and dinner items remains. In fact, Ruby’s has done a good job of making the menu into something a lot more than burgers, fries and malts.
The idea for Ruby’s was originally hatched between schoolmates Doug Cavanaugh and Ralph Kosmides during a run on the beach. They needed a name and Doug’s mom got the honors. These are the retro diners of chrome and glossy red vinyl booths that set the stage for the diner phenomenon that followed across the U.S. Next on the board for the chain is a plan to take the diners nationwide, rather than keep them regional as they now are. To that end, a team has been put in place to franchise many of the locations.
Stop in for your dose of nostalgia and one of the new combo meals at your nearby Ruby’s.
Thaifoon Blows In
Thaifoon in Irvine Spectrum is just about ready to roll,this week, in fact! Randy Schoch, proprietor of Roy’s in Newport Beach, is the guy launching this new concept. I adore Thailand and much of the joy and beauty of that country is captured in this restaurant: a wat-erfall wall, bright and whimsical design elements, sake room and plenty of Thai artifacts.
The restaurant is open for lunch, dinner and take-out every day. They’ve tapped into the idea of sharing food with small plates and large plates at very reasonable prices. The menu takes into account the diversity of flavors found in Thai food and adds a contemporary flair to each dish. Thai food is so amicable on its own,like the people themselves, it is cosmopolitan but very genteel and friendly,and the tweaking of the concept in such a respectful way by Randy and his team only adds to those dimensions.
Quattro Caf & #233; Debuts at South Coast
Armani Caf & #233; in South Coast Plaza has a new director and a new moniker. It’s now called Quattro Caf & #233;. I’m confident that food and friendly service will now be the trademark. I’d found the food very good on occasion, but uneven under old management, and after having back-to-back disappointments in both food and service, I moved on and stopped dining there. Now, Antonio Cagnolo, owner of Antonello’s in South Coast Plaza Village and Nello Cucina in the former Crystal Court of South Coast Plaza, has taken over. Antonio is a totally serious restaurateur and plans to continue serving regional Italian specialties, but his loving version of them. Given the fact that I enjoy the food at both of his other restaurants, I am anxious to try this menu.
The d & #233;cor of Quattro Caf & #233; is open and casual. Just like a trattoria in Italy, it features smallish tables (these are nicely napped) and scaled down chairs to match. There’s a hustle of energy about it and a modest amount of Old World charm dolloped with the gleam of modern stainless steel. Perhaps I’ll be using it for some of my long lunches as well as a place for a quick meal when shopping.
AT A GLANCE:
SAM WOO SEAFOOD
Address: 15333 Culver (at Irvine Center Drive), Irvine
Phone: (949) 262-0688
Open: Lunch and dinner daily
THAIFOON
Address: 85 Fortune Drive, Irvine (in the Spectrum)
Phone: (949) 585-0022
QUATTRO CAF & #201;
Address: 3300 Bristol St. (in the Macy’s wing of South Coast Plaza), Costa Mesa
Phone: (714) 754-0300
