Karyn Philippsen figures prominently in this week’s column.
First, she’s given me one of the great restaurant pleasures this year, the sweet and soulful Village Mediterranean Rim in San Clemente.
And then she’s managed to get an impressive array of people to party at a moment’s notice.
To explain all this, let me introduce Karyn. She was part of the opening sales and marketing team of the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel, shared her talents with the Surf & Sand hotel for many years, was in the thick of national sales for Montage Resort & Spa in its first year and now is finding great success with her own hospitality consulting business.
One other thing: Karyn has a general contractor’s license, which partly explains why her home is one of the most enchanting beach cottages imaginable. Oh that we could all live in a place with such peaceful friendliness and beauty.
This girl wears so many hats so well. I’ve forgotten to mention that Karyn is president of the Laguna Beach Visitors and Convention Bureau.
Karyn has tuned me into a little hideaway of a place in San Clemente that’s captured a corner of my family’s heart.
After tasting a good sampling of the food, experiencing the intimate atmosphere, getting to know the chef/owner a little, Village Mediterranean has made its way onto my list of favorite little places. It is, in a nutshell, loaded with charm.
Ave del Mar is the street in San Clemente that wends its way to the pier. Starting from El Camino Real, it’s a m & #233;lange of side-by-side shops, unique boutiques, small hotels, a few restaurants and savory beach town apartments. Much like strolling through Carmel.
Amid it all is the adorable Village Mediterranean. The site once was a little all-purpose cafe when chef Nour Tilla bought it five years ago. He didn’t rock the boat too quickly and continued to cook three meals a day for a while.
It gave Nour time to decide on what he really wanted to cook for the community. Since there’s not a lot of creativity on the breakfast table, that meal was the first to go. He did lunches for a while but realized that serving dinner was what he really wanted to do.
Nour is a trained architect and interior designer who found a greater love in food. He was able, in combining all those disciplines, to create his own soulful slice of life in a romantic enclave.
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Chef, owner Nour Tilla: bought site five years ago |
He’d already created a highly successful chain of five restaurants in Los Angeles. For a few years, he had a San Francisco eatery that was popular with the city’s chefs after their own restaurants closed.
How glad I am to discover that Nour has given us such a quiet and rejuvenating place of our own right here in San Clemente.
At Village Mediterranean, you’ll find very dark wood tables surrounded by comfortable chairs. The bottom half of the walls are weathered wood peeking through a coat of turquoise paint, while the top part and even the ceilings are daubed with layers of earth tone colors, the basis of which is terra-cotta.
Three bar stools perched in front of the open kitchen offer fine views of the food being prepared. A gossamer swath of sophisticated fabric drapes across the front window, while diaphanous swags entwined with miniature white lights drift along the walls and around an antique mirror.
A quartet of Moroccan-style lamps enhances the intimate and exotic feeling, as do the narrow shelves here and there that hold small artifacts and some paintings done by Nour’s significant other, artist Marlyse Ruess.
A clever bit of creative decorating sits in one corner where a trio of multi-paned French doors, proudly showing their age, serves as sort of individual frames for photos.
Nour has created a space that intertwines several elements that are soothing in life: art, food and spirituality. Nour’s menu comprises bits of magic that revitalize the palate. You can taste the love he has for cooking.
The Mediterranean hat can take us to many countries, with Nour corralling about two dozen dishes built on meats, seafood and even a few Italian regional loves.
Every dish puts a unique twist on the normal. Roasted beet salad is on several Orange County menus in this colder season. But here, beets are roasted, then tossed with pieces of watermelon, tomato and organic greens, then topped with a generous scoop of fresh ricotta cheese.
The sesame-watermelon dressing adds another layer of support to the already superb combination. Pears, arugula and Belgian endive appear in another good marriage of flavors.
If you have a thing for Italian food, I’d recommend some of these variations. Spicy lamb pizza takes a crispy crusted pie and adds roasted eggplant to the profile. Fettuccine caliente takes a spicy sauce in a whole new direction: organic chicken breast is saut & #233;ed with mixed peppers, corn, caramelized onion and poblano chile in a creamy tomato-based sauce over flat strands of pasta.
A mix of fresh seafood and pesto made from arugula become hugging buddies to tagliatelle. The mildly spiced and gently flavored Moroccan chicken curry is brilliantly distinctive. Nour saut & #233;s organic chicken breast and then adds his own restrained blend of genteel spices in a sauce that forms a moat around a mound of couscous.
Vegetarians should appreciate the moussaka, described on the menu as the Greek version of lasagna. It features layers of roasted eggplant slices, wild mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes and parmesan cheese served over a roasted tomato sauce.
Pork tenderloin comes with a grape-molasses sauce but is sometimes served as a special with another sauce, just for interest. We had filet mignon as one of our dishes the other night. It had a wine reduction sauce that hit the mark.
In the pork, beef and lamb dishes, the meat is tender and juicy. While rack of lamb is available, it’s fun to have the grilled lamb burger that’s slightly spicy. Salmon is marinated, then roasted with cilantro and saffron-chardonnay sauce, resulting in perfect texture and certainly fine taste.
My husband, Patrick, adores a good risotto. Nour’s seafood risotto with fish, shrimp and a distinct hint of fresh lemon is fantastic. Things as simple as a New York steak and roasted chicken, ravioli of the day and fresh yellowtail are offered.
Quality ingredients form the cornerstone of all dishes. Couscous, freshly made mashed potatoes and fresh vegetables accompany entrees.
Pastries also come from this kitchen,fresh daily and impressive on their own. Flourless chocolate cake, dense apple tart with vanilla bean ice cream, walnut-espresso torte, pistachio tart and a richly satisfying cheesecake have been part of the dessert presentations we’ve encountered.
The restaurant serves wine and beer and guests sometimes bring their own. Karyn had acquired one of those nouveau cult bottles of Whispering Dove 2002 Oakville Reserve Cabernet (this is only the second vintage) and brought it along on our introductory visit. Price varies from $30 to $43 a bottle.
The wine is richly layered with blackberry, chocolate, cassis, a hint of lychee and a bit of spiciness. It is laden with mouth-filling character and not heavy on tannins. Nice with food or just for sipping.
When you need to readjust your stress level, perhaps when you want something romantically different, or when you simply yearn for something other than the noisiness of all those big places, Village Mediterranean is a good choice.
You will have the opportunity to meet Nour when he comes out of the kitchen to say hello to guests. You will no doubt end up enjoying him as much as his food.
Nour is a modest, sincere, peaceful person whose own heart is easily discerned at Village Mediterranean.
Party Central
Now I’m going to tell the story of how Karyn attracted an eclectic assortment of personalities in a few days. It all took wing when I had gathered 36 gourmet friends to share one last dinner at The Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel before it was closed.
Yvon Goetz, the Business Journal’s Chef of the Year this year and The Dining Room’s chef for the past nine years, cooked for us. (Yvon now is executive chef of Culinary Adventures, the parent company for David Wilhelm’s restaurants.)
Karyn was one of those who joined us for the historical evening. Always enthusiastic, she said that she’d like to have a barbecue at her home to celebrate Yvon’s “job well done” and an “on to the next culinary adventure” toast. How about in a couple of weeks? Indeed!
She got on the phone and soon had an impressive array of folks saying they’d be there.
Among the guests were Werner Escher,long title, impressive guy: executive director of domestic and international markets for South Coast Plaza,and Diane, his always smiling wife, who I find such a good conversationalist.
Ron Tamez, owner of Orange County’s Hamilton Oaks Winery, not only joined in, but also supplied wine,by now you should know about this OC winery that has space on some of the most prestigious wine lists.
Henry Schielein, president and chief operating officer of Balboa Bay Club is a very busy fellow running his esteemed new hotel and renovated club, but he and his beautiful wife, Carol, made time in their schedule for this party. Russ and Carla Moore, super gourmets and wine lovers, arrived.
Tammy Folsom of David’s Culinary Adventures and Nadine Hotong, general manager of his French 75 restaurant, added to the sparkling personalities. Wine expert Ted Chappell, whose expertise helped put together the wine cellars at the Ritz and St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort & Spa in Dana Point (and who has taught me a bit about wines along the way) was there.
Dan Murray, manager of The Loft restaurant at Montage, also was there. There were several others, too, and Patrick and I had a blast. Chef Yvon, with his modest demeanor, was a very honorable honoree. What a delight that he would cook the most succulent steaks for the crowd.
Karyn’s barbecue turned out to be a memorable day with tasty dishes and steaks way beyond what anyone perceives as backyard grill food, plenty of fine wine, a most interesting cadre of people who kept everyone interested and engaged.
For hotels or restaurants that want advice or research, call Karyn at (949) 492-0883.
