Balboa Bay Club
1221 W. Coast Highway, Newport Beach
(949) 645-5000
The First Cabin is the main dining room of the Balboa Bay Club. It has a heavenly view of all the yachts docked mere feet away. It’s a linen-clad room, but exceedingly friendly in every way. There’s a full bar along the front of the room, lots of wood to warm it up and a staff that is friendly while being exceedingly professional. This club has one of the strongest food and beverage departments going, put together by Henry Schielein. One can sense the teamwork and pride. I always am aware of the extra level of service the waitstaff provides, something that isn’t happening too much in the outside world of restaurants today.
Perhaps I should begin by confessing that one of my favorite lunches, which happens only every year or so, is sitting with Henry Schielein and eating a plate of sausages, boiled potatoes, sauerkraut and pickles (dipping every forkful into hearty mustard, of course). That earthy food always seems to get us into discussions of what’s happening in the restaurant world away from the glitzy stuff. It’s called tuning in. Henry is often traveling, researching what everybody else is doing in the food world, and I invariably learn so much over one lunch. And the chef, Jean-Pierre, never complains that I’m not having something fancier from his menu.
There are a lot of sophisticated things going on, even at lunch. Sandwiches, of course. A lot of them. Salads and pastas, too. And classics and specialties. Forty-seven choices in all. Swordfish, mahi mahi, salmon and sea bass come with sauces like basil-lime beurre blanc, papaya-cilantro relish and roasted tomato salsa. There’s a plate of veal bratwurst for me; a wonderful wienerschnitzel made from Provimi veal also begging my attention. Dungeness crab cakes are perched aside fluffy mashed potatoes and have both a lobster sauce and a r & #233;moulade sauce. Each day of the week also has its special: pork chop, eggs Benedict with jumbo asparagus, meatloaf, chicken schnitzel and orange roughy are the temptations.
I happen to end up in the First Cabin more often for dinner than lunch. The room takes on a romantic look when the lights are low, and that’s a plus in my book. However, at any time the weather permits, it’s lovely to sit on the deck outside the dining room. With a cocktail, I recently ordered prosciutto di Parma (Italian ham of the highest grade) with fresh figs and shavings of equally high-quality cheese. I learned that Bombay Sapphire gin with a lemon twist matches the saltiness of this dish quite well. Lobster bisque here is rich and silky and wonderful. The onion soup is thick with tender onion rings whose juices have mingled with the seasoned broth that began the process. The appropriate gruy & #269;re cheese is draped across the crouton cap in the bowl and bubbling hot as it should be.
Macadamia nuts are crushed and used for a crust on the mahi mahi. They turn crisp and tastier when cooked and go well with the flavor of this Hawaiian fish. Jean-Pierre sears large sea scallops in a blazing hot pan, which caramelizes them on the outside and leaves them moist and wonderful inside. His basil-lime beurre blanc is a delicate and delicious accent. Few places serve Dover sole anymore. Here, yes, with a lemon sauce spruced up with caviar. The bouillabaisse is loaded with shellfish and chunks of sea bass and tastes exactly like its French counterpart. Pork prime rib has been slowly roasted, which makes it crisp on the outside, but juicy within. It’s one of my favorite things. Another seldom-seen classic is chicken Cordon Bleu (chicken breast stuffed with premium ham and cheese). This one’s even got a sleek wild mushroom ragout on the side.
Should you crave a steak, there are plenty. I might try to coax you toward the beef tenderloin tips in a Burgundy wine sauce. So good with the mashed potatoes to help absorb all that juicy flavor. Rack of lamb is serious, too, with its complementary rosemary jus and tomato relish.
Jean-Pierre would have been way off base had he tried to create dishes. We’ve got plenty of that everywhere else. Instead, what he has done is tossed out a tired old menu and put the real flavors back in the classic kinds of dishes we just don’t have much access to anymore. You don’t really think the French are eating newly created concoctions every night, do you? Of course not. They’re eating exactly this food. Splendid tastes, quality ingredients we can recognize, attractive presentations. How refreshing.
