Britta’s Makes a Tasty Fit for UCI’s University Center
EXECUTIVE DINING
by Fifi Chao
University Center across from the University of California, Irvine has seen restaurants come and go in the past several years.
But in the last two years, it seems to have settled down and found its way toward what the general public and faculty and students of a university want. As part of the general public side of dining in these restaurants, I find certain additions pretty appealing.
On the side that hosts the movie theaters, there’s a Trader Joe’s we now frequent. Sitting only steps away is a Diedrich Coffee that always has a crowd, and just a dozen steps from that is Britta’s, owned by restaurant veteran Britta Pulliam.
Many of our readers may remember Britta’s Caf & #233; residing for many years on the Balboa Peninsula, before moving to this location a year ago.
Britta herself has been practicing restaurant skills for two decades, from waitressing to management to cooking. In this caf & #233;, she’s corralled all her talents to provide some very nice food, a homey and pretty atmosphere and good service.
The building seems to have found its own soul, after hosting a trio of restaurants before Britta arrived. What we’ve never had at this location is someone who wanted to keep a menu understandable yet fill it with new and interesting dishes with great emphasis on quality.
I should throw in that Britta serves very generous portions.
The restaurant makes use of much of the original Hatch Brothers’ architecture,a company well known for designing high-end restaurants. Britta took her time before opening in refurbishing the beautiful wood interior to its former glory.
This is a two-level affair that makes much use of dark wood. Floors on the upper level are wide wood planks. Tables and chairs are also of hardwood, the former covered in blue and white cloths.
On the lower section is a highly polished wood bar along one wall and a minor portion of seating. Most of the tables are on the step-up level and all have a view of the open kitchen angling along one back corner of the room, replete with a huge copper canopy over the exhaust vents and domed, wood-fired oven.
There are several ceiling fans, a couple of small crystal chandeliers and several colorful paintings adorning the walls. Even the dinnerware is hand-decorated by Hartstone and should you fall in love with it, the restaurant will sell you the desired pieces. There’s a sense of cosseted tranquility here that is very nice indeed.
The caf & #233; ambitiously serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and a combo lunch/brunch menu on weekends. You will delight in having the freshly baked focaccia and walnut bread at any meal. In fact, you will enjoy the tableside visits and lovingly cooked food of chef Brenda Harness, a graduate of San Francisco’s Culinary Institute. It’s apparent she’s in love with her profession.
The breakfast items include chorizo and egg burrito, ranchero style eggs and a Croque Madame sandwich (ham, turkey, Swiss cheese and fried egg). There’s also a baked apple with granola, lox and bagel, eggs Benedict and all manner of cereals and pancakes.
Many of the appetizers are the same at lunch or dinner.
One is called Tinkerbells and Brie. It’s comprised of tiny bell peppers combined with Brie and some roasted garlic to pile on crusty pieces of crostini. Oysters on the half-shell or steamed clams with tomato, garlic and chardonnay are both straightforward choices.
One wouldn’t imagine a generous piece of foie gras in a location like this, but here it is with cherries adding depth to the port wine sauce. We began a recent dinner with a thin-crusted pizzetta topped with slices of heirloom tomato, basil and plenty of mozzarella cheese. The midday and evening menus are seasonal and salads make good use of summer vegetables. I like the one that has classic duck confit atop a hefty bed of greens.
The lunch sandwiches are very interesting. One combines sliced beets, goat cheese, red onion and rocket,an aromatic lettuce-like vegetable,on grilled French bread. Another is comprised of turkey and Mexican chorizo sausage with avocado and cheese. Another sandwich winner is stuffed with grilled chicken, sliced apple and Brie cheese.
Entr & #233;es at lunch and dinner are similar and they are big.
Every day there’s a preparation of king salmon on the summer menu. If you have wondered where to get a great bowl of real New Orleans’ style gumbo, look no further. I doubt you can finish this big bowl of spicy andouille sausage, chicken and shrimp with just a tad of rice in it.
Pasta, too, takes on a different persona. Rocket is saut & #233;ed with tomatoes, a few sprigs of mint, garlic cloves and doused with some white wine, then tossed with spaghetti in an invigorating blend of flavors.
I do love European dishes like bratwurst and sauerkraut. This one comes with a side of house-made spaetzle. Risotto on the current menu is highly perfumed with wild mushrooms. Pork tenderloin is happily paired with a blackberry and rosemary sauce.
A special of the evening that I recently devoured consisted of five large pieces of beef spareribs, tender and soaring with flavor, with a great mound of very cheesy polenta on the side and half a dozen fresh, al dente green beans criss-crossing the top. It absolutely epitomized the passion with which the comforting food is made at Britta’s.
Desserts are in keeping with the made-fresh-daily theme. A must-have is the bread pudding made of two thick slices of custard-soaked cinnamon bread. It has lots of candied pecan halves sprinkled about and a whiskey sauce glaze that takes on a crackly demeanor after a minute in the scorching hot salamander (shallow broiler).
This restaurant is not fooling around. It’s not exactly inexpensive, but it has the overall quality and interesting take on food, combined with professionalism in the whole operation that makes it a fine addition to Irvine dining. And Britta Pulliam is quite a hands-on owner. She’s there at all hours of the day making sure her dream is staying right on track.
AT A GLANCE: BRITTA’S
Address: 4237 Campus Drive (in University Center), Irvine
Phone: (949) 509-1211
Open: 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily
Prices: Breakfast entr & #233;es $6-$10.25, lunch entr & #233;es $8.75-$21, dinner entr & #233;es $14-$29
