Orange County has lost its Bangkok restaurant. Bangkok Four on the upper level of the Bear Street side of South Coast Plaza has closed. Hamamori restaurant soon will open there.
James Hamamori is one of the principals of Wasa Sushi, which has restaurants in Irvine, Lake Forest and in the Bluffs Center in Newport Beach. There’s also a scaled down version of Wasa in Aliso Viejo. The other partner, who has helped build the successful venture in the past few years, is Bronnie Lee. This is the first time the duo will use another name,Hamamori,for a restaurant.
Wasa does a fantastic job with sushi. Everything imaginable that we’ve come to know is served at the big sushi bars and few tables at each location. But what makes the restaurants more exciting is that some trendy, forward thinking creations also are on the menu. Regular customers order dishes that aren’t even on the menu. We always order some new creations. I’ll be among the first at Hamamori when it opens.
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Bangkok Five in Rancho Mirage: more elegant than Costa Mesa’s former Bangkok Four. |
There’s now just Bangkok Five in Rancho Mirage. It’s a place that I’ve urged readers to visit when in the desert.
It is quite an interesting story how the restaurants grew and why. Lucky Teachanarong, a native of Thailand, opened Bangkok One in Beverly Hills almost 25 years ago. He had famed international interior designer Kerry Joyce design it. Joyce has continued to design each of Lucky’s restaurants, each one unique from the others. Then, Lucky decided to open another restaurant in L.A., Bangkok Two. So he gave the first restaurant to one of his brothers.
In the late 1980s, he came to OC and opened Bangkok Three on Balboa Peninsula. That one was closed when he and his first wife divorced. Meantime, Lucky had given Bangkok Two to another of his brothers. A few years after opening it, Lucky gave Bangkok Four in South Coast Plaza to his nephew and he opened Bangkok Five in the desert with his wife Jan.
Bangkok Five always has been more sophisticated than the others and has had the most international clientele. It’s a gorgeous place and the food is not tampered with to Americanize it. Premium ingredients are used with a balance of lime, coconut, peanuts and lemongrass with spicier tastes of curry, chiles and ginger. Everything is prepared fresh to order.
Perks of Age
Sometimes we get laughs where we least expect them. Recently, Patrick got a letter from UCI Medical Center. They wanted to wish him a happy birthday because he was a member of the Senior Club. To make it extra enjoyable, they mentioned that Denny’s in Anaheim,only that location,would present him with a dessert of his choice.
The only thing is, Patrick does not belong to the UCI Senior Club. And, why they’d send a letter to someone in Irvine and shuttle them off to an Anaheim coffee shop for a dessert has us wondering.
Winery Buyout
A few months ago, I wrote about Trinitas Cellars, mentioning that Orange County’s Tim Busch was one of the founders. There’s additional news.
The Busch family, Tim and wife Steph, principals in the new Meritage Resort in Napa, now have completed the acquisition of all remaining ownership and become sole owners of Trinitas Cellars.
The five-year-old winery was founded by the Busch, Rodeno and Cline families. Matt Cline has been the winemaker. The wines gained stature. They made zinfandels, pinot blanc, petite sirah, mataro and an old vine cuv & #233;e red blend. For the first time, in 2004, a Napa cabernet and, in 2005, a Russian River chardonnay were released.
The winery now makes 15,000 cases of wine, sold in 37 states and the goal is to grow to 40,000 cases within the next five years. Focus is expected to transition to Bordeaux varietals. Busch has assembled a new team for these endeavors. Kevin Mills, formerly the assistant winemaker at Peju Province Winery, will take over winemaking. Busch plans to position the wines as a premium brand, but also concentrate on the fun of drinking wine and its place in our lifestyle.
Trinitas also is moving. The crushing and processing of the wine now will be done at Carneros Creek in Napa Valley. Busch will have the business offices for the winery within the Meritage Resort.
This month, the Meritage Resort will open a 22,000-square-foot Estate Cave. The resort includes a spa, tasting room and large banquet space, in addition to 158 upscale guest rooms.
For more on Trinitas Cellars, call (707) 935-3504. For Meritage Resort, call (866) 370-6272. Or check out www.themeritage resort.com and www.trinitas-wines.com.
Wine, Cheese, Chocolate
The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel has just introduced its new wine, cheese and chocolate concept called Eno. Within the intimate and socially amiable atmosphere of a wine tasting room with world-class ocean views, this is the showcase for these beloved indulgences.
Wine director Holly Smith oversees a stock of some 5,000 bottles of wine stored in the floor-to-ceiling glass cellar and 300 to 500 varietals of wine with 15 to 30 different flights, 35 varieties of artisanal cheeses from around the world and chocolate, with an emphasis on local chocolatiers. Winemakers, fromagers and chocolatiers will make guest appearances on a regular basis.
The first Eno, in Chicago, opened in December and already has garnered national attention due to the first-of-its-kind concept that brings an educational aspect to a distinctive experience. Eno Laguna Niguel is the first to open on the West Coast with others planned in the near future.
For further information on Eno, call (949) 240-2000.
