Three Chefs. Three cuisines. Three dinners. One goal.
It’s the Charity Dinner Series featuring a trio of our best chefs: Pascal Olhats of Tradition by Pascal Restaurant, Richard Mead of Sage Restaurant and Sage on the Coast, and Takashi Abe of Bluefin Restaurant.
Orange County chefs, no matter how fatigued they might be from serving their own clientele, always are stepping up to the stoves one more time and cooking their hearts out for some worthwhile cause.
They all are aware of the need for good chefs to staff the kitchens of new and existing restaurants.
So, half of all proceeds from these three dinners will be donated to a scholarship fund at a designated California culinary school to help out aspiring chefs in need of money to support their training.
For each of the dinners, the three chefs will cook together to present three interpretations of the same dishes.
Each dinner includes cocktails, appetizers created by each chef, a signature chef’s surprise course to delight the eye and amuse the palate, a seafood course, a meat or poultry course and a dessert. Each main dish will be a combination of each chef’s efforts. Wines also are included to match the courses.
The first dinner is today at Tradition by Pascal in Newport Beach.
The second one at Sage will be on Oct. 16. The last is on Nov. 13 at Bluefin.
The cost for each dinner is $125 per person, which includes wine but not tax and gratuity.
Only 40 people will be served at each of the dinners, so that makes them more intimate. Make reservations now.
Tradition by Pascal: 1000 N. Bristol, Newport Beach. Sage is at 2531 Eastbluff, Newport Beach. Bluefin is in Crystal Cove Promenade in Newport Beach.
Mouth Watering
Pencil this in: the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort & Spa is having the Sinskey Vineyards Dinner on Friday.
If you track the trends and important happenings in the wine world, then you know that Sinskey is highly regarded for a line of distinguished estate-bottled wines with finely tuned balance at their core.
The winery is touted for its bio-friendly agriculture with certified organic vineyard practices. Robert Sinskey Vineyards pursues purity from dirt to bottle, crafting inimitable wines that capture the unique relationship of vine and vineyard. All of the fruit grows on their own carefully tended land in Carneros and Stags Leap District.
Robert Sinskey often talks about the tremendous importance of balance in winemaking.
He says, “Balance is more than a cliched wine description. Balance is an organic farming philosophy. It is about achieving a nutritionally balanced soil so the vines can fend off disease and blight. It is balancing vigor so the yield and vegetative growth is in balance. It is working with nature to achieve the winegrowing goal of quality with minimal manipulation.”
His comments probably will include another part of his credo, “Balance in winemaking is about restraint. It is about paying attention to the individual vineyard blocks and creating vinification techniques that will allow for the best expression of the grape. It is about allowing the vineyard to have a unique sense of place by avoiding masking its individuality with oak. Balance is in picking the grapes before they develop an overripe character by timing the harvest so the grapes still have natural acidity and when the wine is tasted, it makes your mouth water.”
Robert doesn’t forget what’s in the glass: “Balance in the glass is as much about tactile qualities as it is about aroma and flavor. It must feel good yet retain a sense of mystery. It should not reveal all on the first taste but should take you on a journey that lasts as long as you have the glass in front of you. Balance is understated elegance.”
With statements like that, don’t you want more than ever to taste these wines?
The exceptional surroundings of the St. Regis with these distinctive wines and some delectable organic fare will, I am sure, make for another memorable food and wine experience.
The wines that will accompany the food that evening are his pinot blanc, pinot noir and merlot, followed by RSV 99 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2001 Late Harvest Zin Zinskey.
The five food courses begin with pan-seared sea scallops with corn mousseline, followed by braised veal sweetbreads and green pea gnocchi (this course alone could entice me to the table). Then there are a couple of main courses.
The first is Four Story Farm squab: breast of squab joined by glazed leg of squab, confit style, with zucchini blossoms. Roasted, dry-aged organic New York strip steak will have some caramelized salsify and truffles dancing around the plate.
Dessert is really a grand finale to match several flavors with that lovely late harvest zinfandel. On the plate will be Smoky Oregon blue cheese, Rogue River blue cheese, roasted figs on a soft lime biscuit, a honey tuile and a bit of chocolate decadence.
The reception starts at 6:30 p.m. with dinner at 7 p.m.
Cost is $115 per person, plus tax and gratuity. Reservations are a must. Call (949) 234-3765.
St. Regis: One Monarch Beach Resort Drive, Dana Point.
On the Homefront
On Sunday, there’s the Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce Wine Tasting & Auction, benefiting Operation Homefront, which provides support to families of deployed troops. Proceeds will go to Costa Mesa families. Visit the Web site at www.operationhomefront.net.
Wine connoisseurs and enthusiasts will enjoy premium wine tastings, music and a live auction. The event will highlight 50 domestic and imported fine wines such as Nickel and Nickel, Far Niente, Cakebread, Croze and more. Also featured will be a taste of South Coast Metro’s best restaurants.
Raffle items include a Mauna Lanai Hawaiian condo for seven nights with airfare for two aboard Aloha Airlines.
The event is from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are $75. Call (714) 885-9095.
It will be held outside at the South Coast Plaza Village Green: 1631 Sunflower Ave. (corner of Sunflower and Bear Street) in Santa Ana.
Shhhhh
Another wine dinner, Wines and Foods of Spain, will be held at hush (yes, they spell it with a lower case “h” because it fits the meaning of the name) in Laguna Beach.
It’s on Sept. 25 and I’m told that reservations are quite limited to keep it more intimate. So make reservations as soon as you can.
First course is almond and garlic soup with a side of honeydew melon touched with smoked paprika oil. The wine is Cristalino Brut Non Vintage Cava.
Second course: steamed razor clams with heirloom tomato and chorizo, along with 2005 Condes de Albarei Albarino wine.
Two wines will be poured with the next course of pan-seared John Dory and Valencia style paella: 2002 Conde de Valdemar Crianza and 1997 Conde de Valdemar Grand Reserva.
Two more courses to go. Marinated pork tenderloin as a main course is accompanied by two wines: 2001 Inspiracion Valdemar VO4 and 2001 Inspiracion Valdemar Graciano.
A trio of Spanish cheeses is the final course, with Dios Baco Pedro Ximenez Sherry to match.
Seating is promptly at 7:30 p.m. Price is $125 per person. Call (949) 497-3616 quickly before they sell out.
Hush restaurant is at 858 South Coast Highway, Laguna Beach.
Lunchtime
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Morton’s Steakhouse: lunch menu complete with special entree each weekday |
I am wondering how many of my readers realize that Morton’s in South Coast Plaza Village now serves lunch on weekdays.
It is definitely a lunch you should try. And, lest you think it’s just a short menu of sandwiches and salads and a handful of entrees, let me assure you that it’s an amazingly complete menu.
There are approximately 16 appetizers that include various preparations of shellfish, an awesome tuna tartare, soups, salads (some of them will suffice as entrees) and superb smoked Atlantic salmon.
Several sandwiches are generously stacked with prime ingredients, keeping pace with Morton’s reputation for quality. Prices are $8 to $18.
They have a special entree for each weekday.
On Monday, it’s a home style meatloaf, albeit made with prime Kobe style Wagyu beef and nice, fluffy mashed potatoes.
On Tuesday, it’s a little comfort food: lemon-oregano chicken (baked and deboned half chicken) with rice pilaf.
Wednesday finds prime chopped steak smothered with saut & #233;ed onions and mashed potatoes. Boneless prime rib appears on Thursday. And Friday’s menu lists grilled colossal shrimp and sea scallops with grilled vegetables and rice pilaf.
These entrees range from only $14 to $19.
Morton’s would never forget the steak eater, even at lunch. Some slightly smaller versions are available in the mid-$30 range.
We are talking about filet Oskar with the relevant asparagus and jumbo lump crabmeat and a dollop of sauce b & #233;arnaise.
There also is a full-cut rib eye steak, a filet Diane with saut & #233;ed mushrooms and a Cajun version of the rib eye.
Many of Morton’s signature dinner entrees also are available at lunch such as fresh seafood, several other steaks, lamb chops and lobster.
Although there are several marvelous desserts, the lightest at lunch is the fresh berries with sabayon cream, followed by the raspberry sorbet. The Key lime pie is pretty light and refreshing, too. Desserts are $5 to $7.50.
Since they always have such a good selection of wines by the glass, that’s my option as one glass suffices nicely when I have to go back to work.
Morton’s may call itself The Steakhouse as part of its official name, but for me, it’s a wonderful all-around restaurant. I adore the cocktail lounge here,and the cocktail menu during special evening hours also is swell. The comfort level in the dining room is superior.
The shellfish and seafood specialties are sometimes my option and I appreciate that there’s so much in those categories. As for service, it’s absolutely the best and they don’t stop with just treating you nicely during a meal. This staff knows its clientele, shows appreciation to the customers and makes everyone feel they are part of a caring family. It is comfortably elegant all the time.
Morton’s The Steakhouse: 1641 Sunflower Ave., Santa Ana. Phone: (714) 444-4834. Lunch is served Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and dinner is served nightly.
