Dan’s on Hand for Special Duckhorn Dinner at Five Crowns
Nara Nara Offers French Moroccan Fare; Wattle Creek Dinner at Fleming’s
EXECUTIVE DINING by Fifi Chao
The great Dan Duckhorn, owner of Duckhorn Winery will be on hand for a very special wine and food dinner at Five Crowns this Tuesday, July 16. The winery is celebrating its silver anniversary. It’s a rare occasion when Dan shows up and, given the exulted stature of his wines, this is a double dose of good luck.
Chef Dennis Brask will prepare a variety of hors d’oeuvres, pan-seared turbot, Danish roast duck “enchilada” and grilled veal chop. The pastry chef presents a white chocolate mint terrine. Five wines will be poured.
I am trying to clear my own schedule to attend this one! Dinner begins at 7 p.m. and the price is $90. Call (949) 760-0331 so that you can meet this special man and taste a wonderful array of food and wines. Five Crowns: 3801 E. Coast Highway, Corona del Mar.
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Nara Nara, a new Mediterranean restaurant featuring a twist of French Moroccan cuisine, has opened at Irvine Spectrum Center. I have not eaten there, but the restaurant features dishes from seven different Mediterranean countries and a wine list that offers the best of those regions.
The menu was conceived by owner Khalil Milan and perfected by executive chef Nicholas Webber, formerly of Joaquim Splichal’s Pinot Brasserie at The Venetian in Las Vegas.
Nara Nara serves appetizers such as flamed cheese (fried cheese flamed tableside with cognac), escargot served in a garlic butter sauce, and grilled prawns with a fennel couscous salad. Entrees include roasted chicken (with fresh thyme couscous and a ragout of artichokes), prime pork chop caramelized with lavender honey, osso buco, filet mignon (seared with ragout of mushrooms, cipollini onions, fava beans and red wine sauce) and salmon tournedos.
Nara Nara also offers a children’s menu as well as a selection of desserts, including Lavender cr & #269;me br & #369;l & #233;e, baklava and flourless white chocolate cake.
The restaurant is decorated with art,more than 100 years old,that was hand-selected by Milan during his travels to Morocco, Lebanon, Syria and Indonesia. Of special note are the mosaic floor that was hand made overseas, the century-old front desk from India and a decorative door that was hand-carved in Indonesia. Thursday through Saturday evenings, belly dancers perform.
The restaurant is open from 1 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily and offers take-out service. For reservations or more information, call (949) 453-8300.
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The wine dinners at Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar in Newport Center have gained their share of acclaim.
The latest in this season’s series of wine and food pairings features the premium boutique varietals of Sonoma’s award winning Wattle Creek Winery. This small winery has an annual production approaching 5,000 cases. The vintner will be on hand to share the odyssey of this special winery with the guests.
Thursday, July 25 is the time and place to discover why aficionados whisper about those that are lucky enough to have a bottle or a few in their own wine cellar from this Alexander Valley mini-phenomenon.
The evening will begin with tray-passed hors d’ oeuvres of smoked trout mousse and chives on sweet potato strips and scallops topped with wasabi caviar served with Wattle Creek’s 1998/1999 Alexander Valley Sauvignon Blanc.
The sit-down dinner starts with saffron risotto cakes with fontina and asiago cheeses and fresh tomato concasse paired with the 1998/1999 Alexander Valley Chardonnay. Next, duck breast and artichoke hearts drizzled with balsamic syrup will be served with yellow and red potatoes and paired with the 1997/1998 Alexander Valley Shiraz. To match the 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon, a sliced New York strip salad topped with mild bleu cheese dressing is planned. Rounding out the meal will be chocolate cr & #269;me br & #369;l & #233;e served with a vintage Wattle Creek late-bottled Port.
Wattle Creek was founded in 1994 by Australian natives Christopher and Kristine Williams.
They found the climate of their original 56-acre property, just south of Cloverdale in Sonoma County, strikingly similar to the warm Barossa Valley in southern Australia, where many renowned wineries are located. They hired Phil Freese, a highly regarded winery consultant with worldwide experience, to oversee the development of the specialty wines.
Managing crop yield to encourage intense fruit flavors, rather than the more herbaceous ones found in higher yielding vineyards, has been an extremely important component of the Wattle Creek winemaking program. The owners named the winery after Australia’s wattle tree, a member of the Acacia family with distinctive yellow blossoms. Images of these blossoms are featured on Wattle Creek’s labels.
Fleming’s: 455 Newport Center Drive. The dinner begins with a reception at 6:30 p.m. Price is $80. Reservations are highly recommended. Call (949) 720-9633 to ensure your seat at the table.
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Take relief from the hot summer temperatures with Savannah Chop House’s “Grillin’ and Chillin’ on the Patio” in Laguna Niguel. For this sunset supper, there’s a special patio menu Sunday through Thursday evenings featuring barbecue specialties from the outdoor patio grill.
I suggest you take a seat around the firepit and enjoy a spicy chicken Andouille sausage sandwich, a barbecued Angus Cheddar baconburger or some grilled prosciutto-wrapped shrimp with papaya salsa.
The complete dinner menu is also available for those who want to order their menu favorites while dining al fresco. For libations, the handshaken watermelon and lemonade martinis hark of summer, as do some specially featured warm weather wines by the glass.
The new summertime menu features chef Chris Reischl’s Pacific Rim dishes based on Asian-fusion techniques and classic American steaks and seafood. I give high marks to the quality of his food and this place, with its country lodge atmosphere, is so downright inviting.
Savannah Chop House: 32441 Golden Lantern, Laguna Niguel, phone (949) 493-7107.
