Welcome to the third Fifi’s Best special report of the year.
We’ve gathered Business Journal restaurant columnist Fifi Chao’s major reviews of the past 12 months. You’ll see Fifi has ventured from Stanton to San Clemente, Newport Beach to Anaheim, to dig up and report on some of Orange County’s top eateries.
Inside this report you’ll find eateries specializing in the cuisine of Italy, Thailand, China, Belgium, the U.S. and numerous other countries.
The reviews have been edited for space and appear in order of when they first were published in the Business Journal. If you’d like to read the full reviews, please contact the Business Journal’s circulation department,the original publication date is given with each restaurant entry.
Enjoy!
THE CLUBHOUSE
South Coast Plaza
Address: 3333 Bristol St.,
Costa Mesa
Phone: (714) 708-2582
Published Oct. 25, 2004
I’ve been watching closely to what’s happening at The Clubhouse in South Coast Plaza since it was taken over by a new group in 2001.
The restaurant’s partnership has tapped into the hometown restaurant feeling that I love. The same combination of chic casualness downstairs and gorgeous sink-in looks and comfort upstairs prevails. Originally from New Jersey, managing partner Jim Hall brings a heavy-duty
restaurant resume to this establishment.
Martinis? Try 70 kinds here, including one of my favorites, the Citadel. The menu is based on traditional American favorites tinged with Jim’s own California flair.
Who can argue with a list that takes us through several kinds of fresh fish, a separate category of steaks, chops and ribs, some signature dishes indigenous to this kitchen, even sandwiches and a big variety of salads that are available at lunch and dinner?
There are about 100 selections of wine, with 30 served by the glass. It’s a nicely honed list, with mostly American selections and a few French and Italian wines.
There’s a great variety of appetizers. Pan-seared lump crab cakes come crispy and golden with roasted corn and jalape & #324;o sauce. Calamari with sweet chile ginger glaze is a fine flavor profile with either my first glass of wine or a martini.
Entrees include the meat loaf with mashed potatoes, wild mushroom bordelaise and succotash of vegetables,very popular. The potpie is a large baked casserole dish in which lots of flavorful chicken and vegetables huddle beneath a mashed potato and parmesan cheese crust.
Pasta dishes are offered, of course. The Clubhouse’s signature orange-basil salmon is a new treat for the palate. I was happy with the hoisin marinated ahi tuna, cooked rare. Shrimp scampi and lobster risotto are stand up shellfish dishes.
As for meats, I’ve had the Cajun spiced rib eye steak twice and will do that again. Ditto the bourbon-glazed double cut pork chop that is slow roasted and a tribute to how good pork can be. Several kinds of steaks also are in the running.
Homemade desserts are big and bold and worth every calorie.
JAMILLAH GARDEN
PEKING CUISINE
Address: 2512 Walnut Ave.,
Tustin
Phone: (714) 838-3522
Published Nov. 1, 2004
Lamb lovers, do you pine for something more than lamb chops, rack of lamb or lamb osso buco? Would you like to try a restaurant where there are at least a dozen amazing lamb dishes, not to mention 151 other dishes that probably will rock your palate?
I’m recommending that lamb lovers visit Jamillah Garden in Tustin.
It’s a no-nonsense restaurant decor-wise. There are half a dozen booths and a room full of tables for parties of all sizes. It’s pleasant enough, but the food is the temple of this empire.
The kitchen excels in Peking-style cuisine, including lamb specialties. In Jamillah’s Peking cuisine, the sauces are sleek supporting elements to things such as fresh shrimp, savory meats and al dente vegetables.
Lamb stew, slightly reminiscent of the Irish favorite, is rich and long-simmered, sent to the table in its own earthenware casserole. There’s no better lamb dish in Orange County than Jamillah’s sliced lamb stir-fried with scallions.
If you like the smack of spiciness, seared Hunan lamb is a great dish. Lamb with the house specialty sauce called sa cha is an engaging dish that we sometimes take home for lunch the next day.
Now aside from all that lamb, you’ll find four crunchy shrimp make up an appetizer order and the same number of really good egg rolls occupies another plate.
Jamillah only serves eight dim sum items, but they make good appetizers. Northern China-style dumplings are steamed with a savory meatball inside and also envelop the requisite juice released from the meat while cooking.
Lots of us love the little meat turnovers called potstickers; this kitchen gives us plump, satisfying ones. The sesame bread spiked with green onion is as serious to the Chinese as the baguette is to the French.
Most meats come in the beloved orange peel, cashew nut, mushroom, green vegetable, moo shu and kung pao styles. Vegetarians will find 17 items given the same respect as any other dish.
Jamillah Garden is named after owner Jamillah Mah. She or her nephew, Ali Shi, almost always are on hand to greet customers.
VILLAGE MEDITERRANEAN RIM
Address: 123 Ave del Mar,
San Clemente
Phone: (949) 361-8970
Published Nov. 8, 2004
The sweet and soulful Village Mediterranean Rim in San Clemente is one of my great restaurant pleasures this year.
Chef Nour Tilla is a trained architect and interior designer who has created a successful chain of five restaurants in Los Angeles. For a few years, he had a San Francisco eatery popular with the city’s chefs after their own restaurants closed for the night.
The Mediterranean hat can take us to many countries, with Nour corralling about two dozen dishes built on meats, seafood and even a few Italian regional loves.
Every dish puts a unique twist on the normal. In one salad, roasted beets are tossed with pieces of watermelon, tomato and organic greens, then topped with a generous scoop of fresh ricotta cheese.
If you have a thing for Italian food, try the spicy lamb pizza that takes a crispy crusted pie and adds roasted eggplant to the profile. Fettuccine caliente has organic chicken breast saut & #233;ed with mixed peppers, corn, caramelized onion and poblano chile in a creamy, spicy tomato-based sauce over flat strands of pasta.
The mildly spiced and gently flavored Moroccan chicken curry is brilliantly distinctive. Nour saut & #233;s an organic chicken breast and then adds his own restrained blend of genteel spices in a sauce that forms a moat around a mound of couscous.
Vegetarians will appreciate the moussaka. It features layers of roasted eggplant slices, wild mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes and parmesan cheese served over a roasted tomato sauce.
Pork tenderloin comes with a grape-molasses sauce. In the pork, beef and lamb dishes, the meat is tender and juicy.
It’s fun to have the grilled lamb burger that’s slightly spicy. And salmon is marinated then roasted with cilantro and saffron-chardonnay sauce, resulting in perfect texture and certainly fine taste.
Nour’s seafood risotto with fish, shrimp and a distinct hit of fresh lemon is fantastic. Simple dishes such as a New York steak and roasted chicken, ravioli of the day and fresh yellowtail are offered.
Couscous, freshly made mashed potatoes and fresh vegetables accompany entrees.
Pastries also come from this kitchen,fresh daily and impressive on their own.
PANERA BAKERY-CAFE
Locations: Crossroads Center, Irvine, (949) 786-8800; The Village at Orange, Orange, (714) 685-0505; Bluffs Shopping Center, Newport Beach, (949) 721-8800
Published Dec. 6, 2004
The opening of Irvine’s Panera Bakery-Cafe in Crossroads Center marked the third Panera that Ted and Sheri Hoover have opened in OC.
We’ve been avid fans of Panera’s quality breads, pastries and menu items since the outset. Feedback from those I’ve sent has been positive.
The aroma and sight of freshly baked breads and pastries is Panera’s welcoming note. The bakery operates nearly all the time. Eleven artisan breads, six house specialty breads and four with low carbohydrates are baked.
Artisan breads include Italian focaccia with olive oil and asiago cheese, and ciabatta, the chewy country bread of Italy. Some breads have grains and seeds, sourdough (plain or flecked with tomato, basil and walnut streusel topping that’s one of my favorites), country loaves, stone-milled rye, French baguettes and croissants.
Two others keep coming home with me: moist cinnamon raisin that is perfect for breakfast toast and raisin pecan bread that adds finesse to my sandwiches.
Five homemade soups keep you warm in cool weather. Soup comes in a bowl or in a hollowed out loaf of sourdough. I’d suggest you settle in and order the latter and eat your saturated “bowl” along with your soup.
Salads feature mixed greens and can include steak filet strips, Asian-style sesame chicken, various cheeses including fresh mozzarella and even nuts.
Four classically grilled paninis are: turkey, bacon, smoked cheddar with sun-dried tomato; smoked and pulled white chicken meat, mozzarella, tomatoes, basil and seasoned mayonnaise; turkey, spinach and artichoke spread, two cheeses and caramelized onions; and roasted Portobello mushroom with fresh mozzarella, caramelized onions and fresh basil.
The pastries are a dream. Eight of us finished one meal by ordering a whole brownie “cake,” which was as moist, chocolaty and nostalgic as any brownie.
I’m addicted to the cherry strudel pastry that is as delicate and finely flavored as those I’ve demolished in Austria. The mini bundt cakes (my favorite is carrot-walnut), muffins, cookies, scones and Danish-style pastries also deliver lots of flavor.
Panera also serves as a coffeehouse. Hot chocolate, tea and chai tea lattes join espresso.
TABU GRILL
Address: 2892 S. Coast Highway,
Laguna Beach
Phone: (949) 494-7743
Published Dec. 13, 2004
Tabu Grill in Laguna Beach is an intimate place with island charm. Tropical and clever with distinct cosmopolitan undertones, the restaurant recalls Tahiti, Fiji or Bali.
The tables flickering with candlelight are cuddled pretty close together. That’s not a distraction but rather a coziness to be savored. Hand daubed walls are in peaceful sagey green tones. A trio of oversize, elaborately framed mirrors on one wall adds more sense of space while Gauguin-style artwork adds dash.
Tabu was the dream of Nancy Wilhelm, who has been guiding successful restaurants for years in OC. The chef, Jeff Platt, creates from a base of California cuisine.
Creative starters could provide a multi-course meal on their own. One of the charms of scallops is that they caramelize when grilled over high heat. That flavor mingles here with a tangerine sauce as tender as the shellfish. Some baby greens peek from beneath.
Foie gras struts its stuff atop miniature dried cherry and pecan pancakes. Grilled quail is turning up on more menus, with Tabu’s version adding a bit of salty Serrano ham that gives a sense of exotica.
Romaine is slightly grilled for the Caesar salad that has a spicy thyme flavor. There’s always a soup of the day,we had a lightly curried winter squash that was rich and creamy and sensible for the season.
Entrees feature fresh seafood and meats. New Zealand king salmon comes with fresh crab, cucumber and sweet and sour persimmon sauce.
Prime flat iron steak with bleu cheese macaroni is encircled by cabernet sauce. Roasted duck breast comes from a specialty farm and is served with caramelized figs and duck confit.
Tabu’s wine list is eclectic, even if it comes in at just one page and 60 labels. I was delighted to find South Africa’s Glen Carlou chardonnay. We had glasses of the sleek Bien Nacido Vineyards Vine Cliff chardonnay with our king salmon.
There are four desserts on the winter menu, including a bread pudding that features apple brandy and has lovely crunches of macadamia nuts. The chocolate bait is a deliciously decadent chocolate “bar” fluffed over with brandied whipped cream.
FIRST CABIN
Balboa Bay Club & Resort
Address: 1221 W. Coast Highway,
Newport Beach
Phone: (949) 645-5000
Published Jan. 10
I’ve really come to admire the food of First Cabin chef Josef Lageder for several reasons: Quality and the thrill of his artful presentations are among the chief ones.
Chef Lageder’s mission is to dazzle us with elegant simplicity based on using a basic fine ingredient for each dish.
First Cabin has been open to the public only since the Balboa Bay Club & Resort debuted a few years ago. Chef Lageder’s food has racked up some prestigious awards since opening. A big honor was the International Star Diamond Award shared by some of the world’s most famous chefs.
You can dine well but as lightly as you desire. There are ample appetizers, delicious salads and soups to make a meal, even without going to the larger entree salads and such.
Maine lobster bisque is as perfectly rich and smooth as it should be, and has medallions of lobster as accents. In another soup, leeks release their perfume in a broth that carries just a hint of white truffle oil.
Oysters on the half shell, shrimp cocktail and a seafood “martini” are offered in the appetizer section.
Lunch sandwiches should start with the Maine lobster stacked on grilled brioche bread with some butter lettuce and tropical fruit for punch. The grilled challah bread enveloping seared tuna also is a fine combo. Ruby red trout is gingerly saut & #233;ed and glazed with lemon-parsley butter at lunch; for dinner it’s pan-fried and classically stuffed with crab.
Mahi mahi, salmon filet, tenderloin tips with wild mushroom ragout, pork loin wiener schnitzel (crispy and wonderful) and filet mignon are on lunch and dinner menus.
Offered in the evening: rack of lamb, additional steaks, veal scaloppini with lobster medallions and not-to-miss roasted duck with Asian five-spice in the background and fresh kumquat chutney in the foreground. One of my favorite indulgences is sweetbreads; chef Lageder serves them simply crisped and sided with seared sea scallops. Note that this is the place to have a two-pound Maine lobster, steamed or grilled.
Desserts include warm apricot and almond crisp with praline ice cream and honey-balsamic syrup.
PAVILION
Four Seasons Hotel
Address: 690 Newport Center Drive,
Newport Beach
Phone: (949) 760-4920
Published Jan. 17
Pavilion at Newport Beach’s Four Seasons Hotel has earned a reputation as a grande dame for fine dining.
Although it’s taken on a higher degree of friendliness and a softening appearance through the years, it hasn’t caved in to the too-casual, pseudo shabby chic that has permeated America’s dining atmosphere.
There’s a very refined beauty about Pavilion. Count this as an oasis where a pretty dress for ladies and a jacket for gentlemen is quite at home. Still, decent casual attire also is appropriate.
This is one of the great places to begin a day, since Pavilion serves three meals as the hotel’s primary restaurant. The beautiful surroundings are perfect for some mixed fresh berries, accoutrements such as Devonshire cream, fresh fruit compote and pure Vermont maple syrup for your oatmeal br & #369;l & #233;e, homemade granola, waffles and such.
Some highlights from breakfast, lunch and dinner:
Fresh breakfast pastries, croissants in many guises and an impressive array of traditional breakfast dishes entice us to truly enjoy the early meal. A traditional Japanese breakfast including soup, seafood, rice, vegetables and egg is very popular.
Sandwiches are popular lunch fare. Try the healthy grilled panini sandwich of garden vegetables, mozzarella and Tuscan basil spread on seven grain bread. Chicken breast with caramelized onions, guacamole and pepper jack cheese also makes a tasty combo filling for another well-liked sandwich.
At dinner, don’t think of missing the spiced corn chowder with smoked shrimp, an award-winning soup. I recently had the confit of Muscovy duck (with a portion of foie gras and thyme jus) and a dinner before that the pepper-crusted rack of Colorado lamb.
The dessert menu includes 27 after-dinner wines, ports, cognacs and armagnacs. Share if you must, but order under any circumstances the strawberry and rhubarb cobbler with cream cheese ice cream, the crisp chocolate fondant with poached pears and champagne ganache or the warm caramelized apple financier with rosemary ice cream.
Pavilion’s wine list is a multi-page affair that features varietals from the world’s acclaimed wine regions.
TEN ASIAN BISTRO & SUSHI
Address:
4647 MacArthur Blvd.,
Newport Beach
Phone:
(949) 660-1010
and
CAFFE PANINI
Address:
4647 MacArthur Blvd.,
Newport Beach
Phone:
(949) 660-1019
Published Jan. 31
There are two restaurants worth checking out at a location that used to house a Coco’s on MacArthur in Newport Beach: Caffe Panini and Ten Asian Bistro & Sushi, both owned by the same corporate partners.
We’ve not yet tried the food at Caffe Panini, though we know something about it since there’s the original Panini on Pacific Coast Highway in Corona del Mar.
We have dined at Ten Asian Bistro, an amazing Zen-sensitive space that exudes peace and beauty with food encompassing the cuisines of China, Korea and Thailand on the minimal side and lots of sushi/sashimi/house dishes on the laden side.
My first reaction was that the architects of Ten Asian Bistro had visited Tao in Manhattan and Koi in Los Angeles, both gorgeous spaces whose Zen demeanor is built around strong Asian and Buddha themes.
The menu’s appetizer section is headed by lobster pancakes with coconut curry sauce, edamame, miso soup, lettuce wraps and such. The dim sum section touts shrimp and pea shoot dumplings, scallop sieu mai, filet mignon won tons and lobster spring rolls among the choices.
The sea category features soy glazed salmon (akin to a teriyaki style preparation), crispy honey shrimp (they serve jumbo prawns for all their shrimp dishes), scallops, toro tuna, sea bass and catfish.
Five Asian-influenced versions of steak and lamb make up the meat category, along with the two kinds of chicken and crispy duck, the latter fowl all of Chinese persuasion and of the least interest to me.
It’s the sushi/sashimi and the land and sea entrees that fascinate me. The left side of the menu is completely the realm of the sushi chefs. Many of the items can be ordered hand rolled or cut, or in lieu of sushi can be ordered as the sashimi alone. All of the items are assiduously prepared and presented with loads of eye appeal.
Then there are Ten Asian Bistro signature rolls. We ordered the Alaskan crab California roll (eight pieces) that had chunks of the fresh crab inside. The volcano roll is popular, rightly so. It consists of halibut surrounding baked scallops, topped with an aioli sauce.
At Caffe Panini, breakfast includes lots of scrambles: eggs with veggies, meats, cheeses. Ditto for omelets. One of the delights is the array of freshly baked Danish-style pastries, cinnamon rolls and muffins. For lunch, there are a number of Mediterranean-influenced appetizers and 10 salads. In staying with the name and theme, there are 27 panini (grilled) sandwiches that come with selected side orders.
BRUSSELS BISTRO
Address: 222 Forest Ave.,
Laguna Beach
Phone: (949) 376-7955
Published Feb. 7
It’s not always the fanciest places that make for pleasant dining.
Belgium always has been a star of the European dining scene, but Belgian restaurants are few and far between here. There’s a restaurant in downtown Laguna Beach that’s looking to change that in OC,Brussels Bistro.
The owner/waiter/bon vivant at the front of the house is Alain Pauwels, who came here last year directly from Brussels. The chef/partner is Thomas Crijns, who has worked with high-end chefs in Belgium.
This truly is a casual space reminiscent of a favorite local pub or restaurant you’d find in Europe.
Since the Belgians make some of the world’s best beers, I don’t go to Brussels Bistro to drink wine. The bistro serves 17 of Belgium’s most renowned beers by the bottle and several good beers by the glass.
Belgian fare must start with the fries,crispy, twice-cooked marvels that bear no resemblance to the American version. French fries here can be ordered as an appetizer and come with some of the dishes, including a 10-ounce burger that’s topped with caramelized endive, tomato and lettuce.
Some of the foods take patience to prepare. The creamed chicken entree,a plateful that comes topped with a round of cloud-like puff pastry,is a two-day affair. In this classic vol au vent dish, the poultry is first cooked in liquid, infusing flavor and rendering the chicken tender and easy to shred. It’s then combined with a wonderful cream sauce with some wild mushrooms added along with an accent of flat-leaf parsley.
Tartare of beef can be ordered as an entree, served with the crunchy fries or piled atop toast with a salad on the side. There always is a fresh fish of the day. As an entree, the steamed mussels are offered with a curry essence perfuming them, in a classic white wine sauce or in a garlic broth.
Belgians love their desserts. When lighter is better, go for the bistro’s classic, airy chocolate mousse. Sauce made from fine chocolate can be a coating for a scoop of ice cream. I highly recommend the warm apple tart that is surrounded by cr & #269;me anglaise and given added decadence with a scoop of ice cream. There’s a signature chocolate cake with a molten chocolate center,made with Callebaut chocolate.
GORO
Address: 3831 Alton Parkway,
Irvine
Phone: (949) 252-1872
Published Feb. 14
Goro is a Japanese restaurant in an Irvine mall. It’s not glamorous, but is very friendly.
We really appreciate the warmth and friendliness that the owner and his staff impart from arrival to the last good-bye.
There are only a few tables in one end of the dining room and a substantial sushi bar at the back. The focus is definitely on the food.
The menu has one page of combo dishes from which to choose your trio of beef, tempura items, chicken, salad and such that are common to most Japanese restaurants. Prices are $9.50 to $12.25. All come with a delicious miso soup and rice.
A separate sushi list and some additional sushi rolls on the menu cover just about anything. If there’s something you like that isn’t on the menu, request it and the sushi chefs will accommodate.
On a recent visit, the daily specials included baked halibut cheeks,the meaty portion on the side of the head, considered the sweetest part of any fish.
Clams baked in a redolent sauce also were featured. Other temptations on various visits were a calamari salad and Japanese hot pot.
A few kinds of hot and cold noodle bowls, with your choice of either udon (wheat flour noodles) or soba (buckwheat noodles, my favorite), satisfy those of us who find real comfort in such deep-dish fare. These pasta ribbons draw personality from the broth that surrounds them and what tops them.
Tempura shrimp, vegetable fritters and various seasonings like curry finalize the dish. For those who love fried noodle dishes such as chow mein, the yaki udon stir-fried noodles should be ordered.
Rice bowls are popular with Asians, but Americans often miss the satisfying simplicity of these one-dish meals. Atop my rice, I like the stir-fried chicken-onion-egg combo and the pork cutlet with eggs and onions.
A full filet of eel, broiled and swathed in a sweet soy coating is a great treat on top of the hot rice.
STRICKLAND’S
Address: 4523 Campus Drive,
Irvine
Phone: (949) 387-9955
Published March 21
Strickland’s proves with its Irvine opening that not all ice cream is created equal.
The ice cream seller is part of a small franchise chain out of Akron, Ohio, and they’ve got a rich and silky product for us. It reminds me of the hand-cranked, ultra-premium ice creams of my childhood that were made for ice cream socials.
I love the way this ice cream coats your mouth with a smooth layer of taste with no graininess or overdose of sugar.
Strickland’s Frozen Custard, as the company officially is known, has 17 locations. The Irvine store is its first in California. The chain was founded as a small roadside stand in 1936 by Bill and Florence Strickland, who developed the recipe.
The recipe used to call for eggs and was made in the very rich European custard fashion,literally cooking a custard mixture and then freezing it. The eggs have been removed and the recipe refined to provide that same mouth-coating texture.
Strickland’s recipe still is a secret, provided only to each location, which then adds fresh flavors. The local owners are Donna and Randy Nettles.
Six or so flavors are made daily. There are staples such as pure vanilla, chocolate and mocha, with other flavors filling out the daily menu.
Some of the rotating ice cream flavors are butter rum, banana walnut, mango, butterfinger, mint chocolate chip, black raspberry (yummy), mocha chunk, pi & #324;a colada, peach, strawberry, black cherry, coconut and pistachio.
The first time you visit, pick up a monthly calendar, which lists the upcoming daily flavors. Strickland’s also serves sundaes and frozen drinks like milk shakes, floats, slushies and sodas.
Check out Milkshake Mondays, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., when Strickland’s cuts its milkshake prices in half.
TAL & #201;O MEXICAN GRILL
Address: 3309 Michelson Drive,
Irvine
Phone: (949) 553-9002
Published April 4
Tal & #233;o Mexican Grill has given local Mexican cuisine a swift kick in the pants.
Our culinary friends are loving this attractive place and its upscale Mexican cuisine served in a room decorated in a modish kind of elegance.
The founder and operations manager of the restaurant is Nic Villareal. He’s a local restaurant veteran, though never before an owner. Villareal picked Jose Acevedo, a chef from Mexico City, to head the kitchen.
Tal & #233;o makes everything fresh. The wonderfully crispy chips are made to order for each table. The guacamole also is freshly mixed when ordered. Rice is cooked throughout the day at short intervals. The fresh fish is filleted in-house. Spices are freshly ground.
You get the idea.
Tal & #233;o’s menu features a soup that changes every day. Tortilla, albondigas, creamed squash, lentil, black bean, seafood medley, roasted corn and arroz con pollo (chicken-rice soup with vegetables) are on the list.
Appetizers such as the queso fundido starts you out right. It’s a mix of melted cheeses with the punchy flavors of mushrooms, roasted poblano chiles and bits of chorizo mingled in.
There are entrees typically found in the U.S. such as carne asada, carnitas and enchiladas here. But believe me, they bear no resemblance to the generic forms in other Mexican restaurants.
The carnitas are a good example. This is a recipe from Jose’s mom. This is a labor-intensive preparation that finds the meat in a large chunk for you to shred on your plate, a piece of prime pork that has been slowly simmered in his blend of chiles and spices giving way to a tender juiciness robed in a caramelized coating.
Don’t overlook dessert. There’s the tres leches marvel,white cake soaked in milk, condensed milk and cream.
And the flan is unique. In order to make this dessert stable for several days, other restaurants over-bake it and the result is something similar to flan, but far too solid. Go south of the border,or to Tal & #233;o,and it’s a luxuriously creamy affair.
BRISTOL PALMS
CALIFORNIA BISTRO
Hilton Costa Mesa
Address: 3050 Bristol St.,
Costa Mesa
Phone: (714) 540-7000
Published April 11
I was fortunate to be introduced to the Bristol Palms California Bistro & Bar at the Hilton Costa Mesa hotel a couple of years ago.
Executive chef Jan Pfeiffer and his talented sous chef, Danh Kom, have kept their edge in the past few years with seasonally paced menus.
Jan and Danh give international dishes a gentle jolt. The restaurant calls its food California Rim cuisine, but it’s actually a sensible fusion of nuances that are plucked from the various cultures Jan is familiar with. He’s European-born, well traveled, speaks four languages and has been a chef in other countries.
Thin-crust pizza is made in a European-style, wood-fired stone pizza oven. Also a hit from the oven is the Reuben sandwich,pastrami, sauerkraut and cheeses tucked into flatbread and baked.
Some dishes are served at both lunch and dinner. At any time you can savor the appetizer called smoked salmon summer rolls in which Norwegian smoked salmon is wrapped in a transparent rice paper wrap, along with daikon sprouts, shredded jicama, carrots and lettuce.
Grilled teriyaki-marinated Asian short ribs also appear midday and evening as do steamed clams in a lovely tomato-garlic bisque with herbed flatbread from the stone oven for dipping.
Tops on the salad list is the ahi taco salad, which begins with a crispy tortilla basket that comes filled with greens, seared ahi, tomatoes and avocado along with a lime-salsa vinaigrette.
Salmon includes a medley of Maui onions and cucumbers beneath the fish, daikon sprouts adding their snappy taste as well and crispy wonton chips tucked just so alongside. There’s also Chilean sea bass that is pan-roasted and served atop a warm gingered avocado and vine-ripened tomato salad.
For Italian-influenced dishes, there is a delicious gnocchi dish. They are light as a cloud, adrift in an Alfredo sauce with Parmigiano-Reggiano and pancetta and baked in the stone oven.
Desserts are a must. The pastry tray features essences of chocolate, vanilla, lemon and exotic fruits adding their enchanting fragrance to cakes, tarts, ice creams and special creations.
THAI KITCHEN
Address: 4250 Barranca Parkway,
Irvine
Phone: (949) 857-1788
Published April 18
It’s so refreshing to see a family-owned, single location restaurant thrive for many years, especially one as attractive and serious with its food as Thai Kitchen.
We first discovered it in 1993 and immediately were taken with the pleasing architecture and decor.
As for the food, it’s as good as we’ve found outside Thailand,and it’s so reasonably priced.
The hostess/owner Lan Lan and her staff are ever charming and provide such considerate service.
Most of us really enjoy the peanut sauces that go with the satay appetizer. Also consider the angel wings appetizer sufficient for a whole meal, or good for sharing with up to half a dozen as an appetizer. Each wing is cut into three big pieces, which you can dip into the barely sweet sauce that mingles with chopped peanuts.
Mee krob comes with shrimp and chicken as part of the dish or as a vegetarian version. This is the beloved Thai appetizer that is comprised of crispy rice noodles, shellfish, chicken and green onion glazed over with a petty magical tamarind sauce.
At Thai Kitchen, you will find many of the regional nuances in the sophisticated entrees. A fine dish called Ruby Siam finds chicken saut & #233;ed with cashews, roasted chiles and mixed vegetables in a signature house sauce.
Try the terrific combination of chicken and shrimp in the Lovers Honeymoon dish. It’s the Thai version of sweet and sour, but this one is studded with the sweetness of pineapple. Gingered pork is another winner with it’s co-mingling of mushrooms, bell pepper and snow peas.
Curries come in green, yellow and red hues. Each has its own level of zestiness, explained by your waitress.
Phad Thai is probably the most recognizable of names in Thai cuisine. Take tender noodles and mix them with shrimp, sliced chicken, egg, chunks of tofu, chopped green onion and ground peanuts and stir-fry them with a dash of house-made sauce.
Thais make the most extraordinary coconut ice cream, with the added surprise of corn kernels in it.
SOMA CAF & #201;
Address: 21123 Newport Coast Drive,
Newport Coast
Phone: (949) 706-6440
Published May 30
A popular cafe concept from Phoenix has moved to OC.
Soma Caf & #233; opened in May at Newport Coast Shopping Center. Chef/partner James McDevitt honors his Japanese-American heritage in exciting Asian fusion cuisine at his Hapa restaurant in Scottsdale, Ariz., which Gourmet magazine has tagged as one of the best in America.
Now he’s joined forces with some of the country’s leading physicians, nutritionists, athletes, coaches and trainers to create a healthy, delicious menu for Soma.
While I’ve not yet eaten at Soma, I have early reports that the food is really tasty. That bodes well for all of us, since we should all be paying more attention to what and how we eat.
Breakfast dishes include homemade granola with fresh fruit, a breakfast scramble with 99% fat free turkey-apple sausage, multigrain pancakes, an egg and cheese breakfast wrap and whole wheat cinnamon French toast, among other offerings.
Lunch and dinner menus feature salads, flat bread sandwiches, burgers and more.
Soma has a good variety of salads, all of which have homemade dressing. A few of the choices are a Thai chicken salad, seared ahi tuna over Belgian endive and baby Yukon potatoes and an edamame-laced pasta salad with chicken.
Soma bakes its fries that come with sandwiches. Those sandwiches include fillings of grilled salmon, grilled vegetables with non-fat mozzarella cheese and a 99% fat-free turkey burger.
Soma also has specialty dishes such as lettuce wraps (grilled chicken, sliced roasted almonds, carrots and bean sprouts, wrapped in lettuce), pan-seared turkey (seared tenderloin over baby Yukon potatoes and bok choy), Thai-spiced New York strip steak, grilled seasonal fish, coconut chicken with udon noodles and sake-glazed chicken.
PARK AVE
Address: 11200 Beach Blvd.,
Stanton
Phone: (714) 901-4400
Published June 6
Sally Ver Vynck has opened a new restaurant where it’s very needed,in Stanton.
I imagine Stantonites are feeling a certain euphoria in finding all American cuisine served with some interesting twists in the underserved city.
Park Ave sits in a building that used to house a local, casual restaurant for many years and had been sitting empty for the past four. In a complete redo of the interiors, a sparkling, stainless kitchen was installed. Booths in modern, sophisticated colors and tables with lovely metallic tops now set the stage.
Overhead, trendy metal fans with elliptical and round blades and modern glass-shaded light fixtures hang in all the right places.
Park Ave serves creative renditions of classic American food: lunch, dinner and weekend a la carte brunch. It’s closed on Mondays.
Appetizers are called “Before Plates.” The Californian flatbread is a nice combination of textures and tastes. It’s a large oval of crispy flat dough whose top is strewn with blue cheese, bits of figs and caramelized red onions.
There’s another cool appetizer that takes its guidance from New Orleans beignets. These are corn fritters, slightly sweet with fresh corn kernels inside the dough.
The hamburger has a Wellington element with the requisite mushrooms from the old classic wrapped beef specialty tucked in between layers of ground meat. It’s served open-face on grilled sourdough with French onion gravy.
At lunch, a stew is slowly braised and served on egg noodles, Belgian-style. There’s also a fricassee of chicken, baked whitefish, Florentine-style (potato stuffing and atop creamy spinach).
At dinner, pork chops are stuffed with fresh apple and glazed with maple syrup. Fresh wild salmon is poached. A hangar steak is crusted in zesty horseradish. Scampi are grilled. A lamb steak comes with flavors of basil and sweet onion cuddling close and medallions of filet mignon are wrapped in peppered bacon.
There are seven desserts made daily in the kitchen, including homemade ice creams and shakes, malts and floats.
Park Ave may not be a destination restaurant, but if you happen to be in the area, it’s a friendly and attractive place that’s giving OC another needed chance for quality and interesting dining.
ANAHEIM WHITE HOUSE
Address: 887 S. Anaheim Blvd.,
Anaheim
Phone: (714) 772-1381
Published on June 13
Some call Anaheim White House the Spago of OC. Owner Bruno Serato has become an icon of fine dining here.
This is not an Italian eatery predicated upon garlic and tomatoes. Instead, it’s in tune with what’s happening at refined restaurants in Italy.
The service is amazingly professional and friendly and the family involvement is serious.
Bruno’s nephew, Sylvano Ibay, is the general manager and Sylvano’s father, Fred, is the day manager. Chef Eddie Meza has been overseeing this kitchen for 18 years and is of one mind with Bruno.
For a midday appetizer, it’s hard to top fresh lobster ravioli on a ginger-citrus sauce with crispy leeks. Saut & #233;ed jumbo Atlantic scallops in puff pastry served with a light tomato sauce are beautiful to look at and taste.
Lunch entrees take us through pastas with the creamiest of carbonara sauces, divine homemade gnocchi in an accommodating gorgonzola sauce and meat and seafood sauces that represent regional Italy. Poultry entrees join steaks and veal. There’s even a signature braised Sonoma rabbit dish with tiny orzo pasta.
Consider starting dinner with some homemade seafood ravioli swimming in a little pond of fresh seafood consomme or the seafood carpaccio trio of thinly sliced Ahi tuna, halibut and Norwegian salmon.
I’m a calamari fan,here it’s a steak-like version doting on a shallot-caper sauce and a bit of Tuscan olive oil and chive pesto that permeates the angel hair pasta. Still in the pasta category, artichoke, tomato, fresh asparagus and roasted garlic are the hand-holding seasonings in a totally vegetarian version.
Rack of lamb, steaks with Italian-accented sauces and tender roasted veal rack are part of the meat choices. Several varieties of fresh seafood await: Alaskan halibut, wild salmon, Hawaiian rare tuna, sand dabs, prawns, calamari and lobster.
The pastry cart is laden with cakes, tarts, petit fours and specialty desserts.
To go with all this cosmopolitan food, sommelier Franco Pafundo has put together a wine list that represents well the wines of Italy, France and the U.S.
AGORA CHURRASCARIA
Address: 1830 Main St.,
Irvine
Phone: (949) 222-9910
Published June 27
A Brazilian steakhouse, Agora Churrascaria, has popped onto our dining scene in Irvine.
The restaurant comes by way of Choon Cho and Dan Kim, owners of a fashion company in South Korea. The owners spent many years in Brazil, where the Kim family owned restaurants in S & #259;o Paulo. It was these experiences that inspired Cho and Kim to bring Brazilian churrascaria (barbecue) cooking to Southern California. Kim’s son, Scott Im, handles a key management position at Agora Churrascaria.
Churrascaria food incorporates the cooking of various meats, including chicken, pork, lamb, sausages and many cuts of beef over an open fire. But, before we get to the meat, poultry or seafood courses, there are salad and vegetable bars and a hot food bar to visit.
On the cold food bar, you will find gravlax, shrimp cocktail, salad greens, roasted beets, eggplant salad, artichokes, hearts of palm, asparagus, pickled shiitake mushrooms, endive, potato salad, sliced tomatoes, steamed broccoli, marinated yellow and red bell peppers, seasoned cucumbers, pickled onions and a selection of cold cuts and fine cheeses, among other choices.
The hot food bar features a not-to-miss black bean and meat stew called feijoada, the national dish of Brazil. Other items parading along the pathway of food include clams with olive oil and white wine, chicken stroganoff, garlic rice, white fish, saut & #233;ed collard greens and a daily soup.
Now it’s time for the entrees. Here comes your gaucho, uniformed just as a true gaucho on the pampas would be, to carve your selected meats and/or poultry from their impaled state on skewers. They also serve the Brazilian cheese bread, mashed potatoes and fried bananas at the table.
The wine list is 50 labels strong,the major part being California wines, a few from South America and some French champagne for Gallic flavor.
SALT CREEK GRILLE
Address: 32802 Pacific Coast Highway,
Dana Point
Phone: (949) 661-7799
Published July 18
A year ago, owners Tim McCune and Pete Truxaw decided that Salt Creek’s beloved menu of American classics, centered on mesquite grill cooking, needed a little freshening.
The search to find the right chef began. Scott Floyd, a 27-year veteran of the restaurant industry, nabbed the job.
The biggest change at Salt Creek is in doing complete, all-scratch cooking, elevating the quality of food and creating a back of the house environment.
The tuna stack has quickly turned into one of the best selling appetizers. It’s a tall and impressive tower with several strips of sushi-grade tuna criss-crossed atop avocado and cucumbers with a distinctly Asian dash of dressing and the surprise of fine shreds of fresh ginger, crisply fried, on top.
Baby back ribs slowly roasted then mesquite grilled fall off the bone. The ribs are laced with the chef’s terrific homemade barbecue sauce that incorporates apple cider vinegar and pasilla chile as undertones.
This kitchen now sends out fries that are true compatriots to the original crunchy Belgian frites and brightens them with a sprinkling of finely chopped parsley and chervil.
The restaurant’s signature double thick pork chop is house-brined and fresh roasted daily. The brining ensures both moistness and added flavor. It’s a hefty thing with hot apple chutney as its personal sidekick.
Porterhouse stroganoff is a grand cousin to the original with this quality of meat that’s saut & #233;ed with caramelized red onions and shiitake mushrooms.
Chef Scott’s prime pot roast is slow roasted, finished with a natural demi-glace and served with whipped potatoes with horseradish. Very homey, very tasty and so comforting.
Fresh fish also is a big part of what Salt Creek does. I was thrilled with the seared Hawaiian onaga (much like sea bass). It comes crisped on the outside and succulent on the inside with a mango relish that I could enjoy on its own.
The apple pie is a must. Salt Creek’s version is baked in a deep spring-form pan with fresh Granny Smith apples laced with caramel, cinnamon sugar, Tahitian vanilla ice cream and served warm.
CHINATOWN
Address: 4139 Campus Drive,
Irvine
Phone: (949) 856-2211
Published Aug. 1
Chinatown in Irvine will cook any Chinese stir-fry or steamed dish you want, even if it’s not on the menu. No wonder they are busy.
On our last visit, I’d been intrigued with the blackboard’s listing of shao lom pao for lunch. Those are the little dumplings in which a juicy meatball is in the center, encased in a flour dough packet that is twisted into a cute top knot. They are steamed and the essences of meat broth and ginger are released as they cook. Excellent.
I also liked the sound of baby eggplant, stir-fried with basil leaves from the blackboard, and pig’s trotter,consider this pork shank osso buco in authentic Shanghai style. It is braised for a very long time in black soy sauce, a few slices of ginger, a few pieces of star anise (gives off a licorice flavor akin to fennel or anise seeds) and crystallized rock sugar.
Among Chinatown’s specialty appetizers are rolling lettuce chicken, barbecue spare ribs, Shanghai shrimp egg rolls and sesame prawns.
Soups also offer up interesting flavors. There’s the crackle and crunch of sizzling rice soup, the creaminess of corn soup with seafood, the spiciness of hot and sour soup and the abundant charms of won ton and the bowl of mussels with ginger and scallion.
A favorite dish is the garlic salted pork chops. Shanghai cooking centers on the delicacy of ingredients and their sauces. These pork chops are sliced thinly, in the manner of pork steaks, and cut into smaller pieces, which are easily manageable with chopsticks. They are dry saut & #233;ed with minced garlic, a sprinkling of salt and scallions gone crunchy from their dance in the searing heat of the dry wok.
Chef Michael Chiang created his signature “aromatic” dishes many years ago and they’ve become widely copied. His aromatic flavor is based on the tastes of a sweet and sour sauce that’s a bit spicy. It is dry braised with the meat or seafood of choice so there is no extra sauce swimming around the plate.
There’s so much more to the menu here,just about everything you’ve come to expect and lots more of those signature house dishes I don’t have space to mention here.
MODO MIO
Crystal Cove Promenade
Address: 7946 E. Coast Highway,
Newport Coast
Phone: (949) 497-9770
Published Aug. 15
Dinner out with some friends recently took us to Modo Mio at Newport Coast’s Crystal Cove Promenade.
A gentleman with a nice smile,owner Gian Franco Bertolino,greeted us at the bustling restaurant.
The name of the restaurant means “My Way” and it is Gian Franco’s way to serve food that is true to the culture of his hometown of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region.
Modena is famed for its fine olive oils, top quality balsamic vinegars and cheeses. Thus the dishes here are prepared with savory olive oil that spreads its personality widely and deliciously. This is Gian Franco’s second restaurant. He’s had another Modo Mio on Sunset Boulevard in Pacific Palisades since 1997.
We began with the bresaola appetizer,air-dried beef that’s sliced thinly, drizzled with olive oil and centered with a little mound of chopped arugula.
We also tried the torta rustica, a pie-like wedge of crispy pastry shell baked with a filling of spinach, ricotta and prosciutto. It was a fine dish of Italian country personality, especially with the puree of onion skimming the edges of each bite.
Also winning was the calamari that was saut & #233;ed in a light tomato sauce dotted with black olives and capers.
The menu lists four risotto dishes. I ordered the chef’s special of risotto with sausage. We also decided to compare it with the seafood risotto. The creamy rice dishes were strewn nicely with pieces of sausage and several kinds of seafood.
Two of the evening’s entree specials were swordfish with roasted potatoes and seasonal vegetables and ravioli stuffed with lobster, shrimp and crab.
The swordfish was tender and superb in taste beneath a glaze of fresh tomato sauce. The ravioli featured large rounds that filled the plate and they were topped by a chunky m & #233;lange of full flavored tomatoes kissed with olive oil. The trio of shellfish that contributed to the stuffing made the ravioli a star attraction.
As for dessert, we found the tartufo excellent. This is the most summery of Italian desserts, a frozen truffle comprised of a ball of frozen gelato with a middle of soft chocolate and an outer coating of crunchy nuts.
FRENCH 75 BRASSERIE
Irvine Market Place
Address: 13290 Jamboree Road,
Irvine
Phone: (714) 573-7600
Published Aug. 29
David Wilhelm’s new French 75 Brasserie at the Market Place in Irvine recalls a classic Parisian brasserie: energetic and inviting with a menu dripping with food we want to taste.
The restaurant’s menu is comprised of dishes that are definitive brasserie-style food, mainly French that respects American sensibilities. Some of the items are reminiscent of dishes at Chat Noir and Rouge, David’s other two French beauties.
The corporate chef is Yvon Goetz, Alsatian born and known for heading high-profile kitchens like those at Ritz-Carlton before joining David’s team last year.
I could make a meal on hors d’oeuvres alone. Two great choices are the tart flamb & #233;, which is a marvel of sweet onions, crisp bacon and melted gruyere cheese and the escargot, which is cuddled in the indentations with small pieces of Black Forest ham, slices of mushrooms and plenty of garlic.
Unless you are ordering an entree such as steak that comes sided with the fries, then order them as a side dish for your meal or as an appetizer. They are crispy and sprinkled with hand-harvested sea salt and served with two dipping sauces if ordered as a starter.
Several salads at lunch and dinner take on a French accent. Crepes are quite at home on this menu. They are filled with a choice of chicken and wild mushrooms (with truffle cream sauce), boeuf bourguignon in red wine sauce or spinach, mushrooms and artichokes.
You must try the 10-ounce chopped sirloin burger on toasted brioche that’s slathered with the chef’s secret sauce and then some cheese (Roquefort, gruyere or cheddar), rashers of bacon and optional grilled onion.
Entrees of trout with hazelnut butter and halibut with olive butter satisfied our taste for fish one evening and there always is salmon and a fresh fish of the day for more variety.
Yvon’s version of pork is as a chop topped with prosciutto and fontina cheese. It’s so tender and filled with flavor. Also, the side of cabbage cooked with apples is impressive on its own. Steak frites delivers perfectly done meat (filet mignon, flatiron or rib chop) and those wonderful fries.
As for desserts, the Callebaut chocolate souffl & #233;s are popular. This also would be the place for crepes Suzette. Bread pudding is made with white chocolate and brioche bread.
LUCCA CAF & #201; DELI WINE BAR
Quail Hill Village Center
Address: 6507 Quail Hill Parkway,
Irvine
Phone: (949) 725-1773
Published Sept. 5
Lucca Caf & #233; in Irvine has quickly built a following since its recent opening.
Husband and wife owners, Cathy and Elliott Pavlos, both are architects. They met when she was the associate director of the school of architecture at the University of Texas. Elliott, a member of the National Association of Architectural Accrediting Board based in Washington, D.C., was at the university assessing the architectural program for accreditation.
The two married a few years ago and Cathy’s second great love,delicious and healthy food,took flight. Thus Lucca Caf & #233;, an urban concept in a suburban center, was born.
There are two well-trained chefs de cuisine: Tom Curran, chef in the daytime, and Paul Jacobsen, who is the designated evening chef working on refining what sounds to me like a very interesting dinner menu.
Breakfast piques the curiosity with goat cheese and fresh herb omelet, French toast made with an orange pecan brioche, croissants that are actually shaped in France and flown in to be baked fresh here, frittata, quiche and a breakfast pita.
A superb assortment of just-baked Danish-style pastries tests your willpower. From steel-cut oatmeal to lox derived from fresh wild salmon, egg and pancake items to Mediterranean sausage and hot baguettes and satisfying Lavazza Italian coffee, the first meal of the day can be pretty delightful.
At lunch, there are deli style plates allowing a variety of tastes. They have cheeses of all textures and strengths of flavor. Don’t miss the mimolette, a hard-style cheddar cheese from France just now being imported for us. Bresaola is air-dried beef that delivers a mouth-filling taste sensation.
There are two or three soups of the day, served with a fluffy herbed biscuit. Salads are ample and have French, Greek Italian and American connotations.
Several pasta dishes have interesting personalities and they all come with a Lucca salad and crostini. Sandwiches are served on an earthy ciabatta roll and come with a lovely citrus and herb couscous or a small Lucca salad.
The dinner menu promises some treats: Kobe beef sliders paired with foie gras and a taste of some elegant cheese, wild salmon stuffed with gremolata and wrapped in grape leaves, halibut with braised endive and butternut squash, Muscovy duck with orange sauce and a Maui onion crepe, pork tenderloin with corn custard and herb-crusted baby lamb chops.
RESTAURANT 162′
Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel
Address: One Ritz-Carlton Drive,
Dana Point
Phone: (949) 240-2000
Published Sept. 19
We lamented and wondered what the restaurant would represent at Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel when The Dining Room (what most of the R-C hotels call their & #252;ber gourmet rooms) closed last fall and it was announced a new restaurant would take its place.
We learned, as major construction and renovation in the hotel was under way, that a more approachable restaurant would take its place. The new Restaurant 162′, named for its awe-inspiring location 162 feet above sea level, debuted last month, with a fine look and enticement factor for the hotel.
Chef Joel Harrington’s menu for this new restaurant features his modern California cuisine with a focus on fresh fish and seafood. He offers a good variety of sharing plates so guests can have a more extensive tasting experience at each meal.
Highlights of the small plate menu include dill-cured salmon, lobster salad with watermelon relish, oysters on the half shell, a ceviche platter, George Bank scallops with celeriac puree, ahi sashimi and shrimp paella, roasted corn crab cakes and chili-saut & #233;ed calamari.
Larger plate offerings include Atlantic salmon and gravlax roll, bouillabaisse, oven-roasted cod, saut & #233;ed sand dabs, grilled rib eye steak and honey-lacquered duck breast.
As for the room in which the food now is served, Restaurant 162′ is a flowing palette of cream and ice blue with dark wood furnishing accents,the whole a fresh and classy marriage of modern lines and traditional detailing.
A complex and visually interesting inset patterned wood floor runs throughout the restaurant. Further enhancing the striking ambiance is contrasting movable furnishings that seem to float beneath the room’s spectacular ceiling, which is highlighted by three coffered metal and crystal drop sculptures.
The custom sculptures consist of multiple strands of abstracted California poppies and are illuminated dramatically from below. The walls incorporate special wood treatments and inset fabric wall panels in sophisticated ice blue. A custom carved limestone fireplace is incorporated into the new design and serves as a central focal point of the room.
The fireplace is flanked by moveable walls that open the restaurant onto The Lobby Lounge and provide guests with amazing ocean views, something totally overlooked in the past.
With seating for 16, there’s a private dining room, an elliptical gem box featuring blue ice shirred wall surfaces encased with millwork crown and base moldings that integrate mother-of-pearl Italian glass tile work.
Custom refrigerated wine cabinets mirror the room and there is a hand-made wool and silk area rug that speaks of luxury.
AVO’S BISTRO
Address: 580 Anton Blvd.,
Costa Mesa
Phone: (714) 556-6555
Published Sept. 26
At Avo’s Bistro, Avo Kilicarslan and his wife Najda deliver the deep authentic flavors of home-style dishes that are the cornerstone of the Mediterranean culture.
For lunch, Greek salad is full of crunch and interest. Shrimp a la Avo presents jumbo prawns flavored with fresh herbs, with julienne of fresh vegetables on the side.
Moussaka at either lunch or dinner is a baked casserole dish of layered eggplant, potatoes and beef topped with b & #233;chamel sauce. There’s also shish kabobs with a hint of oregano, crab cake and rotisserie chicken breast with Avo’s secret spice mix dressing up the taste of the vegetables on the plate.
Pasta has your choice of toppings: fresh fish, kabobs, gyros style lamb and beef among them. There are always two soups of the day,red lentil and a satisfying chicken-lemon soup.
I am stuck on the homemade hot pita bread triangles that come with every meal. A refreshing yogurt dip arrives as a complement.
Order the chilled appetizer array and scoop the goodies onto the hot bread triangles. The hummus on this four-flavor combination order is thick and rich and served with a dollop of hot chile paste in the center if you want to fire up the creamed garbanzos a bit.
The smoked eggplant is creamy and indulgent. Another bowl holds imported feta cheese in crumbles that are blended with hot chile peppers and extra virgin olive oil.
Spinach pie finds feathery layers of crispy filo dough encasing a mix of spinach and feta cheese. These three hot appetizers can be ordered as a hot appetizer combo plate too.
If you enjoy lamb, Avo brings a nirvana of flavor in several preparations. There’s the seven-hour lamb shoulder roast that is so slowly cooked in the oven with some fresh herbs and Mediterranean spices. The natural lamb jus that renders itself from the meat is combined with cabernet wine to make an elegant reduction sauce.
Lamb chops are rubbed with rosemary and charbroiled. There’s the shish kabob combo that has skewers of chicken, beef and lamb, each marinated in Avo’s blend of spices. Lamb shank is slowly braised in a hearty sauce.
The definitive dessert is the baklava that is not overly sweet.
