Wingnuts restaurants has brought an expanded way to enjoy chicken wings and ribs, two of America’s favorite casual foods.
By offering wings in 30 varieties and ribs in 10 flavors, it takes our penchant for tasting many things at one sitting on a big ride.
If you’re having a Super Bowl party or are going to one and taking along some food, Wingnuts has party trays and packs to suit any number of guests, making food preparation an easy thing.
There’s a 10% discount if the packs are ordered before the big game this Sunday.
Extra large portions make up the trays. Wingnuts’ menu of Super Bowl specials includes:
Super Bowl Pack 1, $65: 100 chicken wings, two pounds of baked beans, two pounds of coleslaw, fresh propeller chips and 16 ounces of bacon ranch dip. Serves 10 to 12.
Super Bowl Pack 2, $105: Six racks of baby back ribs, two pounds of baked beans, two pounds of coleslaw, fresh propeller chips and 16 ounces of bacon ranch dip. Serves 10 to 12.
Super Bowl Pack 3, $95: 50 chicken wings, three racks of baby back ribs, two pounds of coleslaw, fresh propeller chips and 16 ounces of bacon ranch dip. Serves 10 to 12.
Super Bowl Pack 4, $28: 50 chicken wings with bleu cheese dip and celery.
Super Bowl Pack 5, $49: 100 chicken wings with bleu cheese dip and celery.
Super Bowl Pack 6, $65: Five pounds of baby back ribs.
Super Bowl Pack 7, $35: Six pounds of chicken strips with ranch dressing.
For those wishing to watch the big game while dining at Wingnuts, the restaurant plans to present the Super Bowl on 10 big-screen TVs. Reservations aren’t required.
Wingnuts is a way to free you up to enjoy the big game. The restaurant has earned a reputation as one of Orange County’s popular, moderately priced restaurants.
The aeronautical-themed decor is characterized by a number of props and memorabilia paying homage to the history of aviation.
Wingnuts: Target Great-land Shopping Center, 3030 Harbor Blvd., Costa Mesa, (714) 434-7700; Aliso Viejo Towne Center, 26711 Aliso Creek Road, Aliso Viejo, (949) 305-7700.
Pregame Brunch
Vessia Ristorante in Irvine is offering football fans a pregame brunch from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Super Bowl Sunday.
For $20, it’s an all-you-can-eat affair that’s typical of Vessia’s popular Sunday midday brunches. For the all-important view of the pregame and the Super Bowl game itself, there’s a big screen TV in the restaurant.
There will be a carving station with roasted top sirloin and roasted turkey. Should omelets be your thing, they always have a made-to-order station with seasonal fresh fruits, breakfast meats, muffins, croissants and more.
Bruschetta is made with freshly smoked salmon, good with a glass of juice to get your meal started.
Vessia is one of our best Italian restaurants, so it’s a given that you’ll have a lot of good Italian dishes to choose from. Take a taste of several pastas and don’t miss the specialty of roasted pork chop with a caramelized onion and balsamic glaze. Salads and a nice array of vegetables are always presented, as are desserts such as profiteroles and fresh tarts.
Enjoy the day, enjoy the food and stay to enjoy the game if you care to. In case you don’t already know, this is one of my longtime favorite restaurants.
Vessia Ristorante: Crossroads Center at the corner of Culver Drive, 3966 Barranca Parkway, Irvine. Phone (949) 654-1155 for reservations or more information.
Upscale Steak Expansion
Are you ready for another upscale, opulently clad restaurant? On the heels of opening Mastro’s Ocean Club in Newport Beach just a few months ago, Mastro Co. is unveiling its steak house in Costa Mesa. Mastro’s Steakhouse is set to debut on Feb. 11. It will be the neighbor of Chat Noir, David Wilhelm’s drop dead sexy and sophisticated bistro, using the space that dazzled OC a quarter century ago as Copa de Oro and later as an El Torito Grill.
The concept for Mastro’s Steakhouse is said to be destination dining,a place where customers will want to come early and have a martini in the bar with friends before dinner and return to the piano after dessert for a nightcap and live entertainment.
I’m certainly curious, having heard that the entrance features a 10-foot custom art glass chandelier, that the central wine tower is stocked with 18,000 bottles and that amenities include illuminated columns, granite floors and European leathers.
Signature dishes will include a bone-in filet, prime rib and steak sashimi, veal porterhouse steaks, double pork chops, veal chops and a full rack of lamb. For those preferring seafood, the restaurant also will offer a fresh selection of seafood appetizers and entrees.
Sister locations for this steakhouse already exist in Beverly Hills and Scottsdale, where they have earned critical and popular acclaim for their extravagantly glamorous decor, menu and wine list, lively piano bar and energetic atmosphere reminiscent of a timeless Manhattan dining establishment.
Twenty years ago, this type of high maintenance restaurant wouldn’t give OC a thought. Today, the county is one of the prime locations for expansion. If this steakhouse settles in with the bustle that’s been created with Mastro’s Ocean Club in the Crystal Cove Promenade in Newport Beach, it’ll be another hot spot for those who need more places to wear their designer fashions.
Mastro’s Steakhouse: 611 Anton Blvd., Costa Mesa, (714) 546-7405.
Jazzy Wednesdays
My husband Patrick and I love having good, live music while dining.
Usually, restaurants feature live entertainment on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Here’s a thought on where to have some terrific food in a hometown friendly place on Wednesday evenings and catch the renditions of a marvelous jazz chanteuse and a three-piece group of fine musicians at the same time.
Elaine Miles and her Miles Away group entertain every Wednesday evening at downtown Laguna Beach’s Brussels Bistro. She has a velvety voice that brings back memories from America’s classic songbook of romantic ballads.
One begins to reminisce about old favorites. Elaine’s been up to the task of taking all of our requests so far. Several of our friends, who have been prompted by pied piper Fifi to enjoy an evening out with us at this sweet little place, have become regulars for these midweek food and music times.
Brussels Bistro is our true Belgian fix for food, one of our favorite casual places. The city of Brussels is known as one of the world’s greatest dining cities. Brussels Bistro brings us the best of the tastes without any of the pretense.
The casserole of moules is a hefty portion of tender mussels in a succulent broth. Chicken in a round of cloud-like puff pastry incorporates the dash of wild mushrooms in the fully satisfying cream sauce that binds this classic together. Meat loaf soars in taste above most others you’ll find.
The burger (available on the lunch menu and can be ordered at dinner) is a legend unto itself, a tremendously well-endowed thing: 10 ounces of good beef topped with caramelized endive (they use that like we use caramelized onions), tomato and lettuce. No. 1 on the fantastic burger scale. From seafood to a variety of meats, the menu is tucked with lovely food.
That’s reason enough to settle in on Wednesdays at Brussels Bistro and let the outside world stay in its own stressful place while you eat well and inexpensively, and enjoy the lilting renditions of Elaine Miles.
Plus, we mustn’t forget that Belgium makes some of the world’s most famed beers, so do try them. For those still more wine inclined, a nice little wine list also is present.
Brussels Bistro: 222 Forest Ave., Laguna Beach, (949) 376-7955.
