The bill for dining out can add up quickly, and I love finding great bargains for all of us. You will want to mark your calendar for the South Coast Plaza 40th Anniversary Culinary Celebration on Aug. 20 to 26.
Take your pick: modern French, classic Italian, exotic Indian, pristine, organic offerings from New Zealand and more. The chefs of South Coast Plaza pay tribute to the legendary shopping center’s 40 years with their own culinary festival. Select restaurants will feature a gourmet four-course dinner menu for $40.
Here are some highlights from the menus of participating restaurants.
– Antonello, chef Franco Barone: Carpaccio di cinghiale pepato e affumicato (thin slices of peppered and lightly smoked wild boar drizzled with truffle-infused olive oil and topped with fris & #233;e and baby arugula); cacciucco alla Genovese (Mediterranean mussels, Manila clams and shrimp cooked with extra virgin olive oil, garlic, basil and light tomato broth).
– Chat Noir, chef Joe Youkhan: Chilled shrimp gazpacho; poisson picholine (chef’s selection of fish with spinach, capers and olive sauce); Callebaut chocolate souffl & #233; with Cointreau cream.
– Leatherby’s Caf & #233; Rouge, chef Nicholas Weber: Yellowtail from Japan with wakame (seaweed) salad and watermelon radish; domestic veal cheeks, white beans and market vegetables.
– Marche Modern & #233;, chefs Florent and Amelia Marneau: Big eye tuna with avocado-yuzu sorbet; braised Four Story Hill Farms lamb palette and roasted lamb noisette with mint, olives, leek, cumin; Fitzgerald peach and Greek fromage blanc gateau p & #281;ch & #233; mignon gelato and cr & #269;me fra & #238;che Chantilly.
– Quattro Caff & #233;, chef Miriam Ramirez: Funghi con Parmigiano (portobello and shiitake mushrooms saut & #233;ed in white wine sauce with shaved cheese); choice of certified organic Dakota New York steak with saut & #233;ed spinach or Chilean sea bass with asiago mashed potatoes and grilled vegetables.
– Pinot Provence, chef Nicholas Weber: Dungeness crab and avocado cannelloni with nori (seaweed), soy fondue and yuzu cilantro “caviar;” grilled duck breast with fris & #233;e salad, duck prosciutto, 62 & #176; Celsius egg and red wine emulsion; summer berry semi-freddo with balsamic meringue and white chocolate “soil.”
– Royal Khyber, chef Arun Puri: Samosa salad with spicy greens and dressing of tamarind, ginger, basil and honey; Khyber’s Nectar, the reputed aphrodisiacal lamb shank simmered for 14 hours served with basmati rice pilaf, vegetable and tandoori naan.
– Scott’s, chef Joe Cassinelli: Roasted beet salad with Laura Chenel chevre with chardonnay vinaigrette perfumed with basil, oregano and thyme; pan-roasted halibut with summer corn, English peas, oyster mushrooms and cr & #269;me fra & #238;che; strawberry shortcake with ginger-lemon biscuit.
– Turner New Zealand, chef Tim Kast: Turner lobster bisque, organic Caesar or herb salad; organic Turner king salmon or filet mignon; pavlova for dessert.
The dinners are to begin with an appetizer or amuse bouche, followed by an imaginative second course, entr & #233;e and dessert. The $40 menus include food only, and exclude beverages, tax or gratuity. Dinner service starts at 5 p.m. or 5:30 p.m.; for reservations or more information, please contact the restaurants directly.
Michael Cho
Not long ago, the Business Journal did a story on Michael Cho, the best known lawyer in our county for acquiring and consulting on liquor licenses. So, if you are in the restaurant industry or writing about it, you know Michael’s name. However, what a lot of people do not know is that Michael is on the committees of some wonderful fund-raisers.
Again this year, he sat on the organizing committee for the 21st Annual Great Chefs of Orange County Celebration on Aug. 26, from noon to 4 p.m. at the Balboa Bay Club. It is a premier food and wine event in the county and is sponsored by the National Kidney Foundation of Southern California, American Airlines and Downey Savings.
There will be 24 different restaurants participating. A large variety of wine, Level martinis and other beverages will complement the cuisine. Emcee for the event is chef Mario Martinoli, host of “Mario Martinoli on Food & Dining” on KFWB News 980.
Individual VIP tickets are $250 (includes VIP reception from noon to 12:30 p.m.). General admission is $125 per ticket for the main program beginning at 12:30 p.m.
Ticket information will be available at www.kidneysocal.org or by calling (800) 747-5527. Balboa Bay Club is at 1221 W. Coast Highway, Newport Beach.
St. Regis Wine Dinner
There’s a very reasonable six-course wine dinner coming up at the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort & Spa in its Motif restaurant. As part of their Aficionado Wine Dinner Program, a Wines of Italy dinner will be held on Aug. 23 at 6:30 p.m. The price is $95 (plus tax and gratuity).
It’s pretty nice to have traditional Italian fare and interesting wines to match, while overlooking the ocean. And, with Italy being one of the oldest wine producing countries, some of the very best producers will be highlighted. The same regions of Italy will be explored with the authentic dishes from executive chef Frederic Castan.
The marriage of Italian food and wine flavors begins with a reception and hors d’oeuvres and two wines: 2005 Bellenda Prosecco Di Conegliano Miraval, (from Veneto) and 2006 Lambrusco Grasparossa Fiorini (from Emilia Romagna).
A six-course dinner follows, with the first course consisting of slowly poached langoustines and heirloom tomato with silky pomodoro gelato. The wine is Ricci Curbastro Franciacorta Saten-NV (Lombardia) that collectors have been buying.
Then, the 2005 Pigato Durin (Liguria) will be poured as the match for pan-seared Mediterranean rouget fish over pip & #233;rade sauce, with a baby calamari and cannellini bean salad. On to the third course of chitarra pasta (spaghetti strands that are square rather than round) and porcini de Liguria mushrooms, with 2004 Grillo Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso (Friuli).
The main course features the 2001 Saluces Giordani Teresio (Piemonte) wine and breast of squab filled with Tuscan grapes and capers and wrapped in pancetta, with a side of zucchini blossoms and duck confit-foie gras complement.
Call (949) 234-3766 or e-mail Christina.mytinger@stregis.com for reservations. This is such a bargain and it sounds so utterly delicious. St. Regis Resort: One Monarch Beach Resort Drive, Dana Point.
