The time sensitive dinner this week is on Wednesday: the Robert Foley Vineyards Dinner with winemaker Robert Foley at Five Feet in Laguna Beach.
Foley was chosen Winemaker of the Year for 2007 by Food and Wine magazine. He will be discussing and pouring his 2006 Charbono, 2005 Merlot, 2005 Claret and 2005 Petite Syrah.
He makes a great Napa cabernet but has acquired quite a cult following for his Charbono. While still in high school, in 1969, Foley tasted a Charbono wine (made from an obscure red grape) at Napa’s historic Inglenook winery. He said that made him decide to become a winemaker.
Today, Foley, 53, makes an incredibly sought-after Charbono at his Robert Foley Vineyards on Napa Valley’s Howell Mountain, as well as highly acclaimed Bordeaux-style reds at Napa’s Pride Mountain Vineyards, Switchback Ridge and Hourglass. They all share the trademark Foley style: big flavors, aromatic density and balance. Foley is building a winery that will be finished this spring.
I don’t have a menu from the restaurant’s owner/chef Michael Kang,he was still working on the food matches last week,but Michael always comes through with something amazing for the palate.
The dinner is $185, all-inclusive. A reception begins at 6:30 p.m. with the five-course dinner at 7 p.m.
Five Feet: 328 Glenneyre, Laguna Beach (949) 497-4955.
La Vie en Rose Goes Irish
La Vie en Rose in Brea may be French, but on three days mid-month it will turn into an Irish pub with so much Celtic character you’ll almost feel the lilting Irish accent. For the St. Paddy’s Day Feast, the food too will carry you across the seas.
A full Irish dinner will be offered on Friday, Saturday and on March 17, when an Irish lunch also will be available. You can also opt for La Vie’s classic French fare.
The menu for lunch on Monday consists of three courses: chilled poached salmon garnished with potatoes and peas and watercress sauce, a choice of Irish lamb stew with fresh vegetables or traditional corned beef and cabbage with Irish soda bread and a surprise dessert called green shenanigan. The dinner menu is the same, except both the lamb stew and corned beef and cabbage courses are included for a four-course meal.
Special wines will be separately priced. Price for the Irish lunch is $23. Dinner is $46. To make reservations call (714) 529-8333. La Vie en Rose, the restaurant fashioned after an actual Normandy manor house, is at 240 S. State College Blvd., Brea.
Brew Dinner
Taps Fish House & Brewery in Brea is again proving that award winning beers can be serious food accompaniments. Your chance to experience it happens at the Spring Beer Dinner on March 19 at 6:30 p.m. A gourmet menu will be served with a specially selected beer for each course. The price is $55.
Taps has one of America’s most award-winning brew masters, Victor Novak, in addition to a wonderful chef, Michael Doctulero. Together they will easily prove that you should be as swayed with the flavors and nuances of fine beer with food as you are with wine. As you dine, Victor will share his vision and philosophy of beer making and how he has created an award-winning brewery.
The first course features Pacific Northwest oysters with jeweled cubes made from blood orange and Taps Cream Ale, an elegantly smooth ale. The second course consists of a charcuterie plate of Iberian ham, Colorado queso di mano cheese and pickled organic romanesco vegetable. The beer match is Taps 500, a full bodied brew that is nice and fruity with a slightly dry finish.
The next course is a duet of fish and shellfish: seared Alaskan Halibut with champagne leek risotto and Oregon Dungeness crab with edamame and salsa verde. California Gold beer with its light citrus-hops aroma and dry finish is a highlight with the clean taste of the seafood. A fourth course features a slow baked veal shank with spring tomato confit. You’ll love the smooth texture and bit of caramel flavor in the Vienna Country Lager that’s poured as a match. This one brings back the fondest memories for me of sitting in a small outdoor cafe overlooking all of Vienna. I thought the Vienna Lager I tasted was as good as any wine we’d encountered.
The meal concludes with a banana rum torte with roasted almond biscotti and fresh raspberry jam. The subtle hints of banana and clove in the Hefeweizen beer carry on with the flavor-matching components.
Call (714) 257-0101 to share in this unique, delicious and bargain priced evening. Taps is in downtown Brea.
Javier’s at Crystal Cove
Finally, Javier’s has opened at Crystal Cove Promenade. It’s been a long time coming. The construction began to take shape more than a year ago but it never seemed to progress much and we all began to wonder.
Whatever took so long was worth it, at least from looks. I haven’t eaten there yet,I’m going this week,but I did take a walk through just two days before it debuted. The location in a free-standing building is rather enviable. It has an ocean view and features a contemporary design with an elegant Mexican flare. The entrance features a fire pit and several art pieces that are actually cylinders to conceal heaters. The interior is a graceful mix of modern and traditional Mexican architecture and design.
Owner Javier Sosa has been making us happy with his upscale Mexican fare for 13 years and this will undoubtedly be a popular addition to his restaurant in the Irvine Spectrum Center.
This menu offers the same favorite dishes as the Irvine (and former Laguna Beach) location, including Mexican specialties with grilled seafood, steak and chicken. New items include spare ribs, osso buco, a 16-ounce bone-in prime center cut rib eye and cabo azul (a large seafood entree with an assortment of shrimp tacos served Ensenada style). Maine lobster enchiladas and grilled chili relleno with fresh shrimp and crab are also featured.
Javier’s has an extensive wine list and the largest selection of premium tequilas in Orange County. The restaurant is known for its hand-shaken, made-to-order margaritas.
Javier’s: 7832 E. Coast Highway (at Crystal Heights Drive) Newport Coast (949) 494-1239.
