From the Bay Club to the Clubhouse, Change Is in the Air
This time, when I chose the Chef of the Year, there were some vivid reasons. There were just so many good meals at the Balboa Bay Club. Here’s one example of how Jean-Pierre Eigenheer can impress with his cooking. When the Cakebread family of Cakebread Cellars in the Napa Valley was selecting a few places across the nation to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the winery, I had the honor of being first on the agenda. I quickly gathered 24 of our gourmet friends to have a meal and taste the celebratory wines. I hasten to add that I called the troops after the first 10 minutes or so of the invitation. That’s because in the snap of a finger I knew that the Balboa Bay Club would be the place and that I wanted Jean-Pierre to create the special-occasion meal for us. So, that call took priority. It turned out to be a smashing success. Bruce and Dennis Cakebread were duly impressed and we had a parade of dishes, none of which were on the menu, perfectly matched to all the wines. We still talk about it.
As for the state of the industry at this writing, I read that many of the chain operations are slowing their growth and concentrating on making existing units more profitable. This view might be partly due to restaurants like Rainforest Caf & #233; and Planet Hollywood, whose high-profile units got caught in the quicksand. Chain operations are changing hands more quickly than a poker player can throw in his hand. Makes me wonder about the saturation factor in Orange County. People I talk to seem to go to their same favorite restaurants all the time. How do we get them,you,to try the new places? How do we distribute the bodies evenly? Naturally, I haven’t the wisdom to know the answer. I just know that I’m glad to be on the outside looking in. You and I get to sit at the table and have fun; the owners have to scramble for every penny. And, I don’t think that formula changes a lot even in the high-end restaurants.
John Sharpe has exited the Aysia 101-Diva-Bistro 201-Topaz Caf & #233; scene. The exact reasons have not been forthcoming. The company has a new operations officer and it remains to be seen what other changes will take place.
Meanwhile, if you haven’t been to Trilogy lately, you’re missing a great culinary treat. Jim Strausbaugh was the chef for a very long time at the Ritz-Carlton’s Club Grill and Bar. For a few months now, he’s been the chef at Trilogy. Several other former members of the R-C team are also now at Trilogy. Jim has totally redefined the cuisine and there are wonderful things to eat. Now, when I read the menu, I think of places I’ve been to in San Francisco. There’s an interesting edge to all this that cannot be denied.
In this issue, I’ve covered some restaurants that are doing terrific things with food from other countries and some that are typical American, as in Memphis, which to me is an American roadhouse. There’s so much crossover cuisine now that it’s hard to really define what some of the menus represent. The best I can do is provide you with this guide and hope you’ll be trying these restaurants. Do what one other suspected restaurant reviewer did at the Clubhouse. Take the Business Journal along with you and order everything I did, right down to the bottle of wine. You’ll have some very big meals indeed, but you’ll have some very good food, as well.
