Amid all the buzz about the Ren & #233;e and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, there’s been a part missing from the whole story. And it has nothing to do with artistic performances on a theater stage.
We,at least those of us who thrive to dine well,were anxiously awaiting the opening of the concert hall’s restaurant, Leatherby’s Cafe Rouge. Our curiosity had been piqued even further knowing that the restaurant is another in the renowned Patina Group.
Master chef and founder of the Patina Group’s restaurants, Joachim Splichal and his wife Christine, oversee a plethora of restaurants that range from fine international fusion dining to French cuisine, steakhouses and deliberately understated cafes, some at museums.
The opening of Leatherby’s Cafe Rouge is the latest in the Patina Group’s expansion into Orange County, and continued commitment to the arts.
Other Patina Group restaurants in the area include the top-rated Pinot Provence at the Westin South Coast Plaza, Tangata at the Bowers Museum, Catal, Naples Ristorante and Tortilla Jo’s at Downtown Disney, and the exclusive event venue Park Priv & #233; in Costa Mesa.
The Orange County Performing Arts Center also is the latest venue for Patina Catering, joining other prestigious arts venues such as the Music Center of Los Angeles County, including Walt Disney Concert Hall, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts and the Hollywood Bowl, among others.
The concept at Leatherby’s is interesting. The restaurant sits in the lobby level corner of the concert hall.
There’s a simplicity to the decor, adding a good dimension to a performance, without becoming an overwhelming statement on its own.
Add to that a beautiful and interesting food concept, and the accrued flavors that Joachim and his chosen executive chef for Leatherby’s, Mark Gold, deliver.
At dinner, one can dine completely & #341; la carte. There’s also a five- or six-course tasting menu,allow about two hours for this.
While the menu does not suggest wines to go with the courses of the prix fixe dinners, there are many on the wine list that are served by the glass, which our well-informed waiter helped us to choose from. They can be ordered in smaller pours to accommodate a range of tastes. Quite a nice touch.
The lunch menu is being launched as I write this. It’ll sport a bit more of casual flair, although it’ll still be sufficiently sophisticated.
Luckily, we’ve worked our way through many of the exciting dishes on the menu.
One began with something called Bacon and Eggs. A tender little blini made of Yukon Gold potato was topped with a piece of delicately smoked salmon, a dollop of chive cr & #269;me fra & #238;che and a splash of caviar. That set the stage for high expectations.
We continued the culinary journey, never suspecting we’d be savoring pristinely fresh heirloom tomato tastes in a sorbet which was a scoop that sat in the center of a large bowl serving as a staging arena. It was surrounded by a small amount of clear gazpacho with tiny cubes of avocado, red bell pepper and a few miniature yellow tomatoes. This was tomatoes at their zenith of taste, their best presentation and sporting their best wow factor. Definitely a memorable appetizer.
The oysters on the half shell, a quartet of them, are unlike anything else of that genre I’ve seen or tasted. In a specially designed little glass “table” (perhaps 9 inches long by 4 inches wide) with circular cutouts to balance four tiny flared glass bowls, there appeared four briny fresh oysters (sans shells), each topped with a smidgeon of a highlighting salsa or complement that progressed in spice and exuberant flavor as you worked your way down the selection.
Mild apple and cucumber accented the first oyster. The second had silky threads of roasted beet. The third oyster was accompanied by a spoonful of lemon granit & #233; and the final one had the snap of habanero pepper hitting the palate.
It seems pork belly has overcome the resistance factor due to its fatty nature. It’s increasingly become the darling of gourmet menus.
This a must have appetizer at Leatherby’s. First of all, the fat has been braised out of the pork. In this presentation is a taste of pork that rivals the most exquisite culinary flavors anywhere.
The square of juicy meat is crisped on the outside and dances with a chorus line of flavors atop and around it: crystallized lavender, house-made apricot chutney and honey jus.
Yet another first course on this menu that we’ve devoured is the seared scallops,a bit crackly on the outside and silky within. They sat atop a mild parsnip fondue with a delicate carrot nage spooned around them. By way of explanation, nage means to swim in French, thus it’s a delicate broth usually based on seafood and vegetable flavors.
Entrees are every bit as passionate as those beginning courses. Wild mushrooms are tucked inside tender pasta to form the raviolini, which come on a custom plate with a ribbon of chive oil around them and a small mound of fromage blanc (fresh white cheese) crowning them. Venison can be something to wonder about or to delight in finding, depending on your palate acquaintance with it.
Here, this dish breaks out of the mundane mold venison has acquired. Thick medallions of venison loin are wrapped in bacon. The herbed spaetzle underneath is so nice but the braised red cabbage with huckleberry jus infusion is the real highlight. It gives the dish a haute European flair and flavor.
Duck also is a study in culinary possibilities. Like all the entrees, it is a generous dish with a full breast of roasted duck cut into a few serious slices. The skin is so crisp, the flesh so tender that the contrast of textures alone stands high. The bird’s own rich flavor is allowed to sing its own melody. The unexpected surprise of candied yams mingled with roasted potatoes and brussel sprouts dappled with pomegranate jus just adds to the high notes.
Roasted chicken breast goes French via the lentils on which it sits and the orange butter that glazes the meat is a good match. King salmon has an affinity for its sesame seed crust, with the Oriental essence jumping out of the crunchy seeds.
In keeping with the Asian-inspired theme, the salmon is accompanied by braised bok choy and roasted shiitake mushrooms. Plates on which these things are served are selected to best show off the food. That means a variety of shapes and forms keeps the eye appeal throughout a meal even more alert.
There are yet other fish offerings and steak selections too, including a New York, prime bone-in rib-eye and a filet mignon and even braised veal cheeks to enjoy. Expect to find things like mousse of foie gras, French green beans, roasted cipollini onions, jasmine rice with lemongrass and coconut essence and definitive potato preparations as part of the accoutrements for these dishes.
Desserts are delicate and endowed with clever use of ingredients, not overpowering yet so impressive for ending a meal.
The wine list is strewn with wines from both the old and new world vineyards and in a wide price range.
I have always admired Joachim’s genius. He is, you know, one of America’s most acclaimed chefs. He came our way in 1981 from a background of profound training in Europe, including working in some of the most prestigious restaurants in France.
Chef Gold says with cooking, “your passion, enthusiasm and love should come across in your food. It should be obvious.”
Gold began cooking at the age of 10, making food for kids in his neighborhood. His first cooking job was at the former Trump’s in West Hollywood. He later worked for Rex II Ristorante in downtown Los Angeles. In 1989, he enrolled in the New England Culinary Institute and returned to Los Angeles in 1990, where he worked in the kitchen at Patina for a year and a half.
After a few travels, including a stint as executive chef at Breeze in the Century Plaza Hotel, Gold joined the Patina Restaurant Group in 2001 as executive chef at Cafe Pinot. The Los Angeles Times gave Cafe Pinot a two-star review, describing Gold’s cuisine as having “graceful twists” and calling the restaurant “one of downtown’s best venues.”
Gold took a short break from the company before taking the helm at Leatherby’s Cafe Rouge.
The restaurant is named for the New York cafe that captured the late Ralph Leatherby’s imagination when he was a young man from Hedrick, Iowa. Leatherby, a long time OC entrepreneur and philanthropist, listened to live radio broadcasts of the Glenn Miller Orchestra, which played in the original Cafe Rouge.
The restaurant is sleek and contemporary, designed by & #252;ber architect Cesar Pelli, who designed the whole concert hall. The front of the restaurant is part of the curvy, undulating glass fa & #231;ade of the building. The uncluttered ambiance allows a great deal of concentration to go to the food, which is proper.
Leatherby’s is open to the public. I’m urging you to make reservations in advance. I imagine getting before theater reservations will be at a premium.
Morton’s Shake-Up
There have been a few changes at Morton’s Steakhouse.
General manager since the restaurant opened 12 years ago, J. C. Clow, and the restaurant’s suave sommelier, William Lewis, have moved on. After proving their professionalism so well for so long, it was time for them to chase a dream, their own restaurant.
The duo now will be overseeing construction of their building, with an anticipated opening in early summer of 2007. I’m told that it will be a stellar culinary and wine experience, with food focused on the most up-to-date California style cooking. The housing of the ultra serious wine collection is set to be one of the major architectural elements in the restaurant.
It will be located at the former Marine base at Jamboree Road and Barranca Highway in Tustin. This redevelopment also will include several large retailers and yet another of the imminently likeable Panera Bread Bakery Cafes.
As J.C. and William get closer to an opening date, I’ll jump on the bandwagon and fill you in on the menu, the look and what we can expect.
Taking the place of J.C. as general manager at our Morton’s in South Coast Plaza Village is Tom Innocenzi. He worked at the South Coast restaurant as assistant manager a few years ago. He’s been managing Morton’s in Burbank.
Morton’s does well in stocking their restaurants with highly trained and personable management and as you get to know Tom, I am sure you will feel a high level of comfort in your dining experience with him at the helm.
We all know that Morton’s is a highly reliable restaurant anyway, so the complete consistency factor at this lively and beautiful place remains the same. And, just in case you have not yet discovered the luscious bar food in the lounge and the sink-in comfort of that special space, then you might want to get on board with the rest of us. We appreciate the restaurant’s charms and sometimes eat more casually, but every bit as well as in the formal dining room, and have our cocktails and good conversation. That would provide yet another opportunity for you to meet Tom and start getting to know him.
Morton’s:1641 Sunflower Ave. in South Coast Plaza Village. Phone (714) 444-4834.
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Leatherby’s: latest restaurant for Patina group |
AT A GLANCE
Leatherby’s Cafe Rouge
Address: 615 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa
Phone: (714) 429-7640
Cost: Lunch: first courses $8 to $12; entrees $12 to $15, entrees $24 to $40; prix fixe $55 for five courses and $65 for six courses
Parking: Self or valet
