Years ago I wrote a special report with the theme Dining at the Bar. That came about because my husband Patrick and I found ourselves increasingly enjoying having a pre-dinner drink and then a meal in the same surroundings while casually visiting with others.
We continue to like the friendliness found at a bar or in a lounge setting. Eating doesn’t always have to be about sitting at a linen-napped table in a fancy dining room.
So once again I’ve gathered some thoughts on places serving very nice food in casual bar and lounge settings. At each of these restaurants you can have a meal from the full menu without having to move to a dining room table.
Bon chance and bon app & #233;tit!
ANTONELLO
1611 Sunflower Ave.
Santa Ana
(714) 751-7153
Since this Italian beauty opened in 1979, reams have been written about it. It seduced us then and it continues to be as compelling in its grace and food.
When there weren’t so many high-end restaurants around, it was the opportunity for every gourmet to dine here, and the dream of the rest of the population to see and savor it. It was the first truly fine restaurant of the Italian persuasion we had and it set the bar for other serious contenders.
Owner Antonio Cagnolo and his longtime partners, manager Thad Foret and chef Franco Barone, are perhaps at the top of their game today.
After years of sitting at tables and taking in the restaurant’s charm, we’ve discovered that sitting at one of the 10 bar stools or at one of the intimate tables in the lounge area is a super alternative.
Friendliness abounds and it mingles seamlessly with the Northern Italian food from the full menu. There’s no live entertainment, but this is a restaurant that has never needed that boost for extra panache.
Although there’s no separate bar menu, dining at the bar or in the lounge is enticing for another reason: Ciro Cirillo, who has been the bartender for 25 years.
Many people plan their trips to Italy with Ciro’s advice. It’s not unusual to see a customer bring in a gift for Ciro as thanks for making their trip extra memorable and there have even been occasions when gifts are brought back from his own family members.
When your palate is running low on enthusiasm, the delicacies of Northern Italy and the warmth of this lounge will rev up your appetite in a hurry. My final note: There’s not a more comprehensive menu of gourmet Italian delicacies in our county, so the best beckons at Antonello.
BAYSIDE
900 Bayside Drive
Newport Beach
(949) 721-1222
Don’t want to spend $100 on dinner? Well then, have a light, early, inexpensive meal at Bayside’s lounge, sampling the tapas menu and the 40 wines by the glass.
Grilled lamb chop, seared quail, medallions of venison, crab cakes with roasted peppers and grilled tuna are part of the 10-item tapas menu here.
This location had a storied history with restaurants. However, after two tries by other owners at redoing the building and chasing a new concept, it sat vacant for several years. Then, John Ghoukassian,owner of Bistango,and his son, Marc, took on the challenge and started anew.
They bulldozed the old building and put up a glamorous, modern structure with a facade dressed with pavilions and did what they do best, serve fantastic food in unique and upscale surroundings. It opened in November of 2000 with super chef Paul Gstrein (a native of Austria, the same area that Wolfgang Puck is from) dazzling us since with the most creative use of fine ingredients in his California contemporary cuisine.
Bayside is a hot place for lunch, where both the business diner in a bit of a hurry is nicely accommodated and those of us who linger over long, friendly lunches are made comfortable, too.
Dinner is decked out with those seeking another memorable meal. And, while the whole of this smart restaurant is pleasing for seating, there’s always been something special for me at the bar.
There are 14 comfortable bar stools to enjoy the luxe cocktail area. Bayside hosts a rotating modern art exhibit, featuring works that enhance the warm, contemporary ambiance.
There’s live entertainment nightly in the lounge area and a separate tapas lounge menu from 5 p.m.
The price for tapas is $4.95 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The full lunch and dinner menus are available in the bar and lounge.
And be sure to join them on the terrace for wine tasting every Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Cost: $15.
BISTANGO
19100 Von Karman Ave.
Irvine
(949) 752-5222
It all began for the Ghoukassian family in 1987, when Bistango knocked our socks off with its chic m & #233;lange of ever-changing art and fashionable European restaurant.
The restaurant immediately was the darling of the business crowd at lunch, the romantics and the & #252;ber gourmets in the evenings. Not a lot has changed since the beginning.
The art in this contemporary gallery restaurant now has a curator, making it more serious than ever. The New American food of chef Javier Montoya is consistently fine with just the right amount of surprise in the taste and presentation of dishes to keep us coming back.
The creamy garlic soup is to die for, a salad with Muscovy duck confit is stellar, the risotto with corn and pancetta-wrapped tiger prawns is a dream and there’s just so much more.
Live music every evening is a big bonus. It’s a mix of good dance music at a tempo from the lounge area that can just be heard softly in the dining room as background.
With 55 seats in the lounge area and 25 stools at the beautifully appointed bar, this package is ample enticement for me to eat in this particular part of the restaurant’s space at any time.
Kobe beef burger, calzone, crab and lobster cakes, grilled shrimp pizza, tuna tartare, seared diver scallops: that’s all part of the bar menu.
There’s also a $3.75 tapas menu with lots of selections served from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The wines by the glass program is mighty impressive, too.
Have a snack or a whole meal, a sophisticated cocktail or a glass of wine and let the rest of the world fly away while you find relaxation supreme.
BRUSSELS BISTRO
222 Forest Ave.
Laguna Beach
(949) 376-7955
December 2003 was a happy month for me,that’s when this little Belgian sweetheart of a brasserie opened.
Belgium, home to some of the world’s finest food, is sought out by gourmets for its high-end dining pleasures. The natives, though, know that the charms of the table are really found in the lovingly prepared family dishes in the home and in the small, local, unpretentious bistros.
Alain Pauwels (owner of hotels in Belgium and South Africa) and his partner, Thomas Crijns, the chef, bring us the most delicious aspects of lovable Belgian food.
One of the tip-offs that a restaurant is something special is when you find other chefs, food and wine directors, wine distributors and hoteliers dining beside you. I’ve run into some familiar pros here over the past two years and we are always comparing or sharing dishes.
There’s a small, friendly bar along one wall with 10 stools. There’s also relaxed sitting at the wood tables with beer signs and simple photography hung on the raw brick walls.
A DJ spins music or a live trio or quartet plays old standards and pop songs Tuesday through Saturday evenings. A talented chanteuse often performs on Wednesday evenings.
The wine list is sufficient but I’d recommend that you try some of the wonderful beers. The Belgians are known as much for their world-class beers as their food and there are some exceptionally refined ones on this list.
The bar has no separate menu but the a la carte house choices will serve you well. Don’t miss the fries,a Belgian delicacy.
The casserole of Belgian-style mussels in wine sauce, carbonnades of beef (stewed in beer), parsley crusted salmon, Dover sole in lemon-brown butter sauce, duck breast in Chimay beer sauce, smoked salmon and vegetable lasagna and Belgian sabayon for dessert are in a class of their own.
THE BUNGALOW
2441 E. Coast Highway
Corona Del Mar
(949) 673-6585
This is one of the hot spots for dining in the bar. It’s sweet and cozy and the drinks are top-notch.
Since Jim Walker opened it in 1998, we’ve enjoyed the dining room menu of fresh seafood, steaks and chops cooked by chef Tracey Harter, who elegantly redefines straightforward California cuisine.
Since we love having a cocktail in this lounge space with its eight bar stools and nine tables, we sometimes make an entire meal from the appetizer-style menu. On occasion, we order from the dining room menu.
From the bar menu, spicy Thai-style calamari, grilled artichoke, wild mushroom ravioli, grilled rib eye on skewers, rare seared ahi, Maryland Blue Crab cakes and the jumbo prawn “martini” are all winners.
Meanwhile, don’t miss these drinks. Martinis: pom pom, chocolate Skyy, spicy-tini, java-tini, vanilla berry, watermelon, spiced cosmo and hypnotic. Cocktails: millionaire margarita, mai tai and melonaide. A list of fine international beers is proof of dedication to fully pleasing the customer with many choices of beverages.
Not the least of the draws to this restaurant is its old Craftsman-style warmth. The dark woods shine with polish and stories to tell. Big, rounded booths hug a back wall of the rather intimate dining room.
All the tables are dressed in formal length white cloths and appropriate glassware, with the glitter of candlelight adding romance.
So, whether having those sophisticated food tastes from the bar appetizers or a full-fledged meal from the menu, know that the swordfish, wild King salmon, lobster tail, crab legs, porterhouse pork chop or one of the succulent prime grade steaks is going to deliver quality with a smile and perfect service.
THE CATCH
1929 State College Blvd.
Anaheim
(714) 935-0101
The Anaheim location is prime, next to Angel Stadium of Anaheim, though changes are in the air.
The owners of The Catch have plans to move to Lennar Corp.’s nearby A-Town development as part of its ambitious housing project there.
Regardless of where The Catch ends up, this is one impressive restaurant. The table settings are pristine. There’s a well-defined wine list and menu of California-driven cuisine. In fact, the wine list takes you down all these little roads to the fine, but affordable, boutique wineries, while balancing those choices with the well names from bigger producers.
There’s seating at the bar, a place where it’s easy for me to stay for an entire meal. I love the way this big bar curves around, allowing for 26 bar stools. It begs to have conversations started with others nearby.
The bar menu features popular appetizers and more casual items from the regular menu. It’s easy to find food to fit your mood at the moment.
The available a la carte menu is packed with nifty appetizers such as coconut prawns, oysters on the half-shell and some international items. Entrees include fine steaks, many choices of fresh fish and jambalaya. There are many sandwiches and salads.
CHAT NOIR
655 Anton Blvd.
Costa Mesa
(714) 557-6647
Tell me there’s a sexier bar and lounge in this county and I’ll argue you down.
When owner David Wilhelm added this drop-dead gorgeous place to his portfolio of restaurants in the fall of 2003, we found a kind of exemplary Parisian beauty that hadn’t existed here.
David describes it as indicative of Parisian brasseries and bistros, but it’s so much more. This is the stuff of the most beautiful bistros. There’s period lighting, vintage artwork, fireplaces, deep leather booths and great amounts of red velvet.
The Chat Noir menu blends traditional French and contemporary American classics into a seamless and unique dining experience. Chat Noir’s dining rooms convey a warm, timeless ambience, while the sultry bar celebrates the glamour, and nightlife of early Twentieth Century Paris.
I can perch on one of the 12 bar stools or sit at one of the belle & #233;poque tables and have a Citadel gin martini or a fine glass of wine, listen to the perfect bistro jazz Wednesday through Saturday evenings and have culinary amusements from the room’s menu.
Sliders on brioche, ground sirloin on onion beignets, a lobster BLT, a highly stacked casse croute sandwich of ham and two French cheeses, a platter of shellfish on ice or a plate of assorted cheeses is certainly food as alluring as the surroundings.
And the restaurant doesn’t mind if I decide to order chef Joseph Youkhan’s food from the full dining room menu. A few moules marini & #269;re, a hit of seared foie gras, French crepes filled with seafood, stroganoff made with filet mignon and an order of the most French frites on the side of any of those dishes makes me the very happy gourmet every time.
FLEMING’S
Fashion Island
455 Newport Center Drive
(949) 720-9633
If the walls could talk, they’d say plenty about the deals and dates that have been made at Fleming’s since it opened in 1998.
The bar stools fill quickly when the restaurant opens at 5 p.m. The bar, elegantly understated and lined with about two dozen comfy stools, attracts power players.
With its wine list featuring 100 wines by the glass and bartenders who understand pouring a good drink or mixing a smooth martini, along with first rate food, it’s no wonder so many guests dine at the bar.
Although a prime filet reigns supreme in the dining room, the bone-in rib eye is a big seller at the bar, according to congenial operating partner Jaye Sechreste.
For those not wishing to use a knife or fork, a small special bar menu offers a tender filet mignon sandwich on toasted sourdough baguette. Other favorites are the artisan cheese selections, served with fresh fruit chutney.
Or go completely decadent and have the chilled seafood tower: a tiered powerhouse of Maine lobster tail, Alaskan king crab legs, fat shrimp and seasonal selections, wrapped up with traditional accompaniments.
The wine flights offer tastes of three wines and give diners the opportunity to match various wine flavors with food, or to compare a vertical of the same variety either alone or with food.
The comfortably elegant warm woods, wine storage on display and the modern architecture supply a pleasing atmosphere that makes us feel quite at home, while the professional white linen service makes us feel pampered and appreciated.
In the dining room or in the bar, menu items such as almond- and cilantro-crusted shrimp, veal chop or rib eye steak with b & #233;arnaise or seared scallops in a lobster cream sauce are on my delicious list.
FRENCH 75 BRASSERIE
13290 Jamboree Road
(714) 573-7600
It’s no secret to my readers that I’ve spent a lot of time in this David Wilhelm restaurant since it opened last summer. It reminds me more of the beautifully casual spirit of Paris than any other restaurant we have in our area.
First of all, I like it for both lunch and dinner, but the romance of walking in the front door after dark is something special. Under a covered entryway are banks of massive candles, casting their elegant and magical rays, setting a tone that’s hard to top.
Inside, there are a few surprises. The large room that the eye immediately sees is casual with just a touch of sophistication by way of the linens and the wide use of etched glass panels. Floors are of wood,tables and banquettes speak of straightforward bistro style. However, to the right of the foyer is a sea of seductive red. It’s the lounge and bar and it beckons to me.
The lounge survives in dimmer light by way of small French-style lamps along the bar, lighting the booth seating and sitting on either end of the red, translucent oblong table that struts its stuff down the middle of the room. There’s no live music, but soft background music includes a great blend of standards, jazz and new classics.
One shouldn’t miss having a look into the Left Bank room, naturally situated on the left as you enter. This space harks of Morocco. It’s a marvelous space for a private party of about two dozen.
To the back of the main room are the green room and the blue room, merely spaces curtained off to make them a bit quieter than the buzz of the central room.
Chef Chris Reischl cooks French comfort food and American-style bistro classics. The lounge menu of small plates and shared items is served from 4 p.m. and Bubbly Hour is Monday to Friday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Favorites from the lounge menu include a lobster salad sandwich, French-style sandwiches and a plate of mixed Provence goodies including cured meats, olives, cheese, foie gras mousse and some seasonal delicacies.
IL FORNAIO
18051 Von Karman Ave.
Irvine
(949) 261-1444
Dining at Il Fornaio makes me feel like I’ve taken another trip to the happily unpretentious side of Italy.
I was teased when it opened in 1991 because I wrote so often about the restaurant whose aromas and tastes reminded me so much of the Italian food I’d grown up with via the immigrant families that had settled, along with so many French immigrants, in the Midwest.
Families were everything and sitting around a table of good food was the norm, not the exception. Everything was made fresh every day and with love.
When I left those cooking influences behind as a young lady bound for Arizona, one of the first things I did was start cooking the Italian and French dishes that had shaped my palate. Il Fornaio brought all this to us in a neighborly Italian villa setting.
The loaves of ciabatta, focaccia and other artisanal breads greet us near the foyer. From such a simple food to the casually elegant regional dishes from all parts of Italy that make this place sing, it all comes together so well at the table,or at the bar.
Il Fornaio’s bar with 25 stools is a pretty place where I like to drink a glass of amaretto wine before a meal or a limoncello after.
Enjoy free Italian antipasti during the happy hour, Monday through Friday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. I also have the monthly regional specialties delivered to me at the bar.
Chef Jeff Burt keeps a close eye on the authenticity element in his kitchen and I love something as rustic as the pizza fradiavola with delicious Italian sausage, mushrooms, red onion and mozzarella.
I also adore gnocchi with porcini mushrooms and prosciutto, Maine lobster ravioli, Florentine steak, veal scaloppine with porcini mushrooms and the pork chop stuffed with leeks, asparagus, mozzarella cheese and roasted garlic. For dessert, please send over a fennel infused custard with a crackly sugar crust.
ISLAND HOTEL NEWPORT BEACH
GARDENS LOUNGE
690 Newport Center Drive
Newport Beach
(949) 759-0808
It was the Four Seasons until last November, then the Fashion Island landmark became the Island Hotel Newport Beach under The Irvine Company, the hotel’s owner and manager.
The Irvine Co. brought in Bill Bracken as executive chef. Bracken lives in OC, but had been executive chef at the Beverly Hills Peninsula hotel for years. Along with revitalizing the food with his signature cuisine in the dining room, and naturally in the banquet realm, Bill’s dazzling us with some downright fantastic reasons to dine in the lobby’s Gardens Lounge.
This is one of the most compelling places for sophisticated relaxation in the county. However, since there are only eight bar stools but with a lot of extra cushy seating otherwise, I’m usually parked somewhere on one of the sink-in couches in the lounge, noshing on a globally influenced menu.
The jazzy cocktail menu offers chic drinks and marvelous food. Featured is a different martini tantalizer poured tableside every weekday and special bottles of spirits to share if you are a group. There are featured cellar selections of the week for wine lovers and live entertainment Wednesday through Saturday.
The Gardens Lounge serves small plates of fresh seafood, including curry fried calamari, chilled jumbo prawns, Blue Fin sashimi and San Felipe-style fish tacos, all served with fitting sauces and accompaniments.
Also offered are irresistible rewards for a hard day’s work such as spicy Buffalo-style chicken wings, Peking duck wontons, grilled steak quesadilla, Thai chicken pizza, steamed Chinese dumplings and yummy mini sliders.
Splurge with golden osetra American sturgeon deluxe caviar with traditional garnishes.
I’m in the process of trying Bill Bracken’s new menu at the hotel’s Pavilion dining room. So far it’s promising to bring dining smiles far and wide.
LA VIE EN ROSE
240 S. State College Blvd.
Brea
(714) 529-8333
This restaurant owns the market on delivering the most authentic French country cuisine in OC. It’s been part of the local dining scene for more than two decades.
For anyone who has been to France or even speaks French, having this Gallic food close by makes the world seem brighter.
Here I have a different bent on what I consider dining away from the dining room. There’s a long bar with a few stools for cozying up and a few cocktail tables, too. While I love having a drink here, La Vie has neither bar entertainment or a special bar menu.
So I’m giving up my secret about my favorite, intimate spot in Brea: at a little table beside the fireplace at La Vie that seats two. The fireplace here is the perfect romantic setting and it’s fronted by down-soft seating with a low table for before- or after-dinner drinks and a couple of little tables for two near the warmth of the fire.
Favorites of mine include the beautiful crusty bread and redolent escargot, mussels in a shallot wine sauce and the perfect onion soup for starters.
Sea scallops in a creamy Dijon sauce, roasted pork with a calvados sauce, rack of lamb with rosemary, veal tenderloin with Madeira and truffle sauce, confit of duck with Port wine sauce and sea bass with onion-cream sauce are comfort entrees for me.
In true French culinary fashion, this is a house of serious sauces. The plate of unique French cheeses is like no other and something from the multi-level dessert chariot almost always finds its way to me.
Ask for one of the fireside tables when making a reservation and discover an extra dose of charm and quietness for yourself.
LING & LOUIE’S
85 Fortune Drive
(949) 585-0022
One of the things I like about living in Irvine is our proximity to the Irvine Spectrum Center. It’s morphed from its “eatertainment” center beginnings to true destination status with great restaurants and wonderful shopping.
The bar at the Spectrum’s Ling and Louie’s restaurant calls for me to relax and kick back. This was the former setting for Typhoon, which owner Randy Schoch recently remade into Ling and Louie’s.
You can’t beat the restaurant’s $1, $2, $3 Easy Hours menu, which is served in the bar and patio seven days a week, from 4 p.m. to closing.
For a buck, we start with edamame or a bowl of soothing miso soup. For $2 you get great lettuce wraps, full of flavor and complemented by a sweet-spicy sauce. Two dollars also buys delicious chicken sate or one of my husband’s favorites: beggar’s purses, which are crispy shrimp and pork dumplings served with a coconut curry sauce.
If you want to go for broke, the $3 plates include spicy tuna tempura rolls, hoisin-honey grilled tender Mongolian pork ribs served with an Asian slaw, or spring rolls. The latter is a Vietnamese classic with crab meat and pork in a crispy roll, layered with fresh mint and cilantro and eaten in a lettuce wrap.
You also can order from the a la carte menu in the bar. It’s hard for me to guide you because we like so much of this contemporary Chinese and Asian cuisine representing the best of Thailand, China, Vietnam and Japan.
I know well what a fine food adventure this is with its culinary tale built on an East meets West love story told one dish at a time.
LUCCA CAFE & MARKET
Quail Village Center
6507 Quail Hill Parkway
Irvine
(949) 725-1773
This is my small bar cozy-up place. This restaurant is doing everything right from its wine policy to good service to lovely food. And it’s doing it all in a friendly and helpful way.
Lucca works with artisan and organic farmers and purveyors. Consider it a contemporary European bistro. The up-to-the-minute color scheme, decor, lighting, ambiance and scale,from the wine cabinets to the stone finishes,feels Mediterranean. The big band, Sinatra-esque background music fits in well.
A wine bar menu is available from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. every day. However, with a category of small plates offered on the dinner menu, we feel completely at home staying there and ordering otherwise.
Lucca offer 2.5- or 6-ounce pours of wine. It’s nice if you are trying several plates from the dinner menu to have the choice of more wine matchings with smaller pours.
Servers are trained and backed by owners Elliott and Cathy Pavlos at tableside to help customers select matching wines. They’ll offer tiny, free pours if you can’t decide what to order.
The menu includes French, Italian, Mediterranean and American dishes so perfect for sharing tastes that I am leaving the discovery to you. Keep in mind that many of the foods are served in flights, meaning more than one preparation of the same family of ingredients on the plate.
On March 30, a Wine and Chocolate Pairing will be held, featuring Michael Antonorsi and Chuao Chocolates from Venezuela and a sommelier from the Henry Wine Group. Champagnes, white and red wines will be paired with these delicate and decadent chocolates, which have attracted a lot of international attention.
MASTRO’S STEAKHOUSE
633 Anton Blvd.
(714) 546-7405
It opened just last month, but Mastro’s already is a place to see and be seen.
The big bar and lounge joins the restaurant in combining moneyed beauty, serious food, an arm-long list of specialty cocktails, lots of fine wine and good, live music.
Owners Michael and Dennis Mastro have put a ton of money into this smart and sophisticated place with ultra modern decor and an eye-catching two-story central wine tower, which houses 18,000 bottles of wine.
The energetic atmosphere is reminiscent of a timeless Manhattan dining establishment.
The bar is fronted by more than 20 seats and the back bar is more than glamorous enough to keep your attention.
No separate bar menu here. Since this large lounge area is decked out with lots of banquette seating and high-fashion cocktail tables, it’s meant to be a place to dine as well as drink. The complete house menu is served.
You know what serious steakhouses do: They serve a long list of fine starters, some super steaks and chops and briny fresh fish, plus a whole passel of side orders. We raid the latter category and have come up on various occasions with fat spears of steamed asparagus, the sometimes available lobster and mashed potato mix, sweet potato fries, colossal and wonderful onion rings, outrageously good mac and cheese made with gorgonzola and sauteed sugar snap peas.
From almost two dozen appetizers, we’re happy to have some crab claws, raw oysters, steak sashimi (a signature house specialty), a lobster cocktail and a salad called the Spicy Mambo.
I’m just getting to know the chef, Matthew Briggs. He’s come around to tables and talked about the food we ordered and why he wants to keep their reputation pristine when it comes to cooking American steakhouse cuisine to perfection.
The company also owns the rather new Mastro’s Ocean Seafood in Newport Beach and other restaurants in Beverly Hills and Arizona.
MCCORMICK & SCHMICK’S
SEAFOOD RESTAURANT
2000 Main St.
(949) 756-0505
I’ve got a McCormick & Schmick’s cookbook because I like their fresh daily menus based on international seafood and I sometimes cook their way at home.
The Irvine location opened in 1989 and still holds that fine balance of fresh appearance matched with sophisticated nostalgia. No kitschy artifacts around, just lots of warm brick, fabulous use of dark woods and custom millwork on the paneling and ceilings, expensive leaded and etched glass and sit-down inducement galore in the main dining rooms.
My husband and I sometimes sit in the main bar of the restaurant, but we also thoroughly enjoy the casualness and friendly affinity of the adjoining Pilsner Room. Each has a little over a dozen seats at the bar. The Pilsner Room has varied jazz, reggae and tribute bands on Thursday and Friday evenings.
If we are in the mood for a nice glass of wine or a cocktail, then the main bar is our choice. There, we are more likely to order a multi-course meal from the menu that generally features up to 30 species of fish daily, with emphasis on new and often exotic species from Hawaii, New Zealand and the Northwest. Taken from the purest waters and prepared in traditional fashion, chef Kurt Schaeffer and his staff showcase the superior natural flavors of all the seafood.
The Pilsner Room is where fresh beers are brewed and where many American and European beers are found. We can have wine or a full meal, but it’s not the focus for us or this room. Weeknights from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. to midnight there are $1.95 and $5.95 plates.
Dishes such as Ahi poke, chicken strips, egg rolls, an 8-ounce cheeseburger, spicy wings and pot stickers are on the $1.95 menu. The $5.95 list includes ahi tuna tacos, steamed black mussels and a hefty chicken sandwich.
MIRABEAU
17 Monarch Bay Plaza
Dana Point
(949) 234-1679
Mirabeau is imbued with a true, small French bistro personality with warm yellows and oranges and dark woods and a happy little ambiance that makes you look forward to the food.
Owner Katie Averill Scholl got a nice surprise early on when the restaurant was listed in Food and Wine magazine as one of the best new French bistros in America.
Fifteen seats front the beverage part of the bar and the cooking area. Try for one overlooking the kitchen. It’s fun to see how the dishes are prepared. The restaurant serves fresh Southern French fare.
Katie, a graduate of the California Culinary Institute, is an acclaimed pastry chef, and she can be found at 5 a.m. making her breads, crackers, quiche, ice creams, and sorbets. She sidesteps into the savory side of cooking by making her signature sausages,must-haves for diners.
We go nuts for the hot mini baguettes that come with signature Mirabeau spreads. Give me a chunk of cheese and a carafe of wine and I could have a meal on that alone.
There is no bar menu, but who cares?
Don’t miss these appetizers: tomato and caramelized onion tart and the sauteed clams with sausage. A classic cassoulet puts your palate directly in touch with Toulouse with its meaty duck and pork flavors mingling with white beans. Shellfish are cooked pot au feu style in a saffron broth. Whole roasted fresh fish of the day is a real winner as are nightly specials such as roast duck a l’orange, blanquette de veau and French roasted chicken.
Naturally, this is where you can indulge with piles of crispy fries aside your b & #233;arnaise- or Roquefort-topped onglet, rib eye or N.Y. strip steak.
On Thursdays and some Friday evenings, a guitarist plays classical music.
MOZAMBIQUE
1740 S. Coast Highway
(949) 715-7777
Mozambique is one of the county’s best places for dining at the bar, specifically at the upstairs Shebeen Lounge.
The downstairs restaurant is pretty special, too. It is quickly gaining a reputation among patrons and critics alike as one of the most important restaurants to debut in Southern California.
Where else are you going to find rare parrots, including a salmon crest cockatoo, an African gray, a diminutive sun conure and both scarlet and blue/gold macaws greeting you from their big cages outside the door?
Step inside to the South African stylishness of antique stone and wood floors, heavy beamed ceilings, richly appointed leather seating in banquette and high-back chairs, decorative wrought iron fixtures and a large stone fireplace.
Shebeen Lounge is where I settle in and view the ocean. From bar seats or tables, it’s a space that is proud of mingling egotistical vistas with hip food and lots of interesting cocktails and good wines.
The bar menu takes us through shrimp done a couple of ways, seafood ceviche, Portuguese lamb steak, Durban curry (a most lovable dish), steak, tuna, seared chicken livers and caramelized onions Mozambique-style, and several trendy salads and classic sandwiches.
Many of the dishes are lightly perfumed with peri-peri, a pleasant spice mix indigenous to the country of Mozambique.
The downstairs menu adds a few other choices. I’m already a big fan of the flavorful coastal cuisine blended with South African touches that their acclaimed chef, Alfonso Contrisciani, presents.
He serves a fantastic mixed grill of lamb, sausage and beef. Seafood curry, braised short ribs and peri-peri chicken and prawns are noteworthy, too.
NAPA ROSE
Grand Californian Hotel
1600 South Disneyland Drive
(714) 300-7170
Napa Rose has the most sophisticated bar menu in the county. Serious enough to make you forget the dining room, if you’re not careful.
The restaurant has just celebrated its fifth anniversary and what a treat it is to have chef Andrew Sutton’s signature style of wine country cooking. Powerhouse general manager and acclaimed wine expert Michael Jordan is a great partner, with the restaurant employing more trained sommeliers than any restaurant in the world. The wine cellar holds 17,000 bottles representing at least 1,000 labels.
Napa Rose has a large and genteel lounge with cozy chairs and a welcoming fireplace, plus views of Disneyland. It’s where we usually choose to sit, although there are several seats in front of the bar.
Dine from the lounge or full menu. Lounge menu favorites include Sea of Cortez diver scallops, pheasant dumplings, cider-roasted goose in corn crepes, poached spiny lobster with a persimmon and m & #226;che salad, a pizzetta toped with Sonoma prosciutto and cambozola cheese, spare ribs and shrimp cooked on a hot stone, an assortment of wine country olives and a collection of seven of the above for a fantastic combo tasting.
As for that full menu, Andrew just dazzles us every time with his suave approach to using perfect ingredients on every plate.
RITZ-CARLTON LAGUNA NIGUEL
One Ritz-Carlton Drive
(949) 240-2000
The Ritz-Carlton made a big change to its dining lineup last year, replacing its formal dining room with a new venue.
For more casual dining, the hotel has a bar just off the main lobby. It offers a bit of intimacy, a lot of fine furnishings as background and views of the ocean.
The bar is part of the newly renovated space that includes Restaurant 162′. There’s live music in the evenings. Here I perch comfortably on one of the 12 bar stools and have some good catch-up time with a couple of girlfriends or enjoy some quiet conversation with my husband.
A small menu was created to go with drinks and wines. It includes roasted corn crab cakes, oysters on the half-shell, braised baby back ribs, Manila clams with chorizo and fennel, a cheese plate and a grilled romaine salad with white anchovies in the small plates category.
Billed as medium plates are steaks, a club sandwich with stellar ingredients on ciabatta bread, a pizza of the day and a sandwich that needs its own sentence. That would be the grilled sirloin, turkey or taro burger upon which you heap any of a dozen accompaniments.
You also can order from the restaurant menu, which is pretty vast and sophisticated. Consider seared foie gras with a duck confit croquette, prawns with Bloody Mary sauce, Arctic char fish with quinoa, Pacific sea bass with coconut red rice, fettuccine with wild mushrooms and truffle cream, lamb loin with Madeira jus or bouillabaisse.
ROUGE BISTRO & BAR
327 Newport Center Drive
(949) 640.2700
Rouge was born in 2004 when David Wilhelm decided to concentrate on French cuisine and sexy restaurant interiors.
This Parisian bistro has mostly French food but with a gentle nod to America as well. The lounge area is fairly large and the 13 seats at the bar are prime territory.
Rouge offers a menu of mostly small plates specific to the bar. A Happy Hour is mainly for drinks, though the restaurant features a Tuesday special when diners receive a 50% discount on the lounge food menu.
There is a full view of half of the dining room from any vantage point in the bar. That competing seductive scenario might put you in the mood to drink at the bar and then segue a few feet away to a linen-draped table.
Either way, staying put for drinks and meal or ending up in the dining room, a good repast should greet you.
Tune up your French accent and give yourself some wiggle room with the wine list as it might take a while to decide what to eat. Lots of wines by the glass will make a tasting flight easy.
On that lounge menu, shrimp en cassolette, Alsatian duck leg, short ribs, moules (mussels), fresh fish, onion soup, chicken and mushroom crepe and a little fromage (cheese) are fully French speaking.
Ahi tuna tartare, scallops with prosciutto, Caesar salad, shrimp cocktail and a butter lettuce salad might be accused of trying to speak with less of a French intonation. It doesn’t matter, it’s all wrapped in the restaurant’s lovely red atmosphere and you’ve got to love it.
ROYAL KHYBER
South Coast Plaza Village
1621 W. Sunflower Ave.
(714) 436-1010
Royal Khyber is a former pick as my Restaurant of the Year. It’s still one of the finest restaurants in Southern California.
I’ve introduced dozens of people to this restaurant. My charges invariably come away from the table impressed and marveling about the cosmopolitan flavors of the restaurant’s Indian food.
Royal Khyber’s decor is contemporary with very peaceful Indian art touches. A serene and beautiful color scheme envelops the room of tables with snowy white cloths and nice place settings.
I appreciate the comfortable, fully upholstered chairs that invite the diner to stay and enjoy. It suggests having the meal at the table and an aperitif or digestif at the bar.
The bar is small with eight stools. There are several tables in the lounge area.
Even without a cocktail or meal on my radar, I could happily sit here sipping a cup of cardamon-flavored tea. It’s ultra-refreshing.
The house menu of North Indian tandoor style food and Moghlai dishes,all finessed to healthfulness, softness and mild fusion status by owner and chef Arun Puri,is our dining guide.
It is imperative that you understand that the art of Indian cookery lies not in high spicing but rather in the delicacy of spicing. Arun is a master at honoring that gracefulness on the palate.
Gentle flavors mingle in baked lamb kebabs and the fish cooked with mustard fennel, while the boneless “butter” chicken with its lilting sauce is a must try dish for everyone.
The mild coconut curried chicken is an awesome dish, too, as is the lamb shank that’s slowly cooked for 14 hours.
ROY’S
Fashion Island
453 Newport Center Drive
Newport Beach
(949) 640-7697
I like to saddle up to Roy’s sushi bar, which has about 10 seats and is more like a chef’s counter.
There you have a bird’s eye view of the entire kitchen, from the lightening fast prep of Yamaguchi sushi to watching the entire line prepare plate after plate of amazing food.
If he’s not too swamped, chef partner Chris Garnier, one of chef Roy Yamaguchi’s top prot & #233;g & #233;s from Honolulu, will come by and say “Aloha.” Any night you might find other top chefs in OC dining here as well. It radiates high energy, delicious aromas and the aloha spirit.
There is a large lounge and bar area where diners like me also mingle. It’s a rare evening that the bar isn’t full.
I’ll usually choose one of Roy’s signature sake-tinis, while my husband, Patrick, hardly can resist a specialty cocktail made from rums and vodkas macerating in beautiful jars with fresh pineapple infusing their flavors.
It’s hard to believe we’ve had seven years of enjoyable meals and fun times at the bar. We’ve been customers since the doors first opened.
What to order? For a good start, consider Roy’s canoe appetizer for two: grilled shrimp sticks, Szechwan baby back ribs, tempuraed spicy tuna sushi rolls, sweet sesame shoyu edamame and wok crisped dim sum.
For me, it’s always Yamaguchi sushi: classic sushi taken to the next level with Roy’s inimitable sauces, seasonings and garnish. The lakanilau roll is seared Kobe beef wrapped around snow crab, tempura asparagus and avocado.
Auntie Lei’s aloha roll is spicy tuna topped with hamachi, salmon, avocado and ginger ponzu. Patrick loves Da Crunch, which is shrimp tempura, snow crab, avocado and toasted Macadamia nuts with Malaysian curry aioli.
Traditional sushi and sashimi are available. Many diners swear by Chris’s house smoked, kiawe-grilled 16-ounce rib eye.
We always end with Roy’s trademark melting hot chocolate souffl & #233;, which is big enough for two to share.
SALT CREEK GRILLE
32802 Pacific Coast Highway
Dana Point
(949) 661-7799
Salt Creek Grille is a fine place that offers a casual, warm and sophisticated bar atmosphere, with 25 seats to listen to music and enjoy drinks and food.
The restaurant has great jazz Wednesdays through Sundays with no cover charge. You can order from the full dinner menu in the lounge. Weekdays there’s a 10-item happy hour menu.
On Sundays, during Salt Creek Grille’s award-winning champagne buffet brunch, live jazz blends easily with the casual atmosphere. Bottled wines are half price on Sundays.
The late afternoon menu geared to the lounge makes serious snacking easy. Calamari comes with two dipping sauces and goat cheese nestles on flat bread with some baked wild mushrooms and caramelized onions.
The hot crab and artichoke dip is fashionable bar food. There is an ahi tuna stack, bruschetta with the de rigueur tomato-garlic-herb topping and utterly tender mesquite-grilled ribs with barbecue sauce.
The stuffed jumbo shrimp,filled with horseradish and bacon-wrapped,have long been a wildly popular appetizer and sun-dried tomato joins fresh basil and grilled chicken on a crispy pizza crust.
Two soups,tomato-basil bisque and an even richer lobster bisque,appear on the shortened menu.
A nice variety of steaks, chops, fresh seafood and some American classic dishes are finely tuned selections from chef Scott Floyd’s repertoire on the full menu.
The owners of Salt Creek Grille are Tim McCune and Pete Truxaw. Pete’s grandfather was Dr. John W. Truxaw, the first resident doctor for Anaheim and most of OC from 1913 until the mid-1940s. His office was in his home, which is now the fabled Anaheim White House restaurant.
Salt Creek Grille is just months away from celebrating its 10th anniversary and it remains as fresh in stature as the day it was launched.
I am very fond of the fine-looking craftsman-details that give so much friendly warmth to this building. And while we enjoy the dining rooms as much as the lounge area, we often linger on the comfortable deck, sitting by the warming fire pit with a glass of wine or cognac.
STEAMERS JAZZ CLUB AND CAF & #201;
138 W. Commonwealth Ave.
Fullerton
(714) 871-8800
Jazz lovers got a big boost when Terrance Love opened Steamers in 1994.
He wanted to bring the best in fine jazz to the county and he’s done that. Legendary musicians appear on a regular basis and jazz aficionados are hard core loyalists to this Euro cafe venue.
Regulars include drummer Jeff Hamilton, flutist Holly Hoffman, guitarist Ron Eschete, singer Barbara Morrison and the Four Freshman.
Chef Omar Gonzalez prepares food mostly with an Italian edge to keep the tummy in tune with the melody coming from the stage.
Pastas and pizzas are offered in a nice variety and a homemade chicken gumbo that’s not Italian at all has plenty of fans. Sandwiches are quite popular at this venue and they certainly make the casual eater happy. Many of the sandwiches are grilled panini-style.
An actual bar where you can sit doesn’t exist. This venue is a room for dining and listening.
ST. REGIS HOTEL
LOBBY LOUNGE
One Monarch Beach Resort
(949) 234-3200
Nearly five years ago we were among the first curious souls to see what this new luxury hotel was all about.
There were lots of celebrities and movie stars milling about for the opening of the St. Regis. But I’m more interested in the beauty of surroundings, the aromas from a kitchen, and the looks and tastes of food on my plate. The St. Regis’ lounge hasn’t let me down.
In keeping with the Tuscan-inspired setting of the resort, the Lobby Lounge & Bar provides a stunning atmosphere in which to enjoy signature cocktails, refreshments and upscale lounge fare, with indoor or terrace seating.
During the evening, guests can relax by the fireplace on an oversized sofa for after-dinner cocktails and conversation. There’s live music Wednesday through Sunday evenings.
There’s a feeling of being spoiled as one gazes out onto the beautiful resort grounds that overlook the Monarch Beach Golf Links and the Pacific Ocean. Not only do the views amaze us, but the sophisticated food, eclectic array of cocktails and refined service certainly make a tremendous impression.
The St. Regis is adept at providing uncompromising service while making guests feel at home. It’s a nice balance between the friendliness and professional stature of the staff.
While there are about 10 bar stools in the lounge, the other furnishings are so sink-in comfortable that the cushiness factor usually wins out for me.
Wherever you sit, moderately sophisticated fare is offered. Favorites include fries drizzled with truffle oil, lump crab cakes, poached salmon salad morphed into a sandwich presentation and Kobe beef in a burger.
Tartare is made of ahi tuna, soup is French onion, mango-ginger dip highlights the coconut-crusted prawns, Hawaiian pulled chicken is used in the & #252;ber quesadilla and the plate of cheeses with fig bread and dried fruit compote always has fantastic cheese selections.
In the dessert mode is a warm chocolate cake and a classic New York cheesecake with a berry salsa.
TALEO GRILL
3309 Michelson Drive
Irvine
(949) 553-9002
Tal & #233;o Grill has raised the bar way high for Mexican restaurants. It’s made us crave anew a remarkable cuisine since opening nearly two years ago.
Years ago, I wrote an article about the food we’d eaten in the heart of Mexico and lamented how different it was from anything I could find stateside. Then, unexpectedly, I discovered some of those same tastes at a restaurant outside of San Antonio, a city I don’t get to very often.
Tal & #233;o has provided the right local fix for gourmet Mexican food amid superb modern architecture and decor.
The restaurant serves the best carnitas many of us have found in the U.S. and beyond. It is a recipe from chef Jose Acevedo’s family, presented as a generous serving of caramelized pork with heavenly flavor.
You can go down the list of Mexican specialties on the menu, including mole poblano, tacos, pollo de achiote, beef in guajillo barbecue sauce and grilled snapper, and you will discover throughout that same degree of passion in the taste.
Even the cilantro-lime rice is addictive. No wonder serious gourmets make frequent visits to Tal & #233;o.
There’s a fine wine list to pair with these endearing tastes. There’s also a premium list of tequilas to choose from. We sometimes head right for the lounge area, a colorful but sophisticated and intimate space. The 15 bar seats are friendly, and having our drink and dining there always is a possibility.
As owner Nic Villarreal says, “I take our representation of our culture very seriously. I feel that the public’s perspective of Mexican food will improve as our concept continues to execute at the highest levels.”
It sure will.
TAPS FISH HOUSE & BREWERY
101 E. Imperial Highway
(714) 257-0101
One of the main reasons for this restaurant’s tremendous popularity is its “all things to all people” appeal.
For a special occasion or important business deal, there’s a first class white tablecloth experience with Australian lobster and fine wine in the dining room.
Or if you just want a handcrafted ale with one of the best burgers to be found,12 ounces of lean ground beef with aged cheddar, all the trimmings and served on a potato roll with garlic-parsley fries,proceed directly to the curvy, warm and friendly bar and get settled on one of the almost two dozen seats.
You will find three big screens in this bar area but the sound is off unless it’s a major event. There’s no sports bar aura poking at you.
Happy hour is weekdays from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Two great calamari dishes, grilled artichoke, spicy chicken nachos, sliders with fries, swamp fire chicken wings and two satisfying pizzas are less than $5 each. House wines and well drinks are $3.50 and Victor Novak’s outstanding European-style ales and lagers go for $3.
I love how Victor brews with the season. Be it pumpkin ale in the fall or Thomas Jefferson Ale for July Fourth, you are assured of having some of the best beers in OC. Victor’s racked up the awards to prove it.
There are a pair of cigar-friendly patios. Groups or couples huddle at three cozy fireplaces,two outdoors and one in a bar nook. One can dine in the patio or inside on the American food that comes with contemporary twists (built around classic steaks, lots of fresh seafood, chops and poultry with a few really regional dishes added).
Proprietor Joe Manzella has changed the face of North County dining with his timeless yet innovative concept housed in a beautiful New Orleans style building. He’s found well-trained pros to help run his growing restaurant domain (he also owns The Catch in Anaheim and is about to open a second Taps for the Dos Lagos development in Corona).
VESSIA
3966 Barranca Parkway
(949) 654-1155
Franco Vessia decided in 1997 to open his own restaurant after having made other restaurants successful because of his attention to their concept and dedication to customers.
By the following year, Vessia was ready and we were in the restaurant rubbing elbows with OC executives and government officials. They remain his loyal followers while many others have discovered Vessia’s food that’s consistently good and authentic.
The bar and lounge area is smallish and intimate. Often referred to as “Cheerzini” (the Italian version of “Cheers”), this neighborhood bar is definitely where everybody knows your name. The warm, friendly vibe will bring you back for another round of drinks.
My suggestion for food would be to order the very crispy calamari fritti, the plate of assorted Italian salami and cured meats, grilled prawns with lemon sauce or arancini (rice balls stuffed with meat). These are good things to side with a beverage.
Gino Buonanoce, Franco’s chef and partner, is a congenial guy who I love to chat with. We talk about various regions of Italy. We compare Italian foods and recipes I know, some of which I used to teach in my culinary classes.
We talk about the food we ate in Italy the last time either of us was there.
I’m crazy for Gino’s corkscrew pasta with sausage and mushrooms and the eggplant lasagne. Ravioli with chicken sausage, fennel and sage butter sauce is also high on my faves list.
I used to make brasciole at home because it mostly does not exist on restaurant menus. You must have Gino’s marvelous version, which thankfully now saves me all that labor. The dish includes a flattened flank steak that is rolled around a stuffing of pecorino cheese, pancetta, garlic and parsley. It’s then simmered till tender and sliced into medallions that sit atop creamy polenta.
A little gelato for dessert finishes the meal off nicely.
Z’TEJAS
3333 Bristol St.
Costa Mesa
(714) 979-7469
We got a new version of Southwestern cuisine when this restaurant came along five years ago. The influence of Arizona and some of our thinking about California were supplanted by Louisiana, Texas and other food concepts.
The bar has a long row of 18 seats. Mahogany wood, wrought iron detailing, handcrafted tile work, copper accents, jewel-toned fabrics and flattering amber-colored lighting predominate in the dining rooms and the bar and lounge area.
A nice cocktail or a glass of wine from their list of major and minor (boutique) labels are good choices.
Half-price appetizers and drink specials are offered during happy hour. Try the chili verde to spice up life. Fish tacos made with blackened filets have flavor to stand up to a spirited cocktail or a beer. Herb and pumpkin seed tostada rounds with pesto-grilled shrimp are pretty gourmet and pretty delightful in taste.
The catfish beignets (dredged in cornmeal and crisply fried) with jalape & #324;o tartar sauce are a signature appetizer for the restaurant.
While the bar menu has some other options, one can also take full advantage of the dining room menu. I’ve had the pecan-crusted chicken and spinach salad innumerable times.
Love the grilled trout on salad greens too. Ditto the blackened voodoo tuna with Texas rice. Wild mushroom enchilada is also another fun dish that seems to have influenced me enough that I’ve ordered it a few times.
Overall, Z’Tejas is a happy concept anyway, so these little barside amenities are just frosting on your cocktail glass. I always walk away with a smile on my face.
