During the years, we’ve indulged in our share of wine dinners at McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurant in Irvine.
Some of them were put together for the food- and wine-loving public and suited the two of us as another interested couple.
Some of them were food and wine dinners that I requested the restaurant do for us and some of our friends.
One of the great things about the McCormick & Schmick’s wine dinners is that they feature them at bargain prices.
This week, McCormick & Schmick’s is offering the Northwest Seafood and Wine Dinners, twice,on Tuesday and Wednesday. Both are only $60, plus tax and gratuity, for a five-course meal featuring the restaurant’s fresh sea-food complemented with Willamette Valley Vineyards wines.
As if this were not enough incentive, each party attending will receive a special gift: a McCormick & Sch-mick’s Seafood Restaurant Cookbook, signed by executive chef Kurt Schaffer (one per household). The event will be delicious, fun, educational and engaging.
The five-course dinner highlights the restaurant’s menu style: clean, fresh and interesting.
Two of the dishes that I know are on the menu for these two evenings: McCormick & Schmick’s signature crab and shrimp cakes, and grilled cedar-plank salmon on a mushroom risotto. Those are going to be paired with Willamette Valley Vineyards Pinot Gris and Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir respectively.
At the time of writing this column, the dinner still was being finalized with the other three courses and the wines that will be paired with them. When you call for reservations, McCormick & Schmick’s will have the complete menu.
Willamette Valley Vineyards is one of Oregon’s most renowned pinot noir producers. From elegant and stylish, to earthy and structured, its goal is to produce the highest quality Burgundian varietals possible.
It is a place where handcrafted wines are revered. Owners Jim and Cathy Bernau, native Oregonians, are caretakers of the environment and use sustainable practices in growing and vinifying the wine grapes. The stylistic emphasis of the owners and winemaker, Forrest Klaffke, is on pure varietal fruit character, with attention to depth and richness of texture and balance.
Since the winery and underground cellar are carved into the top of an ancient volcanic flow, the soil is red from its oxidized iron content and well-drained, a terroir similar to the red clay soil found in some of the greatest vineyards in Burgundy,and we know the price those wines can fetch.
Willamette Valley Vineyards currently makes six labels of pinot noir, two labels of pinot gris, two labels of chardonnay, a riesling and a gew & #252;rztraminer.
Now in its 17th year, McCormick & Schmick’s continues to bring pristinely fresh seafood to Orange County. Featuring up to 30 varieties daily (with emphasis on new and often exotic species from Hawaii, New Zealand and the Northwest), the seafood comes from the purest waters with the kitchen showcasing the superior natural flavors inherent in each catch.
This also is an exceedingly good-looking restaurant, so the ambiance suits the occasion.
This began as a dinner for one night only, but demand was high, so they added the second evening.
It’s a good sign when you have to add more nights of dinners to the agenda because of customer demand. And, you certainly won’t be finding other wine dinners with the gift of a cookbook at this price. I have this book in my kitchen and I’ve cooked a lot of recipes from it. I’ve also purchased the books to give as gifts, as well as recommended it to my readers in an earlier column.
Choose your night, this Tuesday or Wednesday, at 6:30 p.m., and call (949) 756-0505 to reserve. McCormick & Schmick’s is at 2000 Main St. in Irvine.
Kosher Kitchen
The Hilton Orange County/Costa Mesa has become the only hotel in the county to create a kitchen on premises devoted to preparing cuisine for kosher events.
The kitchen in the fashionable 486-room hotel near South Coast Plaza cost more than $50,000 to create.
New china even was purchased to enhance the kosher experience.
Shaun Robinson, the hotel’s general manager, mentioned at the dedication of the kitchen a few days ago, “The completion of this new kitchen is the icing on the cake for our hotel, which has recently undergone a $16 million renovation.”
Shaun, formerly the resident manager of the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, has overseen many large kosher events and he’s delighted that the Hilton Costa Mesa now is equipped to fill a need for Jewish guests.
They no longer will have to contract with outside caterers to bring kosher food into the hotel.
Hotel staff consulted with Dan Bernstein, president and chief executive of the Merage Jewish Community Center, in the development of the kitchen.
It has contracted with Rabbi Binyomin Fajnland for supervision of kosher meals to be prepared there. Additionally, the hotel’s master chef, Clemens Gregor Kauffmann, already is well versed in kosher catering.
Various kosher menus have been created for a little diversity and interesting options for events. Menus for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner and coffee breaks are included in the kosher offerings. Kosher wines also are being sourced to complete the potential.
For anyone who has not seen the makeover of the hotel, it’s a treat. It reminds one of San Francisco with its stylish nature and openness.
I happen to love the glass elevators framed in thousands of tiny lights that glide along a major lobby wall.
I’ve written in the past that the chic restaurant within the hotel, Bristol Palms, is a hidden gem with its exciting and delicious food.
Since you, my readers, know practically all of my secrets, I might as well add this little tale. Shaun came to the hotel last year as the new general manager. His name sounded familiar, but I couldn’t put a face with the name,at least for a little while.
Then, the light bulb went off. He’d been captain at a restaurant in Newport Beach in 1984 and we’d enjoyed his professionalism way back then.
He moved on and we lost track of him. In the early 1990s, Patrick and I were hosting a large dinner for chefs and winemakers in Beverly Hills. As we began to make plans, we learned that Shaun was the director of catering and he took very good care of us and our function as we renewed acquaintances and conducted business.
We lost touch again,until he turned up here in this hotel. So, should you meet this Liverpool native (and you thought only The Beatles came from there) with his definitive accent, be prepared to get a warm and sincere greeting,and plenty of inquiries about their service. Well, you will get that from the whole staff at this hotel as the Hilton’s ultimate goal is to please.
Hilton Orange County/Costa Mesa: 3050 Bristol St., Costa Mesa. Phone: (714) 540-7000.
Goodbye to a Friend
I’m rather sad these days. The managing editor of the Business Journal, Mike Mason, has moved on and this is my first week without him.
I’ve been writing for the Business Journal for 15 years and two weeks. I’ve had a few managing editors along the way.
Mike has been the one who’s taken care of my columns, complementing them with photos and such. He’s been a supportive and educational force for me for the past four and a half years.
Mike’s the best. He’s enhanced my desire to write, informed me when new food or wine research was available, and with an always positive nature, has given me help in making my columns read well.
However, we all move on as life presents new opportunities or challenges. Mike, his wife Amy and their baby daughter, Miranda, are now residents of Portland, Ore. Mike is the new public information officer with Oregon’s Department of Transportation.
I’m missing his sunny attitude, but wishing him and his family a wonderful time in Portland. Since Patrick and I have friends in Oregon, in Washington state and in Vancouver, British Columbia, we need to take a vacation northward sometime, so the Masons might very well find us in their town one day as we wander through.
At least for now, we can keep in touch via e-mail.
Good luck, stay bright and happy and healthy. And know that you made a difference to those of us who were lucky enough to know you, Mike. The state of Oregon is fortunate to have you on board.
