The second Morton’s Steakhouse in Orange County, this one in Anaheim, opened a month ago.
We never go to restaurants on opening night and didn’t intend to change that habit even when we knew the first guests were being introduced to the new Morton’s.
But then we found ourselves serendipitously driving by and realized that it was, indeed, just about the right time of evening and certainly the right day, so we decided to go for a quick look around.
The quick look around turned out to be a wonderful three-hour evening.
First of all, it wasn’t one of those open houses where they’d invited half the city to cram in for free nibbles and drinks. It seemed to be a normal restaurant evening with only so many patrons being served.
|
|
Morton’s in Anaheim: cozier feel |
We saw a few people from the Anaheim Convention Center at one of the large tables in the lounge area. They were happily cutting into thick steaks and sharing lots of side orders.
Then, Anaheim mayor Curt Pringle and his wife, Lexi, strolled in a few minutes behind us. They are friends and sometimes dining buddies, so we compared some local dining notes before the rest of their party arrived.
We still didn’t plan to stay for dinner, but rather finish our look around and leave.
While we’d already been asked if we’d like to be seated and had begged off, a gentleman with an engaging smile,who we discovered was the general manager, Joseph Effert,came up to us and there we were changing our minds.
A nice booth was available, after all. Plus, it was fairly early in the evening and we still hadn’t eaten.
I’m impressed with the smaller, more intimate demeanor of this Morton’s. It still has the club-like atmosphere of Morton’s in South Coast Plaza Village and other notable locations, but the footprint is smaller so you get a tremendous sense of warmth and hospitality. This, I understand, is the prototype for many Morton’s to come.
The Anaheim Morton’s,located so conveniently within a couple of blocks of the Convention Center, Disneyland and major hotels,features an engaging cocktail lounge as you enter.
It’s a fully open space taking up the entire left front of the restaurant, just opposite the host desk.
There’s a large, curved bar with a trendy back bar scenario and comfortable seating. Small cocktail tables join a couple of larger bar-height tables that can accommodate bigger parties.
It has a conviviality that will surely make it a hot spot for happy hours,not to mention those late night bar bites that we love like the mini cheeseburgers, miniature filet mignon sandwiches and the heavenly artichoke and crab dip, as well as the oysters on the half shell and shrimp.
There are the same booths and tables that are standard dining room seating at all Morton’s. Everything’s dressed up in white linen, their signature lamps and wine
glasses.
The servers are always a joy with this company, suave and with just the right amount of friendliness to make us feel comfortable.
With more than 200 wines on the list and many available by the glass, we were right into a couple of glasses of red wine, a California cabernet and an Australian Shiraz. We surmised we could enjoy sips while deciding on our dining fare and they would hold up well with steak, our most probable orders.
For those familiar with the Morton’s style, this is the same a la carte menu of prime steaks and seafood with all those side orders you want to taste.
Knowing we’ll have such generous portions of protein with each entree, it’s that old tug of war: which one or two side orders do we want most to share,especially since we know there’s always enough to take home in a box.
Since the reputation of the quality is so well-known, I need not burden you with my verbiage. Let me just steer you to some of the menu items I like most.
Appetizers like lobster bisque, crab cakes, lobster cocktail and tuna tartare are likely choices. They have half a dozen salads and I seem to gravitate toward the Caesar or the superb Morton’s salad.
Entrees present more of a quandary since half a dozen prime steaks vie for attention with classics like steak Diane, filet Oskar, Cajun rib eye, and wonderfully tender lamb chops.
Then, there’s the fresh fish, Maine lobster and shrimp dishes to consider. I most frequently tumble for a rib eye steak and so I did on this evening. I happen to love the juiciness and the extra flavor that comes from the bone-in version. Patrick was perfectly satisfied with his New York strip steak.
If you are not a connoisseur of Morton’s, then you have another adventure when encountering the lavish portions of vegetables and potatoes that can be ordered as sides.
They tell you that the portion is sufficient for two,it’s quite an understatement. I actually like going with four or six people because portions are that generous and it gives us an opportunity to taste more things.
The lyonnaise potatoes are the best, so good that I’ve ordered them as a takeout item on occasion.
The asparagus also is a favorite as are the saut & #233;ed wild mushrooms, followed closely by the creamed spinach.
It’s a hard sell for me to try to convince you of dessert after a big meal, but they are just as seriously delicious as the rest of the menu.
Naturally, souffl & #233;s are popular and their legendary hot chocolate cake is as romantic as it is decadent.
I think you’ll like the slightly smaller venue here and all the warmth and charm that flows throughout.
It is a fantastic addition to the Anaheim dining scene.
Dining Bargains
This is the week,through Thursday,when Newport Beach abounds with dining bargains. More than 75 restaurants are offering three course meals at $12.95 for lunch and $26.95 for dinner during Newport Beach Restaurant Week.
Better yet, it all benefits the 1st Battalion First Marines of Camp Pendleton, a division so involved in the war effort.
This is the inaugural event for the Newport Beach Restaurant Association, a special citywide culinary promotion produced by the association to attract local patrons and visitors to new and classic restaurants so they can sample a variety of the exceptional dishes being prepared by the best chefs in Newport Beach. Many fine companies are co-sponsoring Restaurant Week.
According to Dan Marcheano, owner of The Arches and president of the association, Restaurant Week already has a yearly track record in many cities across America, with sales increases of up to 300% at participating restaurants.
Let’s do our part for our own pleasure and for our Marines. All you have to do is pick restaurants you already love or ones you want to try and start dialing for reservations.
Just be sure to ask if they are participating in the promotion.
