Perhaps not many of my readers will recognize the name of Sally Ver Vynck, yet.
There are those who will remember her lovely smile and caring attention to customers at some of Orange County’s top-notch restaurants until four years ago when she became president of Irvine’s Sol & #233; Water. Now, she’s opened a new restaurant where it’s needed, in Stanton.
Poor Stanton is not a city whose name ever beckoned with good restaurants. But there are lots of offices and industrial companies near the corner of Beach Boulevard and Katella Avenue where Park Ave has emerged.
The building had housed a local casual restaurant for many years and had been sitting empty for the past four. In a complete redo of the interiors, a sparkling, stainless kitchen was installed. Booths in modern, sophisticated colors and tables with lovely metallic tops now set the stage. There’s a front dining room with darker, chic colors making up the palette. An additional room, done in shades of sage green, has been added. It’s strewn with light and overlooks the small adjoining park.
The restaurant has a full liquor license so there’s wine, beer and any cocktail you’d desire. I like that rather than burdening the wine list with lots of labels, wines are arranged by varietal grapes only. And the wait staff will discuss winery names with you. Another great idea is that wines are served by the “whiff” (half glass), “glass” (full pour), or by carafe or full bottle.
This actually is the property of Sally’s partner, Clifford Ronnenberg, whose family once had a dairy farm here. Clifford remembered playing as a child in the park-like green space on the property and thus was born the idea for the meandering greenbelt outside the one room.
There used to be a highly regarded restaurant in Los Angeles called La Veranda, which I liked very much, owned by premier chef David Slay. He is the chef putting his stamp on the cuisine at Park Ave.
The restaurant’s serving creative renditions of classic American food: lunch, dinner and weekend a la carte brunch. It’s closed Mondays.
Appetizers are called “before plates.” Flatbreads are made on the premises. One called The Californian is a nice combination of textures and tastes. It’s a large oval of crispy flat dough whose top is strewn with blue cheese, bits of figs and caramelized red onions.
There’s another cool appetizer that takes its guidance from New Orleans beignets. These are corn fritters, slightly sweet with fresh corn kernels inside the dough. A seafood cocktail combines scallops, shrimp and calamari rings. All meals come with artisanal multigrain rolls.
Sandwiches also are a bit trendy. The hamburger is made a bit on the Wellington side with the requisite mushrooms from the old classic wrapped beef specialty tucked in between layers of ground meat. It’s served open-face on grilled sourdough with French onion gravy. Another sandwich features grilled chicken breast filled with David’s savory house stuffing and crushed cranberry dressing.
At lunch, a stew is slowly braised and served on egg noodles, Belgian style. There’s also a fricassee of chicken, baked whitefish, Florentine style (potato stuffing and atop creamy spinach).
At dinner, pork chops are stuffed with fresh apple and glazed with maple syrup. Fresh wild salmon is poached. A hangar steak is crusted in zesty horseradish. Scampi are grilled. A lamb steak comes with flavors of basil and sweet onion cuddling close and medallions of filet mignon are wrapped in peppered bacon.
There are seven desserts made daily in the kitchen, including homemade ice creams and shakes, malts and floats. Try the C & C;, a smooth as silk thick layer of cheesecake over an equally generous layer of carrot cake. It combines two favorites in a new way and it’s terrific. Another two that are interesting takes on traditional desserts are the lemon cr & #269;me souffl & #233; (cr & #269;me fra & #238;che ice cream layered with lemon bars) and the dark chocolate pudding topped with br & #369;l & #233;ed bananas.
Park Ave: 11200 Beach Blvd. (two blocks south of Katella), Stanton, (714) 901-4400.
Cure Those Summertime Blues
I try to keep you up to date on things happening at Z’Tejas at South Coast Plaza because they are good at staying up-to-date with seasonal and regional menus. And with a redo of the restaurant last year, the interiors became warmer and more charming than ever.
Now, there’s the “Summertime Blues” menu, available only through Father’s Day, June 19. I recommend you take advantage of it. In addition to some very interesting tastes, a portion of the proceeds from the Summertime Blues menu will go to the Westside Boys & Girls Club in Costa Mesa to send underprivileged children to summer camp.
Two new appetizers on this menu are very, very interesting. Love the barbecued duck (shredded) that comes with a crisp apple-cucumber relish and a sweet and zesty sauce, the two to be tucked into bleu corn and scallion pancakes like a soft taco. Then, there’s the grilled shrimp quesadilla (cilantro pesto coating the shrimp that are in a crispy flour tortilla with cheese and spinach and scoop of good guacamole).
Entr & #233;es include a salad that’s replete with grilled steak mingled with mixed greens, blue cheese and spicy walnuts in a definitive mango-citrus vinaigrette. One should be hungry to do justice to the tender 14-ounce ribeye steak surrounded with a ragout of beans, wild mushrooms and roasted corn. An admirable pile of extremely crunchy onion rings sit regally atop the steak. A choice of salmon, thick-cut tuna or fresh fish of the day is rubbed with a special chef’s blend of spices and grilled as you prefer. One tends to not get too serious about roasted chicken, but this version rubbed with 15 spices is remarkably flavorful and juicy. Even the big mound of buttermilk mashed potatoes as its accompaniment (also comes with fresh vegetables as do most main courses) is outstanding.
Finally, there’s the big Portobello mushroom cap that’s grilled and stuffed with summer vegetables and a cream mix of parmesan and jack cheese,a swell vegetarian m & #233;lange.
Desserts on this special menu are a cr & #269;me br & #369;l & #233;e with caramelized bananas and a to-die-for chocolate chip pecan pie with homemade caramel sauce. It’s a Southerner’s dream finish for a meal or just as a snack with a good cup of java.
Z’Tejas: 3333 S. Bristol, Costa Mesa, (714) 979-7469.
