Restaurants With Comforting Menus for a Cold Winter’s Night
EXECUTIVE DINING
by Fifi Chao
Winter is the time when richer tastes in a plethora of dishes reign supreme. Sadly, many restaurants are on generic and year-round overdrive and the seasons don’t seem to matter much. The following restaurants, however, have dishes that speak to the winter season. You have about three months to sink your teeth into the heartily flavored dishes on these winter menus.
At French 75 in Laguna Beach, it’s time to “eat your soup!” as management says. Every nationality has its therapeutic soup and the French excel in making potages that soothe and renew the body. Throw in the excellent French bistro atmosphere at this restaurant, replete with tables tucked around a fireplace and comfy booths, and one would wonder why we’re not there this very night to savor a steaming bowl of the French onion soup. They don’t even mind the self-entertainment value of pulling the cheese off the top of the soup with your fingers. What lies beneath that covering of Gruyere is a tender melange of long-simmered onions that have given up their sweetness to the rich, brown broth. Tres magnifique!
Not the least of winter’s treasures are truffles. French 75 figures they may be a bit on the upscale side, but manages to share their flavor bistro-fashion in several dishes. One such is a creamy wild mushroom risotto with ribbons of truffle flavor layered throughout. Then, there’s the “poor man’s lobster.” Monkfish, which has the same mild, sweet taste and texture as lobster, is more affordable and a good addition to the winter menu. Ditto the Alsatian braised pork with apples and the crispy seared sweetbreads. With all of the dishes, please try a dry Riesling wine or a crisp Sancerre. I often order the “French Soul Food” dish of the evening representing a famous regional French dish that would be a mainstay of the menu in a bistro across the ocean.
Winter in Laguna Beach also can be savored Italian style. Sorrento Grille presents some rustic country dishes. The air here is always perfumed anyway with the aroma of the wood-fired grills, adding now to the psyche of the season.
A medley of saut & #233;ed wild mushrooms is a fine enough appetizer on its own, but imagine it on the bed of white truffle polenta. Yes, where the French lean heavily on the black truffle, the Italians pull wonderful nuances into dishes with their famed white truffles. This is a classic case. ‘Tis the season for pumpkin, too, and that means ravioli stuffed with pumpkin and Parmesan skating on a little pond of brown butter sauce dappled with sage and pancetta. A terrific dish all around. You might not consider honey-buttermilk fried chicken or meatloaf Italian dishes or particularly winter food. They are, however, comfort foods and that thyme cream gravy on the chicken and sweet garlic sauce on the meatloaf are extra satisfying.
Perhaps in the sun belt, the foods of the Southwest don’t change much from season to season, but Chimayo Grill in Fashion Island has brought back some favorites with a depth of flavor that fits in with our nippier weather. In fact, the zestier tastes of this style of food sit quite well overall in this season. White truffle oil perfumes the savory roasted butternut squash soup. The three-cheese chiles rellenos in a pumpkinseed crust are on the menu all the time, but with their feisty ancho sauce, they are perfect for this time of year.
Try the hearty Santa Fe stroganoff comprised of fettuccine, filet mignon, mushrooms and onions in mustard sauce. Grilled shrimp tamale is a winter add-on and the spicy voodoo shrimp with sweet corn pudding is also a fine cold-weather dish. Salmon gets interesting with its spice rub before grilling, but the comfort of mashed potatoes laced with chipotle peppers and the colorful “painted desert” sauce bring even more verve to the dish.
Mustard, purple and turquoise,colors of the desert palette,swath the walls, and the central fireplace makes for cozy feelings. Here, of course, there’s galleried art, changed regularly, all for sale. It’s a most pleasant package of dining and atmosphere.
Savannah Chop House in Laguna Niguel already has that country lodge feeling and two massive river rock fireplaces,perfect winter atmosphere. Perhaps you are only interested in “civilized” sports watching. Then, this fireplace lounge with big screen TV is a swell alternative to a noisy, crowded sports bars. In this cozy corner, great sandwich specials are featured: half-pound certified Angus sirloin burgers, grilled French steak dip with horseradish aioli and a hefty spicy garlic sausage affair with onions, peppers and Fontina cheese. As they put it, “anything less just wouldn’t be civilized.”
In the dining room, try one of the steaks on the current menu. Perhaps the prime 14-oz. Flatiron Steak, which is second only to the filet in tenderness. My favorite happens to be the 18-oz. certified Angus ribeye chop with plentiful marbling and really superb flavor. Fried chicken is crispy and wonderful here and the slow roasted baby back pork ribs are glazed with a dark and rich sauce. Besides the food, there’s really fine live music every night but Sunday and Monday.
Side Order: Cannery’s Bronze Plaque Returned
The search for the great bronze plaque is over, the one that I’d recently mentioned as missing for the past 10 years from the Cannery in Newport Beach. Owner Ron Salisbury and his partners Jack Croul and Steve Herbert were offering $500, no questions asked, for the return of the marker that noted the historical significance of the building. They wanted it in place for the grand reopening of the restaurant later this month.
No money will be changing hands, because former Cannery owner Bill Hamilton has come to the rescue, even though the stolen original has not surfaced. In an e-mail to me, Bill said that he’d heard I was trying to help the fellows track down the stolen marker. He noted that he had “offered a reward at the time with no success. Then, the Newport Beach Historical Society, led by Bill Grundy of Grundy Realty, came up with a replacement. By that time, I was in the process of selling the Cannery and didn’t install the marker because the building was scheduled to be torn down.”
No doubt, the nostalgia factor caused him to hang on to the replacement marker.
Bill added, “Fortunately, Jack Croul stepped up and purchased the property to preserve the Cannery restaurant which will reopen soon. I met Jack and Steve at a city Planning Commission hearing on Cannery signage (we won) and presented them with the replacement bronze markers. Thanks for your kind words about the old Cannery. I’m sure you will find the new version even better.”
Well, Mr. Hamilton, considering what you’ve done for the restaurant industry, the city of Newport Beach, diners galore over many years and now for the new owners in donating this memento, I can’t wait to see you again at the reopening party of the Cannery. You are one class act!
