We tend to think of sushi and sashimi as nearly the same everywhere we eat it. The orders may come with a little classier presentation at some places, but it’s easy to generalize the genre.
But as California cuisine has come to represent a vast range of creative cooking, sushi and sashimi can be an enlightened dining adventure.
Another misconception is that Roy’s in Newport Beach harks only of top-drawer cooking from Hawaii, home of namesake founder of the upscale restaurant chain, Roy Yamaguchi. Roy’s also is where you will find jaw-dropping sushi that takes your taste buds on an Asian journey.
It happens courtesy of Yamaguchi himself and resident sushi guru, Lorin Watada. Lorin doesn’t present a vast sushi menu at Roy’s. Instead, you’ll find a few gorgeous creations, including a three-course sushi meal for $35.
Two weeks ago, a group of us took the large front booth of the dining room and tried almost everything. Discerning palates all, this group was fed well on generous portions.
The tuna had a unique spiciness and came delicately topped with hamachi (yellowtail), a little blanket of salmon, a duvet of avocado and a drizzle of ginger-flavored ponzu sauce. Another offering had crab playing off the silkiness of avocado and the crunch of tempura-fried asparagus spears, all wrapped together in paper thin slices of Kobe beef.
We also had a sampling of regional and seasonal Japanese sushi that took textures and surprising combinations of ingredients to a new level.
All parts of the sushi meals are artistic and geometric, adding to the visual impact.
Wanting to leave room for dessert, we left for another time the delicious looking chirashi bowls. These are artistic bowls holding sushi rice and topped with various ingredients (one that Lorin was presenting featured eel, a medley of shrimp and vegetable tempura).
For drinks we began with cold sake and segued to the Bonny Doon “Roy’s” Clos de Roy” Grenache/Syrah blend. Love the latter as it has just the right personality for this food without overpowering it, considering that it’s a red wine.
Sushi doesn’t translate into dessert. So for your three course meal you might want to have the very Hawaiian caramel, macadamia nut and almond tart with a scoop of real vanilla ice cream.
Or there’s the dessert I believe has come to my table every time I’ve eaten at Roy’s,the melting hot chocolate souffle. The flourless little cake-like structure sits tall and proud, delivering absolutely decadent chocolate flavor in both that gateau and the melted chocolate that oozes from the cake. Call it the “died and gone to heaven” dessert.
Roy’s serves dinner only; 453 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, (949) 640-7697.
Panic Time
Still haven’t bought all your gifts? Run over to Morton’s in South Coast Plaza Village.
The restaurant is offering a great incentive until Dec. 31 for gift card purchases. Those who buy $500 in gift cards get a $100 bonus card for themselves.
I can’t imagine anyone who wouldn’t be thrilled to get a culinary gift for this stellar restaurant. If that’s not what you’re looking for, Morton’s sells their hefty steak knives. Or that cute piggy lamp featured on every table at Morton’s makes an adorable gift.
Contact Gina Mauri at (714) 444-2851, or just drop in to pick up what you need. Morton’s: 1641 Sunflower Ave., Santa Ana.
Flavor Fav
I want to alert you to the upcoming Flavors of Orange County that is approaching sellout.
The event is set for Jan. 23 at Balboa Bay Club and Resort in Newport Beach. Serious diners clamor to attend this fund-raiser for the American Liver Foundation.
A lineup of 21 of Orange County’s finest chefs will showcase their culinary expertise in one of the most intriguing events. The chefs each have a table to tailor to their own restaurant. At each table will be 12 guests savoring the chef’s five-course menu with distinctive wines.
Given the many food and lifestyle shows on television, Americans are seriously tuning into the world of chefs, food and cultural dishes. The Flavors of Orange County offers the food-savvy public this unique forum to feel like they are part of their own food show, rubbing shoulders with celebrity chefs.
Balboa Bay Club’s executive chef Josef Lageder and OC’s legendary chef Alan Greeley, owner of the Golden Truffle, are co-hosting the event.
Chefs from French 75, Pascal, Pacific Club, Sage, Napa Rose, Aqua, Vine, Hush, Mirabeau, 6ix Park Grill, Splashes, the Loft at Montage, the Californian at Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach, St. Regis Resort, Valentina, Tabu, 21 Oceanfront and Culinary Adventures are some of the gurus who will cook five-course meals.
The nonprofit American Liver Foundation is dedicated to the prevention, treatment and cure of hepatitis and other liver diseases.
This black-tie evening includes dinner, a hosted cocktail hour, luxury auction and live music.
For tickets and information, call (949) 464-2034. Procrastination won’t be rewarded.
Chocolaty
According to Specialty Food magazine, Starbuck’s is set to debut a new chocolate drink in 8,000 of its U.S. coffee shops on Jan. 8. Executives are looking to tap a market for comfort drinks, just as they launched us on a non-stop espresso binge a dozen years ago.
Good timing to introduce it to us in mid-winter; I can easily imagine brisk sales in the snowy regions of the country.
The drink is called Chantico and said to be different from common hot chocolate inasmuch as it will be a “velvety” beverage made from both cocoa powder and cocoa butter, combined with whole milk and then steamed.
Hot chocolate in the U.S. generally is made only with cocoa powder, while Europeans make it with shaved fine quality dark chocolate, the same used in high-end candies.
The European version is much smoother, richer and elegant.
Starbuck’s has designed an oval cup to serve Chantico to sit-down customers. The shape makes it convenient for dunking a rolled wafer cookie. To-go customers get a custom, textured “go cup” worthy of the liquid inside.
I love my coffee and was grinding beans for each pot long before it was de rigueur. Considering that as youngsters we all drank hot chocolate for many, many moons before coffee touched our lips, I think a bit of nostalgia could be a hit with many people.
Laguna Lights
I commend the city of Laguna Beach for helping shoppers during this busiest week of the year with free holiday parking.
Through Dec. 24, parking meters in Laguna’s village area will be covered. No need to feed the meter money as you browse and buy in the shops and galleries, get a spa treatment or dine in one of the city’s restaurants.
While it won’t help you out with holiday shopping, the city offers some free parking during the rest of the year. Its free Catch the Wave shuttle runs weekends from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., excluding Christmas and New Year’s Day.
The shuttle, made possible with a grant by the Orange County Transportation Authority, runs every 20 minutes or so. Visitors park free at the Act V parking lot at 1900 Laguna Canyon Road. The shuttle makes a continuous loop from there to three designated stops downtown and at Main Beach.
Bench seating is provided at the stops so that you can rest while waiting for the shuttle.
Hugs and Kisses
Since this is the last column of the year, I would like to thank all of my faithful readers for sticking with me week after week. I also owe special thanks to those readers who choose to correspond with me via e-mail.
You alert me to a whole spectrum of dining and restaurants, sometimes of your experiences in them, and I am glad to share my own dining thoughts with you.
I do have one special request to make.
I had four e-mailers who requested sample copies of my restaurant and wine newsletter. But one of those awful computer things happened. AOL began behaving badly and I had to install a more current version to fix the problem.
I installed the program with an AOL techie who assured me that all e-mail addresses and old mail would be transferred.
Aha, it was not! And try as I might, we’ve not been able to recover anything but the e-mail address book, a blessing in itself. Unfortunately, I’d not yet added the addresses of those of you who requested my newsletter. So, if you are still out there, still reading this, please do resend me your request so that I can follow up.
Finally, I would like to wish everyone a marvelous ending to this year and a new year that brims with business success and personal happiness.
