Once upon a time there was a young chef named Roy Yamaguchi who had an amazing talent for cooking and a vision of a new, blended style of cuisine that would merge his beloved flavors of Hawaii with ingredients found in the European cuisine that formed the background of his training.
Now, he’s celebrating his 20th anniversary and the opening of his seventh restaurant in California. Roy’s at Anaheim GardenWalk,the new shopping and dining center near Disneyland,will debut next week.
On March 25, a private event benefiting the Tiger Woods Learning Center in Anaheim will be held at the new Roy’s. On March 28, it will open for the public.
The illustrious chef has opened restaurants in many countries. He introduced the first Roy’s in 1988 in a suburb of Honolulu. There are now 35 worldwide. To celebrate 20 years, he launched a nine-city Mainland Anniversary Culinary Tour in Orlando, Fla., on March 5. He comes to Los Angeles on Thursday. There are seven more tour stops at major cities.
|
|
Yamaguchi: marking 20 years of his namesake restaurants |
The series of dinners culminates at Diamond Head in Honolulu on October 4 and 5. The latter will showcase a who’s who of chefs who are renowned worldwide.
Thursday’s Los Angeles dinner,with reservations taken between 5 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. for $100 plus tax and gratuity,is a bargain. It will be prepared by Yamaguchi and Curtis Mar (the L.A. chef partner) and paired with fine wine and cocktails from Pernod Ricard SA.
The evening promises to be a memorable celebration. Roy’s is at 800 S. Figueroa St. in downtown Los Angeles. Call (213) 488-4994.
The menu sounds wonderful. It begins with an amuse bouche, then on to a first course of Carlsbad abalone (aqua farm raised) and tamago (egg omelet), cha soba (noodles flavored with green tea) and sudachi (Japanese citrus fruit) beurre noisette with Perrier Jou & #235;t Grand Brut.
The second course brings forth Kona Kampachi Sous Vide (a highly respected Kona fish) with some Carlsbad clams and black mussels dashed with Hawaiian chili pepper water. Jacob’s Creek Riesling is the wine match. A third course features an Alaskan king crab duo: Greek olive roasted crab leg and a pesto crab cake, with Brancott Sauvignon Blanc in the glass.
Aka miso Colorado lamb loin then makes an appearance, along with Weiser Farms heirloom potato and stewed vegetables and Jacob’s Creek Reserve Shiraz wine for drinking. A dessert called five elements of aloha is served with Sandeman Tawny 20-year-old Port.
When it all began, Yamaguchi was one of the first chefs responsible for Hawaiian fusion cuisine. He graduated from the internationally acclaimed Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., and now serves on the board of trustees.
While building his restaurants, Yamaguchi hosted six seasons of the PBS-TV show, “Hawaii Cooks with Roy Yamaguchi.” He has also published three cookbooks.
Each of his restaurants has a chef partner, a prot & #233;g & #233; of Yamaguchi, to carry on his signature food and even present some menu items of their own that fit the local scene. We are so blessed to have Chris Garnier, a fellow Hawaiian, here in our Newport Beach Roy’s as the chef partner. He’s such a fine chef (and, a very modest one) that I chose him as the Business Journal’s Chef of the Year in 2002.
Special Fusion Menu
Because the anniversary tour with Roy himself is limited to nine major cities, a “1988” timeless fusion menu will be featured for us for six nights, March 31 through April 5 for only $55 per person ($75 with wines), plus tax and gratuity at the new Anaheim GardenWalk restaurant and the Newport Beach restaurant.
Crispy Chinese char siu pork and shrimp spring rolls with Roy’s Kahana sweet and sour black bean dragon sauce comes first, followed by a time-honored favorite of Japanese braised short rib cassoulet with some saut & #233;ed wild mushrooms and Hawaii kai old school cabernet reduction sauce.
Next is classic Hawaiian hakone style seared fresh Hawaiian ono sided with roasted garlic spinach and a dappling of shiso yuzu lemon butter sauce. The indulgent dessert is a warm Hawaiian macadamia nut tart with French vanilla bean ice cream.
If you choose the wine pairings, Ponzi Pinot Gris, Ponzi Pinot Noir and Schramsberg Mirabelle Ros & #233; are the selections. However, the Roy’s wine list is full of terrific wines that match so well with this style of food.
To make reservations for this local dinner, call (714) 776-7697 for Anaheim and (949) 640-7697 for Newport Beach. Roy’s Anaheim is at 321 W. Katella (GardenWalk) and Roy’s Newport Beach is at 453 Newport Center Drive (Fashion Island).
This newest Roy’s follows the philosophy of having an open kitchen as a focal point of the interior decor. Beautiful design elements include a modern take on what one would find in a fine dining establishment in Hawaii. Even though it’s large,6,500 square feet with seating for about 220,it’s as welcoming as any of the other restaurants I’ve visited. Among signature dishes are hibachi-grilled Atlantic salmon, Szechwan-spiced BBQ baby back ribs and Roy’s original blackened island ahi. Dinner is served seven days a week.
