OC Has No Shortage of Great Restaurants for Family Dining, Patio Dining or Brunch
Since the timing was right for this report on summer dining, I’ve chosen some places that lend themselves well to family dining, outdoor patio dining and some places that serve good brunches. Within these three categories, there are many more restaurants than the ones I’ve written about, so please know that if you have a favorite that is not listed, it does not mean that I deliberately overlooked it. Space is always the constraint. I have had good service and good food at the restaurants in this section and there’s an ever-expanding array of interesting food being served throughout our county. Also, I have only listed the adult price for the brunches, so keep in mind that it will be much less expensive for the children.
When you are out and about, or when barbecuing this summer at home, think about wines that are commensurate with warm weather dining. That would not be the heavy Chardonnays and Cabernets. Sancerre from the Loire is refreshing and the wine many of our friends are turning to. The lovely Reverdy Sancerre is available locally at the wine shops and on some wine lists, including the one at Catal. Discover that a real Chenin Blanc from France is not the lowlife Chenin Blanc made in America. Try a dry Riesling from Alsace or Germany, or a nice Gewurztraminer. A Vouvray seems made for summer meals. Yet another nice thing about these wines is that they are a lot less expensive than what you’d pay for our standard bearers.
We continue, in Southern California, to have access to the best products from around the world. There are now companies that fly in fresh foods, including wild game and fish that was alive only hours before. In fact, I am going to share a story with you soon about the planes that arrive at LAX in the middle of the night from the far corners of the planet. Ground crews descend on the planes and put the food on refrigerated trucks and begin deliveries all over our area within two hours of the plane’s wheels hitting the tarmac. No wonder we have a lot of good food in these restaurants!
I can tell you that we are admired for our access to so much all the year around. I recently visited with some chefs in France and they are all impressed with such a young country having superb food and creating a true cuisine out of the melange of immigrant and native Indian recipes that is now known around the world. They are fascinated that we can accept food that includes chiles and cactus pads and pastas of all shapes, as well as exotica like alligator medallions and mingle it all into a culinary tradition uniquely our own. The French, especially, used to think that there was no good food at all in America unless it was cooked by a French chef who happened upon our shores. Now, they are endlessly fascinated in hearing about our recipes and wondering if they can find the chiles or other ingredients to try the recipe themselves.
So, relish our American cuisine for all that it encompasses. When the summer days are just too hot, think about trying these restaurants. Stay cool and let someone else dazzle you with good food. I promise you will find many interesting things on the menus.
BENIHANA
Anaheim: 2100 E. Ball Road,
(714) 774-4940
Newport Beach: 4250 Birch St.,
(949) 955-0822
Family dining
These are fun, family-oriented restaurants where all meals are prepared by showman chefs. The d & #233;cor is decidedly Japanese with soji screens and simple artifacts. Perhaps in a bid not to compete with the entertainment going on at the grill in front of you, the rooms are quite serene.
It may seem like kitsch to have food being chopped with lightning speed and flipped in high arcs and streaming ribbons over a large, hot teppan-yaki grill “right before your eyes,” but, in truth the food is good and adults as well as youngsters enjoy the spectacle. This chain perfected the genre. Steak, chicken, seafood and vegetables are cooked with flair, assuring a lot of laughs while your appetite builds.
One of the terrific meals consists of soft noodles crisply saut & #233;ed and topped with chicken, vegetables of the season and a lovely soy-based sauce. I almost always order a combo dinner so that I can have tastes of steak and shrimp, chicken and shrimp, pretty much whatever combination of main dishes fascinates me, with plenty of grilled veggies and some fluffy rice to accompany. The grilled salmon is particularly flavorful with the drizzle of seafood teriyaki glaze over it. We usually begin a meal with some scallop or calamari tempura and a sushi roll, which are delivered to you and help pass the time while the main dish is playing flash dance.
There are highly regarded sushi bars at both locations, but for summer, we are talking about having fun dining out and the teppan chefs get my vote this time. I should tell you that the banana tempura for dessert is heavenly, one of the best endings in the county.
BLUEWATER GRILL
1621 S. Sunflower Ave., Santa Ana
(in South Coast Plaza Village)
Patio and Family Dining
630 Lido Park Drive, Newport Beach
Patio, Family dining and Sunday brunch 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
The South Coast Plaza Village restaurant came about after the great success of the Newport Beach restaurant, which has view of the bay and is very cape cod, while the Village restaurant also looks like a New England fish house, but in a suburb, which it is. Both offer patio dining and as soon as one arrives with small children, there are crayons and pictures to fill in. They are so committed to serving the freshest fish from around the world that they actually print their menus twice daily to reflect what various fish purveyors have just delivered. Therefore, they ride happily on a reputation for wonderful seafood. But they keep the cooking simple. Nice sauces to enhance, good side dishes to complement, but the seafood is handled gently and cooked cleanly.
On the regular menu are fresh shrimp, crabs, clams and mussels from almost as many waters as the very long list of fresh fish. I’d dare say if you like it, they’ve got it. Right now, there’s even fresh ahi from Fiji and walleye pike from Minnesota. Knowing that not every soul will want to eat fish, there are also steak and chicken selections.
Brunch at the Newport Beach location is & #341;, with quality packed into every bite. Eggs Benedict alone come in four variations besides the classic. Salmon, bay shrimp, crab, and crabcake are possibilities besides the Canadian bacon version. Omelets: same thing. Try the crab and spinach one, or the Hangtown version (with fried oysters in it). Alas, we are not yet done. Smoked fish,salmon, albacore or trout,is served with bagels or croutons and, naturally, the cream cheese (or brie) red onion and capers. This is the place to find delicious seafood crepes as well: a mix of seafood or Florentine with spinach added to the fresh fish and shellfish. Finally, for those who just want a plain old classic, the French toast is most generous in size and fluffy as can be. Prices range from $6.95 to $12.25 for a full meal.
CAF & #201; TU TU TANGO
20 City Boulevard West,
The Block at Orange
(714) 769-2222
Family dining and Patio dining
This is the best “people watching” patio in central OC, along with an award winning kids menu. It’s the place to see and be seen. Good place for cocktails and nibbles, lunch or dinner. I love that it’s all served in appetizer portions meant for sharing. The patio provides varied seating from different perspectives: regular tables, high bar tables with stools and rail seating all great for watching the pedestrians flow by and enjoying entertainment at AMC Plaza, while TANGO artists paint and sculpt outside. Let’s not forget that the setting here is the joyful reenactment of Bohemian artists struggling to survive in the art world. Singles, couples and families all enjoy the al fresco dining and ever changing scenery.
Have a refreshing glass of red or white sangria, a Masterpiece drink or cappuccino. Order the signature Cajun chicken eggrolls, Spanish meatballs in spicy tomato sauce, crispy shrimp with chili pepper sauce, white pizza or Catalonian clams and mussels in saffron broth.
I admire that they take the children seriously here. There is a kid-pleasing menu of five choices and includes a beverage for $4.95. The menu itself, which has been honored by both the California Restaurant Association and Restaurant Hospitality Magazine for Best Kids Menu, is in keeping with the art theme; the little ones get their own art lesson, painting a modern masterpiece. We know children need to be kept busy while waiting for their food. So, they have taken the works of four masters (Van Gogh, Miro, Magritte and Liechtenstein) and displayed them on the kid’s menus, along with a color plate panel. Kids use the provided paintbrush, a ramekin filled with water, and they become artists while awaiting their food. A simplified “art lesson” accompanies each menu, which describes the art movement represented by the particular artist. The menu does more than fulfill the basic requirement of occupying a child. By introducing kids to famous artists of the last century, it is educational as well. Included are simple questions that allow parents to enter into a dialogue with their child about the art. The children, while watching the TANGO artists paint and become part of the “creative” process themselves. What a grand idea!
CHIMAYO AT THE BEACH
Pacific Coast Highway at the City Pier, Huntington Beach
(714) 374-7273
Family dining, Patio dining and Sunday brunch 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
This place is just plain fun, the food’s terrific and it has all we’re looking for in summer dining. Resembling a seaside home in Baja with some murals and thatched roof touches thrown in, it’s certainly comfortable and relaxing. It sits right on the sandy beach, so inside and out you have those vast Pacific views. The dining room features some booths and lots of substantial wooden tables and chairs, and of course the cooling of air conditioning in the hot days of summer. The patio is ultra laid back with sunbathers marking the space between you and the water’s edge.
David Wilhelm is responsible for a stable of good restaurants in the county and has long been serious about his food. The brunch menu with & #341; la carte entr & #233;es is $24.95. But, the meal includes an appetizer and dessert and Champagne. The food is way cool and interesting. Choose your first course of white corn chowder, medley of organic greens, chile relleno with pumpkinseed crust (the best), fruit and berries, or chilled shrimp and papaya cocktail. Entr & #233;es are loaded with intrigue. Cr & #269;me br & #369;l & #233;e French toast, crab and shrimp enchiladas topped with poached eggs, seabass with mustard sauce on mashed potatoes, crispy sage-roasted chicken on cheddar potatoes (have these as a side dish if you have to, as they are awesome), linguine with filet mignon and mushrooms, island-style roast pork, jambalaya of shrimp, chicken and Creole sausage. And that’s only a portion of the entr & #233;es. Vanilla and raspberry br & #369;l & #233;e, mango sorbet and chocolate souffl & #233; cake are the desserts for the brunch. I demand you try the souffl & #233; cake.
For general family dining, the menu is full of friendly and delicious food. In addition to many of the entr & #233;es on the Sunday Buffet menu, a few others are creative pizzas, grilled mahi mahi on fiesta rice, fish and chips made from fresh halibut, calamari steak with shrimp and chiles, King crab legs and steak and lobster. You can while away some very pleasant time here.
THE CLUBHOUSE
3333 Bristol St., Costa Mesa
(714) 708-2582
Family dining and Sunday brunch 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
We caught this one just in time. Their $19.95 brunch is brand new. What a gorgeous place to dine at any time. Perhaps this restaurant cost more than any other in the county to construct. I’ve written about how much I like to dine at the underlit alabaster bar, and I can no longer count the meals I’ve had at my favorite booth upstairs. I’ve hauled friends endlessly to eat here and just to share the dazzling d & #233;cor with them as well.
Just in case there’s one of you left out there who has not seen what the money went for when the building went up, let me tell you. The architect also acted as interior designer, so he planned a central stairway that curls up to the second floor like the glamorous staircases in the musicals of the ’50s. He designed the amazing lamps that bookend the bar and gave that bar a gold leaf ceiling. He thought in terms of rich color and used jewel-toned velvet for the upholstery and curtains for the two-story high windows aubergine, royal blue, mustard yellow and forest green. He parked massive mirrors in gilt frames against the mellow wood walls and he put dual kitchens on the two floors to make sure our food didn’t have a very long trip from stove to table. I shall never tire of the beauty packed into this restaurant.
The new brunch, which is served upstairs in the Grill Room, features a grand parade of beautifully displayed food. Egg dishes are cooked to order, any style, including omelets, which have a slew of possible fillings, and even eggs Benedict will be assembled for you. A waffle station offers many possibilities. Specialty bacon and breakfast sausages are offered. At least five salads make an appearance every Sunday. The carving station features not only prime rib of beef, but sugar-cured ham. There is a montage of cheeses and fresh fruit and smoked salmon displays. Hot vegetables accompany pasta dishes, chicken piccata and fresh fish.
Finally, you must decide among all those desserts the pastry chef tantalized with. I highly recommend the banana cream pie (which I almost always have to finish my regular meals), but there’s also a serious chocolate mousse, brownies, and a fine assortment of cakes and cookies. And, thinking we might need one more grand temptation, strawberry shortcake and all its components gets its own display. Beautiful restaurant, beautiful food.
ESPN ZONE
Downtown Disney, Anaheim
(714) 300-3776
Family dining and Patio dining
You can’t stay in a dull mood for long in a place like this, and when it comes to a mix of things that keep people of all ages entertained, it shines. Add some food that’s more serious than you’d ever expect and find yourself downright happy you stopped by. The sixth of this chain to open, this one is the new home of the ESPN program “Up Close,” featuring one-on-one interviews with sports’ biggest names. Inside, there’s the Sports Arena, where fans are challenged with more than 10,000 square feet of interactive and competitive attractions. The Screening Room offers state-of-the-art technology including multi-game viewing, direct audio control for all televised games centered around a 16-foot screen and a dozen 36-inch video monitors. And, when ready to eat, you can also sit in the Studio Grill, where generous portions of American grill food are served in an electric atmosphere (food is also served in the Screening Room). The patio offers views of pedestrians taking in Downtown Disney for mealtime entertainment.
I am recommending breakfast here. Start out early with the family to see all that this promenade of shops and restaurants has to offer and find out how interesting the morning meal can be. Two big, gooey cinnamon buns baked in a skillet, a six-pack of sliders (tiny sandwiches of eggs, Canadian bacon and cheese), beef tenderloin and eggs on toasted French bread, French toast rolled in cinnamon sugar and crushed Wheaties (served alone or with eggs, sausage and bacon), breakfast burritos and every manner of combo are reasons enough.
The all-day menu features everything from chicken wings, cheese fries and international salads to a big mix of sandwiches and generous plates of food. Baby back ribs, steak with onions and bleu cheese steak butter, grilled pork chops and fresh fish with compound butter are part of the latter category. There’s something for everyone on this menu.
FLORENCE ITALIAN CUISINE
14210-H Culver Drive, Irvine
(949) 857-8265
Patio dining and Sunday brunch
11 a.m.-2 p.m.
This family-owned restaurant is in an unpretentious, but large center and the exterior belies the very pretty interior quite reminiscent of Italy. The owners have done a good job of bringing in the elegance and style of Florence. A great exhibition kitchen complements high ceilings, elegant arches, beautiful Italian columns and mahogany windows and doors.
There are always a lot of interesting things going on. Jazz night with no extra charge, wine tasting with appetizers, five-course dinner with special wines, dinner with opera music, or dinner-dance night. Perhaps most entertaining is the monthly Joey and Maria’s Italian comedy wedding taking place as you dine. The owner greets you kindly and shakes your hand when you leave, letting you know that your business is appreciated. You feel at home.
At $17.95, this Sunday Brunch is buffet style. There’s an omelet station with eggs, breakfast items such as waffles, French toast and sausage. There’s the appetizer and salad table that includes shrimp cocktail, mussels, several salads and soup. There are at least eight entr & #233;es, cioppino, salmon, lasagna, vegetable lasagna, pollo piccata and pastas among them. The chef prepares different specials as well for the brunch. A dessert and fresh fruit table offers many choices as well. Juices and beverage are included along with Champagne.
The regular menu is big; dare I say about 75 items that cover the classics of Northern Italian dining completely. Chicken pizza with caramelized onions, veal shank in red wine sauce, scampi on pasta, roasted rosemary chicken, Sicilian-style ahi tuna baked with cheese and mozzarella, swordfish with tomato and capers and olives, cioppino and pasta Alfredo with seafood are part of the repertoire. For those who enjoy beef, the New York with portobello mushrooms and a colored bell pepper melange on the side is very nice. Breads are baked daily in house. All sauces and specialties are prepared daily with the freshest ingredients.
PINOT PROVENCE
686 Anton Blvd., Costa Mesa
(714) 444-5900
Patio dining and Saturday and Sunday brunch 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
One of the most elegant of Joachim Splichal’s series of California-style bistros, Pinot Proven & #231;e is situated in the lobby of the Westin South Coast Plaza Hotel in Costa Mesa. It recently earned the highest number of points in the Orange County edition of the Zagat Guide. Under the culinary guidance of Executive Chef Florent Marneau and Splichal, the restaurant’s menu features Mediterranean fare served in a rustic yet elegant environment. The restaurant’s design and menu recall Joachim’s early days in Southern France, where he began his culinary career. There are two absolutely charming outdoor patios, perfect for Sunday brunch or intimate dinner. There are also three gracious private dining rooms designed in the Proven & #231;al style. Much of the furniture, the boards lining the ceiling, the limestone blocks that frame the main arch, the tall and narrow doors on one side of the main room and various artifacts were purchased in the South of France.
Brunch can be taken totally & #225; la carte, with items ranging from $9.50 to $21, or as a prix fixe 3-course meal for $24.95. Where to start? A Caesar salad with Reggiano cheese crisps, oysters on the half shell? I don’t mean to be melodramatic, but the apricot-stuffed French toast with vanilla syrup and roasted pineapple is so good. I admit this is not one of the places I usually order the ordinary egg combos, though the applewood bacon is wonderful and the eggs perfection (see, I have done it before). There are too many other distractions for me. Love things like the saut & #233;ed whitefish with bacon-shallot confit, mashed potatoes and Vidalia onion jus and the braised lamb shank “jarret” with Israele couscous and yogurt marinated cucumber. There are also fine pan-seared diver scallops with grilled Portobello mushrooms, and the “oh, so French” lemon- and herb-marinated rotisserie chicken served with real pommes frites.
You can add an endless glass of Champagne or Mimosa for $12.75. Such a pretty place, such nice food, such a way to live!
RALPH BRENNAN’S JAZZ KITCHEN
Downtown Disney, Anaheim
(714) 776-5200
Sunday brunch 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
The Brennan family is imbued with hospitality history, but until now, you had to be in New Orleans to experience it. Now, only minutes away, the plates of gumbo and jambalaya and the sounds of Dixieland jazz permeate the atmosphere. It began in ’47 when Ralph Brennan’s family purchased the Old Absinthe Bar on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter. Then Vieux Carr & #233; restaurant became Brennan’s on Royal Street. In 1969, his family purchased the famed Commander’s Palace. The name Brennan is indelibly etched on the New Orleans dining landscape. When I go to the South, I never miss a meal in Ralph Brennan’s Mr. B’s, Red Fish Grill and BACCO.
Louisiana dining is always geared toward the easier side of life. While there’s sophistication in the savory flavors of the food, and certainly there are fancy dining spots (Commander’s among them), the lifestyle of New Orleans is rather laid back because of the climate and the friendliness of the people. Brennan’s carries on that exact feeling here with so much Louisiana atmosphere, you’ll swear you’re down South. Flambeaux is the most upscale restaurant in this Downtown Disney building, where crab cakes, crawfish beignets and shrimp remolded dot the menu. In the more casual Creole Caf & #233;, gumbo, jambalaya, red beans and rice and muffaletta sandwiches hold court.
However, what manner of dining suits us better than a place we can stroll to, with lots of sightseeing possibilities along the way, than a New Orleans Sunday brunch? This one is & #225; la carte, but your choice of entr & #233;e entitles you to a starter (gumbo, salad or soup) and dessert (bread pudding or pecan pie, which are both yummy) as well. Entr & #233;es are seafood cakes topped with poached eggs and hollandaise, shrimp omelet with Southern potatoes, tournedos of beef (prime beef with grits, green beans and crispy sweet potatoes), and the famous poached eggs Sardou. Prices average $18. An array of Southern libations and coffee recipes are eye-openers.
REGATTA GRILL
25135 Park Lantern, Dana Point
(in Laguna Cliffs Marriott Hotel)
(949) 661-5000
Patio dining and Sunday brunch
11:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
They call it the Blue Jean Brunch, I suppose in deference to the restaurant’s nautically inspired interior, which resembles the salon of a fine sloop. You’d be out on your yacht on Sunday in jeans, right? It’s a fine brunch in a fine setting. Outside, there’s a Gatsby-esque lawn and garden turned into a glorious patio overlooking the ocean; the choice of where to sit is yours. The tender colors inside are peaceful and white chairs surround linen-draped tables. I’ve gotten so comfortable here that several meals have gone on for hours; well at least the conversation has gone on and the after-dinner libations perhaps, or the after-lunch coffee.
The food has always been upscale California style with fusion influences from Asia and Europe alike. The brunch is devoted to both classic all-American dining and dishes that combine some multi-cultural flavors. There are tables and tables of food, good food, so you will want to pace yourself. A first plate could be piled high with slices of artisnal cheeses, some berries and melon and freshly baked pastries. Next, I take in the cold seafood table with crab claws, hickory-smoked salmon and trout and seared ahi tuna. There’s still a long way to go. Fresh mozzarella and vine-ripened tomatoes sit next to fresh asparagus spears. A piece of the terrific fried chicken is a must. Bay shrimp are tossed in lemon vinaigrette with red onion and cucumber. There’s a savory soba noodle salad with Oriental vegetables. Caesar salad and a tray of olives have a come-hither appearance, while I wonder if I can handle just one cheese blintz or one egg Benedict with perhaps a rasher of that good smoked bacon.
By now you will have to decide whether you are going to hit several of the food stations or settle for the carved meat that one chef is slicing so professionally. Let’s see. There are the omelets to consider, the waffles, several kinds of made-to-order pastas that deserve attention, and we do want to have room for dessert. Main course entr & #233;es include specialties of the house such as rosemary-roasted leg of lamb, peppered sirloin of beef, honey-mustard glazed ham and seared salmon with citrus-thyme butter. There might be some herb-crusted chicken with a roasted tomato sauce. I hope you took time to notice the pastries, tarts, cakes, mousses, cookies and dipped strawberries on that table of sweets, and most of all I hope you still fit in your jeans. Price is $21.
RITZ-CARLTON
TERRACE RESTAURANT and LOBBY LOUNGE
One Ritz-Carlton Drive, Dana Point
(949) 240-2000
Friday night seafood brunch 6-9 p.m., Patio dining, Sunday brunch
10 a.m. 2 p.m.
Delicacies from the sea can be found every Friday night in The Terrace restaurant, which is also open for lunch and dinner daily with patio or indoor dining. This seafood buffet features an assortment of tossed and marinated salads (do not miss the smoked salmon salad with hearts of palm and raisins), hot soups and chowders to start. Then select your fresh raw oysters, shrimp, rare ahi tuna, smoked salmon and mussels. The selection of tuna, yellowtail and salmon sushi is tempting. For the main course, some guests venture back to the raw seafood while others opt to feast on a selection of swordfish, Northern halibut, sturgeon, mahi mahi, escolar, striped bass or snapper. The dessert table is heavy with tarts, luscious chocolate goodies, and even tiramisu. It’s an impressive spread priced at $48.
The Sunday brunch is $65 and enjoys a stellar reputation for delicious and gorgeous food.
A selection of hearty meats including bacon, sausage, ham and roast beef are served with an amazing variety of cold shrimp, oysters (in season) and ahi. Specialties include eggs Benedict, made-to-order omelets, a caviar presentation and an assortment of sushi. Salads, soups, fresh breads and garden vegetable dishes help to balance the mix. Tempting, calorie-busting favorites fill the dessert buffet. Also included with the buffet style brunch is flowing Champagne, mimosas and orange juice.
This is, after all, the classy Ritz-Carlton, and it may be expensive, but in surroundings, food quality and service, it’s tops. I always end up spending extra time in the hotel, just enjoying its lush ambiance.
ROYAL KHYBER
1621 W. Sunflower Ave., Santa Ana
(in South Coast Plaza Village)
(714) 436-1010
Sunday brunch 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Why do the American theme all the time when having brunch? Take your palate on a real dining adventure and have some terrific Indian food. In fact, I have never figured out a better way to enjoy Indian cuisine. With a good brunch, you can taste so many things, and this restaurant does the food proud. And, you will relish the stylish, exotic d & #233;cor. Many of the artifacts that make such a statement here were brought over from India. In fact, you enter through an authentic palace door into a world of marble and soft, delicate colors with tinges of gold leaf. It is a fine background for the art pieces. It’s actually a nice yin-yang of centuries old culture and modern living. The seating is American comfort in nicely upholstered chairs and there are walls of glass on the front of the restaurant, allowing an almost garden room setting. It’s a cleverly balanced mix.
I have written in the past about the quality of the food from this restaurant and dishes that I adore. Many of them are there for you on Sundays. There’s both a buffet part to this brunch and an & #225; la carte part. For $15.95 you select an & #225; la carte entr & #233;e and then add to your main dish from the buffet tables that are heavy with green salads, cucumber salad, onion fritters, stuffed potato patties, eggplant salad and dumplings over which you pour a lavishly flavored lentil and vegetable soup. You’ll have a hard time staying away from the crispies (which are akin to our corn chips) on which you pile fresh garbanzos, minced onion, finely diced potato, fresh yogurt beaten to a froth and tamarind chutney. Addictive. No more so than the naan bread or the lamb seekh kababs with chutney, though.
The dishes at Royal Khyber have always represented the most sophisticated tastes of India. The brunch entr & #233;es include chicken or lamb tikka masala (mild pink sauce), the same choices with vindaloo (very hot) sauce, lamb rogan josh (delicate curry), fresh fish in a light aromatic sauce, Madras-style meats, tandoor chicken and lamb kebabs and several outstanding vegetarian dishes. However, I have saved the best for last. One of the entr & #233;es you must choose is Basil Coconut Curried Chicken. Tandoor-roasted chicken is stir-fried in an onion gravy with fresh basil and coconut milk. It could inspire a poet. I cannot urge you enough to try this fine restaurant.
SALT CREEK GRILLE
32802 Pacific Coast Highway,
Dana Point
(949) 661-7799
Patio dining and Sunday brunch
10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
I relish the feeling that comes whenever I enter this Craftsman style building in Monarch Plaza that’s so full of warm wood and welcoming ambiance. The welcome to Salt Creek Grille’s Sunday brunch is extended before you cross the threshold; there’s an outdoor fire pit and pots of regular and decaf coffee and the Sunday paper await guests on the front porch. Almost like visiting an old family friend in the Deep South.
Once inside, guests may opt for indoor dining in the booths that are the staple here, or request a table on the spacious outdoor patio. The $26.95 buffet begins with a dazzling selection of iced seafood. Blue Point oysters and peel ‘n’ eat shrimp make the first trip to my table. Then, there’s the house smoked salmon and snow crab legs, served as they should be with all the traditional condiments. A platter of ahi sashimi, with wasabi and ginger, is refilled as it is emptied by those who appreciate the smooth, gentle flavor of this wonderful fish. There are plenty of salads and fresh fruit platters with freshly baked mini bagels, muffins, Danish and coffeecakes nearby.
Belgian waffles, omelets and savory pastas are all made to order for guests as they wait. The pi & #269;ce de resistance of the carving station is Salt Creek’s hickory-smoked, choice prime rib of beef, seasoned and carved medium rare and accompanied with creamy horseradish and au jus. You will want to save some room to savor this. Bacon, sausage, house potatoes, seafood crepes and eggs Benedict are also offered.
Desserts featured are eclairs, cheesecake, chocolate cake, mini cr & #269;me br & #369;l & #233;es, and everyone’s favorite, chocolate-dipped strawberries. Brunch includes sparkling wine, orange juice, coffee or choice of non-alcoholic beverage. For those wishing a lighter repast, Salt Creek Grille also serves from their regular lunch menu, so there’s sure to be something to please every palate in the party.
TANGATA at the BOWERS MUSEUM
2002 N. Main St., Santa Ana
(714) 550-0906
Family dining and Patio dining
(lunch only)
Tangata takes its name from the tribal Maori language of New Zealand. It means “mankind” and that seems appropriate considering it sits in such close proximity to the many archaeological treasures that come and go as exhibits at the museum. It was designed with another restaurateur’s vision but Joachim Splichal recognized the possibilities when he made it part of his empire about a year ago. He stayed with the colorful Southwestern d & #233;cor, the glass walls and a ceiling framed with stuccoed beams and large windows to allow ambient light to illuminate the main dining area. It features a charming patio on which to dine, since it is located in the museum’s mission-style courtyard.
Tangata is open for lunch Tuesday through Sunday and serves a diverse menu of California cuisine “colored” with Joachim Splichal’s award-winning French signature style.
The food is sometimes amusing in description, always fine tasting, because Joachim is not about to tamper with the reputation for quality he’s built. He’s managed to give us fare that’s light enough for lunch, yet fully satisfying.
I have lingered long over an appetizer and main course here, talking with a friend about the exhibits we’d just encountered. There’s the trademark “soup of yesterday,always better the next day,” which is quite true. Summertime and his plate of asparagus spears with fresh tomato slices is ideal. Appetizers such as marinated bay scallops, grilled jumbo asparagus and taquitos with shredded chicken are appealing.
Sandwiches include a bacon-chicken club and one-half pound Angus beef burger. Main courses such as braised lamb shank with creamy polenta, shrimp frittata, pepper-roasted Atlantic salmon and top sirloin beefsteak are satisfying.
There are always a number of homemade desserts that manage to break my willpower. And for youngsters, Tangata offers a selection of sandwiches and pasta dishes.
There’s culture in this food and the symbiotic relationship with the museum is palpable. I like it very much.
TAPS FISH HOUSE & BREWERY
101 E. Imperial Highway, Brea
(in Birch Street Promenade)
(714) 257-0101
Family Dining, Patio Dining,
Sunday Brunch 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Let the good times roll every Sunday at this buffet brunch extravaganza modeled after the Big Easy’s best. The upbeat Dixieland sounds of the BBC Jazz Quartet welcome guests to the spacious, handsome restaurant festively decorated for the occasion. Eye Opener cocktails are available.
The buffet begins with a lavish cold seafood display of freshly shucked oysters, shrimp, Dungeness crab and boiled crawfish on ice. Trays of fresh fruit, assorted salads, cheese, and smoked salmon with mini bagels complement the buffet starters. Two manned stations prepare pasta and omelets to order, with fillings like bay shrimp, crab, andouille sausage and artichoke hearts.
Hot selections feature gumbo, jambalaya, Cornish game hens, blackened fish with papaya salsa, marinated steak, eggs Benedict and biscuits and gravy. Country style ham and rack of lamb are highlights of the carving station, with selections rotating weekly.
Freshly baked goods vary and may include lemon poppy or blueberry mini-muffins, banana walnut, pumpkin cranberry or carrot breads and just-baked chocolate chip, peanut butter and sugar cookies.
The dessert spread features individual cr & #269;me br & #369;l & #233;es, lemon and banana cream tartlets, and the pi & #269;ce de resistance, bananas Foster prepared to order. Included is a choice of free-flowing Champagne or European-style handcrafted ales and lagers and non-alcoholic beverages of all sorts for the price of $26.95.
In another family-friendly offering, every Sunday from July 1 through Labor Day weekend a Maine Lobster Feast is specially priced for the family at $19.95 per person. Chefs will be on the patio, grilling whole one pound sweet, succulent Maine lobsters and cooking up sides of potatoes and corn on the cob, tossing the salad and grilling hamburgers and hot dogs for the children with all the above complements for $3.95. Everyone dishes up his or her own dessert at the Sundae bar.
On Thursdays, from 6 9 p.m, there’s jazz and tastes of barbecue on the patio, good for family relaxation. Indoors or out, this is an interesting venue with a lot to enhance your food.
THE TERRACE and CLAES
425 S. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach
(in the Hotel Laguna)
(949) 494-1151
Family dining and Sunday brunch
9 a.m.-3 p.m.
THE TERRACE: Jutting over the sandy beach almost at water’s edge, the setting couldn’t be more casual and family-oriented. Make it a destination dining spot or come up from the beach when sunning; it’s a good place anytime and I especially like it here at sunset.
The all-day menu covers lots of territory. Clam chowder, a bowl of mussels with basil dipping sauce, fried calamari, coconut shrimp with mango chutney (splendid), Maryland crab cakes and crab wontons are nice alone when not too hungry or as appetizers. Salads range from tostada-type to kung pao shrimp on greens and a good Chinese chicken one to Cobb-style combos.
Traditional sandwiches: sure. But, the barbecue lamb sandwich is the one that should catch your attention. As for singular entr & #233;es of note, cold poached salmon with ratatouille of vegetables and swordfish tacos come to mind.
The Chinese pizza with slices of redolent, dried sausage, hoisin sauce and shiitake mushrooms is great, but the one topped with seafood is also a dandy choice.
CLAES: Sunday Brunch is $18 and basically & #341; la carte. You choose your entr & #233;e and have a selection of things to accompany from the buffet table: an assortment of bakery items, several salads, fresh fruit, California rolls, ceviche. Then, comes the hard part. Lots of entr & #233;e choices. Mexican scramble mingles eggs with tastes of cheese, poblano peppers and cilantro. An omelet comes with rock shrimp and crab. Alaskan cod sits aside risotto, a frittata has not only wild mushrooms and spinach in it, but also white truffle cream and asparagus tips for more intrigue.
Bouillabaisse, chicken proven & #231;al, Hawaiian onaga, New York steak and even crab cakes and eggs Benedict complicate the issue of choice.
At this price, you can afford to go back, so enjoy this air-conditioned, good-looking room with a full view of the ocean.
WHAT’S COOKING?
2632 San Miguel Drive, Newport Beach
(949) 644-1820
Family dining, Patio dining and Saturday and Sunday Brunch 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
We don’t have a lot of neighborhood restaurants left in OC that have survived for 25 years. This one is still doing nicely. Of course, they made a big impression in Newport Beach all those years ago since they were the first to bring fresh homemade pasta to the area as well as the first to have a wide array of Italian sauces to put on the pasta. With its roots in creativity and tradition, this place features an expansive menu as well as several specials every day to keep customers coming back.
When it opened, this county had only a few decent restaurants and the local residents relished this as their own little hideaway and actually tried to keep it their secret for a while. That didn’t last long and soon the circle of influence grew. Now, the Zagat survey says that it “keeps locals loyal because it feels like Cheers.”
There’s an intimacy here with the bar and the smallish tables, the best of which sit along the glass walls. Besides eating a variety of pasta dishes, customers are tucking into fresh seafood as well as choice meats grilled to perfection. Its wine list with 175-plus selections allows for plenty of pairing.
Not many restaurants are open for lunch on Saturday. This one offers the same brunch menu on both days. There are a dozen entr & #233;e choices. Fresh Atlantic salmon is moist inside a wrapper of puff pastry. Instead of the American egg dishes we are so bored with, here you can have a frittata (scrambled eggs) with sweet roasted garlic, zucchini and some bits of sun-dried tomato in it or a wonderfully savory frittata with chicken apple sausage and red onion heisting the flavor.
Love their take on French toast: slices of focaccia dipped in vanilla bean egg batter and grilled, then served with a nice mixed berry compote and cinnamon whipped cream.
Salads are a Cobb with a Tuscan twist via the pancetta, or one of baby spinach and radicchio with apple and two kinds of cheese. Duck for lunch? Why not, especially tender braised duck breast and leg meat with sweet potato shards, the whole cooked into a hash; it’s even sided with mushroom scrambled eggs.
Every weekend there’s ravioli with a different stuffing. A Tuscan-style chicken dish with onions and mozzarella is fine, as is the creamy artichoke quiche. Brunch prices range from $7.95 to $12.95. n
