Roy’s to Feature Arrowood; Trophy’s Takes Casual-Dining Prize
Lay off the wine drinking for a while and switch to beer. It’s time to have a lot of fun, European style. Oktoberfest will soon be upon us, and TAPS Fish House & Brewery in Brea will be offering five distinctive German-style lagers, which are in the brewing process under the watchful eye of Brewmaster Victor Novak as you read this. The styles are Alt, Hefeweizen, Helles, Oktobefest (also known as Maerzen) and Keller Pils.
On Saturday, Oct. 14, TAPS will host “Rocktoberfest” starting at 1 p.m. The patio will be set up family-style with long tables configured like a Munich beer hall. Chef Ro Fernandez will provide a menu of traditional Oktoberfest fare, with bratwurst, roasted chicken, sauerkraut, German potato salad, pretzels and more. Live bands will begin playing at 3 p.m. and continue throughout the evening.
Roy’s Sets Fall Wine Dinner
You may think I’m really getting a big jump on things here, but since seeing the swift sellout of some other wine dinners at Roy’s of Newport Beach, I don’t want word to get out somewhere else first and leave my readers stranded. So, heed my advice and follow up on this commentary quickly.
The fall winemaker dinner you should be making reservations for will highlight the premium varietals of Arrowood Winery of Sonoma County and promises to be an evening not to be missed. Richard Arrowood gained his fame as the winemaker at Chateau St. Jean and then opened Arrowood in Glen Ellen several years ago. The winery, incidentally, has just been added to the Robert Mondavi portfolio of wineries, but Richard and his wife, Alis, will continue to make and market the wines.
Roy’s does not do many winemaker dinners, but when it does, it gets top-notch wineries to show off their award-winning wines, and that,along with the intriguing Euro-Asian cuisine,accounts for the popularity of the food-matching dinners. Remember how much time I personally spend in this restaurant, eating chef Chris Garnier’s food. Last spring’s affair featured the wines of Bonny Doon with founder and winemaker Randall Grahm, the darling of the big-time wine media. The summer winemaker dinner brought proprietor Justin Baldwin down from the Central Coast to talk about his wines, which also are speeding along the freeway of rave reviews.
For more information on the Arrowood dinner scheduled for Monday, Nov. 6, call Eric at Roy’s of Newport Beach at (949) 640-7697.
Trophy’s Sports Tasty Casual Dining
We sometimes find ourselves absolutely yearning for simplicity in life. While the partying and dining on gourmet food has an upside, they also need to be balanced with relaxation and good, uncomplicated meals. I have all that at home, but it is restaurants of this style I search for, because I am still lazy about cooking. Trophy’s Sports Grill in Newport Beach fits the bill, and we have recently been having some nice fare there.
This is a big sports bar and restaurant,casual and sporty in the best sense. It probably seats at least 200, but manages to maintain a warm atmosphere. D & #233;cor is intensive with the sheen of dark hardwood everywhere, and there’s lots of booth seating. There’s an open stainless steel-clad kitchen along almost the entire back wall. Tables are covered in white linen with paper toppers, a nice touch. The bar, a four-sided affair right in the middle of it all, is very consumer-friendly. If you are into the sports scene, every seat in the house has a view of a screen.
The menu starts out with Grazing Plates, then there are specialty soups and salads, wood-fired pizzas and pastas and hand-carved sandwiches that run the full gamut of tastes. I always have one of the Trophy’s Favorites, which are signature dishes. I give them extra points for the stack of small plates that are on each table to make food sharing easy.
Make a meal of appetizers. Why not go with the wispy stack of onions rings, the blackened chicken miniature empa & #324;adas, and the chicken and chile quesadilla? I hope that they have the tasty Kennebeck potatoes on hand,they are thinly sliced, fried crisp and served with ranch dressing. Addictive. Four of us have shared a tostada grande, from the salad category, using it as an appetizer that is overflowing with a tasty melange of chicken, cheese, salsa and black beans. They are classy enough to offer a lobster bisque soup with gourmet intent. It is the thick and creamy kind splashed with sherry.
They’ve gotten lots of good mileage from their signature white chili (white beans and chicken).
The pizzas have very crispy crusts and a slew of toppings to choose from. They do a good job grilling the center cut pork chop, leaving it moist inside. The roasted sausages are Gerhard’s famous Napa Valley links. There’s a definite homespun character about the beef stroganoff, layered over al dente fettuccine, which has a good supply of mushrooms and sour cream in it. Mexican carne asada is treated with respect by the kitchen and the barbecued ribs are tender and a bit feisty in the sauce category,good to perk up the palate. Four hefty pieces of very mild fresh fish and a grand pile of fries comprise the fish and chips option. On some of the entr & #233;es, mashed potatoes that are slightly fiery with minced jalape & #324;o in them are served. I do like the little kick as a diversion.
Food portions are ample indeed. Even burgers are half-pounders and come with cole slaw and fries, as do many of the sandwiches. The four-layer chocolate cake (for two) or Key Lime pie are my favorite desserts. In all, this is just very friendly, good food. And service is excellent. With entr & #233;e prices from only $6.95 to $12.95, we can do Trophy’s quite often.
