After the Revolution: Michael’s Still a California-Cuisine Mecca
Thai Kitchen in Irvine is one of the sweetest little restaurants around: architecturally charming, soft colors, full linen service, staff ready to please, and food that’s identical to that in the homeland. It is one of our personal favorites. Having spent time in Thailand, I enjoy having a meal one evening of dishes from the culturally serene northern provinces, and at other times a meal made up entirely of Bangkok-style dishes. And if having an owner on hand who cares deeply about her customers is something you appreciate, then you will enjoy Lan Lan Karjadi as she gets to know you.
What I particularly like of late is the new menu that has almost all English titles for dishes. It is much easier to read and pick out specialties that interest you. There also are a few new dishes that I would like to share.
Probably the most popular soup in Thai restaurants is the coconut milk chicken soup. I’ve never found it in this country with other than a rather thin broth for the background, which is the way I had it in Bangkok. However, I also had a version that I liked so much more, and which Thai Kitchen is now serving, that has a texture akin to a thick gumbo, but flavored with fresh herbs, lemon juice and coconut milk rather than fil & #233; powder. It is loaded with chunks of chicken along with morel and button mushrooms in a nice marriage of exotic and classic flavors.
The appetizer called Angel Wings is large enough to serve as an entr & #233;e. However, I would suggest sharing it as a first course so that up to six at your table will know that the French do not have the only recipe for wonderful p & #226;t & #233;. Here, two wings are completely deboned and the cavity stuffed so tightly with a smooth forcemeat of shrimp, pork and chicken that you’ll think the kitchen made a mistake and stuffed chicken legs instead. Each crispy wing is cut into three big slices that become all the better with a light dipping sauce dappled with tiny cubes of fruit.
Thais are masters of curry. It comes in red, green or yellow presentations,each a variation on the theme,mingling with selected meats and poultry. For instance, duck is tender and refined in a red curry spiked with basil, tomato, and pineapple. Another very interesting new dish is the sliced pork in a honey-lemongrass sauce. Bright green snowpeas and shiitake mushrooms are added to the stir-fried mix. Scallops and shrimp are combined with thinly sliced carrots, celery and green pepper in a colorful and tasty shellfish combo.
Have a side dish of saut & #233;ed eggplant with a flash of chile sauce and basil and the classic Thai noodle dish cooked with vegetables and peanuts, called Pad Thai, to round out your meal.
Finish with a dessert of sliced mango over sticky rice (like a jelled rice pudding). Keep in mind that all of these dishes are but a sliver of the menu. All of the widely popular Thai dishes are also available. Portions are big, so you might want to do some sharing, and the food will gladly be spiced from mild to hot, according to your preference.
The serenity at Thai Kitchen is always a welcome respite from the rigors of life in the fast lane. I am often exceeding the speed limit of life myself, and it certainly calms me down to spend a couple of hours at one of Lan Lan’s tables. Appetizers and entrees are priced from $4.95 to $9.95.
Michael’s Not Resting
Do you know when California cuisine was invented? When the rage for cooking with the freshest ingredients took hold? It was in the late ’70s, when food guru Alice Waters opened the floodgates with her Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley. Southern California was turned on to the phenomenon that would change the landscape of American food by a guy named Michael McCarty, who in 1979 opened Michael’s in Santa Monica. The kitchens of these two restaurants have provided innumerable famous chefs for the nation.
New restaurants open constantly and sometimes close faster than the refrigerator door if they can’t make the numbers work, but Michael’s is still going strong and proving that a class act will survive. The executive chef, Andrew Pastore, and pastry chef, Darcy Tizio, currently are trotting out the tastes and colors of summer in a refined menu while the restaurant’s wine director, David Rosoff, has gathered some of the world’s best Ros & #233;s to match the dishes. It’s hard to say which is prettier, the food presentations or the famed art on the walls. But, I can’t eat the art so I’ll take the architectural food any day.
Refreshing appetizers include chilled tomato gazpacho with poached tiger prawns, a dollop of cr & #269;me fra & #238;che and grilled limes ($16.50) and grilled free range quail with Hudson Valley foie gras and wild mushrooms ($17).
For a second course, tender mapleleaf duck breast is accented with a nice cherry-ginger glaze ($26) and pan-seared swordfish is strewn with marinated olives and capers ($29). Also, veal osso buco, releasing its flavors over creamy polenta, is a spirited dish ($28).
You might want to wrap up the meal with luscious strawberry and rhubarb ice cream sandwiched between layers of meringue ($8). It’s as summery as a dessert can get. However, high marks also go to the fresh fruit cobblers and chef Darcy’s infamous 21-layer chocolate cake with mint chip ice cream ($10). It was invented to celebrate the 21st anniversary of Michael’s, but has become renowned in its own right.
Michael’s is a legend in its own time. It’s the kind of place a European would travel a half-day to experience. You have only to drive about 45 minutes from Orange County. Be sure, though, to make reservations at least a week ahead.
