Thaifoon Blows Into the Fashion Island Dining Scene
No Need to Dig in the Forest: Mushroom Week is Coming to Pinot Provence
EXECUTIVE DINING
by Fifi Chao
You, my dear readers, will want to rush right over to the new Thaifoon at the Macy’s end of Fashion Island.
A group of us already have gathered around the table to taste and taste more. This is quite the nice addition to the Newport Beach dining scene. A bit smaller and more intimate than the first Thaifoon, which opened in April at the Irvine Spectrum, this is a swell place to unwind over one of their specialty cocktails and some Happy Hour bar food or a full meal.
We all know how relaxing water elements are and this room features an almost full back wall of rushing water sandwiched between massive glass panes. It’s both an effective design statement and it partitions off the dining room from the kitchen.
Extensive use of wood throughout adds more warmth. One side of the dining room is a full wall of bamboo,yet another enticing touch.
The second factor to consider is that the good food is not at all expensive and the Asian path it takes allows us some pretty interesting possibilities.
The food is mostly Thai, but I appreciate the savory Japanese flavors in miso soup and edamame soybeans (steamed and sprinkled with rock salt), the very Chinese orange peel beef (made with sliced filet mignon) and the Asia duck that could represent many countries. The duck is shredded and mixed with sweetened citrus zest, scallions, fresh veggies, a tad of ginger and garlic and tossed with a pile of egg noodles.
Another satisfying potage, perfect for this season, is the aromatic coconut mushroom soup punctuated with diced chicken, tomatoes and a trio of mushrooms with a mist of lemon grass and coconut floating through it.
Who can think of a better opening melange for a meal than the one named shrimp explosion? This burst of flavor comes from crispy rock shrimp spliced with citrus-chile sauce, wrapped in lettuce leaves for consumption.
There’s a very nice shrimp, papaya and cashew salad that also includes spinach leaves and golden raisins.
Since the restaurant is dedicated to quality, the mango chicken entr & #233;e is on the current menu while fresh mangoes are in season. Order it.
The sliced chicken is gently stir-fried with mango and sweet chile pepper in an appealing combo.
Hoisin-infused barbecue sauce adds a pleasing dash to the tender pork ribs. Filet mignon comes sliced, having been grilled with a dusting of minced ginger and garlic. One should not miss the Pad Thai, a tender rice noodle, shrimp, sliced chicken, peanuts and mixed garden vegetable dish. It is a mainstay of Thai cuisine and an important dish on this menu.
Curry lovers, take note of the dragon fire shrimp. These crustaceans are stir-fried with redolent Thai basil, chiles and fresh vegetables, plus a small scoop of delicate curry paste and served atop fried rice.
There’s so much to this menu, so much to entice the palate. I will leave you with just one more dish that you must order: Lemongrass crusted halibut.
This piece of fresh fish is delicately fried to maintain the interior moisture and served with a proprietary mild chile sauce.
As a culinary aside, the chile sauces here are pretty mild but the kitchen will gladly ratchet up the spiciness if you like hotter food.
The bartenders mix up a whole array of specialty drinks that suit the restaurant so well. Here, I forego the martini in lieu of the Thai mai tai, a superb mix of light and dark rum and background mixes.
Randy Schoch, the founder of Thaifoon, has done it again. He continues to provide the dining element that will give us something new and exciting, yet understandable. He is also the guru who partnered with Roy Yamaguchi to bring us Roy’s of Newport.
I can’t wrap my mind around the word “trendy,” which has been used to describe the new Thaifoon. To me, it’s anything but trendy. It really represents an island of serenity and pleasantry, where life is calmer, but vastly more interesting than the stressful outdoor world.
* * *
Mushroom week at Pinot Provence is set for Nov. 18-24, when there will be a menu available with most exotic of mushrooms adding pizzazz to every dish.
Savor the tastes of black and golden chanterelles, black trumpet, matsutake, porcini and other exotic varieties in a trio of appetizers and five entr & #233;es.
Mind you, what’s paired with the mushrooms will surely impress as well. The mushroom consomm & #233; features both duck and foie gras.
A mix of wild mushrooms find themselves in a fricassee, while crab, brioche and mushrooms find themselves hugging a tarragon broth.
Entr & #233;es will include scallops with roe and black trumpet mushrooms topping homemade pappardelle pasta, pan-seared whitefish with chanterelles, prime short ribs with mousserons and pommes aligot, Maine lobster with namesake lobster mushrooms, and portobello-stuffed roasted chicken.
Sounds totally delicious to me.
Make reservations now to have this special fare courtesy of Chef Florent Marneau, one of the most masterful cooks in the Southland.
Pinot Provence is in the Westin South Coast Plaza Hotel, 686 Anton Blvd., Costa Mesa. Phone: (714) 444-5900.
AT A GLANCE: THAIFOON, Taste of Asia
Address: 857 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach
Phone: (949) 644-0133
Hours: Lunch and dinner daily from
11:30 a.m.
Cost: Appetizers $1.95-$6.95, Entr & #233;es $9.95-$13.50, $19.95 for whole fried fish
