BLUEWATER GRILL
Address:
1621 W. Sunflower Ave.,
Santa Ana
Phone:
(714) 546-3474
Web site:
www.bluewatergrill.com.
Champagne French Bakery Caf & #233;s Offer Quick Fix of Continental Fare
Here’s a lunch and dinner idea I do not want you to miss. A few months ago, I wrote extensively about convivial bars in the county that lend themselves very well to dining while you happen to be there having a drink. Let me tell you about another of the great spots where getting more for your buck is the norm. It’s the Oyster Bar at the Bluewater Grill in South Coast Plaza Village. And this bar is a terrific lunch alternative, not to mention its addition of a new twist to dinner.
This is hardly just counter seating. Ever want to ask a chef, “How do you make that?” Try it here with Oyster Bar chef Rick Birdzell and you will be privy to the way a dish happens to end up so tasty. Given that the warm weather is creeping up on us now, it’s the ideal time to enjoy more fresh seafood anyway. Only the freshest local and flown-in seafood is served by this restaurant.
Seventeen select seats surround the Oyster Bar where Rick guides customers through the varied choices on the large seafood menu. More often than not, he is preparing a delightful recipe from his own repertoire. It’s easy for me to ask, “What are you making now?” That often leads me to order something I would describe as a special of the moment. It makes for added smiles while eating. That is what this Oyster Bar is all about!
Customers are no longer limited to what is printed on the daily menu. In fact, they are totally free to think up their own gastronomic desires. How about if you love caramelized scallops and you need a little carbohydrate to go along with that? Ask Rick to put them on top of a twirl of fine angel hair pasta. Take my broad hint about this shellfish appetizer that rocked one night: true Ipswich clams on the half-shell topped with Rick’s fresh zesty salsa that’s accented with basil and bacon. The freshly shucked Hammersly Bay oyster shot spiced up with a tad of Thai lime cilantro sauce is another new adventure.
For an economical and most enjoyable place for lunch, the daily blue plate specials made only at the Oyster Bar take the mundane out of the midday break. There are lots of soup and salad combos. Have fish and chips on Fridays. Though you will be lunching at the bar on Sunday just for the fun of it, without having to think of going back to the office, what better incentive than the Fifty Cent Oysters to get you there? Too tired to cook tonight? This Oyster Bar is like having your own personal chef. Take your seat right where the action is, have a glass of wine, smile and enjoy the next hour or so. No cleaning up and this “butler” caters to your own whims or surprises you with his own presentations. Tuesday through Saturday, at lunch and dinner, Rick provides his customers with unparalleled personal attention.
Try the Oyster Bar the next time you visit the Bluewater Grill. You may decide never to sit anyplace else!
Fast French at Champagne Caf & #233;s
Another nice find is the Champagne French Bakery Caf & #233;, a chain of 23, of which we now have seven in OC. It all began in 1987 in Encinitas as the vision of master pastry chef Jacques Pautrat, who was born in Champagne, France. While he was well-known in France and New York for his extraordinary pastry skills, he also had training in classic French cuisine. So, Jacques decided to combine easy French food with the European pastries that are so creamy and rich without the indulgence of too much sugar. He also bakes artisnal breads and makes custom chocolates in specially forged molds.
Let’s begin with the food. Always one of my favorite lunches is the croque monsieur sandwich with it’s filling of Black Forest ham and cheese that is dipped in b & #233;chamel sauce and grilled. In a modern twist on that, Jacques has a Croque Champagne on the menu which substitutes freshly roasted turkey and goat cheese. Traditional French onion soup and two others are on the menu each day. Salad eaters will surely appreciate the Ni & #231;oise (organic greens with albacore tuna, tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, potatoes, olives and fresh green beans). But there is also a Caesar, a chef salad, one with mixed grilled vegetables and roasted chicken, and a Mediterranean one that combines the raisins, olives, Feta cheese, cucumbers and tomatoes of that sunny region.
Entr & #233;es that fit so well in this atmosphere of food-filled display cases and small bistro tables include poached salmon (with a creamy dill sauce and saut & #233;ed potatoes), beef Stroganoff, chicken Dijonnaise, and vegetarian lasagne. Exceedingly French specialties are quiche with various fillings and vol au vent, the classic puff pastry shell filled with chicken and mushrooms, and the crepes filled with either chicken or salmon and spinach. Cold sandwiches include a fantastic one with melted Brie cheese and roasted red peppers and a few others of interest. I probably should not have skipped over breakfast items, which include egg dishes and omelets and, on weekends, eggs Benedict and eggs Florentine.
I doubt that you can manage to get out of these restaurants without taking a pastry if you’re not having one as part of your meal. The cakes and tarts, filled croissants, cookies and the chocolates are far too enticing. One of the things that you should be sure to take home is a container of their vacherins, those crisp little fat-free mounds of meringue that come in many flavors. Just pop a couple of those on the side of your cup of coffee at home, or spoon on a few berries and have the best low-cal dessert anyone ever dreamed of. I am totally addicted to Jacques’ pure flavors in these little goodies.
Champagne French Bakery Caf & #233;s are in Northpark Plaza, Woodbridge Center and Westpark in Irvine; Westcliff Plaza in Newport Beach, South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, at 215 Main Street in Huntington Beach, and in the Market Place in Laguna Niguel.
