The new Tri-Village in Irvine has some dishes that will spark memories of home cooking for Asians and are a must-try for the rest of us.
Start with the green scallion pancakes. When I go to Monterey Park, Alhambra or San Gabriel to dine at any of the hundreds of Chinese restaurants, I bring home some of these delicious pancakes.
At Tri-Village, the chef mixes the wheat flour, boiling water and sesame oil by hand, kneads it energetically and then mixes in finely chopped scallions. The dough is then rolled out into very thin discs and pan fried, where it remains thin but also turns into a gently layered affair, sort of a savory cousin to puff pastry.
From the category called Northern Dim Sum, Noodles and Rice, try the wok-fried pork chops. They are seasoned with garlic, salt and a dash of Chinese spices, served with seasoned steamed rice. If you like spicy food, wonton in spicy red chile oil is the go-to dish. Everywhere in China and Hong Kong the natives are scooping up wontons like this. There’s no broth, just a bowl full of wontons over which the chile oil has been poured.
The beef noodle soup can be ordered with machine cut or homemade hand cut noodles,choose the latter as they give a toothsome, hearty quality to the dish,and the beef has been flavored with ginger and star anise.
Jing dong meat pie is similar to a European pierogi. These are delicious pan-fried turnovers with seasoned ground pork embedded in the dough.
I recommend the winter melon soup (lots of melon and meat chunks) and the Westlake ground beef chowder, a soup most of you probably never have had. Good appetizers include drunken chicken, which is marinated in wine and spices and steamed.
Another good starter is the subtly smoked fish. For this dish, a dry wok is lined with aluminum foil and a handful of green tea, a handful of raw rice and a handful of brown sugar is put in the bottom. The wok goes over very high heat and the dry mixture begins to cook together and make smoke. Raw, white-fleshed fish that has been marinated in soy sauce and sherry is quickly deep fried, placed on a steamer tray, covered and placed above the dry smoke coming from the wok.
Sauteed shrimp is marinated in wine and ginger and quickly stir-fried with some scallions. The combination meat, seafood and vegetable m & #233;lange cooked in a clay pot is perhaps the ultimate in delectable comfort food.
Tri-Village serves lunch and dinner daily. Lunch dishes are $5.99 to $7.99. Dinner appetizers and first courses are $4.99 to $12.99. Entrees are $4.99 to $14.99.
Don’t expect much in the way of decor. Tri-Village is one of those spaces tucked along the walkway of a strip mall. Still, it does have touches of bamboo, lots of light flooding in during the day, soft lighting by night and straightforward, clean-lined styling.
The restaurant is at 14121 Jeffrey Road, Irvine. Phone: (949) 857-8833.
More at Morton’s
Morton’s has revamped its bar and now is serving lunch.
The restaurant’s Bar 1221 at the South Coast Plaza Village is a beauty. The name comes from the month and day the first Morton’s opened in 1978. Libations are presided over by head bartender nicknamed “Irish” and a crew of friendly mixologists. Along with a fresh interior, Morton’s has new bar food enticements to go with your drinks.
The bar menu is served Monday through Friday from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Dishes go for $3 each and include chicken goujonettes, crab and artichoke dip, prime cheeseburgers and petite filet mignon sandwiches.
Meanwhile, the lunch business has been anticipated for some time. Soups, salads, sandwiches and daily specials, including steaks, are offered. Dishes go for $13 to $17.
Morton’s: 1641 W. Sunflower Ave. in Santa Ana. Phone: (714) 444-4834.
Lobster Launch
Bluewater Grill’s Orange County restaurants in South Coast Plaza Village and Newport Beach’s Cannery Village are serving locally harvested California spiny lobster.
For $28.95 you get a 1.25-pound lobster that’s poached, then split and finished on the grill with garlic and butter, with a choice of two side dishes. Larger size lobsters are available on request.
Bluewater Grill is one of my favorite seafood restaurants. The restaurants are at 1621 W. Sunflower Ave., Santa Ana, (714) 546-3474; and 630 Lido Park Drive, Newport Beach, (949) 675-3474.
Art Scene
The St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort & Spa is holding its Art in Motif on Wednesday each month. The unveiling of the art exhibit and reception now occurs on the first Wednesday of each month from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Motif, the hotel restaurant reminiscent of a European style cafe, then displays the artist’s work for the rest of the month.
For the past two years, the St. Regis has worked with the Dana Point Coastal Arts and the Laguna Art Museum to showcase talented local artists.
Visitors also get to enjoy food, wine, friends and views. Attendees at the monthly receptions will have the opportunity to sample various dishes from Motif’s menu as well as enjoy a glass of red or white wine. The Motif terrace provides views of gorgeous sunsets,art unto itself.
The remaining dates and artists for Art in Motif this year are: Oct. 5, Randall Zorn, watercolorist; Nov. 2, Mark Jacobucci, oil painter; and Dec. 7, Vladamir Prodanovich, abstract painter.
St. Regis: One Monarch Beach Resort, Dana Point, (949) 234-3200.
