After decades in South Coast Plaza’s Crate and Barrel/Macy’s Home Store wing, Nello Cucina is no more. Antonio Cagnolo shuttered the operation in late February, focusing on his three other restaurants: Antonello Ristorante, Quattro Caffé and Antonello Espresso Café.
Antonio’s longtime associate at the Espresso Café, Joseph Dib, and his partner, Wael Nasser, will soon open Mezzet Mediterranean Cuisine in the reconfigured space. The two gentlemen are seasoned restaurateurs who are also partners at the successful Boubouffe Grille on trendy Second Street in Long Beach.
The new restaurant takes its name from the wide array of Middle Eastern small plates—mezze—that are beloved for their healthfulness and fresh, vibrant flavors of Mediterranean cooking.
These dishes, plus generous salads, savory kebobs and more, will be prepared in a bustling exhibition kitchen. This type of food is so on trend and in tune with the way people want to eat. It will add another good dimension to our dining scene.
The design elements will incorporate an airy coastal vibe complemented by an engaging bar and cozy pocket patio for dining or lounging.
This sounds like an enticing stop before or after shopping, and it’s coming soon.
New Vine Graft
Russ Bendel, owner of Vine Restaurant & Bar in San Clemente, is venturing to Laguna Hills with a dinner-only small restaurant called Ironwood in La Paz Village. Its expected opening is in May.
Russ, one of Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar’s most successful partners, successfully ran the flagship location at Fashion Island starting in his mid-20s and stretching for over five years before striking out on his own.
He is again partnering with executive chef Jared Cook, who has brought Vine’s food much acclaim, making it one of South County’s best restaurants. Expect another winner from this team. Personal note: Vine is one of our favorite restaurants, so we will be among the first to try Ironwood’s New American fare as soon as it opens.
Scott’s Chef Lands
Laments of the loss of Scott’s Restaurant & Bar continue. It puts into perspective how many people appreciated it. The attractive building came down so quickly, and the Water Grill construction is going at a fast pace.
For those who enjoyed chef Michael Doctulero’s imaginative food at Scott’s, he is now serving as executive chef at Waterman’s Harbor in Dana Point. Beyond chef Michael’s creations made from sustainable seafood, meats and locally sourced, specially farmed produce, there’s a Happy Hour with discounted dishes from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. The most-talked-about item on the Happy Hour menu is fresh oysters at a mere $1 each. Yes, I have indulged grandly on those succulent bivalves. 34661 Golden Lantern, Dana Point, (949) 764-3474.
Vietnamese Food Story
I’m pleased to share with you an early preview of a special, not-to-be-missed cookbook coming from Running Press in May, “An: To Eat: Recipes and Stories from a Vietnamese Family Kitchen” by Jacqueline An and Helene An. From delicious recipes rooted in a unique family legacy to a sweeping story that includes a rich history of exotic Vietnam and San Francisco, this is a fantastic read about a remarkable journey by the An family intertwined with a fascinating collection of recipes. The hardcover book is $35.
Helene An will be doing book signings at AnQi at South Coast Plaza later this spring.
In Vietnamese, “an” means “to eat”—a happy coincidence, since the An family has built an award-winning restaurant empire, including the renowned celebrity favorite, Crustacean Beverly Hills. Helene An, executive chef and matriarch of the House of An family of restaurants, is hailed as the “mother of fusion” and was inducted into the Smithsonian Institute for her signature style, which brings together Vietnamese, French and California-fresh influences, making a unique modern cuisine all her own. Now her daughter Jacqueline tells the family story and shares her mother’s delicious and previously “secret” recipes, including Drunken Crab, Wok Noodles, Oven-Roasted Lemongrass Chicken, and French Onion Pho, a James Beard favorite dish of 2015.
Helene’s transformation from pampered “princess” in French colonial Vietnam to refugee, then restaurateur, and her journey from Indochina’s lush fields to family kitchen gardens in California, is beautifully chronicled in the book. The result is a fascinating peek at a lost world and the evolution of an extraordinary cuisine. The 100 recipes in “An: To Eat” feature clean flavors, simple techniques and unique twists that could only have come from Helene’s personal story.
Jacqueline is one of Helene’s five daughters behind the House of An. She grew up listening to stories of her mother’s childhood in Vietnam; the adventures, the dangers, and the elegance of the Indochine era. Jacqueline seeks to preserve her family stories and share Helene’s culinary inspirations so that home cooks can bring some of the same magic into their own kitchens.
Helene An grew up in French Colonial Vietnam but had to flee her country, settling in San Francisco when she arrived in the U.S. in 1975. She took over a deli her mother-in-law had bought on a whim during a round-the-world tour in the late 1960s and turned it into the city’s first Vietnamese restaurant, Thanh Long. The House of An now includes five restaurants throughout California, including AnQi at South Coast Plaza. Crustacean in Beverly Hills was the first-ever Vietnamese restaurant to receive the prestigious Five-Star Diamond Award from the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences.
I seldom recommend cookbooks, but this one is compelling in its format, its family story and recipes, if you are inclined to bring delicious new tastes to your home table.
Taco Mania for a Cause
Let’s all have a lot of fun at this year’s 23rd Annual Share Our Selves Wild & Crazy Taco Night on April 14 at the Share Our Selves headquarters in Costa Mesa. It’s one of the county’s most enjoyable and anticipated fundraisers every year.
Twenty-four of our most outstanding restaurants will join some 700 supporters of SOS for a casual evening of unlimited beer, margaritas, and exceptional and unique tacos.
Back by popular demand is the pre-event VIP Party. Participating guests will enjoy early admission and have the opportunity to meet all of the chefs and sample their tacos before the general event begins. The VIP Party has sold out every year.
Proceeds benefit the SOS Food Pantry, which provides critical food security to low-income and homeless Orange County residents. Volunteer and staff drivers collect food from grocery stores, restaurants, bakeries and caterers throughout Orange County and deliver it to SOS. Five days a week, SOS distributes an average of 230 bags of groceries a day to individuals and families in need.
The particulars: 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. for general attendance. VIP pre-party 4:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m. Cost for early bird general admission—purchased now through March 31—is $70; general admission—purchased on or after April 1—is $80; VIP admission is $150 by advance sale only.
Location is at Share Our Selves headquarters: 1550 Superior Ave., Costa Mesa. To purchase tickets, visit www.shareourselves.org/ events or call SOS at (949) 270-2137.
Fresh Irish Fix
The city of Brea, especially the downtown area, has upped the dining scene once again. Macallans Public House is actually 16 months old, but some recent management changes have given remarkable new life to the food and a warm graciousness to the service.
This attractive Irish pub reminds me of the occasional pub finds we’ve come across in Great Britain that delivered far more in ambiance and food than expected. The green door fits the theme and suggests that there must be something interesting beyond. Inside, the upscale pub decor features fine millwork, dark wood, green and brick accents, and vintage-inspired chandeliers. A lounge area with velvet couches punctuates the refined look, as does the impressive liquor cabinet housing more than 50 rare scotches and whiskeys. It’s warmth incarnate.
Indicative of its chic demeanor, there are upwards of 200 types of scotch, whiskey and bourbon choices with numerous flights to satisfy the novice to the connoisseur. It also presents many Irish pub-style and craft beers.
The pub is now managed by an executive team from nearby TAPS Fish House & Brewery, a longtime downtown Brea destination with locations in Corona and Irvine. Thus, a new level of good food and friendly hospitality has been ushered in.
The new executive chef is Roman Jimenez, who has invigorated the classic pub fare with creativity and freshness. He is a graduate of the Cordon Bleu Culinary School and has worked locally at Morton’s and The Catch. Jimenez spent his formative years with chef Art Smith opening Table Fifty-Two in Chicago, where he also spent a year staging for celebrated chefs Charlie Trotter and Rick Bayless.
Brunch is served only on Sundays from 9 a.m. till 12 noon. Watch sports and consider, if you’re hungry enough, having a plate of bangers and eggs, Irish bacon, wild mushrooms, potatoes, roasted heirloom tomatoes and black pudding. Another winner: maple-glazed pork cheeks, French toast with orange marmalade and fried eggs. Corned Beef Hash breakfast and even their hefty burger also chime in. Classic Irish coffee is only $1 between 9 a.m. and 12 noon on Sundays.
At lunch and dinner, the P.E.I. Mussels are a big hit. A winning sandwich dubbed El Cubano is tucked with both pork cheek and crispy pork belly, plus baby Swiss cheese. Also noteworthy: Bone Marrow Grilled Cheese with heirloom tomato soup; Jameson Whiskey-Glazed Wings; Reuben Sandwich with Macallans Sauce; Short Ribs, Fish & Chips; Pub Chicken Curry; Colonel Roman’s Fried Chicken Sandwich; Shepherd’s Pie, made with a combo of beef and lamb; salads; Irish Bangers & Mash; or one of the half-pound Prime Burgers.
Adding more dazzle to this pub is Irish-inspired music and song on weekends. Macallans is enjoyable on the food, libation and musical level. I think you will agree it’s a place that sends you home with happy thoughts of returning. 330 W. Birch St., Brea, (714) 529-1224.
