When I’m asked to name my favorite restaurants in Orange County, one that always comes up is Andrea at Pelican Hill Resort.
The setting is exquisite, starting with the entrance to the Newport Coast resort and continuing to the Andrea restaurant, where you can dine inside or on the cozy patio with endless views of the resort and ocean.
The superb North Italian cuisine more than matches the view.
I was excited to be invited last month to meet its new chef, Chris Simons. Chef Simons has been the sous chef at Andrea since 2017, and has now taken the helm of its kitchen.
He prepared a three-course lunch and talked about his career and cuisine.
Young, personable and knowledgeable, Simons is a perfect fit for the restaurant.
He began his culinary career at age 15 with an apprenticeship at Antonello Ristorante under the tutelage of Chef Franco Barone, who went on to open his own noteworthy restaurant, Il Barone in Newport Beach. That experience affirmed his aspirations toward a culinary career, so Simons eventually attended the Culinary Institute of America in New York. He took chef roles with restaurants in Seattle, Washington, and New York before joining the Andrea team.
“I like to use what we have available to us and let the ingredients speak for themselves,” Simons said. “I look at cooking as a craft, and I want to be a good craftsman. It takes a long time to perfect the techniques.”
My first course was the classic dish of risotto with porcini and black truffles, with risotto dumped inside a hollowed parmesan wheel. The parmesan is scraped into the risotto and then scooped into ramekins.
Our next course was torteletti afumicato with walnut passata, ricotta salata and hand-cured pancetta. The pasta was perfect, and the walnuts added texture. The sauce was divine.
The last course was carved saddle of lamb with lamb jus, served tableside. Again, perfectly prepared, simple yet full of flavor.
I returned to Andrea the following week to take a pasta-making class from Simons. This class can accommodate up to three people and is offered Wednesdays and Thursdays at 4:30 p.m., and Fridays through Sundays at 11 a.m.
During the one-hour class, I learned to make two different pastas from scratch. After class, we took a seat in the restaurant and savored the pasta we just made.
Simons included a tour of his kitchen and explained the nuances of cooking pasta.
“Pasta is the real balancing act of the whole kitchen,” he explained. “Pasta can be on every course … the driving force of the entire line.”
He said they use imported Italian sea salt, which adds “a taste of the sea that we want in our pasta water. This shows our passion for the pasta program here and our love for product.”
If you’re looking for a fun Valentine’s Day gift, this is it.
22701 Pelican Hill Road S., Newport Coast 92657, (844) 445-2183, andreanb.com
Pre-Theatre Dining
Coincidentally, the day after I talked with Chef Simons about his experiences at Antonello, my friend Della Lisi and I enjoyed dinner there prior to seeing “Sweeney Todd” at South Coast Repertory.
It had been a while since I had dined there. I was impressed with their remodel, which added intricate brickwork and wood beams to the interior.
And of course, the dinner was also impressive. Antonello is featuring a special black truffle menu, so we began our meal with beef carpaccio with shaved black truffles, followed by a sea bass special for Lisi and the signature Ravioli di Mamma Pina for me—homemade miniature ravioli filled with braised beef served in bolognese sauce. We shared the Torta della Nonna for dessert—Italian sponge cake soaked with Grand Marnier, layered with mascarpone and espresso mousse.
From food to service, it was a perfect experience.
3800 South Plaza Drive, Santa Ana 92704, (714) 751-7153, antonello.com
Puesto Pastry
Last year, I raved about the creative taco menu at Puesto, which has two locations in Irvine—Los Olivos and Park Place.
This year, I’m raving about their desserts. I recently attended a tasting event at the Park Place location in the AC Mariott Hotel to meet its new Pastry Chef Erik Aronow. He guided me through most of his new menu items, including Tres Leches de Café, Coconut Crema Trifle, pineapple upside-down cake, and key lime pie.
Aronow comes to Puesto with more than 15 years of experience, starting with a stint at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bistro in Beverly Hills, followed by Red Medicine, Republique, and Ink. He made the move to Puesto last fall to lead the pastry program as its executive pastry chef.
Aronow said he is focused on traditional techniques utilizing indigenous Mexican ingredients, but based on the desserts we sampled, he is mixing tradition with creativity to make the desserts unique and delicious.
The coconut trifle expertly combined devil’s food cake with a peanut butter crunch bar and gelato, while the key lime dessert’s use of Mexican key lime curd and liquid shortbread was an unusual presentation of key lime pie and very tasty.
Next time you go to Puesto, save room for dessert. You can thank me later.
3311 Michelson Drive, Irvine 92612, (949) 608-7272, eatpuesto.com
From Europe With Love
Every month, Bluewater Grill in Newport Beach and its other SoCal locations hosts a special themed food tasting with wine pairings. For February, the restaurant is bringing back one of my favorite events that highlights two classic dishes: French Bouillabaisse and Italian Cioppino.
This “From Europe With Love” tasting on Feb. 12 is $40 and includes a split of chocolate lava cake or key lime pie, and is paired with French and Italian wines.
Beyond the one-night tasting and pairing event, the feast is available throughout February for the same price excluding champagne and wine, which can be ordered separately.
Make sure you have enough of their fresh baked bread to soak up the sauce in both dishes.
630 Lido Park Drive, Newport Beach 92663, (949) 675-3474, bluewatergrill.com
OC Restaurant Week
So many cities in Orange County have started a restaurant week promotion that it’s hard to keep track of them all, so check out Orange County Restaurant Week March 3 to 9.
More than 150 restaurants throughout the county are participating, from casual to fine dining.
Here’s how it works: during the weeklong event, participating restaurants in Orange County will offer special three-course menus, which range from $10 to $20 for lunch and $20 to $50 for dinner.
There will be a special OC Restaurant Week launch party on March 2 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Marriott Irvine. I attended last year’s event and was impressed with the array of restaurants offering samples of their cuisine. Get your tickets to the launch party soon because they always sell out.
The list of restaurants includes more names than I have room for.
Full list of restaurants and menus: ocrestaurantweek.com.
Dining for a Cause
Orange County chefs are not only talented, they are always happy to give back to the community by participating in charity events.
Two of the biggest chef-driven charity events happen to occur on the same date this year, at opposite ends of the county.
The annual Table for Ten Culinary Event on March 3 is held at Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa. The events features more than 30 top local chefs creating over-the-top multicourse dinners prepared tableside for 10 guests. Exquisite wines are perfectly paired with each course, and the tables are elaborately decorated to each restaurant’s theme.
Executive Chef Jean Pierre Dubray of The Resort at Pelican Hill already has his menu planned.
“Scallops, squab with potato gnocchi, and a lobster-stuffed beef tenderloin—a dish I reserve for special occasions like this,” he said. “A room full of chefs is the entertainment. It’s like having 30 chef’s tables.”
Many of my favorite chefs have tables at this event, including Greg Daniels of Harley Laguna Beach, Zach Geerson of Journeyman’s Food + Drink, Keith Prante of Haute Productions, Jessica Roy of Current Coastal Cuisine, and Ryan Sumner of Lighthouse Café.
Proceeds from the events go to The Teen Project, which works to get homeless kids off the streets.
This event sells out every year so reserve your seat ASAP.
The other charitable culinary event is OC Chef’s Table, held March 3 at the Grand Californian Hotel at Disneyland Resort. This event features 40 chefs from OC and L.A. preparing multicourse meals tableside, with elaborate décor to match the cuisine.
Benefitting Illumination Foundation, which helps the homeless, OC Chef’s Table has a long list of notable names participating, including host Chef Andrew Sutton of the Disneyland Resort, Chef Rich Mead of Farmhouse at Roger’s Gardens, Food Network’s celebrity Chef Jet Tila, Chef Clint Chin of Club 33 at Disneyland, Chef Michael Rossi of The Ranch Restaurant & Saloon, and many more. Tickets are available on their website.
Table for Ten Culinary Event: tableforten.org
OC Chef’s Table: occhefstable.com
