Orange County lost a beautiful person and passionate chef last month in Brian Hirsty, executive chef of the Bluewater Grill restaurants. He was only 48, and though he had a rare bone marrow disease, his death was completely unexpected.
Like many writers, I’ve known Brian through his association with Bluewater Grill since its inception with the first restaurant in 1996.
Brian loved seafood all his life. He fished and cooked his catch as a preteen, then worked with fresh seafood in his profession. What made him special to those of us who write about restaurants was that he loved people and was abundantly generous in teaching us whatever we needed to know about fish and the waters they came from. He cared deeply about the customer experience and with his broad smile always shared his knowledge.
He left a wife, who also works for Bluewater Grill, and a son and daughter. There are also legions of friends, co-workers, and those of us who learned a lot about the cooking world from a sustainable point of view who will always remember and miss him. He was truly one of the nicest people I ever met.
The Dylan Hirsty Educational Fund and Hirsty Family Fund have been set up. Inquiries can be made through Joyce Martin at Bluewater Grill Newport Beach: 630 Lido Park Drive, (949) 675-3474.
Expect Great Things
Cathy Pavlos, chef/owner of the highly acclaimed Lucca in Irvine, opened Provenance-The Garden at Eastbluff two weeks ago in the former Sage space in the Eastbluff Center. More info next month, but know that this is a very attractive indoor-outdoor combo restaurant that looks and feels exactly like a French farmhouse that might be situated in Napa Valley.
The whole place has been gutted and reimagined in an absolutely compelling way. The patio becomes a garden scene in which the organic vegetables and herbs can be culled for menu items; the red cedar that is prominent throughout adds natural and friendly vibes; the kitchen is decked out in the finest equipment—some of it imported at tremendous cost—to parlay the wonderful food. I’ve already trucked through about 17 items, and just know that you are going to be blown away by the concept and tastes here.
Provenance is an important addition to Orange County dining. Provenance: 2531 Eastbluff Drive, Newport Beach, (949) 725-1773.
Pleasant Surprise
It’s difficult to find a very good, casual restaurant amid the typical bunch of medical office buildings. There is one place, though, called Cafe 538, that turns that notion on its head.
Cafe 538—situated next to the large parking structure that serves a quartet of medical buildings in Newport Beach—is a modern, clean-lined space that also has a nice outdoor patio, and the food from a larger-than-expected menu is made with high-quality ingredients and is really good.
We happened to go there because I had two doctors’ appointments in the 520 Superior building. Waiting between the appointments fell at lunch time. Lucky us. We were directed to Cafe 538 and were so pleasantly surprised. I have marked this on our list for return visits, even when we had no medical need to be in the vicinity.
It’s open for breakfast and lunch, Monday through Friday, from 6:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. There’s a whole array of breakfast items—pastries through full entrees—and lunch features seven salads and more than two dozen sandwich variations. They even have delicious shish-kabobs. Coffee drinks abound, as well, so you don’t have to search out a good brew. They even have Starbucks as a choice.
In my mind, I think of the cobb or Greek salad and a pastrami panini or the chicken-apple-cranberry sandwich. But when you get there, many items look so good.
The couple who own and run the cafe have such friendly personalities and are wonderful at explaining the makeup of the menu items. They get high points from me for giving us such good tastes in such an unexpected area.
Café 538: 538 Superior Ave., Newport Beach, (949) 645-2230.
Modern Mexican
I and four of my favorite business guys had a recent lunch at the rather new Solita Tacos & Margaritas in Huntington Beach. The restaurant owners spell solita with a lowercase “s,” but for clarity purposes, I use an uppercase letter for a noun.
We were there at a patio table for six with Jim McDonnell, who is chief of police in Long Beach and running for Los Angeles County sheriff. We five get together three or four times a year and invite a guest to have lunch with us because we like to learn more about our world and the interesting people who make a difference.
Solita is only 2 months old and is in the expansive Bella Terra Center, a mix of big-brand stores, small boutiques, and interesting restaurants that are providing a vibrancy Huntington Beach needed. Solita could be tabbed as the little sister to Sol Cocina in Newport Beach, except that it isn’t very little, and the food, while having a Baja personality of its own, is some pretty delicious and rather sophisticated fare. Executive Chef Deborah Schneider oversees both restaurants.
I really like the looks of Solita, too. The indoor dining room is very inviting and comfortable. The all-weather patio is large and perfect for California weather. Much of the interior detail and furnishings were handmade by Mexican artisans and craftsmen, lending the space a chic and charming sense of modern Mexico. Chalk it up as a unique and subtly sophisticated place for interpretation of contemporary Mexican food.
The pleasing food presentations emerge from fresh and seasonally appropriate ingredients and big flavors. With its friendly, helpful service, this restaurant is buzzing.
A wood-fired open grill and an oak smoker are important elements of the cooking techniques. Skillfully cooked meats and seafood using those methods take on an extra depth of flavor that shines in tacos, grilled wild fish and oak-roasted chipotle chicken. Those who love Mexican food should relish Solita’s versions of skirt steak asada, carnitas and red chile borracho beef. Start with the taquitos and their special handmade salsas (they come with many entrees), and you may just want to have another order of those and call it a day. I can also highly recommend the taco trios. Fish, carnitas and chicken for me at that particular lunch, another combo on another occasion. I really like the tastes of this food, and the presentations are first-rate.
Like any new Latin-inspired place today, Solita has an extensive list of signature cocktails and a good array of fine tequilas, plus the traditional alcohol hefties. Margaritas focus on vibrant and immediate flavors, and the restaurant prides itself on making the recipes in-house with fresh citrus juices and flavors from natural ingredients, saying they contain no high fructose corn syrup, preservatives or colorings.
Solita Tacos & Margaritas: Bella Terra Center, 7631 Edinger Ave. (at the 405 Freeway), (714) 894-2792.
Eureka Moments Expected
In that same upscale Bella Terra Center, Eureka! opened a month ago. I have had only their to-die-for butterscotch rum pudding, but other foodie friends are giving me good reports. I have a couple of meals planned there very soon to taste more of the food.
Eureka! boasts handmade food crafted from locally sourced produce. The restaurant features American cuisine complemented by a carefully curated beverage program featuring 100% American craft beer, small batch whiskey, in-house aging barrels, and specialty cocktails it says are sourced from artisans throughout America.
Good-looking design elements speak of casualness but serious attitude toward the food and beverage. A bit of industrial, open-space mod and more of that indoor-outdoor feel.
Please Please Me
This is year 50 since the Beatles made their U.S. TV debut on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” a perfect time to enjoy an evening built around some heartfelt Beatles nostalgia, including a songbook performed by talented musician and Beatles tribute band member Benny Chadwick.
The local chapter of the British-American Business Council is presenting The Magical Mystery Culinary Tour on May 1 at the Anaheim Hilton. The charitable culinary gala will feature the food of seven Orange County master chefs tantalizing our taste buds with exquisite flavors. British Airways has donated two business-class tickets to London for the grand prize raffle.
The honorary committee for this special evening is pretty impressive: HM Consul General Chris O’Connor; George L. Argyros, chairman and chief executive of Arnel & Affiliates; Warren Barton, head analyst for Fox Sports and former professional soccer player; Chris Klein, president of LA Galaxy; Jim McCluney, former chief executive of Emulex Corp.; David Pyott, chairman and chief executive of Allergan Inc.; Joanne Sokolski, chief of protocol for the Protocol Foundation of Orange County; and Tom Tait, mayor of Anaheim.
Shaun Robinson, president of the local business council and general manager of the Hilton Anaheim hotel, shares the Liverpool hometown of the Beatles, so that’s a hint that this has even more reason to be a splendid evening.
Proceeds will serve two community purposes: Underprivileged OC youth have an opportunity to attend a life-changing summer studies program in London to experience the history and culture of England, and through PureGame Charity’s adapted form of soccer, positive role models champion the development of self-esteem and confidence of underprivileged, “at risk” children.
The date: May 1. Place: Hilton Anaheim hotel. A champagne reception begins at 6 p.m. with silent auction items to consider. The dinner extravaganza and wine pairing, plus the musical Beatles tribute, begins at 7:15 p.m. Tickets are $200. Last year’s event was great, and it didn’t even have the clout of the Beatles. Thus it would be a good idea for you to get your tickets right now. For reservations, contact Valerie Blackholly at (949) 472-2221 or valerie@babcoc.org.
Nibbles
Pizza Nova, a San Diego-based minichain, will open in the old DivBar space in Newport Beach. There are so many pizza places around. I’ll try this one when it opens and go from there.
