The freeway of restaurant openings, closings and moves is staying busy with lots of traffic.
Might as well begin with the bombshell of the week. The Ritz Prime Seafood in Newport Beach has permanently closed. It was a classic case of major misjudgment about customers. The younger crowd already have plenty of energetic, loud, boozy places to hang out. This was way too sedate for them, and The Ritz ignored the feelings of longtime customers who were in the wings waiting for some semblance of the romance of the former Ritz to emerge. Add in an annoying parking situation, prices that the public felt were a bit overblown, and negotiations on the lease that could not be worked out, and it couldn’t survive. The restaurant is up for sale.
Meanwhile, Bistro Blue, the cute, casual French restaurant in Anaheim that was much needed in the area, has closed. Chef/owner David Kessler suffered from a nondescript location in a little center with no personality and no relationship to Disneyland or the downtown Anaheim area of the city. Too bad, because he served some terrific traditional French favorites. Hoping he will open another similar cafe soon.
Both the Il Barone and Tapas restaurants will be moving soon from their locations in an aging strip mall on MacArthur Boulevard and Corinthian Way in Newport Beach. Il Barone, home of some of Orange County’s best southern Italian food, will move to a much better location in a completely refurbished former Coco’s space on Bristol at Jamboree. Tapas will soon open at Kaleidoscope, the Mission Viejo multistoried space that’s becoming a restaurant hub. Remodels of the new spaces for both restaurants are under way.
Two weeks ago, Il Barone owners Franco and Donatella Barone launched their second restaurant, Il Barone Sicilian Street Food, in Huntington Beach’s Pacific City complex. It’s being operated by their son and a nephew. Considering how much Il Barone in Newport Beach is admired for its deeply flavored Italian specialties, this will surely be a welcome addition to the dining possibilities. Pastas, calzones, pizzas, mozzarella specialties, plus pastries and gelatos, all freshly made, are calling your name. 21010 Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Beach, (714) 374-1065
The Market Place in Irvine continues to add interesting dining. In a fantastic move last year, TAPS took over the space that had been Buca de Beppo and turned it into a chic—and unique—destination restaurant serving captivating food at lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch. Upscale comfort prevails for the seafood and steaks, prime rib, and serious accoutrements. Also, the classy lounge keeps pace.
Now, nearby at Jamboree Road and Irvine Boulevard, Don Myers and partner Peter Serantoni are bringing a second Cha Cha’s Latin Kitchen to the county, with an expected grand opening in early summer. Their original Cha Cha’s has been an anchor restaurant in downtown Brea since 2009. The fresh, modern, stylish take on Latin-inspired food and the contemporary attention to beers and cocktails has resonated nonstop with diners in North County, and that enthusiasm should spill over nicely in this location.
Alessandro Pirozzi has left one of his restaurants and opened another in Laguna Beach. He owns the chic little brick-endowed Alessa on Forest Avenue in Laguna, and his eponymous Pirozzi, another well-regarded restaurant in Corona del Mar. Recently, he exited his Mare Culinary Lounge in Laguna but acquired the 41-year-old Salerno’s—now called Salerno by Chef Pirozzi—only three blocks from Alessa.
At Salerno, the menu is composed of Neapolitan dishes not found at his other restaurants. There are no pizzas. Think instead of Rabbit Ravioli, delicate pillows of pasta made fresh every day from organic eggs, puffed up with roasted fresh rabbit perfumed with amarone wine. Iberico ham joins prosciutto for double flavor in the tortellini.
Even throughout a meal, we nibble on the addictive Fried Olives and Caledonian Prawns, both from the appetizer section. Four kinds of mushrooms glide about on my plate of bucatini when it arrives. A dish called Dolce & Gabbana consists of ribbon pasta infused with arugula and spinach adrift with Tasmanian salmon in a delicate salsa rosa. Elk and ostrich join lamb and beef, a hefty selection of pastas and several kinds of seafood for other entrees. You cannot be bored in any manner with all that’s new and delicious here. 220 Beach St., Laguna Beach, (949) 497-2600
Meantime, the landlord of Laguna’s Royal Hawaiian—he owns most of the same block—will probably demolish all of his buildings, making space for a buildout of several stores and a new Royal Hawaiian restaurant meandering along pathways. Royal Hawaiian might be able to relocate for a year to the Mare space that Alessandro vacated while the construction at the present location is completed. That would be a good outcome.
Refined Hotel Spot
Irvine Marriott Hotel has been doing a bright, modern makeover of its public spaces over the past several years, including the lobby and the Floe lounge, quite enticing and different in looks from all of our other hotels. One of the parts that I find especially fascinating is the cozy new little YNK room—it stands for You Never Know—tucked in a corner of the lounge/restaurant. Here in the evenings only, we sink into a couple of couches and a handful of easy chairs and enjoy the cultural experience surrounding us as if we are in some faraway place, psychologically sneaking in some pseudo travel around the world. The scenario is changed every three months via dim lighting, two giant screens showing vistas and venues from the country embraced at the moment—Spain is currently the theme—and subtle background music. There’s a small bar serving specialty cocktails from the represented country, as well as modern libations. This is refined relaxation.
The Floe menu for lunch and dinner is a short offering of a few nibbles to start, half a dozen salads, a selection of small plates, a trio of entrees in bowls, and a condensed list of seafood, pork and beef items. It also serves breakfast.
My inclination is to enjoy the space for cocktails and relaxation in desirable surroundings rather than destination dining. 18000 Von Karman Ave., Irvine, (949) 254-5713 or (949) 553-0100
Spicy Chinese
Irvine has become a calling card for new restaurants. Several have opened in Culver Plaza, in the newish Los Olivos Center, and hither and yon in the city. A spicy one, Meizhou Dongpo has just opened in the reconstructed space that had been Marie Callender’s for years at Culver Plaza Center.
If you like hot food, really hot and spicy food, try this place. The decor is beautiful, and even the lovely lighting is dimmed in the evenings (we have another upscale Chinese restaurant nearby that floods the place in bright garish lighting, ruining the ambiance).
The food represents the province of Sichuan, where fiery fare is the norm. The restaurant has more than 100 locations in China, all part of a Beijing-based chain. The first restaurant in the U.S., opened in 2013, is at Century City’s Westfield Plaza in Los Angeles County. Must be some great calling that has now gotten them to Irvine.
Let me start with some misgivings I have from my first meal. Some dishes were given their heavy spiciness with serrano and jalapeño peppers, common in Latin cooking but not meant to take the place of the little dried red peppers that have their own Chinese flavor profile. The Pork Buns were the traditional steamed variety, but the pork inside was greasy, so that got only two small bites from me. Sauteed Chinese String Beans are beloved for their al dente bite; these were limp and quite overdone for my palate. The other dish that I found lacking was the Fried Rice—too soft and sticky and badly in need of seasoning. I am glad to have had an Asian food expert—I did teach years of this stuff myself—tasting the dishes with me.
We had Carved Roasted Duck, served whole tableside and carved by the chef. We tucked the meat and crispy skin into delicate crepes with hoisin sauce, scallion shreds and julienned cucumber. It was not a spicy item at all, very tasty.
For the fire-in-the-mouth dishes, they will keep your palate dancing: Mung Bean Jelly (gelatinous threads); Royal Hot Pot; Avocado with Roasted Chiles; Serrano Pepper Beef; Spicy Chicken; Beef in Black Pepper Sauce; and Kung Pao Shrimp. This is not the extent of the menu, though. There are many dishes like this to try.
The food is pricey. The above dishes range from $9 to $27, with the pork buns being $5 each, and the portions are modest. The Roast Duck is a mind-boggling $77. The place is packed with customers right now. Open for lunch and dinner. 15363 Culver Drive (Culver Plaza Center), Irvine, (949) 433-5686
