Many more new restaurants are introducing themselves to us, and the trend is toward casual and noisy rather than sexy and romantic.
Fashion Island has a new restaurant that has people buzzing, with two more big names still to open their eateries.
Lark Creek has completely reconstructed the old Daily Grill space with a very chic and energetic look.
This one is part of the highly regarded Lark Creek Group.
The Lark Creek organization dates back to 1989 and has 13 acclaimed restaurants, mostly in higher-end locations in Northern California.
Having tried several of them along the way, I feel OC is very lucky to have this Lark Creek—exclusive to OC—in our midst.
The decor of our Lark Creek keeps with its trend of sleek, very attractive and casually refined surroundings. Naturally, it has a nice bar area, and you will notice lots of customers throughout are having cocktails, both old classics and new inventions by talented mixologists, since the newest sophistication in the dining world is having a cocktail.
Fine wood details prevail, and I especially like being seated in the airy main dining room. This is not a quiet atmosphere, due to many hard surfaces, but you can carry on a decent conversation without having to yell.
The kitchen, led by chef-partner John Ledbetter, embraces a chef-driven concept, with all dishes designed from fine ingredients from local and artisanal sources. The result is a menu of likeable takes on American food, from steaks and fresh fish to salads and sandwiches, signature appetizers and main dishes.
The value pricing is an extension of Lark Creek’s customer-friendly philosophy. Dinner entrees are $15 to $29, except for steaks, which are $26 to $38. There’s a three-course dinner nightly for $37.
Lark Creek has partnered as the first West Coast partner with SPE Certified, or Sanitas Per Escam, which is Latin for Health Through Food. SPE Certified evaluates menu items through a rigorous, scientific analysis ensuring they meet stringent nutritional-standard goals.
Appetizers alone can make for a meal of small plates. Interest factor checks in with a barbecue chicken tamale pancake adorned with avocado salsa. It totally redefines each of the ingredients. Ditto for white shrimp ceviche accompanied by avocado and toy-box tomato, with a hint of chile. Bruschetta takes us on a stone-fruit journey rather than the traditional tomato route. And you must try the watermelon carpaccio.
The pork chop entree is a hands-down winner, absolutely luscious. This is a thick cut that’s very moist, and every bite is crowned with compelling flavor.
A rustic pasta dish and a noodle bowl with snapper bring home-style comfort. Spaghetti with lobster is more sophisticated. At this time of the year, we should take advantage of the heirloom tomato tart. There are fresh fish entrees and cuts of meat for heartier appetites.
They’ve also done a good job with many interesting sides, although entrees do come with some accompaniment. And they tempt us, even when full, with some clever desserts.
Lark Creek: 957 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, (949) 640-6700.
Bluewater Spills In Anew
Bluewater Avalon recently opened in a prime Avalon location, giving the islanders and tourists galore a fine place to enjoy a wide array of utterly fresh seafood and a smattering of other lunch and dinner offerings, including a variety of salads and sandwiches and the best-ever New England clam chowder in the area.
The decor is the perfect match for all those yachts in the harbor supplying elegant eye candy, especially when you grab a seat on the large deck. It joins other Grill locations in Tustin, Newport Beach, Redondo Beach and Phoenix.
Bluewater continues its dedication to preserving the highest standards of sustainability for all the fresh daily fish on its menus. Its stated mission is to provide guests with the highest-quality seafood, classically prepared, at a fair price and in a friendly, casual atmosphere.
If you’re not yet up to speed on Bluewater, let me remind you that they also have good-looking cocktail spaces, and watching a sunset in a place like Avalon with a cocktail to sip on is a fine precursor to an excellent meal.
Bluewater Avalon: 306 Crescent Ave., Avalon, Catalina Island, (310) 510-3474 (FISH).
Authentic Italian With a Twist
Vitaly, an independent piadina (Italian flatbread sandwiches) and gelato cafe at The Camp in Costa Mesa, is also new. Owners and Costa Mesa residents Maurizio and Barbara Cocchi came from Bologna, Italy, and decided that they could give diners a restaurant that was authentic but just a bit different.
Vitaly is built on the concept of local and organic foods crafted into classic Italian dishes but with the piadina twist. They serve three meals a day, and it’s just the sort of casual restaurant the eclectic Zen-like Camp center is known for.
It boasts a trio of specialty concepts within its walls. There’s the Il Buon Caffé part, where we choose original Italian espressos or locally sourced coffee. La Piadina serves, according to the owners, a brand-new concept for California of sandwiches crafted atop freshly made flatbread. Soups and salads are also possibilities. And they have a nice selection of wines and beers to accompany the tasty creations.
Finally, Il Gelato presents original gelato creations pasteurized and frozen in the kitchen. You can even order a gelato flight to sample a variety of five flavors, build a sundae, or order a gelato cake.
This is a comfortable intro to the savory and sweet flavors of Italy and an enjoyable twist on delicious flatbreads, plus beloved coffee.
Vitaly: 2937 Bristol St., Costa Mesa, (714) 662-5500.
Modern Tavern Trend Expands
Chef Bryan Podgorski, who was chef de cuisine at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon in Las Vegas, has opened Tavern on the Coast in Dana Point.
His partners in the venture are his wife, Pamela Dickinson, also from the ranks at Bouchon, and Veronica Scala, owner of Ti Amo in Laguna Beach.
This is indeed a very modern look for something called a tavern. We can thank Michael Mina for starting the trend with his Stonehill Tavern in the St. Regis, which has been the epitome of a very chic dining room rather than a laid-back tavern for many years (tongue-in-cheek intended).
Tavern on the Coast is so nice-looking—wicker meets seductive booths in an all-around fashionable setting—that one mustn’t perceive this as a country tavern at all.
Duck confit, steamed mussels and tuna tartare are some appetizer considerations. The entree section is small, with a burger, a couple of steaks, Jidori chicken, fresh fish and a pasta dish. I am so tired of seeing short ribs on almost every menu, but they also appear here in case you happen to be addicted to them.
Tavern On the Coast is open for happy hours daily from 3:30 to 6 p.m., and meal service is dinner-only from 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday brunch are from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Tavern On the Coast: 34212 Pacific Coast Highway, Dana Point, (949) 415-5888.
Delicious Italian Time Capsule
And now, an oldie that still makes me happy.
There’s a small homespun restaurant in Huntington Beach called Mangia Mangia that’s been there since 1987. Our friends Shirley and Sam Wozniak, regular customers, were keen to get us over there again—we ate there a couple of times long ago, but now all the restaurants in our backyard keep me from revisiting every one as much as I’d like.
Shirley and Sam have refined food and wine palates and could easily stay in coastal South County or around South Coast Metro for their dining, but they regularly drive several miles to have Mangia’s food.
So we recently joined them, and it seemed like time had stood still between my visits. It was the same homey place, still stripped of pretense, with its very simple surroundings, still permeated with the smell of food Italiana and still filled with happy customers.
This place is definitely all about the food. It is, in fact, reminiscent of the food I was raised on in my Italian- and French-intensive immigrant community and the kind of Italian cuisine I taught cooking students for years in one of my Italian Family Sunday Suppers classes.
Brothers and co-owners Giuseppe and Pietro Cefalu are originally from Sicily and have dedicated this restaurant to the conservation and consistency of authentic home-style Italian cooking.
This place will make your palate happy when you really are curious to savor some tastes as if you were in Italy in someone’s home.
Mangia Mangia: 16079 Goldenwest St., Huntington Beach, (714) 841-8887.
