Amid endless uncertainty about where the economy is headed and what 2010 is going to look like, Five Crowns has come up with a truly lovable idea that eases our mind about where we’re going to eat.
It’s opened SideDoor Gastropub at its Corona del Mar restaurant. The new storefront is on the Poppy Street side of Five Crowns, which converted an extra banquet room and exit door into the new venture.
After some long discussions among Five Crown’s chef Dennis Brask and the executives of parent company Lawry’s Restaurants Inc., the plan for an authentic English pub with its own menu came together. The banquet room was transformed into part of the pub space, with that entire area cloaked in architectural details of craftsman woodwork and accoutrements that indeed are true to the character of an attractive pub in England. This, of course, fits right in with the already reminiscent aura of Five Crowns, itself a copy of Ye Olde Bell, an English inn.
There’s the requisite inviting local bar fronted by a few stools. Scattered about are bar-height tables fronting wall-length banquettes, a fireplace, casual tables and booths and even some cushy couches and chairs that look like they’re plucked from a living room set.
On our first visit, an early evening stop, we had planned to grab a quick meal, but we ended up lingering and tasting for more than three hours. It was such a good addition for our area: a place that was affordable and friendly where there was no din from overly loud surroundings, just some British rock playing softly in the background. We did not want to give up the warmth and flavors that were embracing us, so we merely kept stretching our new culinary journey.
This pub menu features a variety of plates, with a suitably redacted list of wines and beers specifically chosen to perfectly match the cuisine. I like the flights of wines and beers that are suggested, which—for a measly amount—give a trio of flavor matched to the food.
Keep in mind that some things on the menu can change with every visit due to what’s freshest from the farmer’s field or the most interesting item a purveyor presents to the chef. But there are core ideas around which items are built. The menu we’ve encountered is merrily stocked with good stuff to be leisurely shared. Think of salad in terms of roasted Chioggia beets, a dish of gravlax with Algerian tangerines, or seasonal vegetables such as butternut squash with wild nettle pesto and brussels sprouts with roasted chestnuts.
An absolute must for every table is the warm asparagus spears with Fuyu persimmon slices, thin shaves of prosciutto and a drizzle of sage-brown butter sauce. A chef on duty at an open charcuterie station cuts a selection of fine cheeses, cured meats and pressed cheese sandwiches to order—please do tuck into a plate of La Quercia prosciutto and buffalo mozzarella. Duck confit and Lawry’s famed prime rib sandwiches have delighted us, as have traditional British pub foods including Cornish pasties and fish and chips. Dessert selections high on my delicious meter are the lemon curd brulee with shortbread cookies and the British figgy pudding with whiskey sauce.
Consider it a “must do” place for soaring flavors, totally relaxing atmosphere and general friendliness that makes hearts, tummies and wallets very happy.
SideDoor Gastropub at Five Crowns: Open from 4:30 p.m. Corner of PCH (3801 East Coast Hwy.) and Poppy Street, Corona del Mar, (949) 717-4322.
Five Crowns Prix Fixe
As an addendum to the above, Five Crowns is offering a three-course seasonal prix-fixe menu rife with interesting new choices for $32 per person, plus tax and tip. The menu includes a selection of entrees: short ribs osso buco made of Sangiovese-braised Angus beef served on roasted sweet pepper couscous; artichoke gnocchi with apple-wood-smoked bacon, green peas, artichokes and garlic; pretzel-crusted breast of chicken with cheese sauce and fusilli with vegetables; or trout with almonds and shrimp with lemon-Parmesan mashed potatoes. Entrée selections will evolve through the winter season.
A choice of traditional starters includes a Five Crowns signature salad or seasonal soups. Dessert choices include a petite bread pudding with whiskey sauce or C.C. Brown’s hot fudge sundae sampler. The phone number for Five Crowns is (949) 760-0331.
Hilton Waterfront
In October, I used part of my article to tell you why the Hilton Waterfront Resort in Huntington Beach should be considered a definite destination spot. If not for a great stay in a waterfront room—since all lodging faces the ocean and rooms have been redone in a highly comforting manner—then at least to savor the sensible but suave food that chef Jeff Littlefield is serving at its signature restaurant: Shades. If you still need a little push, Friday, Saturday and Sunday have a prix-fixe menu for $30, in addition to the full menu.
This month Shades is offering roasted beet and mandarin orange salad with Belgian endive and an avocado dressing, pan-seared Atlantic salmon with a parsnip puree and roasted rutabagas and a ginger almond pear tart with honey ginger ice cream. February’s $30 weekend menu will be Fanny Bay oysters with chilled apple and cucumber chutney, petite beef filet medallion and a Shades crab cake with braised leeks and cauliflower puree. Warm Gotham chocolate cake with graham cracker ice cream is the sweet ending for this meal.
I thoroughly enjoy the sensible and easy layout of the menu—it makes it so easy to peruse all the dishes.
Shades in the Hilton Waterfront Resort: 21100 Pacific Coast Hwy., Huntington Beach, (714) 845-8000.
Long Beach Excursion
We seldom talk of restaurants in Long Beach, which is just over the county line. But I wanted to highlight one restaurant that has impressed me enough to take a lot of my culinary followers there for dinners. So, if you are in that area and need a good place for sustenance, I’d highly recommend Michael’s on Naples.
Michael’s on Naples began when owner Michael Dene got out of the commercial and home lighting industry a few years ago and decided to concentrate on his lifelong interest in cooking authentic Italian food. A combination of luck and business acumen got him the space on the bridged waterside avenue that is 2nd street in the Naples neighborhood.
The two-story restaurant makes the most of its narrow floorplan with an upstairs area characterized by a warming fireplace, sink-in seating and a bar where blenders buzz and people gather to sip the most trendy drinks and glasses of nicely selected wines.
To make things run as smoothly and deliciously as possible, manager/sommelier Massi-mo Aronne is well versed in the restaurant biz and hails from the sophisticated Riviera region of Italy. Add a chef, David Coleman, who is a proponent of the farm-to-table and slow food movement (whereby diners are encouraged to chat with the chef and other staff members) and the picture is even livelier. David has worked in some of America’s finest restaurants, two of them being on the hot list of San Francisco dining, so he brings both sophistication and passion to the kitchen.
Would I surprise you by mentioning that pizzas are on the menu? These are in the realm of fashionable dining, though, as it’s currently done in Italy. Toppings of confit of baby artichoke, Taleggio cheese and winter mushrooms, prosciutto and roasted tomato make them well dressed. Octopus soup with cannellini beans and spinach salad with pancetta dressing delight me. Pastas march through items such as pork sausage with ear-shaped pasta, black pasta with lobster, hand-cut pappardelle with oxtail ragout (one of the best pastas I’ve ever tasted) and lasagne with spinach pasta. The gnocchi is to die for as well.
Protein dishes I can recommend: whole Mediterranean sea bass, veal osso buco over saffron risotto, prime New York steak with cipollini onions and diver scallops enrobed in prosciutto. There’s a menu of bar food that offers more fun dining on a smaller scale than the full-fledged plates a la carte.
The desserts are often so Italian you can almost hear their accents. One night, wine-poached pears adorned with almond-infused gelato sat before us, along with a glass of bubbly Prosecco. It alone would be welcome at my table anytime.
Michael’s on Naples: 5620 E. Second St, Naples Island, Long Beach, (562) 439-7080.
Sprouts Farmers Market
And, finally, a very personal item to make eating at home more fun and tasty. There are many things I like about Sprouts Farmers Markets, not the least of which are fresh veggies and fruits. One of the things we tried and liked are the Favorit Swiss Preserves. They are like exploding gems of flavor in the jars that are useful way beyond the toast and jelly agenda.
I’ve taken to putting a dollop of the various preserves into a fish sauce or meat sauce and vinaigrette for salad can become a highlight with an added touch as well. Some of the Favorit flavors are available seasonally. Right now, do take home a jar of the forest berries, a sleek blend of raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and cranberries that may be my favorite in the whole line.
Sprouts markets are in Orange, Irvine, Brea, Seal Beach, Tustin and Huntington Beach.
