Double bombshells hit diners in the past month with the sudden closing of Tamarind of London at Newport Coast and news that Scott’s would be closing at the end of the year.
I, like everyone, had no advance knowledge that Tamarind would close, and it now seems so serendipitous that at the same time, I had just turned in my column in which I related why I thought Royal Khyber was so special. We had dined at the original Tamarind in London, and when this one opened, my thoughts were that it was nice looking and actually quite tasty, but it was not the same food as we’d experienced overseas.
I remarked to my husband that I thought they may be making the same mistake as Aqua, Michael Mina’s restaurant in the St. Regis before it became Stonehill Tavern. The restaurant principals seem to want to tinker with the food and make it Orange County mod instead of staying on track with a proven menu from their previous venues.
They think they know what we “need” on our dining landscape and totally miss the essence of OC’s spirit. It has happened many times and will undoubtedly happen again.
In this case, I will say that I never warmed up too much to the OC version of Tamarind and never could perceive it as a favorite, while Royal Khyber keeps hitting culinary and cultural high notes that make me—and our friends who truly understand Indian food—crave it all the time.
Last Chance at Scott’s
Then there’s the real sadness that a restaurant as fine as Scott’s is closing. It’s the perfect blend of sophistication and friendliness with food that’s top-notch. Only a month ago, I took a group of 18 intrepid diners, most of them world travelers, for an evening of food and wine. I let Michael Doctulero, the chef, and Robert Redaelli, the GM/super sommelier, choose the food and wines they’d serve us. Remarkable evening.
The new restaurant that will be taking the space is Water Grill. This paper commented on some Water Grill speculation a few months ago. It’s part of Sam King and his cousin Jeff King’s mini restaurant empire that includes the original Water Grill in downtown L.A. near the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, another Water Grill in Santa Monica and several King’s Fish House locations.
My thoughts right now are that WG might bring in a new concept and good food, but they cannot bring in a chef that cooks better than Michael or a better GM than Robert. Hoping they’ll keep most of the smooth-running staff that has taken Scott’s to a new level of excellence.
It recently was awarded the International Star Diamond Award, a coveted honor recognizing global excellence in restaurants and hospitality. It is considered the hospitality industry’s most prestigious emblem of achievement. How ironic that this accolade comes along, followed by the announcement that the restaurant will cease to exist.
It was apparently South Coast Plaza’s decision to replace Scott’s with the other concept.
Plan to dine at Scott’s for lunch, dinner or Sunday Brunch as often as you can before the end of the year. I guarantee you will have some scrumptious meals.
3300 Bristol St. Costa Mesa, (714) 979-2400.
Lillie’s Brunch
Good feedback comes to me about the newly introduced Sunday Brunch at Lillie’s Q in Brea. I haven’t yet experienced this, but I have eaten at Lillie’s Q, and the food is delectable. Love the varieties of custom barbecue sauce that come with the meats, too.
The new brunch is $24.99 for adults and includes bubbly or Mimosas and a beverage, such as coffee or tea. The price for children ages 3 to 10 is $9.99. This is a fine way to taste a variety of their meats and a more than generous spread of other well received items. Brunswick Stew, Fried Chicken and Waffles, Biscuits and Gravy, breakfast dishes, and the tender meats intersperse with vegetables, desserts and more. It’s good to see that Brea is getting more and more really good restaurants and such a variety of dining experiences.
240 S. Brea Blvd. (downtown Brea) (714) 482-2001.
Notes on the New Ritz
The Ritz is open, this time called The Ritz Prime Seafood. I must begin by saying that everyone must absolutely forget references to the former Ritz. There is not one iota of the former clubby, higher-echelon feeling in the new restaurant. It merely needs to be thought of as a brand-new, very modern waterside restaurant called The Ritz. In fact, only one item that had been connected to the menu of the former Ritz is on this menu, the Scrambled Egg in the Shell topped with caviar.
This might be the time to correct some information that was put out in a recent story in a different publication that said the aforementioned scrambled egg and a “wild mushroom cappuccino served in a coffee cup” were created by the founder of The Ritz, Hans Prager. I happen to know the provenance of those two items because I was the one who came across an amazing young French chef, Claude Koeberle, who now is co-owner of Soliste Wine Cellars in Petaluma, and took him to meet Hans Prager, hoping Hans would hire him and keep him here in OC. Hans did just that.
It was Claude who suggested Hans put the two items on The Ritz menu. The cappuccino, which is not on the new restaurant’s menu, was invented by Alain Chapel, the late famed chef of Restaurant Alain Chapel just outside of Lyons, France. As an aside, I had taken a group of 10 to dine with Msr. Chapel only three weeks before he died of a stroke at 53. We are all thankful to have had that experience.
Claude had apprenticed in Chapel’s restaurant and thus had first-hand knowledge of the mushroom cappuccino. The egg, though we are not sure just where it began, had traveled from its inception in France to L’Orangerie, the once famed restaurant in West Hollywood. Claude had encountered it there and thus introduced it to Hans.
So what is the menu and ambiance at the Ritz like? It’s good-looking with a sea of beige leather chairs—an overall monochromatic scheme—a bar and lounge area immediately as you walk in, a front wall of glass to give unobstructed views of the ocean, and very unique ceilings.
The elongated walkway into the restaurant, with a wall of water, and all the interior ceilings are of laser-cut steel in a rather intricate pattern. Definitely an eye-catcher.
The menu is seafood-centric. Appetizers of poke, grilled oysters, shrimp cocktail, and mussels with curry join a few nonseafood items. We have only had a seafood tower, which they assemble based on the number of people at your table. This is layers of ice strewn with lobster, crab, very large shrimp, oysters, etc. It comes with various dipping sauces, one of which is Smoked Almond Cocktail Sauce. While good, I still personally prefer the classic cocktail sauce. Perhaps if we asked, they would whip up a bit of that ketchup-horseradish dip for us.
We chose entrees of Red Miso Cod and Cioppino from nine seafood main dishes. The cod comes with a citrus-mustard vinaigrette mingling with the miso-glazed fish. It was very good. Likewise, the cioppino, which was loaded with shellfish, was a fine-tasting dish for which we appreciated the toast to sop up all the good juices.
A couple of steaks and short ribs take care of the meat eaters. Everything is a la carte, so you choose side dishes as you like. We opted for the Creamed Corn, expecting something similar to the creamy, delicious corn cooked in that manner at the old Ritz and many other upscale eateries. This one is nothing like that. It is a casserole of crunchy corn kernels topped with a Parmesan crust. I will opt for one of the other vegetable or starch sides next time. We have to go back with friends and try more things and will do that soon.
The Ritz Prime Seafood is operated by Grill Concepts, which also owns The Grill on the Alley, Daily Grills, Public School restaurants.
2801 W. Coast Highway, Newport Beach, (949) 720-1800.
New Habit
We have been trying out various brands of burgers, and there are many. I did not plan on having The Habit Burger Grill entice us back often, but it is winning a taste war and service philosophy for us. Quality fresh ground beef and tri-tip, sushi-grade albacore for sandwiches and salads, trans-fat free cooking, sauces made fresh daily, things like fresh Parmesan grated atop my Caesar salad, and service that comes with genuine smiles score high.
The Habit started in Santa Barbara by UCSB in 1969. It didn’t grow for years, but there are now over 125 locations, 10 of them in OC. The chief executive responsible for the growth is highly respected Russ Bendel, a hospitality veteran in OC who brought the Habit headquarters to Irvine.
It’s good that at every restaurant opening, three preview meals are held to benefit local nonprofits, with a full 100% of proceeds going to the organizations. The Habit recently pledged $200,000 to Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign.
Also appreciated is the value pricing. However, the flavor profile and quality of the food are the addictions for our taste buds. Walking into one of the restaurants and feeling the sense of goodwill that permeates the atmosphere add to the pleasure. I might in fact have another Habit burger today.
Various locations throughout Orange County; www.habitburger.com.
