After all the culinary excesses of holiday meals, not to mention too many sweets, perhaps a burger to remember would hit the spot.
Try out the DG Burger (stands for Damn Good) from the upscale Charlie Palmer at Bloomingdale’s. The place just launched in a room at the back of the restaurant. You can walk through to get there or use a separate entrance in the hallway across from AnQi.
With that tongue-in-cheek name, one can surmise that this burger is a down-to-earth experience.
Charlie himself greeted a first-day crowd that formed lines down the hallway and around the corner of the building. The wait paid off with a stellar example of what the all-American burger could and should be.
This is the first of what might be many DG Burgers. Charlie decided that chef de cuisine Amar Santana was the perfect partner for rolling out the new concept aimed at busy shoppers looking for a quick break as well as folks looking to get out of the office for a casual-yet-interesting and tasty lunch.
Besides the burger—Black Angus beef topped with cabbage, tomato, red onion and Chef Santana’s signature sauce, served on a semolina potato bun—there are a handful of other selections.
Superb fries come with various flavored dips, and there’s a grilled sausage hoagie, beef/vegetable/chicken skewers, a couple of terrific salads and milk shakes. Everything is priced from $5 to $7.95.
It comes without a lot of hoopla but with good, fast service amid utterly casual seating and a focus on the food. I’m guessing you’ll soon give it a try. Lunch only, daily from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (714) 361-4264.
Southwestern Comfort
There are some winter food enticements at Z’Tejas Southwestern Grill at South Coast Plaza.
Among the new items are a Southwestern comfort pie featuring slow-roasted beef served with roasted garlic mashed potatoes and sweet corn.
It’s perfect for the season, and even more so for the kind of weather we’ve been having.
There’s captivating taste in the seared ancho-marinated lamb chops with sauteed spinach, caramelized carrots and roasted garlic mashed potatoes. Corn tamales stuffed with jumbo lump crab and served with nopalito salad also is a good choice.
Executive Chef Daniel Stevens also has added a grilled filet bistro salad (roasted red and golden beets, mesclun mixed greens, crumbled bleu cheese, red onions and cherry tomatoes, all tossed in tequila lime vinaigrette), pan-roasted chicken breast (with apple, cornbread and pecan stuffing) and shrimp and papaya enchiladas (with sweet corn rice and nopalito salad).
Having spent some of my childhood in the south and southwest, I have enjoyed a lot of what Z’Tejashas offered over the years. Old memorable flavors are there, but chef Stevens brings modern presentations and current gastronomic touches to the food, which keeps it all the more interesting.
The casually cosmopolitan atmosphere blends California and Southwestern styles for a comfort level commensurate with the food.
Z’Tejas Southwestern Grill: lunch and dinner daily and don’t forget that half-price appetizers and drink specials are offered during happy hour. 3333 S. Bristol St., (714) 979-7469.
Five Stars for St. Regis
St. Regis Monarch Beach, which is preparing to celebrate its 10th anniversary, earned the Forbes Five Star rating for the fifth consecutive year.
It remains the only resort in California to claim both the Forbes Five-Star and AAA Five-Diamond award.
Forbes Travel Guide (formerly known as the Mobil Travel Guide), through inspections by incognito experts, has defined the industry’s highest standard for excellence in hospitality for more than 50 years.
The St. Regis is on the luxury end of the market but also serves as a welcoming and community-minded place that draws locals in an array of ways.
How about simply having drinks in the beautiful lounge or on the terraces overlooking the world-class oceanfront golf course, taking in a Spa Gauchin treatment or dining in one of the restaurants, including Stonehill Tavern where a rather recent addition of many small plates at very reasonable prices has enhanced that venue a lot?
Taking a vacation and luxuriating in one of the marvelous rooms also might be on your agenda. I often end up in the hotel/resort on some whim, just for a few hours of relaxation and peace.
I believe that every serious property needs the perfect fit for a general manager and sometimes it takes a while to discover who that is. St. Regis has had other general managers over the years, but when Johnny So took the reins a few years ago, a symbiotic relationship between this ultimate resort pro and this property proved to be the spark and spirit that was needed.
Johnny’s presence is everywhere. You might find him in a hallway extending a welcoming handshake as he does his constant rounds making sure the polish of the St. Regis name is well taken care of.
St. Regis Resort and Spa: One Monarch Beach Resort, Dana Point, (949) 234-3200.
Special Surf and Turf
My fellow lovers of fine steaks might want to treat themselves to a filet and lobster dinner for $45. I found out that the Ruth’s Chris in Irvine is offering their six-ounce filet (always a mouthwatering entree) served alongside a succulent lobster tail for this low price.
Complement this impressive entree with a wine pairing from their award-winning wine list to create the ultimate experience.
Furthermore, the Irvine location serves lunch only on Fridays, and some of us have discovered what a treat that is. Time: 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Menu: Everything one mentally connects with lunch, including salads and sandwiches. But there’s also a full regalia of steaks and some seafood and signature items, all of which rise to the culinary level that Ruth’s Chris is known for. One try of this lunch might make you a habitué.
The Irvine location is sleek and cosmopol-itan in looks with fine wood and pristine
table settings.
There also is a Ruth’s Chris in Anaheim with a New Orleans aura thanks to its exposed brick wall and pretty-but-down-home decor within.
In addition to the dining room, the Anaheim location also features Ruth’s Bistro (exclusive in the lounge) that shows a new side with items such as sushi, sandwiches and other lighter fare.
Doesn’t matter much to me which one of the locations I’m in for happy hour, as they both provide a very likeable vibe and some signature cocktails that are both tasty and fun.
Ruth’s Chris Irvine: 2961-A Michelson Drive, (949) 252-8848. Ruth’s Chris Anaheim: 2041 S. Harbor Blvd., (714) 750-5466.
Jazzy Affairs
We’ve got a duo of jazz scenes coming up in February and you’ll need reservations now for these swinging venues.
The Ninth Annual Jazz and Epicurean Benefit for the Ocean Institute is set for Feb. 4 and 5. This musical benefits the youth programs at the Ocean Institute and takes place on its grounds in Dana Point with producer/performer Rick Braun and Friends, featuring Euge Groove and Philippe Saisse.
Braun is an internationally recognized trumpeter and composer, and a two-time winner of the Gavin Report’s Smooth Jazz Artist of the Year Award. Groove is a smooth jazz saxophonist and Saisse is a French Grammy Award-nominated keyboardist, producer and arranger.
A free wine reception and concert performance, limited to 270 guests, will launch the festivities on Feb.4, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Ocean Institute, with appetizers provided by Il Fornaio. The concert follows the reception. Tickets are from $95 to $125.
Feb. 5 is the premiere evening and will accomodate 200 guests. It will include a gala gourmet dinner show with a cocktail reception and silent auction from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Passed canapes prepared by Balboa Bay Club & Resort and Carlsbad’s Park Hyatt Aviara Resort will be served at the reception. A four-course dinner presented by chefs from the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort & Spa, Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa, Montage Laguna Beach and The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel follows.
Pear Valley Vineyards, established in Paso Robles in 1997 and dedicated to creating unique vintages, will provide all wines for the weekend.
Entertainment begins at 9 p.m. Prices are $500 per person, $6,000 for a table for 12,
and $7,200 for a VIP table for 12. There also
are weekend packages available at reduced rates.
For further information and reservations, contact Natasha Berendzen at (949) 496-2274, ext. 412. Ocean Institute is at 24200 Dana Point Harbor Drive, in Dana Point.
Newport Beach Jazz Party
Then there’s the most amazing jazz gathering ever to hit Orange County.
This one’s always a sell-out so you need to jump on it right now. The 11th Annual Newport Beach Jazz Party—consisting of four nights and three days of jazz featuring Frank Sinatra Jr., with his 20-piece orchestra and a roster of some of the world’s greatest musicians—will be held on President’s Weekend, Feb. 17 to 20, at Marriott Newport Beach Hotel & Spa.
Expect the Dave Tull trio, famed drummer Jeff Hamilton and his group, Alan Bergman in “Lyrically, Alan Bergman,” Ken Peplowski (described in reviews as “magic” and “filling the void left by Benny Goodman”), jazz flutist Holly Hoffman and a grand list of others who have played the world’s stages with the most acclaimed musicians of our time.
The jazz party kicks off on Feb.17 with John Pizzarelli and his tribute to Duke Ellington. As the event winds down to its Feb. 20 conclusion, we’ll have Sinatra on Sinatra. The sets will be held in various places throughout the hotel to enhance the whole experience, which also includes a jazz brunch and some sessions in the hotel’s iconic East Coast steak house, Sam & Harry’s, which makes for really, enjoyable dining.
Jazz aficionado, former hotelier and entrepreneur Joe Rothman started this yearly affair and remains the producer. With his vast contacts in the musical world, dating long before the launch of the Jazz Parties, he was well situated to influence the best of the best to come to OC annually.
Ticket prices range from $30 to $50 for individual sessions to four-day passes at $350 and $375. The hotel is offering special rates on rooms as well. For additional information and to get reservations, go to the web site www.newportbeachjazzparty.com or call the jazz line at (949) 759-5003.
Marriott Newport Beach Resort & Spa (aka Newport Beach/Fashion Island Marriott): 900 Newport Center Drive.
New Fashion Island Marriott GM
Speaking of the above, congratulations to Debbie Snavely on becoming the new GM at the Marriott Newport Beach Hotel & Spa. She replaces Paul Cahill who moves into a corporate position. Debbie has a sparkling personality and a long history of community involvement.
Debbie, who has been in management positions with Marriott for several years, and my husband, Patrick, who is retired from Marriott, worked together at one time. As another interesting aside, Patrick began his Marriott career with the opening of the Fashion Island Marriott and, on another occasion, Debbie’s husband, Ned, was Patrick’s GM at the Anaheim Marriott. It’s like six degrees of separation on the commercial level.
