Mark de Palma is now general manager at French 75 in Laguna.
Don’t tell anyone else, but I think his former location—Mark’s, next to the Sawdust Festival grounds in Laguna—might become a super-authentic deli.
Sssshhh…negotiations are going on now.
Wilhelm’s Starfish
Shortly after you read this, Starfish will be opening in south Laguna Beach. It’s a new culinary concept by Nancy Wilhelm, proprietor of the clever little Tabu restaurant, also in Laguna.
Talk about a prime location: Starfish is directly across from the Montage Resort, in the Aliso Creek Shopping Center on Pacific Coast Highway.
Preliminary word says Starfish plans to transport us to an exotic wonderland with a menu of AmerAsian cuisine. Highlights will come courtesy of ingredients from Thailand, Vietnam, China, Korea, and India.
Ginger, lemongrass, basil, jasmine and curry will perfume various dishes. Summer rolls, pho, udon and soba noodles, Bhutanese rice, wok sautés, ribs and other expressions of American renditions of classic Asian cuisine will be served
I am told we can expect an ambience of deep, vivid colors of the sea mingled with radiant sunset skies. Asian art deco will meet antiques and specialty objects. Tufted banquettes in luminous soft turquoise married with sultry black lacquered tables and chairs sound like beautiful accents. There will be an elegant, horseshoe-shaped bar at center stage.
Starfish will serve lunch and dinner with a late-night bar on Friday and Saturday evenings offering the opportunity for a new favorite gathering spot. Starfish: 30862 S. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach (949) 715-9200.
Changes at Taléo
There have been changes at Taléo Grill in Irvine. Nic Villarreal, founder and longtime presence, turned operations over in April to a new owner. Villareal now is in New Mexico, where he has family.
I’m sad that his gracious manner is no longer available to us.
The new owner is Moe Ghazi, who participated in the launch of Odessa (now known as Mosun) in Laguna Beach (former Laker Norm Nixon was the money behind that one). Then Ghazi scooted over to Newport Beach and opened Ten restaurant, Tentation Lounge and Code.
They tell me that some signature items, such as the superb carnitas, will remain. I’d better start looking at my dance card and save an evening for a journey of the curious palate.
Taléo Grill: 3309 Michelson Drive, Irvine (949) 553-9002.
Katsuya by Stark
Just about the time summer hits, Katsuya by Starck will be opening its doors in the old Hush space in Laguna Beach (858 S. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach).
This is the sixth collaboration between Sam Nazarian (founder and chief executive of lifestyle company sbe), world-renowned designer Philippe Stark and master sushi chef Katsuya Uechi.
Promised: “A blend of award-winning cuisine with an enlivening, design-driven aesthetic and welcoming atmosphere.”
There have been whispers about tons of money going toward making it a showpiece in OC.
Other Katsuyas are acclaimed as uniquely chic experiences, so I’ll be at the new one here as soon as possible. Curiosity wins.
Anaheim Addition
This fall, The Ranch Restaurant & Saloon will give Anaheim another dining and entertainment dimension.
This is the brainchild of Andrew Edwards, founder and owner of Extron Electronics, a leading manufacturer of professional audio visual system integration products. Edwards is building his corporate headquarters at 1025 E. Ball Road in Anaheim and the restaurant will occupy the ground floor.
The well-known name associated with this new venture is Michael Jordan, former wine director for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Worldwide. Jordan’s served as general manager of Napa Rose restaurant in Disney’s Grand Californian hotel and has been a restaurateur in OC for many years.
He is one of the few worldwide to gain a Master Sommelier certificate.
First info is that The Ranch will serve true American regional cuisine—cooking from scratch with the finest ingredients to capture the rustic style of wine country and the freshest flavors of the farm. California’s great ranches, farms, dairies and food and wine artisans will be honored.
The restaurant’s wine program will feature an extensive cellar with a world-class selection.
Food and wine will be served in a friendly and unintimidating style. Live local and country music by celebrities, with dancing, also is on the agenda.
Hello Nello
We’d been anxious to get back to Nello Cucina at South Coast Plaza since Franco Vessia became the managing partner. He’d pleased us for many years with his Vessia restaurant in Irvine before closing it in 2009. We have now worked through some of the menu, finding a balance of very good tastes and quite attractive presentations.
When you are looking for soulful flavors of Italy that are not filtered through yet another pair of California’s rose-colored glasses, this is a friendly and inviting spot.
Chef Pino Domicolo has been in charge of the kitchen for a long time and he’s a stickler for cooking what he’d make at home for family gatherings.
Vessia polishes up the restaurant’s service in a duet of cute dining rooms that draw shoppers along with people like us who have merely come to eat.
We found an item called Focaccetta to be a better-than-pizza idea. It’s a very thin layer of focaccia dough drizzled with garlic-infused olive oil, oregano and sesame seeds—simplicity supreme and satisfying. It can be adorned with prosciutto for a saltier gourmet touch.
Burrata con prosciutto is a dish built on ascending tastes and textures. Creamy burrata cheese melts inside the paper-thin envelope of salty prosciutto while the gently dressed arugula lends a peppery crisp complement.
Lasagna with veal ragù rings true for me, as does the gnocchi with mozzarella-basil sauce. Pasta selections run from marinara-based to creamy carbonaras to meat and shellfish adornments. And you can rely on chef Pino’s creamy risottos—selection changes daily.
A pork chop done Italian style (with caramelized onions and balsamic reduction sauce) is the full-flavored, thick cut that I like.
Fresh fish Pino-style also is welcome.
Having Vessia with us again—and seeing Pino cooking in Nello’s semi-open kitchen—is an assurance of good hospitality, good table service and endearing Italian food that makes lingering over a meal a common occurrence.
Nello Cucina: 3333 Bear St., Costa Mesa (714) 540-3365.
Five Crowns Makeover
The iconic Five Crowns in Corona del Mar has been spruced up to give more space to the popular SideDoor that’s been fascinating diners with its lighter fare and gastropub-style food since it opened in late 2009.
The Five Crowns side of the operation has been painted and brightened up without losing its beloved character. Artisan glass lighting fixtures have been added, new artworks introduced and upholstery updated. Server uniforms are modernized in classic black and white.
New dishes are being introduced. A few old favorites remain, among them the perfect prime rib. But I do miss seeing duck on the menu.
New items include several first courses such as white asparagus soup, artichoke tarte tatin and Berkshire pork rillettes (a French pork pâté to be spread on grilled sourdough bread).
Sea bass, halibut and salmon are now the swimmers from which to choose. A little chicken cooked beneath a brick, veal skirt steak, rib eye steak, grilled pork chop and a risotto with morel mushrooms are other entrees.
Some of the sides have taken on unique flavoring, as in Moroccan-spiced sweet carrots and grilled asparagus with blood oranges.
Five desserts are noted, with my favorites being the seasonal Tangerine Custard Cake and the Strawberry and Rhubarb Tart.
The plan is to change the menu seasonally, always a good thing.
The new chef, Ryan O’Melveny Wilson, is part of the fourth generation of the Frank family.
Five Crowns is a member of Lawry’s group of restaurants, including Lawry’s in various global destinations and the Tam O’Shanter in Los Angeles. The Frank family is fully engaged in the operations of all the restaurants.
Have a look and a taste of the updated Five Crowns. 3801 E. Coast Highway, Corona del Mar (949) 760-0331. Dinner only, reservations recommended.
Papa Chu’s Pride
In the late 1970s, we had only a few restaurants here that were genuine destinations, each famous in its own right for a certain ambiance or style of food.
Among them was the Wok Inn in Garden Grove. Everyone who enjoyed regional Chinese cuisine knew about this restaurant.
Back then, Wok Inn invited a table of food writers—most newly minted—to experience some of the dishes on which the Chu family was building its burgeoning reputation. We learned that the cooking duties were being done by the patriarch of the family, who was ably assisted in the kitchen and dining room by other family members.
For some reason, that night I dubbed the hard-working patriarch Papa Chu.
Sure enough, someone beat me in writing about the evening and referred to him as Papa Chu in the article and though he’s now living in foodie heaven, to this day he’s remembered widely and with endearment by the moniker.
We continue to be drawn to the Chu family’s cooking and hospitality, now at China Palace in Tustin. That’s where Papa Chu’s son, King Chu, and his family hold court.
King is the chef, wife Nancy is the smiling hostess and their son, Chen, is the maitre d’.
China Palace does not have the lantern strewn decor of the past, other than the good luck Buddha and a couple of subdued touches of Oriental style in the foyer.
Otherwise, it is a large and modern place with mood-enhancing yellow walls and soft color accents. There are a lot of very comfortable booths and tables draped in white linen surrounded by chairs dressed completely in black slip covers for dinner.
The Chinese make both soup and entrees that incorporate crispy rice that adheres to the bottom of a steamed rice pot. It’s allowed to dry out as much as possible in the rice pot and at just the right moment it quickly is deep fried.
Begin a meal with that popcorn-like flavor enhancing the sizzling rice soup. Floating in a broth with colorful snow peas and carrot, as well as a choice of meat or seafood, it delivers satisfaction and readies the palate.
The French-style beef (chunks of quickly seared, fork tender beef and white onion) is the best I’ve found in any Chinese restaurants here, so it makes our re-order list. Though it’s called French beef, it’s actually an authentic dish famed in Chinese cooking.
The chicken curry is of the mild and meltingly tender variety that always delights us. The platter is mounded with bite-size pieces of chicken and while it’s coated with the superb sauce it’s not floating in it—another sign of a good chef.
Moo Shu is a crepe-wrapped food that incorporates a filling of shredded meat or shellfish and sliced wood ears (a crunchy mushroom-like fungus), shredded lily buds and a bit of scrambled egg. Its fine melange of flavors harks back to those first taste memories, so it remains on our comfort food list at China Palace.
Any lover of fresh scallops, shrimp or fish will find a wide array of dishes with many choices of sauces and cooking styles. The same can be said of all the fresh vegetable, meat and poultry dishes.
The comfort of noodles comes in chef King’s bowls of broth with a choice of proteins and chow mein, lo mein and the highly textured pan-fried noodle dishes.
Finally, there are 30 dishes at only $6.95 to $9.95 at lunch (each includes salad, egg roll and soup) and between 3 and 6 p.m. you can dine for $8.50 for a full meal with two appetizers, soup and a choice from several entrees. At dinner, a la carte entrees are only $6.95 to $16.95 (very generous portions).
China Palace: 13444 Newport Ave. (at Bryan), Tustin (714) 544-7167.
