Longtime Eatery Closes After Failed Concept Change

The word is out: Nieuport 17 in Tustin will close at the end of March after a 45-year run.

We used to go to the original location on 17th Street in Santa Ana and followed the restaurant’s move to Tustin in 1990. It belonged to the genre of classic cuisine, a concept it kept until founder Bill Bettis sold a majority interest to Cameron Irons in 2010. The new owner had visions of more modern dining trends but couldn’t make it work.

A Facebook post quoted the new chef explaining what he was doing with the food and where he was taking the modernized concept. The post in general appeared to me to have a rather egotistical bent, and I posted back saying that if I were to take over such a restaurant, I’d do it with enough humility to be sure not to alienate current customers while working toward getting new ones.

The two factions of diners ultimately did not merge, and another legendary cornerstone of our industry is gone. But my readers are aware that I’m just a kid from Kansas. What do I know?

New Chinese

The much-anticipated Twenty Eight restaurant in Irvine opened a few weeks ago. This is not your ordinary restaurant. It’s an invitation to sophistication, from the chic promenade to the door. The glass entry with the Twenty Eight name gleams above, and there’s uptown black-and-white decor, and such modern takes on food with a Chinese ancestry that one cannot connect it to anything harking of the Chinese cuisine we ordinarily eat; they call it “Chinese flavors without boundaries.”

Twenty Eight came about because of a serendipitous meeting between Stacie Tran and Chef Shirley Chung. Stacie is the owner with her husband, Ken, of the highly regarded Furiwa restaurant in Garden Grove, a fine-looking place with hints of art deco and crystal chandeliers. Shirley is the lady chef gaining her own popularity after stints in some of America’s finest kitchens and competing on Bravo’s “America’s Top Chef” series.

The ladies say that everything just “clicked” from the moment they met. Shirley did not have her own restaurant but had plans and dreams in her head. Shirley and Stacie had the same vision of what a partnership could mean. Shirley liked the idea of bringing her cooking philosophy to Orange County.

The search began. They came upon a closed restaurant in Irvine and liked the location but had to turn it into their unique space. The day finally arrived when we could all take in this new dining venue.

First reports and feedback to me have been enthusiastic. I think diners are impressed with the different food concept and also the big-city style of the surroundings. My husband, Patrick, and I have tried many menu items, and by the time you read this, we will have had a tasting dinner with a big group of our dining buddies who I wanted to introduce to Twenty Eight.

Just as in high fashion, sometimes black and white can say more than overly colorful. The entry is really a rather grand seating area/cocktail lounge with a swath of black wood flooring, couches hugging some of the walls, a few comfy salon chairs and quite a substantial bar with stools upholstered in white. On to the dining room, with its own expanses of black floors and all-white accessories (table coverings, banquettes and all the upholstered chairs). Stacie decorated Furiwa and is also responsible for the decor and design of Twenty Eight.

Chef Shirley will change Twenty Eight’s menu seasonally, and she incorporates daily specials. As expected, local produce and other fine ingredients rank high in her preparations.

We have been delighted by appetizers of House-Cured Head Cheese and Beef Tongue with the chef’s own California red mustard, Twice Cooked Buns—crispy buns stuffed with absolutely delicious pork filling—and a Wild Arugula Salad mingled with roasted trumpet mushrooms.

Entrees of note: Caramel Lace Prawns—the most delicious prawn dish I’ve had in a long time—Squid Ink Hand-Cut Noodles with Uni; Slow-Braised Ox Tail; Hamachi in a Clay Pot; Singapore Chile Lobster; Black Cod Wrapped in Banana Leaf; organic Jasmine-Smoked Chicken; Roast Whole Duck with lotus crepes; and Cumin-Spiced Beef.

Nope, this is not your typical Cantonese, Shanghainese or Hong Kong kitchen. This is a classy restaurant giving a very different vision to Orange County, yours to discover.

A note on parking: It’s behind the building. Turn onto Fairchild from Jamboree and turn into the second driveway. There is a parking structure and valet.

19530 Jamboree Road, Irvine; (949) 852-2828

Lovin’ Lillie’s

In another collaboration of a chef/restaurant owner and another restaurant owner getting together, Lillie’s Q in Brea recently made its debut.

Charlie McKenna owns three other Lillie’s Q restaurants, two in Chicago and one in Destin, Fla. His concept pays homage to his grandmother Lillie, a South Carolinian, and his father, Quito, and their love for a full array of Southern barbecue that encompasses different sauces and styles from a handful of states. Charlie connected with investor Joe Manzella, owner of TAPS Fish House & Brewery, and along came the fourth Lillie’s Q, located just steps from TAPS.

It’s a fairly big restaurant, with the requisite casual but good-looking vibe. On each table are several kinds of those Southern sauces, among them Smoky, Hot Smoky, Carolina, E.N.C., Ivory, Carolina Gold, and Hot Pepper Vinegar. Every few months, McKenna creates a limited edition bourbon barrel-aged sauce. Sauces and rubs are available for purchase in store, online or at select retailers, such as Crate&Barrel.

Chef McKenna’s Chicago restaurant was honored in 2011 as Best New BBQ Restaurant in America by Food and Wine magazine, and with first place at the Memphis in May competition, considered the world championship of barbecue. His specialties, including tri-tip and baby back ribs, are cooked in custom-built smokers over peach wood. The peach wood does impart a pleasing soft-smoked flavor to the meats, and by the time you slather on one of those sauces, you’re mentally down home in the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama or another of the very Southern states. A good selection of Southern side dishes can round out the foray into fun and flavor.

To stay in concept with this tasty ’cue, a lot of which I’ve had, Lillie’s bar carries American spirits exclusively, specializing in small-batch American craft liquors. Proudly poured are brands such as Whistle Pig Rye Whiskey, Tito’s Vodka, and Buffalo Trace Whiskey, among others. Among the beers featured are Hog-Tied Amber, a beer expressly brewed for the opening of this restaurant by TAPS brewmaster David Huls.

This is an easygoing place where having Americana libations, Southern-style nibbles, and generous meals can suit all your moods.

240 S. Brea Blvd., Brea; (714) 482-2001.

Japanese Classic            

We have been savoring Hamamori lately. So convenient when we happen to be shopping in any part of the South Coast Plaza complex or as a before-theater dinner spot. First of all, chef/owner James Hamamori is a delight with his joyful personality and beautiful takes on Japanese food. Then there’s the more-than-attractive surroundings.

Sit at the sushi bar, and leave it to James and his other chefs to regale you with their omakase experience, where the chef chooses the courses and serves a number of them constituting a whole meal. They range from five graceful courses and up, and you can tell the chefs about any food items you don’t prefer. A possible example is uni—sea urchin roe—a darling new trend foodies are chasing, but some people don’t care for its taste or texture.

James’ food interpretations make Hamamori a one-of-a-kind dining experience, helped along by the restaurant’s elegant and sensitive design that invites complete relaxation. Sit at one of the tables and let the stress melt away as you dine from a full a la carte menu with items from the sushi bar or as Japanese-plated specialties, Hamamori-style.

A few a la carte items to entice you: Okaki Coated Jumbo Asparagus; Sweet Soy Spare Ribs; Salmon Skin Salad (others make this dish, but this one soars with crispness and flavor); Orgame Tofu with Tomatoes; Japanese Beef Salad with Apple-Sesame Dressing; Blue Crab Roll; Hamachi with Himalayan Shiso Salt; Aburi Pork Belly; an assortment of udon and soba noodles; and Washu Short Rib Ishiyaki platter. At lunch, there’s a separate and most interesting menu that doesn’t cost more than a sandwich elsewhere.

You can have a fun cocktail or wine to accompany your meal, but for me, it’s a chance to try a nice sake. I defer to James or one of the chefs to pick a sake that will match nicely with the food we’re ordering.

How about giving your taste buds and your psyche the gift of Hamamori?

3333 Bear St. (upper level of the Macy’s Home Center, formerly Crystal Court), Costa Mesa; (714) 850-0880.

Water Tasting

I don’t know what piques the interest of all my readers, so I am passing on some information that might catch someone’s fancy. This one’s not about wine; it’s about paying $50 to taste water.

Yes, a new trend has crept up in the past few years in some of the uber-upscale restaurants here and across Europe. I’m talking about a separate menu, like a wine list, that’s replete with bottled-water possibilities. A sure way for customers to show off to tablemates by selecting from a bunch of selections. And an extra chance for the restaurant to make some additional income.

Patina restaurant in Los Angeles and Ray’s & Stark Bar at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (also one of the Patina Group’s venues) are now offering some classes in water tasting for $50. They will be conducted by Patina Group’s certified water sommelier, Martin Riese, who says waters have different flavor profiles, just like wines, and that they can be matched with food just as we match wines. Who knew there’s now a certification process for water tasters?

From my perspective, one cannot learn about tasting and understanding wine from one seminar; same for water. It’s an ongoing learning process. But this could get you started and fired up to pay a lot more attention to what’s in your water glass.

Here’s the nitty-gritty. Cost is $50, plus tax and gratuity, or $90 if you sign up with another person. If you stay for dinner, you get a 10% discount. Outline: some small bites at the reception; the fundamentals of water discussion; separating fact from fiction discussion; and discovering five dramatically different waters.

• 6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m., Feb. 17 or March 17 at Ray’s & Stark, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., (323) 857-6180;

• Feb. 4, April 1 and June 3 at Patina, 141 S. Grand Ave., (323) 972-3331.

They suggest you send an email with your preferred location and date to them at: water101@patinagroup.com.

I would appreciate feedback from any of you who do this.