14 minute read
Sonesta Irvine Reimagined
shareable dips. By day, look for indulgent brunch dishes. 31761 Camino Capistrano, 949-218-5140. $$$
RAMOS HOUSE CAFÉ
A sweet adobe hiding in the historic Los Rios district,
Ramos House Café turns out some of South County’s most delectable daytime fare. Contemporary and clever American breakfasts and lunches (brunch on weekends) have a distinct Southern accent that fits the rustic, alfresco setting with passing trains as soundtrack. Look for ethereal biscuits and crab hash. And don’t miss the killer bloody mary. 31752
Los Rios St., 949-443-1342. $$
SANTA ANA [ SEE ALSO SOUTH COAST METRO ] BENCHMARK
Quirky and capable, this Santa Ana newcomer goes all-in for alfresco, luring diners with a tree-shaded setting on a vintage residential street. The modest menu of American bistro dishes is just big enough to have wide appeal. Happy hour and weekend brunch have a backyard party vibe. Dinner surprises with upmarket dishes, say a lovely bavette steak atop celery root puree. 601 E. Santa Ana Blvd., 714480-0225. $$
CHATO’S BAR AND GRILL
This intrepid Mexican canteen offers less-familiar dishes—corundas, roast quail—alongside comfort favorites such as ceviche and chilaquiles. Michoacán native Sergio Ortega previously of Descanso, is executive chef. Inaugural meals include dinner nightly and Sunday brunch. Commendable drinks. 400 N. Broadway, 714-852-3256. $$
SOUTH COAST METRO
ANQI
Tight focus on the fare makes dining at this South Coast Plaza hot spot better than ever.
Executive chef Ron Lee makes delicious harmony with matriarch master chef Helene An’s spicy beef tacos and roasted New Zealand lamb rack, as well as her fabled roast crab (Tuesday only). Zen chic decor turns heads. Drinks at the dramatic bar dazzle the cocktail crowd, but try Sunday brunch for a more kickback experience, or snag a padded stool at the adjacent noodle bar. 3333 Bristol St., 714-557-5679. $$$
ANTONELLO RISTORANTE
For more than three decades South Coast Plaza’s
Italian grand diva has reigned for ultrafine feasting on authentic, traditional dishes backed by a savvy wine selection deep with Italian stars. House-made pastas, breads, and desserts. The restaurant’s aura of privilege is underscored by pampering service for VIPs. . 3800 South Plaza Drive, 714-751-7153. $$$
DIN TAI FUNG
Fans happily endure long waits to satisfy their craving for xiao long bao, juicy pork dumplings, hand-pleated with care. Bowls of noodles, rice, and stacks of bamboo steamers crowd tables as diners blend their own aromatic dipping sauce from rich soy, black vinegar, and shreds of fresh ginger. 3333
Bristol St., 714-549-3388. $$
HAMAMORI
Sushi master artist James Hamamori applies persuasive talent to this South Coast Plaza penthouse dazzler of a sushi bar. Son Jim is now behind the bar, too, but this heavenly venue also shows off non-sushi dishes such as uni floating in edamame puree, Kobe rissole, and miso-marinated lamb chops. Omakase is truly top-notch. 3333 Bear
St., 714-850-0880. $$$
KNIFE PLEAT
South Coast Plaza’s rarefied penthouse shines ever brighter with Orange County’s newest Michelin star recipient, helmed by chef Tony
Esnault and partner Yassmin Sarmadi. The Michelinacclaimed duo from Los Angeles was destined to see stars again with this radiant backdrop for
Esnault’s graceful cuisine and Sarmadi’s courtly hospitality. Look for butter-poached lobster, forest mushroom melange, and the signature legumes de saison when nature allows. Save room for Germain
Biotteau’s inimitable desserts. Friday and Saturday night tasting menus are utterly indulgent. 3333
Bristol St., 714-266-3388. Closed Sunday and Monday. $$$
PARADISE DYNASTY
Singapore’s largest restaurant group opts for the
Bloomingdale’s end of South Coast Plaza for its first
U.S. operation with this wildly popular soup dumpling specialist that pioneered xiao long bao, oozing with luxury ingredients that include black truffles,
PROMOTION
O.C. Scene PEOPLE | PARTIES | EVENTS | OPENINGS
SONESTA IRVINE NEWLY REIMAGINED
Sonesta Irvine hosted an exclusive event where they debuted the newly reimagined hotel. General Manager Diane Blake and Executive Chef and Beverage Director John Ruiz were on hand to greet guests and provide details around the renovations as well as the new onsite restaurant, Haven Point Provisions & Spirits. Attendees were able to tour the hotel, including the freshly appointed guest rooms, new Fitness Center, expansive “Social Space” meeting area, and charming outdoor dining area, and nosh on bites and libations from Chef Ruiz and his team.
Photo Credit: Destination Irvine
(Required by PS Form 3526)
1. Title of publication: Orange Coast Magazine 2. Publication number: 360-630 3. Date of ling: 9/30/2022 4. Issue frequency: Monthly 5. Number of issues published annually: 12 6. Annual subscription price: $19.95 7. Complete mailing address of known o ce of publication: 10100 Venice Blvd., Ste. 213, Culver City, CA 90232 Contact: Geralyn Wilson. Phone: 248.691.1800 x187 8. Complete mailing address of headquarters or general business o ce of Publisher: 5750 New King Dr. Ste. 100, Troy, MI 48098 9. Publisher: Shelby Russell - 10100 Venice Blvd., Ste. 213, Culver City, CA 90232 Editor/ Managing Editor: Alan Gibbons - 10100 Venice Blvd., Ste. 213, Culver City, CA 90232 10. Owner(s): Orange Coast Magazine, LLC John Balardo, Stefan Wanczyk, Both addresses same as #8 11. Known bondholders, mortgages and other security holders owning or holding 1 percent or more of total amount of bonds, mortgages or other securities: Stefan Wanczyk. Address same as #8 12. Tax status: Has not changed during the preceding 12 months 13. Publication title: Orange Coast Magazine 14. Issue date for circulation below: 10/1/2022 15. Average no. copies each issue during preceding 12 months / actual no. copies of single issue published nearest to ling date a) Total number of copies: 38,000 / 38,000 b1) Paid outside-county mail subscriptions stated on PS Form 3541: 27,246 / 26,395 b2) Paid in-county subscriptions stated on PS Form 3541: 0 / 0 b3) Sales through dealers, carriers, street vendors, counter sales and other non-USPS paid distribution: 625 / 534 b4) Paid distribution by other classes of mail through the USPS: 0 / 0 c) Total paid distribution: 27,871 / 26,929 Free distribution by mail: d1) Outside-county: 8,175 / 9,596 d2) In-county: 0/0 d3) 0/0. d4) 0/0 e) Total free distribution: 8,175 / 9,596 f ) Total distribution: 36,046 / 36,525 g) Copies not distributed: 1,954 / 1,475 h) Total: 38,000 / 38,000 i) Percent paid: 77.32% / 73.73% 16. Electronic Copy Circulation a) Paid electronic copies: 0 / 0 b) Total paid print copies + paid electronic copies: 27,871 / 26,929 c) Total print distribution + Paid electronic copies: 36,046 / 36,525 d) Percent paid (both print & electronic copies): 77.32% / 73.73% 17. Publication Statement of Ownership publication required Will be printed in the November 2022 issue of this publication 18. I certify that all statements made above are correct and complete (signed): Shelby Russell, Publisher, September 20, 2022 Rigatoni Amatriciana at Tableau Kitchen and Bar
foie gras, and crab roe. Ultramodern digs seat diners in view of an exhibition kitchen where 20 artisans handcraft a steady flow of dumplings to support a 75-dish menu starring dim sum and Sichuan classics.
Walk-up wait list. 3333 Bristol St., 714-617-4630 $$
POPULAIRE
Showing loads of promise, this modern bistro is the new dream collaboration of veteran chefs and longtime friends Nick Weber and Ross Pangilinan (owner of nearby Terrace by Mix Mix). The setting and the fare are at once elevated and lighthearted.
Look for innovative French, Asian, and American flourish in dishes that include crab chawanmushi, roast duck, and the yowza Royale With Cheese burger. There’s a prix fixe midweek lunch and special brunch dishes on Sunday. 3333 Bristol St., 714-760-4555 $$$
TABLEAU KITCHEN AND BAR
South Coast Plaza’s shiny new addition categorizes its cuisine as New American—a hazy designation for chef-owner John Park’s canny brunch and dinner menus that defy easy labels. Think fried burrata sandwich with pumpkin seed pesto, souffle-light berry pancakes with chamomile whipped cream, and shrimp and grits with surprise slices of lap cheong.
Desserts are dazzlers. 3333 Bear St., 714-872-8054. $$
TERRACE BY MIX MIX
Canny chef-owner Ross Pangilinan’s minimalist aerie overlooking the stylish Bridge of
Gardens skywalk at South Coast Plaza lacks a full bar, but it has wine and beer and is open daily with ample free parking. Fans love the three-course lunch, but weekend brunch with its mimosa cart beguiles, and dinner offers the best prix fixe in the center. Don’tmiss dishes include Asian ribs, hamachi crudo, and pork cheek adobo. 3333 Bear St., 657-231-6447. $$
VACA
Top chef Amar Santana and ace partner Ahmed
Labbate return to Costa Mesa with an exuberant, singular ode to Spain. Santana sidesteps the “eat local” crusade, offering peerless jamon Iberico, lush bomba rice for paellas, and verdant Mahon gin for cocktails. Dozens of authentic tapas beg to be tried, but do consider excellent wood-grilled steaks, dryaged in-house. Dinner tables at prime times are scarce, so plan, wait, or aim for lunch. 695 Town
Center Drive, 714-463-6060. $$$
TUSTIN
CHAAK
Gabbi and Ed Patrick of Gabbi’s Kitchen chose Old Town to show off the county’s most sophisticated take on the regional fare of Mexico’s wondrous Yucatán Peninsula, naming their new location after the Mayan rain god. The dazzling space features a retractable roof and sliding Roman shades to lovely effect. Must-have dishes include sikil pec, a roasted pumpkin seed dip, as well as cochinita pibil and carne cruda. A 16-seat bar invites lingering over elaborate cocktails or a glass from an uncommonly diverse wine list. 215 El Camino
Real, 657-699-3019. $$$
THE WINERY RESTAURANT & WINE BAR
The O.C. power crowd doesn’t care that this isn’t a winery, but a huge, handsome restaurant that attracts disciples of steak, wine, and cigars. They’re exactly the folks you’d expect would follow partners
JC Clow and William Lewis from their previous gig at Morton’s, with executive chef Yvon Goetz in tow. Best bets include Goetz’s signature Alsatian
“pizza” and the Colorado buffalo carpaccio. If the 7,500-bottle wine cellar isn’t enough, you can always purchase a private wine locker. 2647 Park Ave., 714258-7600. See Newport Beach location. $$$
THE YELLOW CHILLI
The Yellow Chilli is another franchise by Sanjeev
Kapoor, India’s mega-celebrity chef. Bigger than
Wolfgang or Martha. The massive menu proves the master chef isn’t stingy with recipes, not after writing more than 150 cookbooks. Knowledgeable servers help navigate the options. Don’t miss
Sham Savera, one of Kapoor’s most famous creations: open-face spinach dumplings filled with fresh white paneer that float in silky tomato gravy spiked with garlic, cardamom, and mace. 2463 Park
Ave., 714-389-5280. $$
ZOV’S TUSTIN BISTRO
Fans love Zov Karamardian’s modern, creative way with Mediterranean flavors. Zov keeps her flagship venue fresh and stylish. Expect
Cal-Med dishes such as Moroccan salmon salad, spiced lamb burger, and pomegranate baby back ribs. Desserts are a standout, as are cocktails and chic mezze starters. The patio cafe out back stays busy at lunch. 17440 E. 17th St., 714-838-8855. See
Newport Coast location. $$$
(continued from page 89)
but it cost him a league suspension, and forced the team to appoint an interim interim manager for 10 days. If you like road rage, you’d like what happened at Angel Stadium in midsummer when the team played the Seattle Mariners. All the benches, all the bullpens, all the broadcast maturity breached their boundaries when an Angels pitcher threw a strike to a Mariners batter’s hip. A melee the likes of which had not been seen on an MLB field in decades delayed the game for 18 minutes and resulted in suspensions for 12 players and coaches.
One Angels pitcher was razorsharp, tossing a bucket of dugout bubblegum past third base. In his enthusiasm to join the fray, another pitcher fell over the dugout railing, fractured his elbow, and joined the pricey third basemen on the injured list.
For two days, the Bally broadcast boys gushed about the team’s “brotherhood,” how the mayhem was all about supporting the “family.” If these are Angels family values, I’m a hard pass on Thanksgiving.
In mid-July, our concern about Trout’s durability was renewed when he was injured again, and missed more than a month with costovertebral dysfunction. That’s physiospeak for a weird spinal owie.
When the Dodgers’ longtime radio announcer Vin Scully died in August, the Angels’ broadcast product fell further into stark, depressing relief. No one is or ever will be half the broadcaster—or human being—that was Vin Scully. But baseball doesn’t understand that the standard he set is something to which everyone should aspire. What set Scully apart from the chattering jock masses was his curiosity. He was a huge consumer of information, from the ridiculous to the sublime, and his listeners were better people for it.
Team Bally is curious only about “exit velo” and “OPS” and “WAR,” the brain-liquefying terms and statistics that render a poetic sport a physics class. These guys think “storytelling” is talking about a player’s favorite stadium food, an announcer’s birthday, and who gets to eat the cake. Scully waxed eloquent about Shakespeare and show tunes, and related them to a beautiful sport whose objective, as George Carlin observed, was “to go home!”
By September, there were still reasons to watch Angels baseball. Ohtani was killing it on the mound. Trout, the $426 million man, was back among the well-healed and waging a bro battle with Ohtani for team home run honors. On Sept. 10, the Angels beat the division-leading Houston Astros, Trout set the Angels record for most consecutive games with a home run at six, and was aiming at the MLB record of eight.
Of course, the next day in Houston the mismanagers kept the hottest player on the team sitting on the bench because ... he had a scheduled day o . Although Ohtani delivered his 34th homer that day, the Angels got hammered 12-4, by which time most TV viewers had migrated to the NFL, where stupid sports tricks had yet to manifest on the opening Sunday of the football season.
Trout hit consecutive No. 7 on Sept. 12, but the streak ended there, the team lost three consecutive games, and the mojo again went missing.
At season’s end, against the noisy rancor of the political campaign season, we watched the playo s at home from the halo hell of a witlessly constructed, poorly managed, shabbily presented baseball team. It looked to be a grim autumn.
Still, a glimmer of hope—the Angels are for sale!
When does spring training start?
Ellen Alperstein is an independent writer. She was an editor for the Los Angeles Times-Washington Post News Service and a contributing writer to laobserved.com.
BEHIND THE PLATE
Westminster native Judean Sakimoto is a professional food stylist who has worked with many of the county’s top restaurants and food brands. by Amber Juarez
What does a food stylist do? I’m not the photographer. I style the food for photos or videos. Sometimes I’m at restaurants shooting a menu. Then there are a lot of things that are live action, like for a commercial.
How did you get into this? It happened by accident seven years ago. My husband does marketing. He has a client who owns a high-end olive oil company, and he hired a chef to create some recipes using their olive oil. I would test the recipes at home. We started putting them on plates and taking pictures of them so we would remember what they looked like. I started playing with it, and the photos were used for their social media. Then when they hired a real photographer, he found out I had been doing the food styling, and I got to work with him and learn more.
Who have you worked with? Norms Restaurants, SOL Mexican Cocina, Truff Hot Sauce, Kodiak Cakes, Poached Neighborhood Kitchen, South of Nick’s, and Slater’s 50/50, to name a few.
What’s the hardest part about being a food stylist? Dealing with how much food is wasted. To get maybe one good hamburger, you might go through multiple bags of buns to get that perfect bun. Then the rest all get thrown away. I would love to be able to donate it, but we can’t because if something makes somebody sick, it’s a liability.
Do you ever use fake food? I don’t use a lot of fake food, but sometimes. The most common one is ice cream. People use different things for fake ice cream, like mashed potatoes. I use powdered sugar and cake icing.
SEE HER WORK!
judeansakimoto.com
