SiseFromm

What a great experience you had. I would LOVE to have a speakeasy restaurant near me in Orange County. Maybe a secret steakhouse with a great list of wines? (hint hint)

I've read those less than favorable reports but I'm just going to plug my ears and pretend I didn't see them! Getting a Bouchon croissant and cup of coffee in the cold mornings of November is one of my favorite things on earth. I'm just hoping they'll deliver.

At the beginning of November I'll be waking up each morning at an inn directly next door to Bouchon bakery. Rising each morning to the smell of buttery pastry and coffee sounds fine to me. Oh how hard it will be to have to choose each night from Redd, Ad Hoc, Bouchon, or Bistro Jeanty. To have such troubles . . .

The LA Times wrote today that the tiny town of Yountville is now officially home to 6 stars. Not bad for a little strip of road smaller than my residential street. Can't wait for our trip in early November!

That dessert trio looks really fun. A great mix of sophistication and whimsy all at once. Using poppy seeds in granola is an idea I'm sure to use and the "cereal ice cream" is pure rock and roll.

If I had to guess, I'd say those mentioned in your post are going to see 1 *. I'm not sure any will move into the 2 * range and I think Marche, eligible maybe for a single *, was probably off the radar until the next publication. I would be really surprised to see any 2 * restaurants in Orange County, but who knows?

I'm definitely eager to see the So Cal list! I can't really imagine any 3 *'s though, can you? I think the bigger candidates (Sona, Providence, etc.) will maybe push into the 2 * arena, but my guess is there will be no more than 4 restaurants in the area with 2 *'s. However, I think there will be plenty of 1 *'s (Lucques, Campanille, etc.). What is your prediction? You're probably more aware of the local market and Michelin's standards, so what is your call?

It's nice to see Redd got a star. Is the guide for Southern California out yet? I searched but yielded no real results.

Spiny Lobsters are indeed in full effect. The tanks are full and should remain that way through March I believe. Pearson's Port also just received a write-up in LA Times Food Section earlier this week so check that out as well. As for us, well, here's the most decadent lunch I can possibly imagine for a Saturday afternoon: Pearson's Port Spiny Lobster Rolls (1997 Peter Michael ‘Mon Plaisir’ Chardonnay) The lobster was poached in butter, gently mixed with mayonnaise and celery, then seasoned with salt and white pepper. That's it. The buns were toasted in a few spoonfuls of the poaching butter. I was tempted to add tarragon & chervil but I was going for the purity of a true lobster roll. I'm glad I showed restraint because the lobster absolutely sings in this preparation. p.s. - Not pictured is my wife and her plate . . . lest anybody think I'm going to polish that bottle off myself.

Hallelujah! They look absolutely stunning. I can't wait to head over myself and pick a few up. I have a strong feeling this Sunday's supper is going to include a spiny lobster dish of some sort. Great report and that dish looks awesome.

We'll be in Yountville in a month from now. Ubuntu was not on my radar at all, but this report looks amazing. I did a bit of reading on the chef and his commitment to garden is really exciting. I'm going to make a reservation for Ubuntu soon enough. Great report!

We did indeed enjoy both L'Aventure and Windrose on Sunday! I still need to post those pics but I don't have a burned DVD yet from Justin, the man with all the pics. He posted a web-based slideshow of his favorite photos but they're mostly of just the four of us so I was going to try to load the best group-related photos when I get all of the raw files. Jacob Toft was working at L'Aventure that afternoon and delighted us with some great pours of rare bottles of estate wine. The Cuvee Coincidence was absolutely stunning and I blew whatever was left in my wallet on a couple of bottles, which of course will probably age forever. We decided to buy a bottle of the Optimus and sit out on the front porch, enjoying fine wine and the view of the slopes at L'Aventure. We chatted for awhile with Jacob about this and that and got his take on the local scene. From L'Aventure we headed to Windrose. What a delight. We had NO idea what would unfold when we arrived. A full-blown party was in effect in the front of the Windrose residence under the big tree. Flatbread Pizza Company was on-hand with a wood-fired oven. The pizzas were among the best I can ever remember having . . . anywhere. The tomatoes were flowing, the salad of bitter melon was delicious, the beer was divine, and walking through the farm and the orchard was something out of a dream. I wish I was back there right now.

If you're staying in Anaheim and have Disneyland on the agenda, I really recommend staying away from the drive to Los Angeles for dinner. Save LA for another trip or another night. From Anaheim you can quickly get to all of the parts of greater Orange County, and I would definitely put Marche Moderne at the top of the list of restaurants to consider. I don't believe there's a website, though I've been a big proponent of Florent's cooking for some time now and I hear he's getting better each day over there. I also heard the rocky start he experienced a few months back had mostly to do with the difficulties of a chef opening his first restaurant. Apparently Florent has told those close to him he's only cooking at around 75% of where he'd like to be as he deals with the daily routine of putting out the fires of a new hot spot. That's pretty huge because he's already doing great stuff there and I can't wait to see where he goes from there. If you decide to book for Marche, ask if it's possible to sit in Joy's section. You'll have a MUCH better experience. She's a great server. I also heard one of Pinot's top servers, a fellow from Yugoslavia who's name now escapes me, is there as well. You can't go wrong with either of those two.

I'm only privy to the reports I've read here at eGullet but I trust the posters. Maybe I need to get back to give it another assessment and to make my final decision. Unfortunately it's just a bit far out of the way with no real direct freeway access. Heading back north on dim and windy PCH after a couple bottles of wine really isn't an option so somebody always has to be designated. It's a game of rock/paper/scissors for my wife and I to get down there and back.

By the way, has anybody tried Suzanne Tracht's new restaurant in Long Beach? LA Times wrote a somewhat mixed but mostly positive review. It sounds like the menu is basically the same as at Jar but the reviewer had some obvious service issues.

Maybe, but I think he simply wanted to come back to Orange County to set the record straight after the failure of Aqua. I don't know that he was testing the market so much as making a triumphant return to the same area. He should spend some time though at Stonehill because I think that restaurant is suffering from a lack of quality and service at the moment. If he does come to Los Angeles, he should take some time to work on the new restaurant plus the repair of the first.

I just read about Clae's and intend on checking it out soon. The photos on the site show an absolutely amazing view. I'm just hoping the dinner lives up to the location. It's too bad Stonehill went down hill. They were, at one point, simply the best restaurant in the area. Now I have little desire to head back, despite being one of the restaurants biggest and earliest proponents. Why oh why did you leave, Nathan?

We took a peek inside but haven't had a chance to try it out yet. That space was formerly the Goodell's "Village Bakery". It was at one time mostly a bakery space with a small front counter and a couple of refrigerators for drinks. Old Vine managed to knock out most of the commercial space and turn it into a cozy dining room. I'm definitely going to check it out in the next couple of weeks. Just a simple plate of cheeses, charcuterie and a nice wine sounds reason enough alone to check it out. Now to find out what will become of the former Aire location.

Pinot Provence has basically hemorrhaged all of their employees. They seem to have left one by one to join Florent at Marche Moderne. One key employee was a management figure that is going over to help expand and flesh out the wine list at Marche. Your experience may be the first indicator of the direction the wine list is taking. I think there are now only a couple of holdouts at Pinot, including the bartender and our favorite, Shawn. I hope he makes it over eventually but Pinot desperately needs to keep him on board so I'm guessing they'll roll the red carpet out for him. I'm not sure who Phillip is but we haven't hung out at the bar much at Marche. Maybe I'll head in this weekend for dinner Saturday.

Lucky for me it's only a 5 minute drive South on PCH.

Wow. Sweet news! I'm in love with the Napa Dean & Deluca. It's a definite stop for us whenever we're in the area. Just seeing 20 or more salts in bulk containers is enough to get me excited, not to mention gorgeous mushrooms, fresh truffles, a bounty of fine wine, and beautiful and rare teas. What a great score for OC.

Well, I have a feeling 200 of them will be of either Justin or Melissa . . . but I'll spare you. When I get the photos I'll try to post a few from each of the events, including the Windrose lunch and party.

Mary, we should have pics of that section of the tour soon. Justin took over 700 photos during the trip and he's already paired that number down to 300 or so. He said he would FTP the entire set to me later this week, after which I'll post a pretty extensive photo essay of the weekend.

I forgot how rushed we were by the end of the extremely thorough tour at Tablas. I too wished we had some time to relax after our tour and sit down to a nice, slow lunch. A bottle of the Tablas Creek Rose would have been a perfect match for our boxed lunches. We felt bad enough as it was that we were running late to Saxum so we powered through the lunch and then took off following Kathy to our next stop. Here's a quick shot of Justin, Melissa, Holly, and myself with the incomparable Justin Smith of Saxum Winery. p.s. - Look at all that yummy, brand new oak!

What a great trip! We really got the full experience, from touring the costal Cayucos Abalone Farm, wine tasting and touring adventures, with the culmination of the weekend at Windrose Farms for a completely unexpected garden party. It was a whirlwind of a weekend and I feel enriched with knowledge about the area. Who know Paso had so much to offer?!? Jason from Tablas Creek was a gracious and informative host. We loved learning about the grafting process and the tasting was fun. Too bad those "Esprit de Beaucastel" bottles don't fit in the racking in our cellar! Stupid fat bottle syndrome. Damn you Pax, Tablas Creek, and Sea Smoke! How we were lucky enough to end up tasting with Justin from Saxum is still beyond me. I LOVE those new labels he's rocking. His kids are cool and I hope they enjoy the care package full of skateboards I'm sending their way. We did survive Saturday and ended up at L'Aventure on Sunday afternoon. We were enchanted and stayed onsite forever. After tasting the delicious "Optimus" and the profound "Cuvee Coincidence", we sat on the terrace in front of the tasting room enjoying the vineyard view for at least a couple of hours. We popped a bottle of the Optimus and chatted with Jacob about his Jacob Toft wine project. When we arrived at Windrose, we had no idea there would be a full-blown party happening. I was thinking the $25 covered some snacks and a tour, but what a treat to find out Flatbread Pizza Company was onsite grilling off pizzas in their mobile, wood-burning oven! The beers were flowing, the tomatoes were ripe, the puppies were playing, and the day was something out of a dream. I felt like I was in the middle of some rare shoot for a Food & Wine Magazine party.