SiseFromm
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I forgot to mention that we dined at Disneyland's Club 33 on Monday, August 27th. A friend of ours who knows a guy who knows a guy got us in for a birthday dinner celebration for our friend Justin. He turned, appropriately, 33 years old that day. It was an intriguing experience for sure. Ringing the entrance bell from New Orleans’s Square then entering the unmarked door was surreal. An old French elevator that barely holds four adults brings you to the second floor and into the main hall connecting the two dining rooms. Our server has worked there for more than 20 years and I think he's the youngest of the wait staff. Our dinner menu offered ala carte choices as well as a tasting menu with wine pairings. We opted for the tasting menu plus a supplement of caviar. The food was prepared well enough. By Disney standards it was a 5-star meal. Relative to dining around Southern California, it was pretty good. Carolyn's review of Five Crowns comes to mind when I look for comparisons to Club 33. Basically, it was old-school continental cuisine. We had a Caesar salad with an olive tapenade crouton, soft-shell crab, and hanger steak with potatoes and vegetables. I'm a little fuzzy on the dessert because we were 6 - 7 glasses of wine into the evening by that point. Following dinner we were given a semi-private tour of the facility and all areas and items of historical interest were pointed out and given context and story. The back office for the restaurant sits above the Blue Bayou restaurant with a balcony overlooking the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. If you ever get the chance to dine there, I'd take it. The experience of having a coursed meal at Disneyland paired with wines is is one you probably won't soon forget. Getting in is something of a challenge I'd guess, but luckily we were dining with well-connected and well-healed friends.
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The basement location of Whole Foods Costa Mesa was truly horrible, but I wish more than anything they'd come back to my area. The Vons at 17th Street & Orange Avenue would make a PERFECT location for a Whole Foods Costa Mesa come-back. That poor Vons never gets much action and on the rare occasion I stop in, it feels like she's on her last leg. Mother's Market, although a beloved institution, doesn't really cater to the gourmet food crowd. They don't offer any decent cheeses, they don't have a butcher or seafood department, and beer/wine is nowhere to be found. It's a great place to buy vitamins, body-care, organic dairy, and bulk grains . . . but it hasn't changed much since the day it opened and doesn't offer a complete shopping experience for serious cooks.
We actually tried to shop at the newly opened Tustin/Irvine Whole Foods just this weekend. I parked (after driving around the mega-mall structure for five minutes looking for empty spaces), walked in one of the three main entrances to the store, spent a couple of minutes staring in awe at the massive and Costco-like crowds, and turned around and left without buying a single item. I really can't imagine going back for any reason. Parking in a huge outdoor entertainment mall facility in a soul-crushing area of Orange County then trying to compete with the unruly masses is not my idea of a fun time. I'll stick with Pearson's Port for seafood, the Irvine Farmer's Market for produce, Hi-Time for wine, Promelis for snacks, and, in general, I'll continue shopping at smaller and more specialized shops the old-fashion and European way.
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Kalamansi . . . interesting. They're small like kumquats? I'm already thinking of a delicious, muddled cocktail. Bring it on.
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Although I knew there had to still be one or two Bob's alive out there, I had no idea there was one as close as Burbank. I thought I knew about one up in Fresno area or something to that effect. I'd love to make a field trip to the Burbank location for old-fashioned fun times. Just seeing the statue of Bob out front will bring back a flood of memories.
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Damn J...that looks righteous!
BTW...this is Aaron.
Wow man, how did you find this forum? Big welcome. For yucks, here are just a couple of several photos taken from the Costa Mesa steakhouse event some months back now:
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Russ - I heard your news on Michel Richard and got your message. Very interesting indeed. Along with a bevy of other A-listers, he contributed to the very luxuriously priced ($300+ I believe) Peter Michael cookbook. I'd love to get my hands on that book, but what are you going to do? He also appeared on an episode of How to Cook Everything. How Bittman got his hands on such great talent is still crazy to me. Unfortunately we will not be available those dates! I'll be in San Francisco unless something changes.
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We ate at Pinot last weekend and I actually had that "62°celsius egg". It's basically a Spanish breakfast of poached egg (or actually, slow cooked sous vide) with on-vine roasted tomatoes, Chorizo "powder", and crispy potato. The egg, due to the cooking process, is nearly custard like. Even the white was literally "gooey". Of all the dishes we had that night, I thought that was one of the most interesting. The new, younger chef that took over after Florent left is definitely taking risks and experimenting. The highs were high but the lows were low. It's exciting to see such bold experimentation but sometimes it's at the cost of the dish.
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So is anybody going to any of these?
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A slippery tomato filling in a classic sandwich is something I'm aware of while eating but not something I'm looking to find a "fix" for. In fact, salted tomatoes juice into the Best Foods to create a delicious "house dressing" of sorts and that's something I'm not willing to give up in exchange for a more stable sandwich.
As much as I hate to admit it because of my love/hate relationship with Bristol Farms, I will say they've got delicious unsliced white bread. The kind of bread that reminds me of my youth. It's soft and toasty brown on the outside with a light-textured interior and a rich buttery taste. For sandwich standards like BLT and Peanut Butter & Jelly, it's extremely difficult to beat. Cal Poly University's agricultural department maintains a stand at our farmer's market and they have, without question, the finest tomatoes this season. The yellow tomatoes in particular are blissful. With some fine bacon from Grateful Palate's "Bacon of the Month" club, Best Foods, crispy butter lettuce, and some Maldon salt on that Bristol Farms white bread, what's better?
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Last weekend, using some delicious figs we picked up at our local farmer's market, we created a "tart" of sorts on puff pastry. It was, specifically:
Fig, Caramelized Onion, Bacon Lardon, and Pt. Reyes Blue Cheese Tart with Creme Fraiche
It was scrumptious. We've been making our own Creme Fraiche for the last several months and our current batches are gooey and unctuous. The combination on this tart of salty, crunchy, creamy, and sweet is tough to beat.
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I think I am going to go back for some of those prawns this week. What do you think would be the best way to cook them, simple sautee? Grill? I'd probably like to mess with them as little as possible given how high quality they are...
I would agree. Given the quality and freshness, less is definitely more when preparing the prawns. You can dump them live into a pot of simmering Court Bouillon (water, mirepoix, fennel, white wine, lemon, thyme, bay leaf, parsley) for just a few minutes. Remove them to a bowl of ice water to shock them and stop the cooking then pull the tails off and peel them for a cold preparation. If you want to saute them, you'll need to run your knife through the heads then remove the tail, peel the shells, and clean them for final cooking. If you're sauteeing, I would suggest just a bit of unsalted butter and a lively hint of minced/crushed garlic. Saute then deglaze with fresh diced summer tomatoes and a bit of white wine. Swirl in butter and fresh green herbs to finish. That's an idea anyway. That sounds delicious actually now that I read through it.
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Glad you found it. The staff is really nice, eh? If you get brave, you HAVE to buy some spot prawns while they're in season. The best.
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A plate of al-dente noodles, dressed lightly in a simple condiment with lots of herbs . . . is a very, very difficult thing to beat. With lemon, chili and thyme I'm in heaven.
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I wonder how Sapphire missed our radar. I'll have to swing in to see what's going on. After our somewhat mixed experience with Hush, another high-end Laguna eatery, we've kind of avoided that beautiful people scene. My denim just doesn't cost enough to hang. Have you tried Brussels Bistro on Forest near PCH?
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Tri-Tip is pretty versatile, and the beautiful fat in the Wagyu version makes it an even bigger hit for me. I like searing it off and roasting it in the oven until medium rare, then slicing it thin across the grain for family-style service. It's a favorite cut of mine during the Summer for "Sunday Suppers" at our house.
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Lately I have been buying most of my meat and fish at Bristol Farms in Newport. Their beef in particular I find to be excellent, and while not cheap it is certainly far far better, in my opinion, than anything else available, seafood included. I also really like picking up some pre-marinated meats for quick grilling during the week.
I'll agree with you there. Bristol Farms Newport Beach at PCH & Avocado is my regular go-to whenever I want to buy quality steak. The best buy in the case is the Wagyu Tri-Tip at $19.99 per pound. It's tough to beat at that price. I also know that if I'm doing a high-end steakhouse dinner party I can get dry-aged strips on the fly.
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Here are some wineries we have on radar for our November Napa trip:
Lamborn
Seavey
Clark-Claudon Vineyards
Ghost Block
Esca Wines
Egelhoff
Pina
Phelan Vineyards
Viader
Neal
El Molino
Flowers
Abiouness
Buccella
Kamen
Lail
Seavey
Keever
Maybach
Meander
Coup de Foudre
Bridesmaid Winery
Carver Sutro
Outpost
Obviously we'll probably only make it in to visit 8 - 10 of these with others thrown in for good measure (still love Paraduxx & Sinskey as mentioned earlier).
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Thanks for the report. I'm very concerned about the state of things now that Nathan is gone. The restaurant couldn't lose him at a worst time, what with Michelin running around Southern California. Truthfully, I'm uninspired to go back since his departure and I think I'm going to give the restaurant some real time to figure themselves out again before making my next reservation. That's too bad about your pairings. Nathan would NEVER put combos together that didn't inspire or excite. Tim's a great guy and we've received some pretty nice service touches from him but I wonder if the restaurant ship is without a navigator now. Your review tells me they're sort of floating around at this point without a solid focus.
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Interestingly enough we were out for Indian last night as well. We were at India Cookhouse in Irvine at the 5 Freeway and Culver Avenue. It was TASTY. The Mushroom Masala was pure gold. It was a bit rich, but lovely all the same. The Lamb Tikka was cooked a bit too far I thought but the Chicken Tandoori was tender and spicy from the yogurt marinade. I'd definitely go back.
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Funny you mention that. I was in Ralph's today for the first time in ages (we tend to shop the farmer's market, specialty cheese shops, Promelis, Bristol Farms, and Whole Foods) and I was quite seriously appalled at the meat selection in their so-called "butcher" shelving. It's truly dismal fare and I have a hard time understanding why people would buy such inferior products. I would prefer to skip meat all together and adopt a mostly vegetarian lifestyle over buying meat / seafood from regular commercial grocery stores.
That said a truly great source of meat still eludes me. There's a butcher on 17th I had hopes in but when we were there last the lettuces in their produce section were melting and moldy and the cases of meat were nothing marvelous or even worth talking about. I wish I had a great butcher or rancher with whom I could develop a nice relationship with. I tend to look for odds and ends. Veal bones, oxtail, necks, cheeks, organs . . . things not normally sitting around on regular shelving. Bristol Farms is about as close as I've come without turning to a mail-order situation through Lobel's, Snake River Farm, Dartagnan, West Wind Farms, or Heritage Meats. Those are all fine sources, but if I'm looking for sudden inspiration a package from UPS or FedEx doesn't really do it.
If you guys find an outrageous source for farm-fresh meats in Southern California . . . PLEASE post here!
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I stopped shopping at Santa Monica Seafood after I was starred at blankly when I asked for fish carcasses. The guy seriously thought I was crazy. I watched his blank stare and confusion and knew that I would never step back into the shop. I guess their "fishmongers" don't know that you can actually make something lovely from the gelatinous bones. He's obviously never heard of stock. He hammered the death nail in when he told me they don't actually prepare any fish onsite and that all fish arrives pre-cut, cleaned, and ready for the case.
Delete.
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That review is actually for the since-closed and former Goodell restaurant, The Lodge. I was referring to Mesa which is new. Brand new as of just a few weeks ago. I'm also unable to find a website for the restaurant but there was a recent review I'll try to track down and post. The outdoor patio looks gorgeous and I think is probably worth the trip to check out. I took a quick look at the menu one evening and it looks like American contemporary with slight nods to the Mediterranean. It also looks like a lot of tendy, well-dressed OC celebutard types so that general annoyance might be enough to turn me off overall. We'll see.
Edit:
Here's the review: Mesa at The Camp, Costa Mesa
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Your review is pretty much exactly what I expected. If I'm ever feeling like roast prime rib of beef with a popover, I know exactly where to go. Great read actually, and thanks for posting. Too bad about the soup. What was with the pewter service pieces though? Did they used to serve on pewter chargers?
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If you're feeling adventurous you could head to Costa Mesa and try Mesa, the new restaurant at The Camp at Bristol & Baker. I haven't gone, but it's on my agenda here soon. Five Crowns is super old school. I can't wait to hear your report because my wife and I have been toying with the idea of checking it out. It's sort of an institution.
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Club 33
in California: Dining
Posted
That is indeed true, although I figured going into the dinner it had to be some sort of over-blown urban legend. Actually, the restaurant didn't open until 5 - 6 months after Walt's death. Another tidbit I learned that evening. In our dining room there were visible microphones hanging from the chandeliers above each table. The idea was to listen in on the conversations to better serve the customer and to anticipate every diner's needs.