The Winery

A wine country-inspired restaurant with a mission.

I was warned beforehand that Chef Yvon Goetz is known around town as the McDreamy of the culinary world. In fact, when I meet him, a certain confidence is evident in his stride, a hint of mystery clouds his face and the subtle French inflections in his speech go a long way in the charm department. He has mastered the laid-back vibe of the Southern Californian, but his silver-streaked, swept-back hair and perpetually relaxed manner indicate a provenience of another sort. A certain indefinable worldliness dominates his character. Plus, he knows his way around a slab of foie gras like an Orange County aesthetician around a Botox needle – that is to say, mighty well.

Goetz’s latest playground is The Winery, a wine country-inspired restaurant with a mission: To bring regional California food and wine to Orange County – or at least that’s what the Web site says. But it’s actually more than that. It’s the culmination of a dream that began nearly 11 years ago for JC Clow and William Lewis, who are both now managing partners of the restaurant. For Goetz, also a partner, the journey to The Winery (though he didn’t know it at the time) began nearly two decades ago when he moved from his native Strasbourg, France, to Boston, where he started his 15-year-long career with the Ritz-Carlton that eventually took him to Aspen and landed him in Laguna Niguel. “It was supposed to be one suitcase for one year,” says Goetz. “Now it’s 17 years later and I’m still in America.”

Those 17 years have been rewarding and kind to Goetz, who is one of the most highly acclaimed chefs in Southern California. His story, like that of many great chefs, started organically in the Alsace region of France, cooking in his grandmother’s kitchen and growing fresh ingredients in his grandfather’s garden. A few years and a certainty of his life’s direction took him to professional cooking school and then to a number of prestigious establishments, including the Dorchester Hotel in London and Le Crocodile in his hometown of Strasbourg. At The Winery, his focus has shifted to a very locally influenced cuisine matched with an extensive, international wine list. As Clow puts it, “where the experience revolving around the wine part of the restaurant is equal to the [quality] level of the kitchen… a cutting edge, very boutique-ish restaurant.”

That kind of balance took years to achieve – a whole team of people dedicated to bringing a vision to a realization. To hear Clow explain it is to envision, as he did for a decade, the rough sketches and basic outlines for his wine country restaurant transformed into reality – a watercolor rendition come to life. And in that authentic version, the tables are laden with fine cutlery, china and crystal; the booths are outfitted with heavy leather chairs; and an enormous wine cellar greets guests as a benevolent 5,000-bottle beacon confirming their arrival. In that vision, there is also a menu designed by a world-class chef. Goetz had made his appearance in the dream.

Chef Yvon Goetz

The bill of fare, come now to fruition, is housed in a thick, bound cover, and divided like most – starters, salads, main courses, and sides – but upon closer inspection, reveals a theme that involves contemporary food with an ingredient list incorporating products primarily from Napa Valley and Sonoma. One of the appetizers we tried – the Alsatian “pizza” – was decidedly the work of Goetz and featured a rectangular, thin-crusted foundation topped with crème fraîche, applewood smoked bacon, Gruyère, and onion that had an addictive quality to it. A portion of almond dusted calamari with spicy tomato and saffron aioli and marinated cucumbers could be considered uninventive by some, but the thin, crispy rings spoke positive volumes about the mastery of such a restaurant staple. But perhaps the most region-indicative item was The Winery house salad made with organic baby greens, candied walnuts, Roquefort cheese, red grapes, red onions, tomatoes, and apples, tossed with Dijon vinaigrette. “I did a lot of research on products from the wine country,” says Goetz. “There are a lot of small little growers that do great stuff up there… The whole idea is to feel like you’re up in Napa or Sonoma.”

That theme comes across strongly in the main courses, of which we sampled the Liberty Farm duck served two ways: as a seared breast with Port wine sauce and as a leg confit with spicy orange glaze, as well as the pan seared halibut and Manila clams with roasted fingerling potatoes, fava beans, and asparagus. Both were evocative of a cozy log cabin retreat surrounded by the bare, leafless vineyards of winter. Next were the beef dishes: bone-in beef shortrib with carrot-infused couscous and Zinfandel reduction, and a hefty 20-ounce rib-eye, which was enormous, but slightly underwhelming, seemingly naked on an equally enormous white plate. But that’s where the side dishes made an entrance. The butternut squash and potato dauphinois was a comfort food lover’s paradise, swimming in all that creamy sin, and the asparagus were steamed to perfection, accompanied by hollandaise sauce.

Lest we should forego dessert, a trio of Valrhona chocolate was presented, the highlight of which was the chocolate crème brûlée. A roasted Hawaiian pineapple and coconut crêpe served with Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream was an exotic triumph.
The bottom line? Goetz is the star of The Winery, infusing his experience and style into everything considered too advanced, too conceptual or too strange for Orange County’s provincial palates. We’re ready for it, he says – ready for the frog legs and venison chops and chilled gazpachos that he’s got planned for the summer. It doesn’t hurt either that he’s seemingly modest about his talents – it only adds to the appeal of The Winery.

The Winery is located at The District in Tustin, 2647 Park Ave., Tustin; (714) 258-7600, www.thewineryrestaurant.net. Open daily for lunch and dinner; $20-$50 per person, excluding drinks.

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