Street Foods of America, Joey's Smokin' BBQ and More
WEB-EXCLUSIVE: Find out what's new in OC food and dining.
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Jazz diva Judy Chamberlain and accompanist Benjamin May make Monday nights a pleasure to be at The Port in Corona del Mar (949.723.9685/portcdm.com). The listening is easy with their vast repertoire of music. The intimate bar has become a favorite spot to enjoy appetizers of hummus and eggplant, onion soup spiked with port wine, tuna tartare with homemade taro root chips and sweet potato gnocchi, to name a few. For more substance, The Port offers a three-course special dinner on Monday through Wednesday for $25 (add $5 more for entrees of Atlantic salmon, Port gnocchi and shish kabob entrees.) Visit the website for menu details, the nightly entertainment lineup and hours of operation.
Z’Tejas at South Coast Plaza (714.979.7469/ztejas.com) is joining the new trend of more eco-friendly, non-alcoholic drinks on the bar menu. The new “skinny” drinks contain fewer than 250 calories each and are naturally sweetened with agave and fresh fruits instead of artificial sweeteners. Non-alcoholic drinks include hibiscus zinger, mango mint agua fresca, berry colada, and sun wildberry lemonade. For conscientious imbibers, there is the VeeV Acai, an alcoholic beverage whose main ingredient is the Brazilian berry acai. Acai is considered to be the world’s preeminent superfruit high in antioxidants. The new wine list includes vintages made from chemical-free grown grapes. Trinity Oaks cabernet sauvignon goes one step further by pledging to plant a tree for each bottle of their wine sold.
Monday nights are family-style dinner nights at Pizzeria Ortica (714.445.4900). Dinner guests choose from a variety of regional Italian salads, pastas, pizzas, and desserts for $50 per person. Wine is specially priced for dinner. The revamped happy hour, 3-6 p.m. and 8 p.m. until closing, offers a selection of pizzas for $7, $3 cocktails and 50% discounts on wine and beer.
On Tuesday through Saturday, 5-6 p.m., Iva Lee’s Southern Dinner House in San Clemente (949.361.2855/ivalees.com) offers a Satchmo Early Bird Special, a two-course dinner for $14. Choose a soup, lettuce wedge, brie beignet, or any dessert, and an entrée of catfish, dry-rubbed barbecue chicken, Tennessee meat loaf, or jambalaya.
“Changing Seasons, Changing Wines” will be the topic of the September class at Eno-Versity at The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel (949.240.2000). Students will try different vintages of the same wine to see how time, nature and the bottle can change one wine year to year. Classes start at 6:30 p.m. and are $35 per person. Registration advised.
Every second Sunday of the month is Sunday Night Family Supper night at Lucca Café in Irvine (949.725.1773/luccacafe.net). On September 12, Cathy Pavlos, chef/owner of Lucca, departs from her usual Mediterranean feast, and will focus on the cuisine of Napa Valley, namely Thomas Keller’s. Husband, Elliott, has selected three outstanding Napa Valley wines to complement the four-course menu. Cost of the dinner is $40 per person, plus tax and gratuity. With the increasing popularity of these Sunday night suppers, reservations are highly recommended.
Chef/owner Azmin Ghahreman of Sapphire Laguna (949.715.9888/sapphirelaguna.com) has introduced Street Foods of America, his newest version of Spice Plates. These beautiful and tasty small plates, inspired by different ethnic and cultural groups across the country, feature pork and shrimp dumplings, marinated salmon and Japanese eggplant, jumbo shrimp boil, apple barbecue lamb riblets, Tak-Koji tacos and Greek octopus salad. Enjoy these perfect light bites with one of Sapphire’s signature cocktails or delicious fruity beverages. The spice plate menu is available nightly from 4-8 p.m. and ranges in price from $6.50 to $8.50.
The Tustin side of The Marketplace at Jamboree and El Camino Real has become home to Joey’s Smokin' BBQ (714.544.4106). Joey’s, an award-winning Memphis-style barbecue restaurant specializing in authentic Southern recipes excels in making mouthwatering baby back ribs, slowly smoked brisket, pulled pork, and barbecued chicken. All hamburger meat is derived from 100% Snake River Kobe beef. The variety of dry rubs and sauces used are from secret family recipes. Joey’s menu includes family packs as well as kids’ meals, and also offers takeout and catering services.
The Winery Restaurant & Wine Bar at The District at Tustin Legacy (714.258.7600/thewineryrestaurant.net) has received the 2010 Business of the Year award from the Tustin Chamber of Commerce. The award was presented to the restaurant for its volunteer work, community involvement, commitment to business ethics, and environmental stewardship practices.
A new Certified Farmer’s Market has been launched at The District at Tustin Legacy every Sunday morning through October 24, 9 a.m.-12 p.m. The new market offers local produce and specialty foods from the surrounding community and participating District stores and restaurants. It is located in the parking field adjacent to JT Schmid's Restaurant & Brewery and District Valet/Guest Services. The Market is being held in conjunction with the Orange County Farm Bureau. For more information call (714.259.9090/thedistricttl.com).
Henry’s Farmers Market plans a January opening at the space left vacant by Mother’s Market & Kitchen on 17th Street in Costa Mesa. Mother’s has relocated on the corner of 19th Street and Harbor Boulevard, Costa Mesa. Henry’s Farmers Market (714.734.8760 /www.henrysmarkets.com) recently opened on the Tustin side of The Marketplace at Jamboree and El Camino Real.
OC Restaurant Week returns September 26-October 2. It is a great time to have lunch or dinner at a restaurant from the “must try” list, and enjoy bargain prices as well. Two new “hot” restaurants joining this popular culinary event are Raya at The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel (949.240.2000) and Seasons 52 at South Coast Plaza (seasons52.com). Visit orangecountyrestaurantweek.com for detailed information.
Spring 2011 will welcome the opening of a new restaurant by Mario Batali on the site of the former Dolce on West Coast Highway, Newport Beach. The existing building is currently being gutted and will be Batali’s third location following Los Angeles and Singapore.
Melissa’s Everyday Cooking with Organic Produce, written by Orange County Register food columnist Cathy Thomas, was chosen by Emeril Lagasse as one of his top 10 favorite cookbooks for summer. He called it “a great guide to cooking with produce and making familiar relaxed recipes.”
Chipotle has extended its successful Web-based fundraiser that has turned one million junk e-mails into healthy and nutritious cafeteria meals for schools nationwide. For every 100,000 junk e-mails Chipotle receives, the company donates $10,000 to The Lunch Box (thelunchbox.org), a nonprofit organization that provides nationwide access to 100 schools tested, junk-free recipes created by chef Ann Cooper, the Renegade Lunch Lady. To participate, just forward your junk e-mails to nojunk@chipotlejunk.com. E-mail addresses will not be automatically captured, and the content of e-mails will not be read.
Cynthia Klanian’s Matahari Café (949.675.6282) at 2900 Newport Boulevard, Newport Beach, has opened an eatery that specializes in Mediterranean specialties from Morocco, Spain, France, Italy, and Greece. Moderately priced, the menu specialties include a mezza platter with fresh vegetables, salads and hummus dip served with pita bread, kabobs, pastas, stews, pilafs, and fish. The menu changes daily. Reservations recommended. To view the menu, visit mataharicafe.viviti.com, also Facebook and Twitter.
