Slater's 50/50 (Lake Forest) - Interrupt

Date of Dining: 2/10/13 
Price: $5 per appetizer, $9-18 per burger
Location: 24356 Swartz Ave, Lake Forest, CA 92630
website

The Quick Bit

+ knowledgeable and friendly service

+ same great Slater's 50/50 brand in a new location

+ great customization of burgers

Δ some small kitchen kinks still to work out

Disclosure: I was invited to attend a preview night event for this restaurant and the food price was comp'd

I recently visited Slater's 50/50 in San Diego for the first time, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The Slater's brand provides gourmet burgers in a casual and relaxed atmosphere along with over 100 beers on tap, specialty cocktails, and beer cocktails. It is the brainchild of owner Scott Slater and Executive Chef Brad Lyons (read more about them in my previous coverage). When I received an invitation to attend the "preview night" of the new Lake Forest branch, I thought it was a great opportunity to re-live the experience.

brand new condiments

One thing I thought would be interesting was that due to my familiarity with Slater's 50/50, I was likely to know more about the menu and concept than my server. To my delight, my server ended up being great at his job; he knew the menu very well, he was friendly, and very responsive to any request. If it wasn't for his obvious nervousness with being an opening, I would have thought he was actually a veteran server from another location.

take 2 - french fries and beer battered onion rings

Perhaps the only mishap of the night was the take 2 appetizer. It is normal to expect some kinks to any new restaurant and our appetizer seemed to have been friend long ago and died under the heat lamp. However, the bacon ketchup and pumpkin sauce were so good that they almost rescued the dish.

design it - 1/3 lb angus, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, green chile, horseradish sauce

The design it was cooked to the desired temperature, and the horseradish sauce was an absolute hit. Rather than use store-bought horseradish, it was clear that the kitchen had made their own sauce as it was kicking strong and really complemented the flavor of the beef patty. The green chile also added that great pepper flavor without the heat to add an additional dimension to the burger.

burger of  the month - "pizza burger" hawaiian - 1/3lb 50-50 angus/sausage patty, mozzarella sticks
grilled pineapple, ham, marinara sauce

I elected to try the burger of the month, as the concept of the pizza burger sounded interesting. Overall, I was really happy with the burger as it really did taste similar to pizza, except that it was much better. The flavor of the 50/50 beef/sausage patty was extremely exciting. Coupled with the sweetness of the pineapple and the crunch from the mozarella, and the entire burger was enjoyable to eat.

cococarma - toasted coconut, caramel, chocolate cookie, ice cream

The cococarma features a warm cookie topped with ice cream. Just like the other place that serves a similar dessert, this was just as delightful. If you could have a warm girl scout cookie somoa topped with ice cream, the result would be the cococarma.

Conclusion

While many new restaurants need up to 3 months to catch their stride, I truly believe Slater's 50/50 in Lake Forest will be running full speed inside a week. In the mean time, enjoy the selection of beers and exciting burgers.

With the ability to translate the great Slater's experience so quickly and seamlessly, Slater's 50/50 is awarded the bit award.

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Cucina Enoteca - Interrupt

Date of Dining: 6/9/2012
Price: $7-13 appetizers, $14-25 entrees (lunch)
Location: 31 Fortune Dr, Irvine, CA 92618
website

The Quick Bit

+ interesting and diverse menu selection

+ great trendy atmosphere and decor

Δ prices could be more approachable for lunch

Cucina Enoteca is the latest restaurant of the Urban Kitchen Group (better known for running Cucina Urbana and Kensington Grill in San Diego). Through whatever forces of fate, I actually ended up trying their restaurant in Irvine before any of the ones in San Diego.

Cucina Enoteca is basically Cucina Urbana moved north to Irvine; the restaurant is owned by Tracy Borkum and the kitchen is headed by Executive Chef Joe Magnanelli. Chef Magnanelli is also in charge of Cucina Urbana, and focuses on trendy takes of Italian classics while bringing a modern feel to the dishes. While Cucina Urbana claims a $20 limit on all dishes, I noticed many of the lunch entrees at Cucina Enoteca had creeped into the mid $20 range, so the pricing aspect of the restaurants doesn't seem to align.

spring risotto - sea beans, asparagus, tomato

The risotto was well cooked and had a nice flavor for a vegetarian dish. The dish was balanced so the flavors of vegetables were able to shine through the rice.

CE brandt farms burger - braised short rib, fiscalini cheddar, honey mustard aioli, truffle fries

This was the best dish of the meal. This is the famous Cucina Urbana burger taken north. The burger was well cooked and the short rib gave the flavor an extra punch to take the flavors more complex. The fries were cooked very well.

lamb bolognese rigatoni - artichoke, feta, nepitella

The pasta was slightly overcooked, but the bolognese was well made. Overall, the dish was unremarkable, but also was not outstanding either.

Conclusion

With my short glimpse into Cucina Enoteca, I feel that there is some potential in the restaurant. However, it doesn't seem to have fully captured the magic that I hear about Cucina Urbana in San Diego. I feel that I should visit Cucina Urbana soon to give the proper comparison. If Cucina Enoteca is able to fully bring the Cucina Urbana experience to Irvine, then I expect the restaurant to be a success.

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Ramen Yamadaya (Costa Mesa) - Interrupt

Date of Dining: 4/14/2012
Price: $4-6 per appetizer, $8-11 per bowl of ramen
Location: 1175 Baker St., Costa Mesa, CA 92626
website

The Quick Bit

+ great rich tonkotsu flavor broth

+ quick friendly service

+ good selection of ramen toppings

Δ broth was a little thick when cooled

Δ noodles where a bit too thin

While it has only been a month since my last ramen post, I was again impressed enough by another ramen-ya that I felt the need to report it. Even more exciting is the great ramen can be found about half the distance to LA and it is service all day every day.

Within all the different types of ramen, I have to admit that I am partial to a really good tonkotsu ramen. I love the richness and depth of flavor in tonkotsu ramen moreso than the other types of ramen. At Yamadaya, the pork for the tonkotsu ramen is boiled for at least 20 hours prior to service. The result is an extremely thick and rich tonkotsu broth. 

Yamadaya also continues the trend I noticed at Tsujita where the noodles for the tonkotsu were of the thin variety. On the website, it is mentioned that the noodles are thinner so that they absorb more of the pork flavor. While I'm somewhat skeptical of this are still partial to thicker alkaline noodles, I can see where the thin noodles to work.

Appetizers

agedashi tofu

I started the meal with some agedashi tofu. While the dish is very simple, I feel that a great agedashi tofu speaks volumes about the quality of a Japanese restaurant. The dashi in the tofu was really rich and flavorful, which suggested a good thing to come. Unfortunately, the tofu was a bit firmer than I expected. Additionally, the deep fried coating of the tofu seemed a bit soggy. Overall, the dish was still above average.

takoyaki

The last great takoyaki I had was in Japan. While this particular takoyaki didn't compare to the ones from Japan, this was the best one I've had in the United States. These takoyaki were made fresh and the middle had that signature hot boiling temperature expected from a takoyaki. The octopus filling was both generous and cooked properly.

Ramen:

yamadaya ramen - tonkotsu kotteri

For the ramen, I ordered the Yamadaya ramen, which includes a mix of toppings. From there, there is the option of having the ramen as just tonkotsu, shoyu, spicy, or kotteri. I opted for the kotteri, which is an extra scoop of all the pork fat/drippings/leftover on the bottom of the pot after the tonkotsu broth is cooked. The result was an extra infusion of pork flavor in the broth.

The soup was thick, creamy, and flavorful. While the soup was not as good as Tsujita's, it is close enough to suggest the drive to Little Osaka may be unnecessary. The pork toppings and the egg were well prepared as well. Overall, the ramen was a very impressive bowl of ramen - had I not just visited Tsujita, I would be calling this the best ramen stateside. 

Conclusion:

Although the ramen at Yamadaya isn't as good as Tsujita, it is pretty close. With a closer driver, easier schedule to work around and cheaper prices, it is an extremely attractive second option when you don't have to absolutely have the best. The takoyaki is also a reasonable substitute for what you would expect when ordering that dish.

For the great tonkotsu flavored ramen at affordable prices, Ramen Yamadaya is awarded a bit award.

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Kyo Bahn - Interrupt

Date of Dining: 4/29/2012 
Price: $10 for gam ja tang, $12-18 for entrees
Location: 13925 Yale Ave, Ste 140, Irvine, CA 92620

The Quick Bit

+ authentic homestyle korean food

+ great flavor on kalbi

+ gam ja tang is a great deal

Δ limited ban chan selection

Δ spice level highly varied

With the popularization of Internet reviews, it seems hard to find that neighborhood hole in the wall restaurant that only the locals know about. Luckily, I found that restaurant in Kyo Bahn.

Nestled in a small quiet strip mall containing a church, convenience store, and veterinarian, one would not expect to find some korean gam ja tang that really satisfies the soul in comfort and taste. One would also next expect to find what seems to be the best kalbi in Irvine.

ban chan selection

As with any Korean meal, one starts with the ban chan; while the selection here was extremely limited, the dishes were still satisfying. However, with restaurants like BCD including a complimentary fried fish with the banchan, it is hard for other smaller restaurants to compete.

brown rice and  ssam dipping sauce

Another interesting aspect of Kyo Bahn is that upon ordering, you are given the choice of white or brown rice. It turns out that the brown rice was really more "purple" in color. I'm not exactly sure what was different about the rice, but I was a big fan of the preparation.

gam ja tang

When the gam ja tang arrived, I was worried it would not live up to my expectations. Luckily the flavors were very nice. While the pork bones could have been cooked a little longer to have more of the braised flavor, the goodness of the bones had cooked in and integrated with the soup. The soup was a little spicy and contained all the braised flavor of the pork bones. My only complaint was that there wasn't really that much soup.

kalbi ssam combination

For the entree, we shared the kabli ssam combination. The soup came out boiling hot and had a nice soy flavor to it, but I felt it was a bit salty. Luckily the kalbi quickly made me forget the soup. The marinade on the kalbi was just perfectly sweet and maintained a large amount of savory flavor. They were also cooked perfectly so that they were not overcooked, yet retained a nice charred crust to really have a nice flavor.

Conclusion

Kyo Bahn is a great neighborhood Korean restaurant for those looking for authentic Korean food. The gam ja tang is a really home cooked korean dish, and the kalbi was marinated and cooked to be very enjoyable. While I do recommend visiting this restaurant, a warning to those going that this really is home style food and that the food should not expected to be restaurant quality. If you can get past the meager ban chan and the home cooked quality of the meal, your experience at Kyo Bahn is sure to be enjoyable.

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Avila's El Ranchito (Corona Del Mar) - Interrupt

Date of Dining: 2/18/2012
Price: ~$10-$15 per plate
Location: 2515 East Coast Hwy, Corona Del Mar, CA 92625
website


The Quick Bit:
+ family owned restaurant chain
+ good selection of Americanized Mexican classics
+ fast friendly service
Δ plating could be cleaner
Δ tortillas could be less of an afterthought

Note: I'll be leaving on vacation this Friday, so I'm unsure if I will post this Thursday. Normal posting will resume on Sunday 4/8

Avila's El Ranchito is a family owned business that started in the 1966. Although Avila's is a chain restaurant spread across Los Angeles and Orange County, each branch is owned and operated by a member of the Avila family, who puts his or her own personality into the restaurant; in fact, each branch contains slight variations on the menu suited to each owner.
The story of Avila's goes that after immigrating to the United States from Guanajuato, Mexico, Salvador Avila opened the first Avila's in Huntington Park. All the family members pitched into the business to make it work, which was focused on delivering the Avila family recipes in a warm and friendly atmosphere; each customer was to be treated as family. With the burgeoning success of the business, Avila's opened more locations - each new location was put under the supervision of an Avila family member. As more and more stores opened, the family nature of how employees were treated was carried on with each restaurant, so that the servers and cooks were treated as family as well.
Today, Avila's is spread over twelve locations in Los Angeles and Orange County. While there are many location to each restaurant, it is not a true "chain restaurant" as we are used to the word. I met a colleague at Avila's for lunch one day, and he gushed enough about the restaurant to convince me to write a post about the experience.

mayan treasure - shredded chicken, rice, tomatillo sauce, cheese, sour cream, guacamole

My colleague ordered the Mayan treasure, which reminded me of one of really nice authentic burritos I had in LA. The chicken and rice were well cooked and packed into the burrito. The tomatillo sauce provided a nice acidic and mildly spicy contrast to bring out the flavors of the burrito filling. The sauce was easily the star of the dish - after eating a good wet burrito one will never want to go back to the dry burrito. This burrito really confirmed the love of well-prepared wet burritos.

carnitas - black tomatillo salsa, rice, guacamole

The carnitas were tender, juicy, and well cooked on the interior, while they were crispy and savory on the exterior. In short, they were prepared very well. The black tomatillo salsa contained a smoky flavor in addition to the acidity and mild spiciness, which really worked well with the carnitas. My complaint about the dish was that the tortillas came out wrapped in aluminum foil and seemed like an afterthought to the dish. When so much care as been put into the other components, it was a shame that the tortillas did not receive the same respect.

Conclusion:
While Avila's is not going to win any awards for the food, it remains a nice stop for a taste of Americanized Mexican cuisine in a warm and friendly atmosphere. I'd easily put it above any of the popular chain Mexican restaurants and even above Cozymel's. While the carnitas were good, the real star for me was the well-prepared wet burrito. When a wet burrito is prepared well, there are many other factors that are easily forgiven.

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Chong Qing Mei Wei Szechuan Restaurant (Irvine) - Interrupt

Date of Dining: 3/11/2012
Price: $8-15 per dish
Location: 5406 Walnut Ave, Ste C, Irvine CA, 92604


The Quick Bit:
+ flavorful authentic Szechuan cooking
+ nice cold dish selection
+ nice upscale interior
Δ Seasoning in the dishes seemed a bit uneven


One question I get asked often is where I would recommend for people to eat Chinese food. After clearing up what exactly is entailed from "Chinese food" and discovering that the person wants spicy food, I ask how far they are willing to drive.
With the "closing" of Ba Ren, I'm left with only recommending that people drive up to Irvine. Due to Ba Ren's closure, I figured I'd go ahead and get this story out to close the loop.
Chong Quing Mei Wei restaurant is one of a two restaurant chain (the other is in Lake Forest but I've never been to that location). They focus entirely on serving Szechuan food, and the level of spice on the menu is pretty much 1 or 2 peppers on the dishes. Like most Chinese restaurants, the service may be seen as lacking when compared to western standards, but I found the service to be above average for a Chinese establishment.


Appetizer:

When dining at a Chinese restaurant, there is an old joke that there are two menus where the English-speaking order off one menu while the Chinese-speaking order off a completely separate menu. While that is not the case here, the cold plate appetizer section is probably more of an unknown thing.

What looks like a hot plate area for Chinese takeaway is actually a refrigerated section for pre-prepared Szechuan favorites. Diners are able to select three dishes for $7.50 or $6.50 (all vegetables). This is highly recommended for the uninitiated, more so because these dishes were prepared very well.

cold plate - (left to right) seaweed salad, pigs ear terrine, beef tendon terrine

The pigs ears were the best item on the plate. They were a delicious mix of cartilaginous crunch, gelatinous goodness, and savory pork flavor. While the beef tendons were flavored well, they seemed to be slightly under-done and could have used a little more time to become more tender. The seaweed was a nice mix of spice, oil, and umami to cut the richness of the meats. I would say the pigs ears are good enough to order every time while the other two dishes could be rotated out during future visits.

Entrees:

wonton tossed in spicy chili sauce

The dough of the wontons tasted a little thick, but it was rectified with the deep complex flavor of the chili sauce. The chili sauce contained a depth in flavor and chili that really flavored the wontons and elevated their flavor. I found myself enjoying the chili sauce on its own without the wontons.

fish and tofu

The fish and tofu is featured prominently on an insert as one of the signature dishes. While the dish was certainly good in its own right, I preferred the boiled fish dish (that is similar), which I had on a previous visit. The Szechuan boiled stew dishes are very tasty as they contain a nice deep savory complexity in the soup coupled with the heat of the chilis and the complexity of the fermented beans. The fish and tofu were cooked to be very soft and delicate, which made eating the dish a pleasure.

twice cooked pork with leek

This was my favorite dish of the night. The pork in the dish was pork belly, which was the perfect element because of the combination of meat and fat flavors. However, the star of this dish was the tofu (or maybe bean curd to be technically correct). The texture and the way the tofu soaked up the flavors of all the elements really made it the tastiest element in the dish. Overall, I felt this dish was the most complete dish as it contained a the spice, savory complex sauce, and textural contrast.

Conclusion:

As my recommendation for Chinese Szechuan food now in both the Orange County and San Diego areas, I really enjoy the food at Chong Qing Mei Wei. While the high was not as high as the best I've had at Ba Ren, what is being served at Chong Qing Mei Wei is a very tasty product that remains consistent and affordable.

For being my go to Chinese restaurant recommendation, Chong Qing Mei Wei gets the kilobit award

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Fukada - Interrupt

Date of Dining: 11/23/2011
Price: ~$15-18 per person with combo and appetizer
Location: 8683 Irvine Center Dr, Irvine, CA 92618
website


The Quick Bit:
+ hand made udon and soba
+ nice selection of side dishes for izakaya-style dining
+ organic ingredients and brown rice substitutions are possible for healthier dining
Δ service can be inattentive
Δ possible long wait times as no reservations are taken

Fukada is one of those neighborhood hole-in-the-wall places that has outgrown the hole-in-the-wall moniker into something much larger. Situated across the 405 freeway from the prominent Irvine Spectrum, Fukada is one of Irvine's few non-chain restaurants (well I guess technically that is not true since there is Fukada2Go) and serves elevated traditional Japanese everyday food. 

Fukada does two things different from other Japanese restaurants. First, they use higher quality organic ingredients for some dishes, and second, they hand-make their udon and soba. The combination of these two factors means that the food at Fukada has a purer quality to it, which elevates the taste above other similar restaurants. 

On a trip to the restroom, it is possible to see the windowed room where all the noodles are hand-made daily on the premises. 

Growing up in OC, Fukada was one of my favorite destinations for a high quality taste of Japanese cuisine. While the food doesn't quite measure up to the same food in Japan, the bar doesn't fall too far below that mark. When I visit the OC, I still visit Fukada quite frequently as I have yet to find anything quite the same in San Diego.

I went to Fukada with one of my college classmates, who is a self-professed ram-maniac. We ordered a bit skewed off what I normally order in order to accommodate.

Appetizers:

gyoza

A staple side of many Japanese restaurants, the gyoza is usually a good representative of the other food offered at the establishment. However, using the gyoza to judge Fukada would be a mistake as the average gyoza don't compare to the rest of the high-quality food offered.

fried chicken wings

One of the signature appetizers, the fried chicken wings are a perfect bit of savory fried goodness. Sometimes doing something simple correctly goes very far and these fried wings with ponzu-dashi sauce had just the right combination of salty savory chicken to acidic umami. These were a great complement to the other dishes we had on the table.

In addition to these appetizers, Fukada offers a selection of broiled fish; I highly recommend the broiled yellowtail collar if it is available. They also offer a high quality selection of sashimi (although it's not anywhere near the level of Kaito, it is still above many entry-level sushi places) - perhaps one of their best dishes is the sashimi salad which mixes some tataki-style grilled sashimi on a bed of organic mixed lettuce.

Entrees:

Fukada's claim to fame is the noodle combinations. For lunch, there is usually a special of a noodle with California roll or crunchy roll. However, there is also the combination of noodle with donburri available throughout the day.

When ordering noodles, one specifies hot (in a dashi broth) or cold (with dipping sauce) - if the hot option is selected, then a choice of tanuki (tempura batter) or sansai (mountain vegetables) is available.

hot soba sansai

ten-don

As my noodle of choice is the soba, I usually swap between the cold and hot soba, but when I select the soba I always go sansai. The soba flavor is really allowed to come through with the high quality dashi stock that the noodles are served in. The mountain vegetables offer a variety of healthy flavors and textures to complement the noodles.

The ten-don is a standard donburi that contains two shrimp tempura cooked into an omelette form topped in a rice bowl. While this is a pretty standard Japanese preparation, the use of higher quality ingredients really highlights the flavors.

hot udon tanuki

spicy tuna-don

My dinner mate elected to go with udon and the spicy tuna don. While I didn't actually sample his meal, I'll work off my memory of many meals at the restaurant for the udon - I've never tasted the spicy tuna don.

The hand-made udon really makes a difference in the flavor of the noodle as the udon has a much more supple texture that creates a different mouth-feel from the mushier frozen variety. There is also just the right amount of resistance in the dough to give the correct chew experience. The draw of the tanuki ramen is the contrasting textures both in the beginning and as the bowl goes on; the tempura bits start crunchy at first and then morph into sponges full of the dashi flavor.

In addition to the noodle combos, there are some other noodle dishes available as well. Of particular note, the nabeyaki udon is impressive as it contains a variety of ingredients to build a great sampling of many flavors.

Conclusion:

Sometimes the preparation of ingredients simply to highlight the flavors is the best way to go. Fukada is a great example of this practice. I consider the restaurant as comfort food, but unlike the extremely unhealthy kill your arteries comfort food, Fukada is comfort food at healthy levels. When anyone asks me for an everyday restaurant recommendation in Orange County, Fukada is my go to recommendation. While it's no longer really a secret place anymore and the lines can be long, the food is worth the wait.

As one of my favorite stops in OC, Fukada gets the kilobit award.

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Curry House Coco Ichibanya (Irvine) - Interrupt

Date of Dining: 11/23/2011
Price: $8-15 per plate
Location: 2710 Alton Parkway Ste A-115, Irvine, CA 92606
website


The Quick Bit:
+ Famous Curry House invades Southern California
+ Many customization options
+ Higher than expected level of technical execution
Δ Plethora of menu options can be confusing

For Japanese curry lovers, the legend of Coco Ichibanya in the US was almost like Captain Ahab's white whale as it required a journey to Hawaii to sample curry from the Japanese Juggernaut. Despite developing a global presence including more than 1200 restaurants in Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and South Korea, Coco Ichibanya had remained a relative unknown to the United States with its only branch located in Hawaii. Starting earlier this year, Coco Ichibanya began increasing their presence in the continental United States with locations in Torrance, Rowland Heights, and Irvine.

Coco Ichibanya is known for the high level of service provided in every restaurant along with the highly customizable curry dishes. Everything from the spice level to the quantity of rice to the toppings and the curry can be customized in the curry dishes. The spice level is especially noteworthy as many Japanese curries tend to be on the very mild side. Fortunately (or unfortunately), Coco Ichibanya's spice levels adjust up the scale pretty quickly.

beef curry with spinach, mushrooms, and less rice

The first dish that arrived was a mixture of beef, mushrooms, and spinach in the curry. The beef was cooked exactly right, and the other toppings added earthiness to the curry. The addition of the toppings added a great depth to the curry, that sometimes otherwise feel decidedly one note. With the extra flavors, not only was the dish more diverse, the textural elements were improved as well. Overall, it was one of the better Japanese curries I've tasted as the technical execution of the dish was at a very high level.

pork katsu curry with vegetables

One of the "signature dish" curries, I ordered this dish to gauge the level of cooking and serve as a comparison to other curry places. The pork was cooked extremely well as it was not touch and it managed to retain much of the moistness. I was pleasantly surprised with the execution as the pork cutlet was cooked perfectly and I couldn't find any fault with it. The accompanying curry was spicy as requested and contained all the customization I ordered. I was very satisfied with the finished product and would rate this particular cutlet as one of the best I've had.

Conclusion:

Overall I was very impressed with Coco Ichibanya being a curry house. The level of execution in cooking the proteins is high, and being able to customized the curry to however you like was actually very enjoyable once you figured out what was happening. Being able to actually make the curry spicy was another big plus. For anyone wanting to try Japanese curry in Irvine, I can recommended Coco Ichibanya as a fine stop to satisfy the craving.

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Broadway By Amar Santana - Interrupt

Date of Dining: 1/28/2012
Price: $10-17 per appetizer, $30-38 per entree
Location: 328 Glenneyre St, Laguna Beach, CA 92651
website


The Quick Bit: 
+ Great selection of cocktails including Moscow Mule on tap
+ Desserts were extremely satisfying to finish off the meal
+ Amazing menu made it difficult to decide what items to order
Δ Spacing of the tables could have been more generous
Δ Some dishes could have used more balance

Note: I debated on writing two Interrupts in a row, but decided that the coverage was fine. The next few weeks are going to be pretty busy blogging and there will be a lot of San Diego coverage. Prepare for some amazing posts leading into the gastrobits 1 year anniversary

 Since I grew up in Orange County and visit regularly, I have a passing interest in the culinary scene there. I was steered towards checking out Broadway by Amar Santana by fellow bloggers Gourmand's Review and Bobby Navarro of 100eats100days.
Broadway by Amar Sanatana is the brainchild of Chef Amar Santana. Santana was educated at the CIA and worked for Charlie Palmer at the restaurant aureole, where he worked up the ranks. He opened fin fish for the organization before becoming the executive chef at Charlie Palmer in Bloomingdale's at South Coast Plaza. Finally, Santana started his own venture in Laguna Beach at Broadway by Amar Santana. Chef Santana's food can be characterized as farm to table and modernist cuisine.
When looking at the menu of Broadway, it was hard to decide on what items to order as so many of them seemed to be attractive. I finally decided that it was impossible to order everything I wanted and just tried to get a good sampling in the first visit, vowing to return at another date. We ordered a few appetizers and entrees and then asked the wait staff to course everything out separately. It was refreshing to see that this was no problem and the food began arriving in short order.


First Course:

frisee and arugula salad - goat cheese, dried cranberries, toasted pecans, champagne vinaigrette, pairs

Unfortunately this dish lacked some balance. While it had all the elements of being an exciting dish with the sweet, crunch, sour, savory, bitter, and creamy, the dish fell short of the mark when these elements failed to integrate properly. Perhaps part of the issue was we found that some parts of the salad were dressed more heavily than others.

Second Course:

japanese hamachi - cirtus-miso dressing, avocado sorbet, wasabi tampiko, tempura flakes

This dish was the first great dish and preview of the night to come. The hamachi was extremely high quality and full of delectable oils; it was cut by the spice and acidity of the tampiko as well as the crunch of the wasabi flakes. The avocado sorbet added an element of cold freshness and the citrus-miso balanced the dish on acidity and umami.

Third Course:

roasted bone marrow - short rib marmalade, marinated anchovies, parsley  crumbs

The bone marrow was roasted extremely well and epitomized a well-prepare bone marrow plate. While there was nothing jaw-dropping about the marrow, the perfect execution of this dish is often lacking in other forms of the dish. I especially appreciated the sea salt dish provided to self-season the marrow. The short rib marmalade and anchovies were really required components of the dish as the marrow alone was a little too fatty and somewhat overwhelming to the tastes. Overall a solid dish.

Fourth Course:

seared maine sea scallops - sea urchin risotto, tempura sea beans, passionfruit, jalapeno froth

The freshness and quality of the sea scallops really stood out in this dish. The risotto was well-prepared and really complemented the sweetness of the scallops. The jalapeno froth added just a touch of spice, and the passionfruit added a bit of tangy sweetness and acid to round out the dish. The passionfruit was a real key component of the dish.

Fifth Course:

mushroom dusted veal sweetbreads - parsnip, potato, truffle jus, wilted lettuce

The key to this dish was the sweetbreads themselves; they were cooked perfectly on their own and really only needed a dip in the truffle jus to provide the full flavorful preparation. While I did appreciate the other elements of the dish, they weren't necessary as the sweetbreads stood on their own.

Sixth Course:

berkshire pork chop - braised pork cheeks, saffron glazed pear, salsify, black garlic jus

This dish was a real winner as the pork chop was cooked perfectly. The black garlic just was a great savory sauce for the pork while the pear served as a nice element of sweetness that complemented the pork. The pork cheek was the best part of the dish and stood on its own. I kinda wish there was a way to just get a lot of braised pork cheeks alone.

Seventh Course:

bourbon vanilla bean panna cotta - strawberry sorbet, cocoa nib meringue, tarragon

This was the best dish of the night for me. The panna cotta was phenomenal; it was prepared in a thin layer across the entire dish and had the perfect balance of flavor and texture. The strawberry sorbet was extremely flavorful, and the cocoa nib meringue were both visually striking as well as provided a satisfying textural crunch.

Eighth Course:

hazelnut praline tart - burn banana cream, passionfruit, bergamont ice cream

The tart was prepared perfectly and had a great balance of sweet praline chocolate to crust. While the other elements were nice to have, I found that they tended to cover out the elegance of the tart alone. Instead of mixing all the components, this dish seemed to be best enjoyed by eating the tart independent of the other elements. I thought the inclusion of the charred cinnamon stick for aroma was a nice touch.

Conclusion:

While there were some unbalanced elements to the dishes, I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Broadway by Amar Santana. The menu was packed full of interesting food combinations, and each item tried to incorporate a nice balance of flavors and textures. Additionally, the restaurant boasted a large selection of cocktails, which enhanced the dinner experience.

For the great preparation and execution of the food, Broadway by Amar Sanatana gets the megabyte award.

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