The Globe Dine Bar
12926 Main St.
Garden Grove, CA 92840
People always ask how we choose the restaurants that we go to. There are many ways that we hear about places to dine in OC. My favorite is to hear from you, our great readers, whether from an email, a comment on one of our reviews, or a suggestion on our Facebook page. I am diligent about writing down all of your tips on our "must try" list. Other ways we hear about great places to eat are by reading other people's blogs, knowing we will be in an area, looking up hot spots to try on Yelp or Urbanspoon, or the way we found The Globe Dine Bar. They simply asked us to come to give their food a try.
In our three-plus years of doing this blog, we have only visited Garden Grove four times. Yes, GG is far from where we live, but we need to make more effort to get to our county's fifth most populous city. This was the perfect opportunity to do that. The Globe is located just a few doors down from another place we visited on Main Street, Doug's Downtown Grill. We came to The Globe on a very blustery Friday night. Main Street was blocked off due to a car show, but there was plenty of parking behind the business's on Main.
The Globe Dine Bar is owned by a Belgian husband and wife team, Michael Pauwels and Marijke Adam. They have a very unique story. They opened a Mexican restaurant in of all places Belgium. In 1992, it was one of only two Mexican restaurants. They accepted this challenge of showcasing Mexican cuisine to the people of Belgium, and it became a hit.
Now on this side of the world, they are undertaking a similar challenge, introducing global cuisine with a Belgian twist to the people of Orange County. The Globe Dine Bar opened a year and a half ago. The world cuisine vibe they are going for here is evident from the maps on the walls, the table tops that each depict a different country, and finally, the monthly Chef Specials that focus on a different area of the world each time the calendar turns to a different month.
When we arrived on this cold winter night, the twenty-seat bar was definitely the most happening spot in the place. The restaurant had periodic tables here and there, but most of the action was at the bar. Many of the bar patrons seemed to be regulars. We found a table close enough to the action and sat down. I had no problem picking out what I wanted because I had looked at the menu online, but Katie was flip-flopping between a couple of things. This is what we finally decided on.
The first area of the Globe Dine Bar menu features some hoppa's, explained on the menu as Hops + Tapas. I would classify these as small plate offerings. Out of the seven offered, the one that piqued our interest the most was the Skirt Steak Florets ($7.50). Along with the skirt steak, this came out with roasted pearl onions, blue cheese, and a red wine au jus. The beef was tender, and the wine sauce and blue cheese added a big-time flavor. I really liked the use of pearl onions on this small plate. I wish more places would incorporate pearl onions into their dishes. I like them. The only minor complaint about this dish was that the steak needed to be cut into more manageable pieces. These pieces were a little too large, but still a great start to our meal.
I was not going to be getting a beer, but the Globe Dine Bar is really focused on their unique to OC beer selection. Not surprisingly, they are really into Belgian beers. I sometimes find these European beers too heavy, but the owner, Mike Pauwels, helped Katie and me select lighter beers that would pair up well with our ordered meals. For me, we went with the Blanche De Bruxelles ($6). This smooth beer kind of reminded me of a less intrusive Hefeweizen. Very good, and if I did not have to work the next day, I could have drank a few more of these with no problem. Katie is not a beer drinker, so I was skeptical that she would like the Leffe Brune ($6) that Mike picked out for her. That skepticism was not merited. This beer may have been dark in color, but its fruitiness and sweetness made this taste more like a lighter beer. Katie, of course, did not finish this, so I happily polished the last half of this off. Each table had what Mike called "the beer bible." This book briefly described each beer and what you could expect to taste with each selection. Very lovely for Belgian beer novices like the two of us.
Katie and I were pretty hungry, so we started with salads to curb our hunger until our entrees arrived. Katie selected the House Salad ($5) to start. This salad featured mixed greens, cucumber, tomato, carrots, and croutons, along with ranch dressing on the side. Again, nothing too out of the ordinary here, but the produce was fresh, the dressing was well made, and the serving size was pretty good for five dollars. I have been having rotten luck with Caesar's lately, but the Traditional Caesar ($6) helped to break the slump. Along with the fresh lettuce that came with this salad, the dressing was flavorful and just the right amount. I was also pleased with the shaved Parmesan cheese that topped this Caesar.
Let's tackle Katie's dinner first. She went with the Coq Au Vin ($16). This was Katie's first time having this French dish, and she could not have been more pleased. The braised chicken was tender, and the flavor was enhanced with the beautiful red wine sauce, mushrooms, pearl onions, and bacon. The serving size for this dish was very generous. For a side item, this entree came with Potato Gratin. These were not like the ones that came out of the Betty Crocker box. These came in their own baking dish and were rich and scalding hot. They were covered in cheese, but you could still tell that the potato was to be front and center. I would not hesitate to get this meal the next time I come to the Globe.
Every time I eat in a restaurant, I am immediately drawn to a short rib entree. That would be the case again on this night. The Globe Short Rib ($18) is just what I needed on this cold night to warm me up. I always describe short ribs as the most tender piece of pot roast you have ever had. This was what the short rib at The Globe brought to mind. This rib did not have much au jus to come with it, but it did not need it. It was very moist already. The veggies were a tad undercooked, while the Belgian fries I got with my dinner were slightly disappointing. I was expecting a crisp fry, like other Belgian fries I have had, but these fries came out pretty limp. I would forgo these on my next visit and get the much better potato gratin.
By this time, we were pretty full, but the waitress talked us into trying one of their desserts. She was talking up the Checkerboard Chocolate Mousse ($7)., so that's the one we went with. She said this dessert takes a long time to make, but it disappeared from our plate rather quickly. This mousse is made of white and dark Belgian chocolate. The mousse was smooth, while the chocolate was overpowering, but the raspberry sauce that came with this helped keep the chocolate in check. An excellent dessert.
The Globe Dine Bar was well worth the drive to Garden Grove. The main dishes that we had on this night were both phenomenal. For the most part, the other items we had were good. Most of the food served here is known to Americans, but the added European flair is much appreciated. I am sure having a restaurant in this location can be challenging, but once people get a taste of what is coming out of their kitchen, getting people to come back will not be such a challenge. The owners, Michael and Marijke, were very hands-on the night we were here. They really tried to make everyone feel comfortable in their restaurant. With the introduction of new menu items from different countries every month, their is no chance that the menu will become stale. We are looking forward to more frequent visits to Garden Grove in the future.
Out of five passports (because you can not travel the globe without a passport), five being best to zero being worst, The Globe Dine Bar gets 3.5 passports.
For more information on The Globe Dine Bar, click here: http://www.theglobeoc.com/index.html
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