Taps Opens in Irvine - CLOSED

Taps Fish House and Brewery

13390 Jamboree Road

Irvine, CA 92602

Many new places have recently opened up at the Tustin and Irvine Marketplace. These two centers, which are really one, are divided by Jamboree Road, and they have really stepped up their culinary game in the last few months. Opened just recently is a new sushi spot, Mizu Sushi, Inland Empire staple, Miguel's Jr., Class 302, and Piadina Italian Sandwiches are all now in full operation here, and there are more on the way. It's been announced that The Melt, Famous Dave's BBQ, and Wokano, which is erupting like crazy, will open here in the coming months. I was excited to try another new restaurant that brought us here on a recent Thursday afternoon, Taps Fish House and Brewery.

Taps are not entirely new, though. They have outposts in Brea and Corona, which have been wowing people in those areas with their fantastic Sunday brunch, seafood, and award-winning beers. This move to South OC did not come suddenly, either. Owner Joe Manzella had been looking for this spot for a while now. In fact, back when we experienced Taps brunch for the first time in April of 2012, Joe had let Katie and me know that they were scouting out where to put their next Taps restaurant in South OC. Over three years later, they are opening up in the old Buca Di Beppo spot across the street from Lazy Dog Restaurant.

This latest Taps is a mash-up of Taps in Brea and Joe's other restaurant, The Catch, next to Anaheim Stadium. There's a very nice patio here, high ceilings, and a huge bar that brings to mind all that is great about The Catch in Anaheim. The rest of the restaurant is equally grand. Nice comfy booths along the walls, a nice brick archway that separates the two-roomed dining areas, and nice sight lines that direct your attention into the busy kitchen. There's also an oyster bar lined up with all their oysters ready to be consumed.

We were here for a friends and family event, which meant they were still working on staff training, getting the kitchen in working condition, and testing the fire alarms. If this dry run foreshadows what to expect when they open, everything's probably running smoothly. To help with training, every table was given a different preset menu. We saw many wonderful dishes from the kitchen to surrounding tables and were eager to see what was in store for us. Let's take a look.

All meals at Taps start with their very good bread. This was served with oil and vinegar, which went well with the toned-down sourdough. It came out hot and was a great start to our meal.

First up on our preset menu was the Ahi Tartare ($14.99). I'm always a little weary when an item has so much going on with it, especially when that item is ahi, but this was excellent. Ahi tuna is mixed with avocado, red onion, cucumber, scallions, and soy chile emulsion and topped with crispy wontons. This was served with gem lettuce cups, but we preferred it without. The lettuce kind of overpowered the very well-made ahi mixture. It was very tasty.

I really liked this little twist on a regular Caprese salad. The Heirloom Tomato Caprese ($10.99) drew raves from my buddy Joe, who considers himself a Caprese connoisseur. In this version, the tomatoes are joined with one of the best burrata that we have had, a smear of basil and another of vincotto, micro-basil, crisp prosciutto, and toasted pine nuts. Most of you know I'm not a big tomato fan; it's a texture thing for me, but this was stellar. The nuts gave this an earthiness, the burrata was creamy, and the tomato added a little sweetness to even out this plate. Joe was very pleased with this.

The first of our two entrees was nothing I would normally order, but I enjoyed this Grilled Alaskan Halibut ($32.99). The fish was joined by blistered shishito peppers, pork belly, spring veggies, and a citrus herb salad. As I was eating this, it kind of grew on me. At first I thought the vegetables made this more of a salad, and the pork belly and halibut got lost. After we picked away some of the produce, the freshness of the fish and the tasty pork belly shined through. I'm still not sold on this for me, but others who enjoy vegetables more than myself, might enjoy this entree.

You might not think of trying a burger at Taps Fish House, but you would be missing out. This Taps Burger ($13.99) had it going on. The burger comprises aged chuck, sharp cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, red onion, tomato, lettuce, and pickle. It is sandwiched between a toasted brioche bun. All of this contributed to a very juicy burger. The bun did a great job keeping its integrity with all the moisture. The beef was fresh and flavorful, and the sharp cheese complimented the beef well. I was also happy the meat was cooked medium, just the way I like it. An excellent burger that could only be made better by adding a few slices of bacon. Maybe next time. The fries were also pretty good at Taps. A subdued garlic and parsley flavor was detected, and these came out of the kitchen scalding hot.

This visit to Taps Fish House really whetted my appetite for what's coming here. I'm looking forward to trying their brunch buffet, which features many breakfast items, seafood, and a chocolate fountain. There are also a few things they had yet to divulge about their brunch, and I look forward to seeing what those things are. Since they opened on June 8th, I have heard all positive things about Taps, which is rare for a new restaurant. Our server, Talya, was very sweet and dealt with us awesomely. Reducing driving time to Brea will be nice by having this Taps Fish House open closer to us in Irvine.

We would like to thank all of the staff at the new Taps for all the wonderful service we received during this visit. I'd also like to thank General Manager Masaya Yamazaki for taking the time to chat with us and give us a little hint of what was to come at this location of Taps. I'd also like to thank the wonderful Lee Healy, who invited us to the friends and family event. Thanks for everything, Lee. Lastly, I'd like to thank my dining partner on this adventure, my good buddy Joe. I always have a good time hanging out with this guy, and he knows his food as well, way more than he knows how to play poker, but that's a story for another day.

For more information about Taps Fish House and Brewery, go to their website here: http://www.tapsfishhouse.com/