EATS Kitchen and Bar
Hotel Irvine
17900 Jamboree Road
Irvine, CA 92614
I always feel bad for chefs at restaurants inside hotels. They often get overlooked by locals. The general public considers hotel food safe and not worth stopping for. In the nearly ten years of doing this blog, we have experienced some pretty good hotel meals. Dinners at the Hotel Fullerton, The Silver Trumpet at the Wyndham in Costa Mesa, and Splashes at the iconic Surf and Sand in picturesque Laguna definitely make the list as some of the best. You can add another to that list, EATS Kitchen and Bar at the Irvine Hotel.
I had not been to the Hotel Irvine in a long while, and pulling up to this vibrant property, I could sense that this was a different kind of hotel from when I had been here when Hyatt managed this. There was a liveliness that you just don't get at other hotels. The eye-popping orange hues dominating the lobby, lounges, and other common areas are very welcoming. The layout and color scheme seem to encourage guests to leave their comfy rooms and mingle among other guests and be part of the many activities the Hotel Irvine offers.
We arrived at EATS on a rainy Wednesday night before 7pm and were met with a pretty raucous scene at the bar in front of EATS. It seems the Hotel Irvine was hosting a corporate event for an IT company, and their employees had just been released from their meetings before we got here and had made a beeline for the bar. I was impressed with the speed of the bartenders and service staff as they hustled to provide much-needed libations to their guests after what I'm sure was a long day of meetings.
We were greeted warmly at the hostess stand and shown to our table. The dining room was quieter than the bar area, which was ideal for this date night with Katie. I was happy to see the upbeat decor that we experienced as we walked into the Hotel Irvine extended to the dining room. Comfy tables and chairs were nicely spaced, and wood flooring and citrus-colored accents immediately put us in a relaxed vacation mode after our rain-soaked drive up the 405 Freeway.
The man in the kitchen at EATS Kitchen and Bar is Executive Chef Jeff Moore, who is closing in on his second anniversary at EATS this month. Chef Jeff had previously worked at Hopscotch in Fullerton and The Loft at the Montage in Laguna Beach and was employed by the ever-expanding Lounge Group, which has numerous properties in and around Newport Beach, such as Dory Deli, Stag Bar, Country Club, and Playa Mesa, to name a few.
Chef Jeff's menu at EATS is self-described as modern California cooking, which is a fair description for this compact but crowd-pleasing selection of offerings. Even though the menu is limited to seven entrees, two burgers, three salads, a couple of pizzas, and seven starters, anyone coming here for a bite could easily find something to pique their culinary cravings. As we were sitting at the table with menus in hand, I found myself having a significant debate inside my head as to what I would try. Let's see how all this inner conflict worked out for me.
No debate that I needed a cocktail after Katie's harrowing driving in the rain this evening, and I zeroed right in on this Blackberry Mule ($12). This fruity but not overly sweet beverage was precisely what I needed to help calm my nerves and prepare me for the ride back home with Katie. This was a more flavorful take on a Moscow mule, with its blackberry-infused vodka, ginger, and a kiss of lemon to cut the sweetness. It was very refreshing and mellowing. It is easy to envision myself sipping on one of these by the firepit on the EATS patio when it gets much warmer outside.
Frequent readers of this blog know that I'm not fond of hard-boiled eggs, but these Freid Deviled Eggs ($9) are the exception to my rule now. The fact that they are breaded and fried has helped with the textural element that has blocked me from enjoying regular deviled eggs. These also came with Italian chorizo and manchego cheese, which helped me overcome my deviled egg phobia.
Truffle Mac and Cheese ($12) can be hit-and-miss in restaurants. It's usually a balancing act for chefs to get just the right amount of truffle oil so it is manageable while keeping this comfort food staple from becoming dull. Chef Jeff achieved this rare balance with his version. It was both mellow and rich at the same time. Yes, it could have used more cheese blend, but I liked the textural element that the parmesan bread crumbs added. It was just what we needed on this rainy evening.
Katie rolled the comfort food train with her entree selection, the Garganelli Bolognese ($18). The garganelli pasta was perfectly cooked and topped with a very well-done ragu made of beef and veal, which was finished with a dollop of ricotta cheese. This plate of pasta also had the added surprise of a thick cut of pork belly, which added a fantastic smokiness to the dish. Katie had planned to eat only half of this and take the rest of lunch the next day, but she could not control herself and ate every last bite before she knew it.
My inner dilemma when deciding what to get when perusing the menu at EATS was between my love of a good burger and the satisfaction of savoring a well-crafted steak. As you can see from above, the Cast Iron New York Steak ($34) won out. The steak was tender and seasoned well, but what made this for me was the unusual chili bearnaise sauce that came with it. It added an excellent component to the beef, but I wished it covered the entire steak. I should have asked for more. The meal was rounded out by some red potatoes and some excellent spinach, with some kind of spice added to it, making it pop.
A sweet ending to our evening at EATS would end with two of their three selections from the dessert menu. Katie has always been fond of bread pudding ($6), and this seasonal version of our visit was coconut orange with a blueberry compote. It sounded odd when I first thought about the combination of flavors with this. It worked, but the flavor of my bites was coconut, which brought to mind the old Mother's Cookies macaroons of my childhood. The blueberry compote was used sparingly, which was fine with me because it allowed the fresh whipped cream and ice cream to showcase the coconut.
I'm always drawn to cookies and had to select the Warm Chocolate Chip Cookie ($6) as my dessert to cap off this evening. This was different from the skillet cookie I was expecting. Still, a thick and perfectly textured chocolate chip cookie topped with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream, salted cookie crumbs, and house-made marshmallows scattered about and then finished off with a hot fudge drizzle. I liked the slight crunch of the outer edge of the cookie and the softer inside. The salt helped cut the sweetness, and there was plenty in the way of ice cream. I'm not a fan of marshmallows, so they got ignored.
Both Katie and I really enjoyed our time at EATS Kitchen and Bar. As I wrote earlier, it's easy for locals to overlook hotel restaurants, but this is one that you should keep in mind. Chef Jeff has got a crowd-pleasing menu, and the execution of the food he prepares is on point. Much like the atmosphere when we walked in the Hotel Irvine, there's always something happening here, whether it's $3 tacos and $5 margaritas on Tuesdays, all-you-can-eat mussels on Wednesdays, specially priced tapas on Fridays, or the over-the-top brunch on weekends, which also features build your own mimosas and bloody marys. When locals visit, you get that pleasant little tinge of being on vacation, which is one of the best feelings in the world. This was just the date night we needed to recharge our batteries for the rest of the week.
The meal in this post was generously provided by EATS Kitchen and Bar, but the opinions expressed here are solely my own. I would like to thank everyone we encountered at EATS for a great experience, including our very personable server, Jacquelyn, who took great care of us during our stay and was always more than ready to answer our questions.
For more information about EATS Kitchen and Bar, head to their website here: http://www.eatskitchen.com/#home
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