Andrei's Tenth Anniversary Celebration

Andrei's Conscious Cuisine and Cocktails

2607 Main Street 

Irvine, CA 92614

Ten years is a pretty long time when you stop to think about it. The current life expectancy in the US currently stands at 78 years, so ten years is pretty close to thirteen percent of the average American's life. Ten years in the restaurant business is even rarer. While it's true that fifty percent of restaurants close within the first three years of being open for business, once a restaurant passes its fifth year of operation, they have a 90 percent chance of making it well past their tenth anniversary and beyond. One such restaurant that is celebrating their tenth year in business in the next month is Andrei's Conscious Cuisine and Cocktails and they have quite a lot celebrate.

Opened in 2009, Andrei's was started by the Olenicoff family and named after their beloved son, husband, and brother, whose life was tragically cut short in an accident. Before his death, he was diagnosed with retinal eye disease, which led to the creation of the Andrei Foundation in 2005. This foundation honors Andrei's legacy by supporting blindness and vision impaired charities, along with animal and environmental causes. 

Andrei's operates as a not for profit restaurant. One hundred percent of all of their net profits go to the Andrei Foundation. So, since they are celebrating their tenth anniversary in the month of July, they wanted to do something even more special by highlighting one of their favorite charities, Miracles For Kids, which helps the families of critically ill children with counseling, housing, paying their bills, and anything else which helps families stabilize during this trying time. Andrei's will be donating 20 percent of their monthly sales to Miracle For Kids for the month of July.

Not only will Andrei's be generous with their donation, but they have also created a special menu of ten signature items, all priced at $10. This special menu is available from July 1st to July 13th and includes many of their customer's favorites from their menu. We had the privilege of attending a preview party on their second-floor patio a few days ago and we were quite impressed with everything. Here's a quick look at some of the highlights.

I was very partial to the Fish Tacos, which used a daily fish which came dressed with pickled cabbage, guacamole, and a very well made chipotle sauce all on a handmade corn tortilla. I could have eaten another ten of these if I was not on my best behavior. The Calamari was another bright spot, with its white wine lemon reduction and very well done tartar sauce. Due to Katie having a real aversion to calamari, I have to relish it when I get any chance to partake in it. The Black Angus Spring Rolls were unique with their Morrocan seasoning on the ground beef and a dollop of tzatziki sauce topping each one. Anytime these made an appearance near me I could not resist getting two or three at a time. Here's a full list of what is available on the special anniversary $10 menu.

Double Dip Duo – Cilantro-Green Pea Hummus, Avocado Bacon Dip, Warm Pita, Seasonal Vegetables
Calamari - Flash Fried Calamari, Garlic, Shallots, White Wine-Lemon ReductionPortobello Steak Fries – Panko-Crusted Portobello Mushroom Fries, Tartar Dip VG
Black Angus Spring Rolls – Feuille De Brick, Moroccan–Spiced Ground Beef, Fresh Herbs, Sauerkraut, Tzatziki
Andrei’s Chop Salad – Organic Field Greens, Roasted Chicken, Cucumbers, Avocado, Tomatoes, Corn, Candied Walnuts, Goat Cheese, Dates, Corn Bread Croutons, Sherry Vinaigrette
Market Fish Tacos – Daily Fish, Pickled Cabbage, Guacamole, Black Beans, Spanish Rice, Handmade Corn Tortillas
Lamb Burger – Superior Farms Seasoned Ground Lamb, Heirloom Tomato, Arugula, Shaved Cucumber, Onion, Feta, Fennel-Lemon Aioli, Brioche Bun, Pommes Frites 
Vegetable Caponata – Organic Carrots, Indian Eggplant, Sweet Peppers, Kohlrabi, Caulilini, Zucchini Noodles, Fresh Pesto
Andrei’s Dessert Tasting – Piña Colada Carrot Cake, Bourbon Peach Cheesecake, Andrei’s Beignets
Bastille Day – X-Rated Liqueur, Fresh Berries, Brut Champagne

Andrei's also has event space available on the ground floor of their restaurant which can host up to 300 guests. They've hosted birthday parties, corporate events, weddings, and more at their restaurant in the ten years they have been operating. The Hor D'Oeurves Platters that they had set up for our media event were beautifully put together and delicious to eat. If you have an event coming up soon, Andrei's is definitely worth a visit to see if this could end up being the perfect spot to host your upcoming occasion.

This fantastic media event has really piqued my interest in Andrei's and I look forward to returning very soon to do a proper restaurant review.  In the meantime, make sure to take advantage of their $10 specials at the start of July, and also help out a worthy charitable cause by eating here during the entire month of July. You can feel good not only for doing some good in the world but also feeling good by eating some great food as well.

Katie and I would like to thank everyone we encountered at Andrei's, starting off with Natalia Ostensen, who, along with her family opened Andrei's, and could not have been nicer. Her passion for Andrei's and their philanthropy was very evident. It's also apparent that the team at Andrei's is a big part of their success and longevity here. General Manager Shannon Jones and Event and Marketing Director Jennifer Simmons have been at Andrei's almost from the start and were very gracious hosts on this evening, and their passion for this restaurant is obvious when they were chatting with us. It was a great pleasure getting to meet both of them. We'd also like to thank the servers, bartenders, and others at Andrei's, who made our visit smooth and seamless. Lastly, we'd like to thank Mona Shah of Moxxe PR, one of the best in the business, for inviting us to this wonderful event and getting the chance to catch up with her after such a long time. Great seeing you again Mona.

For more information about not only their tenth-anniversary events but everything Andrei's Conscious Cuisine and Cocktails, head to their website here: https://andreisrestaurant.com/