30865 Gateway Place
Rancho Mission Viejo, CA 92694
This would be Katie's third and final birthday dinner for those keeping track at home. We went out alone for one, then my parents took her out, and now it was her parent's turn to celebrate the well-deserved birthday girl. As is par for the course, restaurant selection duties were handed off to me. I gave seven suggestions in a group text, and the consensus was that we would celebrate Katie's birthday at Scarlet Kitchen and Lounge in Rancho Mission Viejo.
Scarlet Kitchen, much like this area of Orange County, has been around for a while. They opened for business just before the pandemic hit and are still going strong. This might be due to the numerous articles and features I have seen about this restaurant. They were written up in the OC Register, Orange Coast Magazine, Voice of OC, Los Angeles Times, and Forbes named one of their cocktails one of the best brunch beverages. Very high praise.
This is truly a family restaurant. The Executive Chef here is Paige Riordan, a former dancer, and choreographer who gave up dancing to graduate from culinary school in New York. Her father went to culinary school at the same time as her in California and handles the day-to-day operations at Scarlet Kitchen. His wife runs the business side of the restaurant, while Paige's husband is the General Manager. I always envy people who can work with family because I'm not sure I'd be able to do that with mine.
The menu at Scarlet Kitchen opens with a trio of raw bar options and then goes on with bites, salads, tacos, sandwiches, main dish offerings, and sides. Appetizers and salads hover around the $15 to $20 range, while main dishes are priced from $25 and up. With only four restaurants that I could find in this newish city, I would imagine that Scarlet Kitchen is valued by residents of Rancho Mission Viejo for its diversity and varied offerings on its menu. I was curious if I would also become a new devotee of Scarlet Kitchen. Let's check out the food and see if this was a good pick for Katie's birthday dinner.
Katie's dad is an aficionado of chowder. He orders it almost every time he sees it on a restaurant menu. The one here at Scarlet Kitchen is Marty's Clam Chowder ($10), and it's Chef Marty's concoction. It's a creamy chowder, rich and substantial, topped with real bacon and chives for an added flavor boost. Dennis enjoyed this immensely, calling it one of the better chowders he's had in recent memory.
The rest of us tried the Maple-Roasted Brussels Sprouts ($10), which is not actually a starter but is listed as a side. We felt like rebels. This was a muted version of what we usually get when ordering Brussels sprouts at other places. These were not drenched in sauce. I would have liked a little more maple, but these allowed the sprouts to be the focal point, which is nice if you are a big sprouts fan. They also added currants and pine nuts for a burst of sweetness and texture.
The birthday girl opted for the Blackened Fish Tacos ($23) for her birthday meal. I did not catch what kind of fish was used in these, but it was grilled and was joined in the tortilla by some sliced avocado, tomatoes, slaw, and a cilantro sauce. Katie felt these were very clean-tasting tacos. They did not rely on anything other than the blackened fish to do the heavy lifting flavorwise. The fish was plentiful, but she'd try something else on her next visit to Scarlet Kitchen.
It must have been seafood night because Dennis continued the trend when he got the Fish and Chips ($25). This came with three beer-battered pieces of cod and tarter sauce and scarlet sauce, which resembled the sauce from Raising Cane's but less peppery. The batter on the fish was crispy, and the fish underneath was flaky and tender. Again, I liked that they offered two dipping options, which helped keep this interesting. The french fries were nicely done as well. Hand-cut, fried to perfection, and seasoned simply with salt. It is a nicely done fish and chips.
I walked into Scarlet Kitchen, knowing precisely what I'd be having this evening. It's not uncommon since I study menus online before eating anywhere, but every once in a while, I do waver. I stuck to my guns and ordered the Scarlet Burger ($23 plus $2 for adding avocado). This burger utilizes grass-fed beef and is joined between the brioche bun with Irish white cheddar cheese, maple bacon onion jam, and garlic aioli. The burger was good, but did not blow me away. The beef was very clean tasting, but the inside condiments fell flat. Bacon onion jam never really meets my expectations, and the garlic aioli could have been applied with a heavier hand to make this pop. I did like the inclusion of the white cheddar, which melted wonderfully over the patty. This came with rustic fries, which were thicker and not as good as the fries with the fish and chips. I did enjoy my fries better with the scarlet sauce, but I still found myself sneaking most of the fries from the fish and chip plate.
Scarlet Lounge made an excellent first impression on us. I enjoyed that they had a wide array of choices to pick from. Even with this wide variety, Scarlet Kitchen is a restaurant you'd visit only occasionally. This is the place I'd envision more for date nights, girl's night out, and, like us, birthdays and other special occasions. The food was on point, and as this area grows, Scarlet Kitchen will become a favorite of all the people who are moving into this area.
Out of five dice (because in the board game Clue, Miss Scarlet is the first person to roll the dice to get the game started), five being best to zero being best, Scarlet Kitchen and Lounge gets 3 solid dice.
For more information about Scarlet Kitchen, head to their website by clicking here: https://scarletkl.com/
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