Setting the Standard at Benchmark?

 

Benchmark

601 East Santa Ana Blvd. 

Santa Ana. CA 92701

Here's a heads-up on my following seven reviews. Back in March (yes, I'm that far behind in writing), I decided to visit seven OC Restaurant Week spots in seven days. For those unaware, OC Restaurant Week is brought to us by OC Foodies, an organization dedicated to highlighting Orange County restaurants and promoting the culinary landscape of our wonderful county. 

Over 150 restaurants participated in the first week of March this year. Each restaurant posts its special Restaurant Week menu online. Tickets are not needed, but reservations at some of the most popular spots are encouraged. The price points for lunch menus are $15 to $25, dinner ranges between $30 to $50, and they also offer luxe menus for 2 guests that go for $60 to $120. I spend way more time than I care to admit studying the menus and what days I will visit which restaurants. I didn't even study this much in school. 

Since restaurant week starts on a Sunday, Katie will join me for this one. I picked a restaurant that has been on my wishlist for the last five years. They landed there because Orage Coast magazine named them one of the best new restaurants of 2020. They get rave reviews for their patio dining and have been featured plenty of times in print and visual media. That's how we found ourselves kicking off Restaurant Week at Benchmark in Santa Ana. 

Benchmark recently celebrated its 5th anniversary, a significant milestone in the restaurant industry. The owners, Duane Greenleaf and Pedro Arizmendi, are very present at the restaurant, as they are there almost every day. They brought Chef Stefano Ciociola aboard in 2021 after stints at many Patina Restaurant Group spots and time spent at some big-name East Coast restaurants. According to their website, their shared vision is "a modern restaurant with an upscale casual menu and seasonal fare."

We arrived at Benchmark at 5 p.m. on a rather chilly Sunday evening. The patio was empty except for the hustle and bustle of the waitstaff getting ready for dinner service and going over the menu. We had our pick of tables. Removed by a mere few blocks from the noisy downtown scene, the patio felt like a park-like setting or maybe the backyard of a friend's house. Very comforting, even as the tables filled up around us during our hour-and-a-half stay.  

Even though Katie and I were going to get the restaurant week menu, we glanced at the regular dinner menu for kicks. The six starters were priced at $20 and below, with the crispy pork belly and Korean tacos catching my eye. The entrees included some sandwiches, a burger that looked amazing in the pictures I have seen, pasta dishes, and a braised short rib that sounded promising. Plates ranged between $16 to $39 for the short rib. We swiftly made our selections off the Restaurant Week menu, priced at $40 per person. 

Although it was not on the Restaurant Week menu, Katie can never resist trying a pretzel once she glimpses one on a menu. This Bavarian Pretzel with Artichoke Fondue ($16) has almost made me a pretzel convert. I've never been a fan of pretzels, but this house-made one from Benchmark was soft, buttery, and salted perfectly. What made this for me was the artichoke fondue, which was earthy and creamy, and I found myself wishing that this was served with a spoon so I could eat it like soup. A delicious start to any meal at Benchmark. 

Now, on to our $40 Restaurant Week three-course menu. We picked the Short Rib Croquettes ($16) as our appetizer to share. These three nicely fried croquettes were filled with potato, gruyere, and a surprising amount of short rib inside. Each was topped with an herb chutney, and the plate was smeared with an addictive red pepper aioli. The outer crust of each croquette had a nice crunch, revealing a creamy mixture of potato, cheese, and beef. A very comforting combo. The pepper aioli added just enough flavor to accentuate the croquette. I'm happy they streaked enough across the plate for all three little barrels of deliciousness.  

Before sitting down at the table, I narrowed my main course to two options, and my mind was made up when Katie selected one of the two plates I had my eye on. Truthfully, I knew I would be having this Shrimp and Broccoli Risotto ($30) because of Katie's shrimp allergy, but she's been known to throw me a curveball, like ordering this without shrimp. It keeps our marriage fresh. This plate popped with color when it was set in front of me, and I hope it does so in the photos, too. The risotto was piled high with parmigiano reggiano, parsley, broccoli, and four large shrimp. The risotto was incredibly creamy and flavorful. The gruyere and the broccoli were a great combination. The shrimp was cooked nicely and was an excellent contrast to the risotto.  

It was a seven-minute wait from when my meal was placed on the table to when Katie's Fusilli Cacio e Pepe ($26) appeared from the kitchen. I don't know what happened there, as our server never really gave us an explanation. This is not a traditional version of the classic pasta, cheese, and pepper dish. I'd describe this as a jazzed-up rendition with the addition of hazelnuts, guanciale, and butternut squash. The pecorino cream and sage butter sauce was delicious, and the hazelnuts added a nice textural element. The pasta was cooked well, and this meal comforted Katie.  

The only disappointment of the night was the Brown Butter Cake ($11). The cake portion reminded me of the Hostess coffee cakes I had as a kid, not in taste but in appearance. This one was topped with a pecan praline, which was nice and gooey. It came with vanilla gelato, and the plate was drizzled with caramel. Maybe because of the plating, this was disjointed to me. The sweetness was muted, and getting the perfect bite of everything was hard. It's not awful, but it's different from what I expected when we ordered this. 

Even with the minor hiccup of Katie's meal being delayed from the kitchen and my thoughts about the lackluster dessert, our initial OC Restaurant Week outing was a success. I was able to scratch a restaurant off of my wishlist. Benchmark's ambiance was excellent, and the food was terrific, too. Our server was friendly, but long lapses where she went MIA turned what should have been an hour-long dinner into an extra 30 minutes of waiting for the bill and finally making payment. Benchmark is still worth a visit, with some seriously good food being served here, and we look forward to a return visit soon. First, we have six more days of OC Restaurant Week to finish. It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it. 

Out of five jars of mustard (because the ground where Santa Ana is now used to be a mustard field before its 1869 purchase), five being best to zero being worst, Benchmark gets 3.5 jars of mustard. 

For more information about Benchmark, head to their website by clicking here: https://benchmarkoc.com/