Birthday Dinner in Newport! - CLOSED

Cucina Alessa

6700 W. Coast Highway

Newport Beach, CA 92663

It was birthday dinner time, but where to go? Katie would be paying, so I did not want to go out for a crazy expensive meal, but I still wanted something nice. I checked out my list of restaurants that we had to try and found Cucina Alessa. So, we cut the birthday nap short and headed to Newport Beach.

Cucina Alessa is located a little off the beaten track in Newport. It is right on PCH, right before you cross the bridge to head into Huntington Beach. The parking lot is tiny, so that might be a problem during peak meal times and when the beach is crowded. We were allowed to sit inside or out, so we opted for the small but lovely patio.

Cucina Alessa has three locations, all in beach towns, Laguna, HB, and this one in Newport. Chef and Owner Alessandro Pirozzi was born in Naples and learned his cooking style from his grandmother. His menu has all the usual Italian favorites from all over Italy. Let's see if this will be a birthday dinner to remember or if I will forget it because of my advancing age. 

First up, a check of the Bread Basket and Pesto Dip. The bread here was simple, but we could not stop eating it. They cut sturdy Italian bread into strips and paired it with a solid pesto dip, which included basil and olive oil. It was a good start.

Nothing really spoke to me on their appetizer menu until I saw the Mamma Mia ($15.99): three meatballs in a ragu with burrata on top. These meatballs were pretty good-sized, and the burrata cheese made them very rich. The ragu was mild but still managed to have a good flavor. These meatballs were served with focaccia, which had a pizza crust vibe and was good for dipping into the sauce. We would not hesitate to order this appetizer again.

We both got side salads at Cucina Alessa. Katie selected the Della Casa ($4.50). This salad came with organic mixed greens, tomatoes, carrots, mushrooms, and shaved Parmesan, with an Italian herb vinaigrette. Katie called this salad "good, but nothing out of the ordinary." She did remark that the vegetables used here were very fresh. I went with a Julius Caesar Salad ($4.75). For a side salad, this was a decent size. This salad had plenty of Caesar dressing and garlic Parmesan croutons. The shaved pecorino was plentiful and really added to this salad.

Katie zeroed in on what she would order quickly: the Pollo Tortellini ($14.99). This plate comprised rosemary chicken, shallots, and green onions, all in a tomato vodka cream sauce. This plate came out of the kitchen nice and hot, and Katie could not hold back her praise for this meal. She felt it was one of the best pasta dishes she has had in a long time. She could really taste the rosemary with the chicken. The sauce was full of flavor without being too heavy. She would definitely get this pasta again here.

Unlike Katie, it took me forever to come up with what I wanted for my birthday dinner. I finally went with the Penne Funghi E Salsicce ($14.99), a fancy way of saying mushroom and sausage penne. I almost always gravitate towards a sausage dish in an Italian restaurant. I might have to change it up in the future. I liked the sauce in this pasta dish, but this meal really needed more of the pop I expected. It required more sausage, and some red pepper flakes could have helped. The pasta is freshly made, and I could definitely tell the difference. Good-sized portion, but I will try something different on future visits here.

We really enjoyed our visit to Cucina Alessa. The restaurant, like the parking situation, is very cramped though. The patio, where we were seated, was very narrow, and the tables were very close to each other. Inside seemed to be the same and very noisy. The menu at Cucina Alessa is diverse enough that you should be able to find something you will definitely like. They have all of the Italian standards, made with very fresh ingredients. I look forward to trying more of their menu and finding my "go-to" item here. The service was good on this night. Our waiter kept things moving along at a decent pace. The restaurant has a laid-back but nice feel to it. It's not overly stuffy, but it's not a place to wear your swim trunks after a day at the beach. Prices are reasonable, especially for this area, and the portion sizes were also suitable. I am glad we finally made it to Cucina Alessa, and I look forward to returning.

Out of five tongue depressors (not because this place will make you sick, but because this restaurant is just down the street from Hoag Hospital, and it is the largest employer in the city of Newport Beach), five being best to zero being worst, Cucina Alessa gets 3 tongue depressors.

For more information about Cucina Alessa, click here: http://cucinaalessarestaurants.com/

Meat-topia at Agora in Irvine! - CLOSED

Agora Churrascaria

1830 Main St.

Irvine, CA 92614

After leaving Agora Churrascaria, I came home and looked for flights to Brazil. I do not always eat Brazilian food, but if it is as good as we had this evening, it might be time for me to hop on a plane and experience it for a few weeks or so.

We recently were invited to a blogger's dinner at Agora Churrascaria. Our hostesses for the evening were the wonderful Diana Daniele and equally great Jane Gillespie. They brought together the best bloggers that Orange County has to offer. I have read many of these authors' blogs before I even thought of starting this blog. Anita from Diary of a Mad Hungry Woman, Tom from Tom's Foodie Blog, Griffin from Griffin Eats OC, Bobby from 100 Eats 100 Days, Austin representing The Hungry Dogg, Suki from Eat Suki Eat, the very talented Anne Marie from Brekkie Fan's Blog, and the cantankerous duo of Kat from Kat's 9 Lives and Minerva from Much Ado About Fooding were all in attendance. As great as the company was, the food would not be overshadowed.

Before we get a look at the food, first a little bit about Agora. Agora is a Brazilian steakhouse opened by Scott Im in 2005. He is Korean-born but grew a love of Brazilian food while spending part of his youth in the South American country. Agora is an all-you-can-eat meat lover's paradise. Meat is brought to tables by gauchos, who slice the various cuts of meat right off of the same metal skewers they are cooked on.

I snuck into the kitchen to take pictures of the meat cooking. Leonardo, the man holding the skewers above, is the General Manager of Agora, and he told me that they go through about a ton of meat a week here. They offer 12 different cuts of meat for lunch service, and then that number jumps to 16 for dinner. It is not all about the meat at Agora, though.

At Agora, they feature authentic Brazilian drinks. They have four versions of the famous Brazilian cocktail, the Caipirinha. I sampled three versions on this night. The Original Caipirinha, which contains Sagatiba, Cachaca, lime, and sugar, was my second favorite version of this drink tonight. It tasted very refreshing, like a cousin to the Mojito. Other versions included a Passion Fruit Caipirinha and, my favorite drink of the night, the Strawberry Basil Caipirinha. The canned Brazilian soda, Guarana, was also a table favorite for the non-drinking crowd. Katie thought this was a sweeter version of Sprite that was more refreshing.

Before the meat hit the table, we snacked on gluten-free Brazilian Cheese Bread, fried bananas, and salsa-like Tomato Vinaigrette. The cheese bread bowl was refilled numerous times throughout the night. I also liked the banana. It was nice to switch from savory to sweet every so often.

Are you not in the mood for meat? They had a well-stocked salad bar featuring over 16 different salads, plus a selection of cold cuts, cheeses, and shrimp cocktails. Standouts for us were the Caesar Salad, Potato Salad, and Shrimp Cocktail.

I knew the meat was on its way, but I had to go through the hot food bar at least once. I could have made a whole meal out of just the Black Bean Stew. There were pieces of what I thought were linguica in it. It was very good when paired with the Garlic Rice. Other items of note were the Clams, Collard Greens, and Mashed Potatoes. All of this was a precursor to the main event, so let's bring on the meat!

At Agora, there is only one rule that you have to follow. Green means go, and red means stop. As long as you have your coaster turned to the green side, the gauchos will keep bringing you meat until you can no longer pack it away. Some meats were slid off the skewers, and for others, you had to use tongs to grab them. I caught the hang of this rather quickly.

Wow, and you thought I was just kidding about all of the meat! This is just 12 of the 16-plus offerings on this night. My favorites included the Skirt Steak, Lamb Chop, and the Linguisa. All of the meats were cooked perfectly here. I have been to one other all-you-can-eat in a Brazilian restaurant, and all the meats started to taste the same. This was not the case here. At Agora, the meats were seasoned differently, so this problem was avoided. Other meats included Filet Mignon, Bacon Wrapped Chicken, Chicken Hearts, Top Sirloin, Top Sirloin Cap, Tri-Tip, Pork Tenderloin with Parmesan, Baked Salmon, Beef Ribs, Beef Skewers, and Filet Wrapped in Bacon. For those who wish to have their meat with a different degree of doneness, the gauchos were very accommodating, and every effort was made to get you the type of meat you are after.

By this time of the night, I knew I would have to be wheeled out of there, but of course, there was always room for dessert. Everyone around me got a different dessert, so I took a picture of all of them. I ordered the Chocolate Gelato, a light end to my heavy meal. Katie got the Acai, which was topped with bananas and granola. I took a bite of Kat's Cheesecake and thought it was very creamy. I was less fond of this Flan at Agora. It was too chalky for me. I like a lighter, more caramel-tasting flan.

Our night at Agora was a great experience. We left very full and satisfied with our meal. This is definitely a special occasion kind of place. We would like to express again our thanks to Scott Im, Leonardo Giannotti, and all of the wonderful staff at Agora for making this a great night out for us and all of our fellow bloggers. Also, thanks again to our hostesses for the evening, Jane Gillespie and Diana Daniele. We had a great time!

For more information on Agora Churrascaria, click here: http://www.agorachurrascaria.com/