Fins Splashes Down in South OC - CLOSED

Fins Poke Fusion

28251 Marguerite Parkway

Mission Viejo, CA 92692

If there's any food that has broken out more than poke in the second decade of this new century, I'm not sure what it could be. Yes, kale and quinoa have had their time in the spotlight, but let's be honest, these foods are awful. At least cubed pieces of seafood are something that almost all of us can agree is better than kale or quinoa.

You can also judge the popularity of poke by the amount of it that has become available all of a sudden. A simple Yelp search turns up 17 restaurants that serve poke, or have poke in their name. For the most part, all of these restaurants are in the northern part of OC. You can now add another poke option for people south of Irvine, with the opening of Fins Poke Fusion.

Fins is located in the old Sushi Zone spot and are run by the same owners. Sushi Zone was an all you can eat sushi place, which saw its profits dry up after fish prices went through the roof. Not wanting to sacrifice the high quality of fish they used, Co-Owners Peter Cho and Moby Duncan had to make a decision about what to do with their restaurant. They made the wise decision to ditch the AYCE option and create a build your own poke bowl place.

Fins switched to this new format in March and are having their grand opening this month. I heard about this place by reading Edwin's review in the OC Weekly. You can see his review here. I've now been here two times, and the first time was after the switch over to poke, but before they had remodeled the inside. The ordering process was more choppy then, with an ordering process that could best be described as awkward. It used to be that you ordered at the register and went to your table and waited for your poke to be brought out. This resulted in a few of the orders coming out wrong.

Now the process is more like a Chipotle, you walk along with the person making your masterpiece, and can have them add and customize your poke just the way you like it. A much better way to order this. Also, the first time we were here they gave you a separate bowl for the poke, and you had to mix it with your base yourself. Now they serve everything in the same bowl, which made the second trip way more enjoyable for me. Here are a few shots of the food during our first visit.

Even though it was awkward eating the poke this way, it was still very fresh, and everything tasted great. We loved all the options, and the serving size was more than generous at Fins. Let's see how our second, more successful trip to Fins was.

The new improved ordering process at Fins was much easier to follow. There are signs at each station letting you know what options are available, and the people behind the counter were also on hand to answer all of your questions as well. You start with what size of poke bowl you want, small, medium, or large. Then you choose what kind of base you are in the mood for, mixed greens or white or brown rice. At Fins you have the option of tuna, spicy tuna, salmon, shrimp, albacore, or they may have a special selection from time to time. There are also three sauces to choose from, a spicy mayo sauce, a house-made ponzu sauce, or a more traditional poke sauce, sesame shoyu. The last step is to complete your perfect poke bowl with any extra toppings at an additional charge. These include avocado, crab meat, scallops, jalapenos, and more. These range in price from 50 cents to a dollar per item.

Here's a look at our finished poke bowls. I went with the Big Kahuna (large $10.95) sized bowl which came with 7 ounces of cubed tuna, with a base of brown rice. I also added garlic chips, jalapenos, avocado, and spicy mayo and ponzu sauce. Again the fish was fresh and delicious, the garlic chips were stronger than I imagined they would be and added a new element to my poke creation. They were a little light on the sauce, so I had my great friend Daniele go up and get some more for me. She did so begrudgingly, but I convinced her it would be in her best interest to complete this task for me. The spicy mayo sauce, which they call Kilauea is not really spicy, but more of a thousand island type sauce, without the pickles. The jalapenos picked up the slack for the non-spiciness of the sauce, as these little guys really packed a punch. A very filling dinner which left me full, but not lethargic.

We are so happy that we went to Fins a second time. Glad to see all the kinks have been ironed out with the ordering process and the way the food is served. They are also working on updating the dining area, which is nearing the process of being finished. At this build your own meal kind of places is always a challenge finding your perfect combination of items, but so far the journey at Fins has been pretty good. We look forward to going back again soon and perfecting our ultimate poke bowl. Glad to see that South OC has another option for poke, and we heard whispers that there might be a new Fins location opening soon. We'll keep you posted.

Out of five orca whales, (because the mascot for the Vancouver Canucks is an orca whale named Fin), five being best to zero being worst, Fins Poke Fusion gets 3 orca whales.

Fins Poke Fusion has a very limited website, but there are links to their social media outlets by clicking here: http://www.finspokefusion.com/

Bringing Back Some Good Memories at La Cave

La Cave 

1695 Irvine Ave. 

Costa Mesa, CA 92627

There are certain places that you can return to, and you instantly feel the years wash away. It can be a spot where you spent quite a bit of time with the best friends you have ever had. It can be somewhere that brings to mind the world before you became a real adult. Really it just needs to be a place where you feel comfortable, and have made some great memories. One of those places for me is the venerable Costa Mesa landmark, La Cave.

In my early twenties I moved down to the Santa Ana Heights section of Newport Beach with two of my really good high school friends. I ended up living with these guys for over ten years, and as is the case with youngsters in their 20's and early 30's, there was a lot of drinking going on.

We had a circuit of bars we would hit up weekly. Monday we would hang out by whatever softball field we were playing at, Tuesdays would be Muldoon's for the dart tournament, Fridays you could find us at Rudy's and then Newport Brewing Company, Saturdays we would head to Habana at the Lab, and Sundays we would take it easy and just hang at TGI Fridays.

Wednesdays? That would always be La Cave, but only after 10pm. You never wanted to be here too early because the drinks were stiff, and the smells from the kitchen were too intoxicating to us young guys, who did not have enough money for the steaks and seafood here, and we really just wanted to save our money for the strong cocktails. Anyways, we could always just hit up Jack In The Box on the way home.

La Cave has a wonderful history, even before I started coming here. Now in its 53rd year of business, La Cave has had John Wayne as a frequent guest, Justin Bieber has taken the stage in the lounge area, and I even had the pleasure of meeting Dennis Rodman here on one evening. The dining room here can be described as part Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland, add a part of the movie Swingers, and then throw in a hint of a speakeasy, and that's how I would describe the vibe here.

Old school is how others would probably describe La Cave. There's no menu here, instead they wheel a refrigerated cart over, and show you today's offerings under the glare of a flashlight. Some of the wait staff have been here for years, and they know many of the regulars that have been coming here for years. The chef is in the front of the restaurant cooking up steaks and seafood, and the aromas gently wash over the smaller than you would imagine room. After waiting for Tom and Daniele to show up, and after an initial cocktail, I was excited to add another chapter to my history at La Cave.

Once seated at La Cave, you will be presented with their Garlic Cheese Bread, which is included with dinner. Usually I'd air on the side of caution about filling up on bread, but this bread is worth gorging on, and they are not shy about refilling the empty basket numerous times during your stay. This bread is a little light on the garlic, but the excess cheese makes up for it. I put this bread pretty close to the one from North Woods Inn. Delicious, and there's no way you'll be able to stop at just one slice.

Along with the garlic cheese bread, dinners also include your choice of soup or salad. Tom tried the Soup, which I did not actually catch what kind it was. Looking at the picture, it has some kind of chicken in it, but other than that I have no idea whether he enjoyed it or not. He usually likes to keep his opinions to himself, so he can share them on his own blog. Selfish. I went with the Salad option, and I'm rather happy I did. Really this is a basic dinner salad with a red beet and cucumber added. What pushed this salad above the average mark for me was the blue cheese dressing here. First, they got more than enough on here, which made me very happy. Second, the dressing clung to the produce well, and had a very nice blue cheese flavor to it. I ended up making quick work of the salad.

I walked into La Cave thinking I was going to have the New York steak, but I ended up with my favorite steak, the 16 Ounce Boneless Ribeye ($37.95). This was actually a pretty good ribeye. Not ribboned with tons of fat, like some ribeyes tend to be, it had just enough to flavor the beef well. Cooked to a very nice medium rare, this was a pretty tender steak. The dinners here also come with your choice of rice or a twice baked potato. I've never had the rice, but I do not think it could rival the potato option. My potato was left under the broiler a little too long, but was still delicious, with just the right amount of cheese topping it.

Katie must have been pretty excited it was Friday, because she went big with the 7 Ounce Filet Mignon and a Half a Lobster Tail ($60.95). I must have become accustomed to Katie ordering her steaks well done, because I did not even flinch when she ordered it this way. I didn't try it, but Katie felt this was an amazing piece of meat. She let loose with adjectives like juicy, tender, and melt in your mouth. Pretty good for a steak that most would consider being overcooked. She also was a fan of the lobster. Not the best she has had, but it satisfied her seafood craving on this night.

I never did get an answer to my question about whether this Carrot Cake ($8.95) was made in house, as the waitress left to find out and never came back with the answer, but it doesn't matter because it was a pretty solid version of one of my favorite desserts. This four layer cake could have been a little more moist, but it had subtle cream cheese frosting and a good cinnamon flavor to it.

La Cave is a bygone restaurant that is still here today thankfully. Not like today's upscale steak restaurants that serve everything ala carte. For what you pay for just the steak at those places, at La Cave you get the salad, side potato, and of course the very good cheese bread. These are not the same quality of steaks that you can get at Maestro's or Ruth Chris, but they are still real good for the price and they are prepared well, and a great value for the money. I did think Katie's dinner was a little overpriced though for the tiny portion of lobster that came out with the filet. That little bit of lobster was not worth the extra $20 I assume that it costs. Still, the service was good, the atmosphere is always great here, and the company on this night was just alright. Glad I could add another page to my history at La Cave.

Out of five sprockets, (because the same year that La Cave opened for business, 1962, was the same year that The Jetsons premiered on TV, and George Jetson worked at Spacely Sprockets), five being best to zero being worst, La Cave gets 3.5 sprockets.

For more information about La Cave, go to their website here: http://www.lacaverestaurant.com/

  

A Standing O for Red O

Red O Restaurant

143 Newport Center Drive

Newport Beach, CA 92660

Writing this blog, we have not only had the opportunity to eat at some of the best restaurants Orange County has to offer, but more importantly, we have had the pleasure of meeting some of the nicest people on earth, restaurant people. I'm not sure what it is, but people that work in restaurants are some of the greatest people. From wait staff to bussers, from executive chefs to management, we have met some really fantastic people that we would even consider friends.

One of those friends recently reached out to us about trying her latest place, Red O Restaurant. We met Lindsey when she was working nearby at Canaletto. She had us in for a wine dinner, and we ended up really having a great time, and really enjoying her and everyone's company at this event that we still look back on fondly, even though it was over two years ago.  We were very pleased that Lindsey would be joining us for dinner, as it gave us plenty of time to catch up with her, and also learn about this restaurant that we had heard so much about, but had yet to visit.

Red O opened almost two years ago, where Coco's used to reside, just across from Muldoon's at Fashion Island. The Coco's was torn down to make way for this restaurant, and Fig and Olive, which is right next door. Any talk about Red O of course has to start with its chef, Rick Bayless. I could use the rest of this post to list all of Chef Bayless's accolades, but I'll just leave it at this, he's won six James Beard awards, is the host of Mexico-One Plate at a Time, which is in its 9th season on PBS, he's written 8 cookbooks, and won awards for many of them, and as if all that was not enough, he also won the inaugural season of Top Chef Masters, beating out an impressive lineup of notable chefs. Simply put, we are extremely lucky to have a Rick Bayless restaurant in OC.

As if having a world renowned chef was not enough for Red O, the inside of the restaurant is something to behold. They are on record as saying that they are going for a Mexican resort kind of feel to the place, and I'd say they nailed it. From the moment you walk in, until the moment that you leave, you will have that sense of a vacation stay wash over you. The beautiful tequila display that catches your eye as you enter, to the red painted ceiling with white lanterns hanging from it, and the comfy booths with just the right amount of pillows, you will leave here more relaxed than when you arrived, just like a trip to the Mexican Riviera.

The menu at Red O can best be described as upscale Mexican, with an emphasis on steak and seafood. Yes, you can still get carnitas and a number of enchiladas, (I hear the short rib enchiladas are phenomenal), but there are no combo meals listed, and not a burrito to be found here. After a little debate, we made our selections, and I looked real forward to what would be making its way out for us. Let's check it out.

The kitchen at Red O is a scratch kitchen, and that includes their Chips and Salsas, which they make every morning. I could definitely taste the freshness of the chips, and the red and green salsas were pretty solid. The best though was the habanero salsa. It had a real nice kick to it. If you're a heat seeker, this is the salsa for you.

We were eating with Katie, so an appetizer of guacamole definitely needed to be ordered. Katie's a guacamole fiend, and she gave two thumbs up to this Classic Guacamole ($11). This freshly made guacamole was made up of tomatoes, fresh lime juice, onion, cilantro, Serrano chilies, and of course chunky avocados. They nailed this. The guacamole of course tasted great, but what really impressed me was the consistency of it. It was smooth, but still had enough chunk to it so you did not think you were having soup. A lot of places screw this up in my opinion, but not Red O.

So far this must have been Katie's dream meal. She's a big fan of guacamole, but an even bigger fan of ahi, so she must have felt like she needed to go out and buy some lottery tickets when this Ahi Tuna Tostadita ($19) came out next for us. After eating these, we were all winners, unlike the lottery. These little mini tostadas had a lot going on with them. Of course you had the very fresh sushi grade ahi tuna, then throw in the avocado, cabbage, harissa aioli, pickled red onion, habanero, and finish it off with a chile cumin oil, it puts this over the top. Lindsey had left the table before this arrived, and it was hard for us to save her one. We did manage, but it took a great effort. A must order for ahi lovers dining at Red O.

We left the ordering up to Lindsey, and she had the wonderful idea for the three of us to split the Red O Tablita ($125). This was a wise decision since I was busy filling up on the chips and guacamole, and still wanted to save room for dessert later. The tablita is made up of a 32 ounce tomahawk ribeye chop, topped with a chipotle crema and a one and a half pound Maine lobster tail. It's brought to the table sizzling, like a fajita platter on steroids. It made people in the dining room stop conversing, and stare in disbelief. It's presented at the table, then sliced tableside for easier eating. One of the more impressive dishes we have had recently. The steak was extremely tender, and went well with the very well made chipotle crema. The lobster was of course very decadent, and prepared nicely. It's always a treat to have lobster, and this time was no exception. It's definitely worth the inquiry to see if this is available when you visit Red O.

Also included with the tablita is the inclusion of Traditional Black Beans, Mexican Red Rice, Classic Guacamole, and their great Tortillas. A very good way to round out this special meal. I'm usually not a big fan of black beans, but these had a great taste to them, and I loved that they were topped with plenty of queso fresco. The tortillas are made all day long in the kitchen by the masa ladies, and after tasting these, I can safely say that they are excellent at their craft.

It's not included in the tablita, but the Cotija Mashed Potatoes ($9) are worth ordering. You wouldn't think of having mashed potatoes in a Mexican restaurant, but these were awesome. Made with Yukon gold potatoes, and then the cotija cheese is placed under the broiler, so it gets a nice and crispy texture. I'm still thinking of these potatoes. So good.

I have become addicted to butter cake. My addiction started at Maestros of course, and has followed me to every place that offers a version of this fantastic dessert. At Red O their version was the Passion Fruit and Coconut Butter Cake. A little more fruity than I like my butter cake, but the cake portion of this was right on point, and the coconut ice cream paired nicely with this. Like i said, I am not to into fruit, but Katie was a fan of the strawberries and passion fruit on the plate here.

We left Red O being very impressed by everything we had here. Not your traditional Mexican spot, but more of a steak and seafood restaurant with a Mexican twist is how I would describe this eatery after eating here. The restaurant was lively, and not stuffy like other high end places tend to be in this area. The staff was very welcoming, and our waiter Rigo, was not only very attentive to our table, but his others as well. He was very knowledgeable about the restaurant and its menu, and passed along some great recommendations to us and his other guests. The staff really helped facilitate the resort vibe that they are going for at Red O. We will be back soon, as I have heard great things about their Short Rib Enchiladas, Filet Mignon, and other menu items.

We would like to thank everyone at Red O for their fantastic hospitality, and great cuisine on this evening. A special thanks to our good friend Lindsey Goetz, the Director of Events at Red O, who was not only having dinner with us on this night, but checking in with two other events that she had going on this very busy Monday night. If you have an event coming up, and want to insure it's a great success, you should consider getting in touch with Lindsey and her team at Red O. Thanks for the invite to experience Red O first hand, and we look forward to seeing you again real soon.

If you would like to find out about Red O for yourself, you can find more information about them on their website by clicking here: http://www.redorestaurant.com/