Their Grade is In Their Name at A Restaurant

A Restaurant

3334 West Coast Highway

Newport Beach, CA 92663

Spring is a season of rebirth. Much like the leaves returning to the trees, or the birth of animals, spring is a season which represents new things. This is true in restaurants, as lots of them feature spring menus, which they hope will entice customers through their doors by refreshing their menus, and taking advantage of what this new season brings food wise. We were recently invited to experience A Restaurant's new spring menu, and what an experience it was.

For the few of you that are unaware of A Restaurant, they are located on PCH, right where it intersects with Newport Boulevard. This was the same spot where the famous Arches Restaurant operated for a ton of years, 80 of them in fact. In those 80 years, they went from roadside diner in the 40's to a menu that featured steaks, seafood, and French cuisine. The restaurant went through a name, ownership change and renovation in 2006, and struck the delicate balance of updating their menu, while not angering long time patrons, something that many older spots have tried to do, but ultimately fail at achieving. Not the case at A Restaurant.

Of course it helps to have people running this place that know the history here, and want to help preserve it. Founding Partner, McG and Operating Partner, Jordan Otterbein are longtime Newport Beach residents, who wanted to create a restaurant that felt like it always had, with its fantastic old school charm, wonderful staff, and excellent cuisine. They also struck gold by getting the very talented Jonathan Blackford as Executive Chef.

Chef Jonathan is Pittsburgh born and raised, getting his degree from the Culinary Institute of America, and then moving to OC after stints at restaurants in New York and San Diego. His Orange County resume includes the Hilton Waterfront and the now departed Kimera in Irvine. He credits the management team at A Restaurant for supporting his vision, and providing a place that challenges him to create food that he hopes his customers will react favorably to. We were very excited to see what his new spring menu had in store for us.

To be honest, I have no idea what I was drinking from the time I got here, until I left. I basically just told our bartender to bring me something at random. This was the first thing he brought me. I checked out the cocktail menu, and nothing really matched the description of this drink. I know this was rum based, and it was definitely refreshing. You could totally taste the alcohol, but it was not overwhelming. This beverage got my night off to a great start.

The first item to come out for us was this Tomato + Burrata Bruschetta ($14). For those of you that know me, you know that I'm not really into tomatoes. Yes, I'll eat salsa and red sauce, but I have a problem with the texture of whole or sliced tomatoes. I decided since we were at such a nice place, that I would be a big boy, and eat this as the chef intended. I ended up really enjoying this slice of ciabatta that was topped with heirloom tomatoes, pesto, shallots, basil, and one of the better burratas that we have had. This had a very balanced and complex feel to it. The burrata was very creamy, you get the crunch from the toasted ciabatta, the acidity from the tomatoes, and the kick from the pesto. Yes, I would have liked the tomatoes chopped a little more, but this starter has helped teach me that I can overcome my fear of the ominous red fruit, and actually enjoy it. Thanks Chef.

Definitely much more in my wheelhouse, this Crispy Suckling Pig ($15) made its way out next. A very carnitas feel to this, with its spicy guajillo pepper puree, queso fresco, cilantro, and avocado salad topping this delicious swine. I really liked the crisp edges of this, and appreciated the spicy sauce here. Kind of surprising that you can get this great Mexican inspired dish at A Restaurant, but that's just a testament to the creativity of Chef Johnathan and the support he gets from his management team.

In a night full of winning dishes, this one really stood out, and is one that I have thought about non-stop since having it. The Kentucky Fried Quail ($16), yes you read that right, quail, was the best version I have had of quail ever. The breading was a slight nod to the colonel, with a great crispness to it, and a wonderful casing for the tender meat inside. As if this well made quail was not enough, this was plated with a decadent foie gras gravy and a beautifully done truffle potato puree. Big time flavors here, that did not overpower each other. A great option for people not wanting to partake in red meat at A Restaurant.

My drink was near empty, so it was time to try another cocktail, and this time our bartender surprised me with this off the menu beverage, the Bradley. Inspired by a longtime customer, this cocktail is essentially an old fashioned, but instead of whiskey, it is rum based. A lot smoother than other old fashioned cocktails I have had, I liked this updated version much better.

Now that I was refueled with my new drink, I was ready for the next plate, which was this Spring Garlic Sausage ($14). Here Chef Jonathan threw me for a loop, because when this was presented, it kind of screamed fall to me, instead of spring, but it totally worked. The house made garlic sausage was lighter than I imagined it would be, without sacrificing flavor. It was plated with a Bavarian red cabbage, Yukon potato, mustard seeds, and one of the best onion rings you will ever have.

Like all good husbands, Chef Jonathan listened to his wife's request for something on his menu to be named after her. The result was this Kristi Salad V 3.0 ($14). This third version of this salad used baby organic spinach as a base, then included watermelon radish, avocado, shaved fennel, toasted pecan, Asian pear, and a green goddess dressing. This very fresh salad really had it going on, and Katie was caught hoarding most of this. She really enjoyed the way that all the items combined together to create this delicious salad. I enjoyed the different textures here, and how the green goddess dressing really tied everything together. Chef's wife has to be pretty excited with her namesake salad, and I'm sure it has scored him a few bonus points, which can always come in handy.

Next up was the lone seafood offering we got to try, the Wild Opah ($28). This Hawaiian fish was prepared with a splendid hollandaise sauce, tapenade, and a very good version of a dill fingerling salad, which puts your traditional potato salad to shame. The fish was mild, and cooked to a great texture, where it was not dried out, but still moist and delicious. A great dish that got me excited for other seafood items on their menu on my future visits to A Restaurant.

My biggest regret of this evening was not getting a better shot of one of the better beef dishes I have ever experienced. I was pretty much in a food coma at this point, but I make no excuses for not being able to move closer to get a better shot of this Japanese A5 Miyazaki Beef ($15 per ounce). Chef Jonathan called this, "meat butter," and his description could not be more apt. When this was consumed, it melted in your mouth, leaving one of the cleanest tasting beef flavors I have ever encountered. Everyone should experience this beef nirvana at least once in their life, and maybe a little more often than that. Not that this beef needed it, but it came with some very well flavored mushrooms, which were seasoned with a Ibushi Shoyu, a top grade soy sauce which provided a great smokey flavor.

Even though I did not need it, I was very excited with these Corn + Brown Butter Madeleine's for dessert. They were dusted with just enough powdered sugar, and served with an assortment of berries and a light Chantilly cream. The madeleines were freshly made, and provided a subtle sweetness, which was heightened with the lighter than air whipped cream. A great end to our heavier than usual meal.

On the way home from A Restaurant, I was left looking fondly back on the meal we just experienced. We have been to quite a few tastings of new menus, and this one is right near the top. I have not been able to put some of the plates out of my mind, and that's a testament to the team at A Restaurant. When we sat down at dinner, we were sitting with my friend Rich. He stated that we were in for a treat tonight, with Chef Jonathan at the helm, and he was one hundred percent correct. We were floored with what we were served on this night, and encourage you to give his latest spring menu a try. There are great things going on at A Restaurant, and we look forward o seeing what the next 90 years brings to this historic location.

We would like to thank the restaurant staff and management at A restaurant for making us feel so comfortable and at home in your restaurant. You have all achieved your goal of creating an atmosphere that is cozy, romantic, and reminiscent of your history, while not ignoring the present. We would also like to give a big shout out to Ashley Eckenweiler of the fabulous ACE Agency for including us in this wonderful event.

If you would like to experience A Restaurant for yourself, and you totally should, head over to their website here: http://arestaurantnb.com/

Hoping This Restaurant Is Worth Their Salt (and Ash) - CLOSED

Salt and Ash

1390 North Kraemer Blvd. 

Placentia, CA 92870

I have become quite obsessed with lists of restaurants. For a while, I was fixated on wings. Then I went crazy trying to hit all the burger spots on another top 10 list. I'm trying to hit up as many OC Register's Restaurant Critics as possible and Brad Johnson's top 75 restaurants on the OC list. I've already been to almost half of them, but that is not good enough for someone trying to eat their way through OC. So, I've made it my mission to tackle this list until another list strikes my fancy, and I attack that one.

The food community has embraced Salt and Ash for a restaurant that has only been open for six months. Not only has it been listed as one of the top 75 restaurants in OC, but it also got a glowing review in Orange Coast Magazine. Pretty good for a restaurant that is well hidden and in the suburban spread of landlocked Placentia. When we walked in, we also spied two of our good friends and prominent members of the OC food scene, Anita from Diary of a Mad Hungry Woman and Bobby of 100 Eats. Really good catching up with them, and proof that Salt and Ash has some great buzz surrounding it. Let's see if we thought this was the case after eating here.

Salt and Ash, as stated earlier, is in an odd shopping center next to the Placentia Post Office. Lots of wood all over the place, and a pleasant, relaxed atmosphere is provided. It is not too hipster, but it still has a youthfulness about it, even though they still serve beverages in mason jars, which was so yesterday, as any hipster could tell you. They have a small bar that straddles the back portion of the restaurant and the outdoor patio. About twenty tables in this rectangular floor plan are nicely spaced, allowing conversation in this rather loud environment.

The menu includes appetizers, sandwiches, entrees, desserts, and side items. There are about five options per section, with some extra appetizer options. According to our waitress, the menu changes with the seasons, which is a bummer because the much-hyped duck empanadas were missing when we dined here. Be aware that your favorite items might take a little hiatus on your next visit to Salt and Ash. Let's look at what was on the menu during our visit.

Since my duck empanadas were unavailable, we spontaneously went with these Dry Ribs ($11). These ribs were sans sauce but seasoned with sea salt, coriander, and black pepper. There was plenty of meat on them, but the salt overpowered them and detracted from the flavor of the meat. It's not one of my favorites.

Entrees came out rather quickly, and the first one to hit the table was my dad's selection, the Coastal Catch ($20). This plate changes with what's available on any particular day, and on this day, it was Grilled Ono, served with lotus red rice, baby corn, sweet peas, and an herb crema. My dad was pretty quiet about his meal, but usually, that just means he's very intent on not raising awareness about liking his plate and having to offer bites to anyone who would want some. Very selfish big guy.

Is a Cuban sandwich on the menu? Yep, that likely means my mom will order it, and she held true to form by ordering Our Cuban ($15). If you are an avid blog reader, you know how I feel about Cuban sandwiches. They are the most balanced sandwiches ever, and a good one can be life-changing. This one was good but not life-changing. Roasted pork, pickles, mustard, and cheese are sandwiched between grilled bread. A Cuban usually includes ham, but this version did not. Still good, but the bread seemed off to me. It was a little stiff and had too much of a panini feel. We liked the house french fries that she chose as her side item. They came out with a tomato jam and a much better aioli. My mom enjoyed this sandwich and took half of it home for lunch the next day.

I was torn between the burger and the steak, and as you can see from the pictures above, the Hanger Steak ($24) won out. Hanger steak is quickly becoming one of my favorite steaks, and this one was right up there. The steak was tender and cooked to a perfect medium rare. I would have liked a more substantial sauce, as this one was too watery. The borsin mash was good, but the turnips got lost here. A solid plate, but not one that I'd have to revisit.

Katie zeroed in on the Fried Chicken Sandwich ($13) at Salt and Ash. She reported that this sandwich was inconsistent. Katie liked the crunchy breading coating the chicken, but some bites were bland, even with a chimichurri sauce and peppers between the focaccia. She absolutely loved the calabacitas that she picked as her side item. I had no idea what calabacitas was before this evening. I learned it's a Mexican-flavored vegetable side dish containing squash, queso fresco, corn, and herbs. It was unique, and Katie was pretty stoked about this.

Reviews of this place advised me to save room for dessert, so we saved just enough room to try two of their four offerings. This Layered Chocolate Cake ($9) had some of the best frostings around. Very smooth and not overly sweet, it was a great vehicle for the cake portion, which could have been a little moister. Still, it was tasty and definitely worth having again.

Salt and Ash rotates a pretty impressive selection of pies, which they feature on their Facebook page to alert guests about what they will feature on any particular day. On the night we were here, they had this Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie ($8) as their seasonal pie. This fell flat for us. The texture was there, but the filling could have been more exciting. Only a little chocolate was included here, and the peanut butter needed to be more subtle. It has a good crust, though.

I had mixed feelings about Salt and Ash. I might have had it hyped up too much in my own head, with it being named one of the top 75 restaurants in OC. Based on this one visit, it was good, but I don't think it is the top 75 good. I would not consider any of the items we had on this evening to be crave-worthy. In other words, I would not go out of my way to come here again, but if my parents suggested it, I'd return and give them another try. Our server, Kaitlin, was right on top of things and extended excellent service during our stay. Now, we're off to tackle more of our restaurant wish list.

Out of five tennis rackets (because the city of Placentia was once home to Hall of Fame tennis player Michael Chang, whom I once scooped ice cream for when I worked at Baskin Robbins), five being best and zero being worst, Salt and Ash get three tennis rackets.

For more information about Salt and Ash, head over to their website here: https://saltandash.net/

Making Pigs of Ourselves at Baos Hog

Baos Hog

13918 Brookhurst St. 

Garden Grove, CA 92843

Sometimes you eat at a restaurant, and you just know that within a short matter of time, there's going to be a bunch of copycats out there. That was the feeling that I had once I saw the menu at Baos Hog in Garden Grove. Just like all the poke places, liquid nitrogen ice cream spots, and the build your own pizza joints, which are dominating the restaurant landscape these days, I can definitely foresee a bunch of these bao sandwich spots opening up all over. For now Baos Hog seems to be the only game in town though, but look for that to change.

Baos Hog opened its doors over 10 months ago, and has gotten some great praise from the local food media. OC Register Restaurant Critic, Brad Johnson put this place on his list of top 75 restaurants in OC this year. The OC Weekly has written numerous articles about his place, including their most recent, which was a glowing review of the food here. All this praise, plus the fact that my aunt Hiroko knows the owner here, had us all very excited to make a rare trip to Garden Grove for dinner on a recent Saturday night.

When the owners of the famous Lien Hoa BBQ wanted to expand their kitchen, and the place next door became available, they not only got more room to operate, but also let their daughter open up her creative new adventure, Baos Hog. According to Edwin Goei, restaurant reviewer for the OC Weekly, and later confirmed by their Instagram page, the original concept for this restaurant was hainan chicken, but the baos quickly took on the more prominent role.

For those of you new to baos, like me, they are steamed buns, kind of reminiscent of what you would get when eating dim sum, and they are traditionally stuffed with pork. At Baos Hog they have expanded their offerings to include duck, beef, chicken, and fish, along with a few selections that include pork. We got to this small, five table restaurant at about 6pm, quickly ordered and grabbed a table out in front of their restaurant. We'd heard that this place gets a little crazy near meals times, and based on our trip here, we can verify that this is true. Let's see how our first experience having baos went for us.

Our order was pretty good sized, so things came out in stages, the first of which was this Roasted Pork Cha Siu Bao ($3.50). When this was sat in front of me I was immediately struck by how nicely presented this was. The honey barbecue pork had a pleasing red ring around it, and was topped with cucumber, fried shallots, green onion, and a house made sesame hoisin sauce on the side. The pork was flavorful and tender, while the fried shallots added a nice crunch to this. I was a little too reserved with the hoisin sauce, but will not make that mistake next time.

Also included in this round of baos was this Boss Bao ($3.50). The base of this one is a five spiced pork belly that was joined in the soft and fluffy bao with pickled red onion, cucumber, green onion, fried shallot, crushed peanuts, hoisin, and a sriracha garlic mayo. I'm usually a big fan of pork belly, but this one seemed off to me textually. It did not have that fatty bacon kind of feel to it. I really enjoyed the sriracha mayo though, and the rest of the insides of this.

We got our next round of four baos out next, and one of my favorites on this evening was one of the simpler ones, the Cow Bao ($3.50). They use chopped grilled ribeye here, along with fried shallot, and green onion. Kind of like Mongolian beef, but in sandwich form. The ribeye was flavored well, and the green onion added just the right amount of flavor as to not overwhelm the ribeye. I'll get this one again for sure.

Another winner for me was this Duck Bao ($4.00). It really should not be surprising that this was good, as they use the same roasted duck that they famously serve next door at Lien Hoa. The duck was delicious, probably one of the best I have had in a long while. I was happy that this one was simply dressed with cucumber, green onion,fried shallots, and duck sauce on the side, as it really let the duck shine. This is another bao that I will return to.

The online buzz is probably the greatest for this Bolsa Bao ($3.50). This one was pretty solid as well, with its crispy pork belly, pickled carrots and onion, cucumber, hoisin and sriracha garlic mayo. The pork belly on this one was a lot more to my liking, and it's easy to see why so many people enjoy this one. Katie's not into pork belly, so I had this one all to myself, which is never a bad thing.

 A new addition to their bao lineup is the Fish Bao ($3.50). A fried basa fish is the centerpiece of this, with a cabbage medley, crispy wonton chip, red onion, and honey mustard sauce playing a supporting role. I was not in love with this. The fish got lost here, and the wonton chip was a little on the hard side. I can see what they were trying to do with this, but I wasn't feeling it.

It's not all about the baos here at Baos Hog, they do have a limited number of side items, one of which is the much heralded Salt and Pepper Wings ($4.50). These wings were more on the peppery side, which I enjoyed. Not the biggest wings we have had recently, but I like that they were fried well, the skin was crisp, and the sriracha dipping sauce actually complimented these, not that it was actually needed. Good wings, and something for people to get that do not feel like a bao sandwich.

I had a feeling that the wings were going to be good, but they may have been overshadowed by these Cauli Fries ($3.50). There's not too much buzz about these, but trust me, you are going to want to try them. Mediterranean inspired, these fried pieces of cauliflower were delicious, and fried to perfection. Not too greasy, and they came with a wonderful dipping sauce, which was part ranch, but with some garlic notes present. Delicious, and you almost think you're eating healthier since it's cauliflower and everything.

Leaving Baos Hog, I was struck by how this was such a simple idea of making baos into sandwiches, and how it just feels that this might be the next thing to be mimicked by other restaurants. Yes, not all the bao sandwiches were winners in my book, and to be truthful, I really enjoyed the simpler ones, like the beef and duck versions better than the more elaborate Bolsa and Boss versions, which reviewers love on Yelp. The sides are not to be overlooked here either, and definitely give some love to the cauli fries. Service was spot on, as the people behind the counter were very helpful answering questions. The food came out staggered, but we eventually got everything, and it came out hot, especially the sides. Glad my aunt Hiroko could introduce this place to us before there are many imitators.

Out of five white Cadillac's, (because this restaurant is of course named after Boss Hogg from the Dukes of Hazzard TV show, and he used to drive a 1970 triple white Cadillac), five being best to zero being worst, Baos Hog gets 3.5 white Cadillac's.

For more information about Baos Hog, head to their website here: https://squareup.com/store/baoshog

A Better Version of KFC in Irvine

Krave Asian Fusion Restaurant

2819 Main Street

Irvine, CA 92614

I've been in the mood for wings lately. I don't know what it is, but I have been thinking about them all the time. It might be due to the fact that this is the best time of the year for a sports fan. We have the start of the long baseball season, the NBA and NHL playoffs, and the NFL Draft is coming up real soon, which means football is not too far off. Anyways, no food item goes as good with sports as wings. Restaurant chains are based off of this concept, even though most of them don't do wings any justice. I'm looking at you Buffalo Wild Wings.

Krave came across my radar when they sent me an invite to come into their restaurant to give them a try. I never set up that media invite, but did put them on my list of places to try. After a rare trip to the movies to see "City of Gold," the flick about LA Times Food Critic, Jonathan Gold, we were near enough Krave, and we were definitely craving food after watching this gastronomic movie, so we decided to high tail it in to give them a try.

Krave is located in a kind of odd spot, near the corner of Jamboree and Main, situated in the same parking lot as a Residence Inn, Souplantation, and Boudin. I thought it might be a little challenging to get a parking spot here, but we got one right in front of the restaurant on this Saturday night.

Krave was not overly busy on this night, with about four tables in use during our one hour stay. The sleek decor is accentuated by the white walls and hanging light fixtures. There's an eight seat bar, with two televisions behind it, a slight nod to the relationship of sports and wings?

The menu is not going to blow you away with its diversity. Three sections to this menu, with one of those being wings, the entree section offers five options, including a burger, chicken katsu, bibimbap, udon noodle soup, and garlic noodles. Starters include potstickers, edamame, salmon avocado salad, a kogi quesdailla, and loaded kogi french fries. Now that you know the whole menu, let's see if this place can satisfy my wing cravings.

Before we get to the wings, let's check out the starter we went with, the Loaded Kogi Fries ($9.99). I have never eaten at the Kogi truck before, I know this probably ends my credibility as a food blogger, but I'm not really into food trucks, and have never been anywhere that they were scheduled to be. Checking out the trucks menu though, they do not offer fries, so I think these are just Kogi inspired. A big mound of fries are topped with Sriracha cheese sauce, marinated ribeye, scallions, and sliced jalapenos. This appetizer kind of fell flat for me personally. I'm never one to be too excited with cheese sauce, and this one was kind of bland, even with the supposed inclusion of Sriracha. I also felt the ribeye needed to be left in bigger hunks, so you could get a better taste of it. The fries were your basic, fast food style fries, which did not blow us away. I'd probably try the Kogi Quesadilla next time I"m here.

Now the main event, and the real reason we were here, the Wings ($11.99). At Krave they offer small, medium, or large orders of Korean Fried Chicken, and depending on the combination of what kind of wings you want, determines how many you get. If you order the small, like we did, you get your choice of 10 wings, 5 drums, or with a combination of both, you get 8. Not sure how set they are on this policy, because we got the small, and it came with 10 pieces with both wings and drums. They also offer four kinds of sauce with their wings; soy garlic, black peppercorn, Chinese chili, or spicy. Again the menu states that you can choose two sauces per order, but our waitress said it would be okay for us to try them all, which we did not scoff at.

The wings at Krave are bigger than most we have tried, with lots of meat on them. The outer shell has a great crunch to it, and the chicken inside has a moistness to it, which you do not find in most chicken wings. Really a great chicken wing, in fact one of the best we have had. The sauces were all pretty good, but none of them really stood out for me, except the black peppercorn. The spicy sauce was not nearly spicy enough, and even Katie could handle it, and she's usually a lightweight when it comes to spice.

Not sure if we had enough food, we also ordered these Garlic Noodles ($7.99) just to make sure. These came to the table more on the lukewarm side, than I thought they should be. Even though they were kind of cold, I warmed up to these as I ate them. The garlic was definitely present, and really jazzed up this rather simple looking dish. Not sure I'd get them again, but on this visit they closed out our meal admirably.

Krave did what we came here for the best, their wings. Even a few weeks after this visit, I still recall these wings favorably, and still think they are the best I have had to date. I do understand that they may not be for everyone though. Some might scoff at the price tag of over a dollar per wing, or the fact that there is no traditional buffalo sauce here, but taken for what these are, you will be blown away by these wings. The other items we had on this evening unfortunately did not live up to the high standards set by the chicken wings. Both the noodles and the fries kind of fell flat. Service was pretty good as expected, as there was only three tables of customers during our stay. The wings are the things to get here, and we look forward to coming back again soon to have some more, while watching some games.

Out of five pieces of jerky, (because in 2015, Hershey bought Krave Jerky for over $200 million dollars), five being best to zero being worst, Krave Asian Fusion gets 3 pieces of jerky.

For more information about Krave Asian Fusion, head to their website here: http://cravekrave.wix.com/krave