Trusting the Weatherman at Jeff's

Jeff's Inviting Food and Spirits

1904 North Tustin St. 

Orange, CA 92865

Wow, 52 years is an awfully long time when you think about it. But, here we were celebrating my parents 52nd year of wedded bliss. For me to reach this milestone, I'll have to live to be 96 years old and Katie will be a young 90. Hmm, not sure I'm going to make it to 96, but I'll definitely settle for 40 years with Katie. Anyways, we decided we'd take my parents out to dinner to celebrate their big day, and as usual, it was left to me to pick the place. After very little debate, we headed to Jeff's Inviting Food and Spirits.

My mom actually had gotten me to jot this place down on our restaurant wishlist not that long ago. She's an avid fan of the KTLA Morning News and weatherman Henery DiCarlo. He mentioned on-air that Jeff's was his favorite restaurant. That was good enough for my mom to say that she wanted to give this Orange restaurant a try, so I made reservations on a recent Friday but was limited to the 5pm early evening slot. We raced up here from South OC, with just about five minutes to spare.

Jeff's is located in a pretty good-sized strip mall alongside busy Tustin Street called Tustin Square. They are situated right behind the Weinerschnitzel, and in the same center as Poke District, Darya Persian Restaurant, and Oshima Japanese Cuisine. From what I can gather Jeff's has been open since 2014, and gets four and a half stars on Yelp, with close to 300 reviews. Very respectable.

The man behind the food here is Executive Chef Paul Carcano, and we saw him working furiously behind the bar, where he competes with the bartenders for the elbow room of the confined space. The menu he has put together is classicly American and pretty varied for the amount of space that he has to work with here. There's eight appetizers, with only the bruschetta not having a seafood element added to it. Dinners run the gamut from chicken, pork, seafood, steaks, duck, and one burger is offered. Prices for entrees range between $15 for the burger to $48 for the surf and turf. Most entrees hover right around the $30 threshold.

It's easy to figure out why this restaurant is a tough reservation to get, with it being pretty small. Walking in the door there's a row of high top tables lining the left wall, a ten to fifteen seat bar, with a great view of the open kitchen and bartenders pouring drinks, and lastly, there's another five or so tables, which is where we were seated. Tables are predictably close together, but they make it work here. Let's see if my mom's tip from our local weatherman will yield clear skies or a stormy meal ahead.

A bread basket was the first thing out for us after ordering. The bread was very sturdy and some pieces had some garlic running through it, while others did not. I was also pretty stoked that they gave you a big portion of softened butter, which is something a lot of restaurants don't do. You eventually have to end up asking for more butter, and don't even get me started on butter packets, which almost always come out of the freezer and are hard to spread. Ugh.

Due to Katie's shrimp allergy, and the fact that five of the eight appetizer offerings include shrimp, we skipped that section of the menu and instead went for some salads. As is my usual, when it's offered, I had the Caesar ($7) to start. This was a pretty standard representation of a Caesar. It included chopped romaine, three bigger than usual croutons, a mellow Caesar dressing and some shredded parmesan sprinkled on top. Good, fresh greens, but there could have been more flavor to the dressing here, or perhaps a heavier hand when applying it. Katie opted for the Dinner Salad ($7), which included sliced cucumbers, mixed greens, tomato wedges, mushrooms, and her requested blue cheese dressing on the side. A good side salad that kept her busy until our entrees started to make their way to our table.

Katie will start us off with her pick for the evening, the Chilean Sea Bass ($39). This fish was topped with a lemon, caper, butter and white wine concoction that paired nicely with the very tender and wonderfully seared sea bass. The menu does not state it anywhere, but you do get two sides to accompany your meal. Maybe if they would put that on the menu it would save the servers from having to repeat it over and over, like I observed during our visit. Katie opted for the Brussels Sprouts and the Mushroom Risotto, which are the same sides I got. The risotto is the thing to get here, judging by subtle glances at the nearby tables. The mushrooms contain a great earthiness and the risotto was done perfectly. Katie was very happy with this meal at Jeff's.

Before showing up here, and looking at the menu, I was a little perplexed as to what my mom was going to be ordering for her entree. She's not really too much into seafood, and I can't recall the last time I saw her order a steak. That left her to get this Sauteed Chicken Breast ($26). This chicken was sauteed in olive oil and seasoned with white pepper, rosemary, thyme, and a touch of garlic. The outside portion of the chicken was crispy and the inside was surprisingly tender. I usually shy away from chicken in restaurants because it's usually overcooked, but this one was the exception to the rule. My mom picked the grilled asparagus and the fingerling potatoes as her sides. The potatoes were very bland and forgettable, but the asparagus was crisp and picked up some added flavor from the grill.

My dad had a way easier time coming up with what to eat at Jeff's. He decided to go with the Sea Scallops ($31) for his main course. The four scallops were pan-fried in olive oil and finished with a touch of lemon. My dad really liked this simple presentation, which showcased the fresh seafood here. He was even more over the moon with his selection of side items. He had the popular mushroom risotto but also got a side of wild mushrooms. He was in mushroom heaven with these two. The mushroom risotto was a favorite of his, but he inhaled the wild mushrooms quite quickly. My mom's aversion to mushrooms has led to him not being able to have these fungi too often, so when he does get them, he's pretty excited about it.

I've mentally noted that I do not get duck quite nearly enough, and I was going to remedy that situation by having this Liberty Farms Duck Breast Fillet ($35). This duck came pre-sliced with black cherry and port wine reduction. The first bite I had was a tad overdone, but the rest of the slices were delicious and tender. Duck like this makes me wish I'd get it more often. I got the same sides as Katie, Risotto and the Brussels Sprouts. The sprouts were pretty good, and what I liked was that some of them were crunchy, and the bigger ones were a bit chewier. They kept me guessing and I liked the sauce they used on them.

Since we were celebrating my parents anniversary, they brought us two pieces of cake. Not sure how we scored two, but we will take it. We learned from our server that these cakes are made by someone associated with Rockwell's Bakery, which is a pretty well-known bakery in North OC. Both cakes were good. I think I liked the Chocolate one better than the Carrot, which is a little shocking because I am a big carrot cake fan usually. Both had plenty of icing included, but both could have been a tad moister. Not bad for free cake though.

Our visit to Jeff's was really quite impressive. Not only is their menu pretty large, but they are also churning out some pretty delicious food in such a small space. I do wish they had a little more variety on their appetizer menu, but you could not go wrong with any of the entrees we tried on this evening. Chef Carcano has got it going on. The prices at Jeff's make one think of this more as a special occasion restaurant, rather than a place you will come weekly, although there did seem to be many regulars inhabiting the premises on the evening we were here, mostly hanging around the bar. Service was very good on this evening. Our server Morgan took great care of us and even took the time to learn our names throughout our stay, a very nice touch. Jeff himself was also fairly active checking on his guests at their tables and making sure things were running smoothly. At the end of the day, Jeff's was an excellent spot to celebrate my parents 52nd wedding anniversary.

Out of five Big Mac Burgers, (because this iconic fast food burger came into existence in 1967, the same year my parents got married), five being best to zero being worst, Jeff's Inviting Food and Spirits gets 3.5 Big Mac Burgers.

For more information about Jeff's Inviting Food and Spirits, head to their website here: http://jeffsoc.com/

Over the Moon at Luna Rossa?

Luna Rossa

2449 Park Avenue

Tustin, CA 92782

It's been some time since we last visited the District at Tustin Legacy. The last review we had done at this shopping and entertainment center was about a year and a half ago when we visited The Kroft, which is situated in the now thriving Union Market. The Union Market was slow to get things rolling, but now it seems like most booths are occupied, and at least the food stalls seem busy.

There's been some new additions to the food scene at the District. Bar Louie finally shed the albatross which is the Anaheim Garden Walk and opened here a year and a half ago. Cinnaholic, a gourmet cinnamon roll shop, made famous by their appearance on Shark Tank opened for the good people of Tustin almost a year ago. Mediterranian and Italian favorite, Prego, which used to be closer to the airport, relocated to the District in late 2017. It's another Italian restaurant that has brought us here on this evening though, a restaurant that I think might have been an original tenant when the District opened, Luna Rossa.

My parents were pretty excited that we had an open spot on our calendar, and that spot just happened to my birthday. They had asked where we wanted to go, and since both Katie and I were leaving from work, we decided to meet in the middle for all of us, which brought us to the District. Traffic was pretty light, and the notorious parking disaster that is associated with this busy shopping center was not present on this early Monday evening. We got spots very close to the restaurant and made our way through the sparsely populated center.

Luna Rossa was pretty desolate as well. We had made reservations, but they were unneeded, as we were the only ones in the dining room during the entirety of our hour-long visit. There were some people hanging out near the bar in the back of the restaurant, but other than our waiter and one other server, not much action going on in the comfortable, bright dining room.

Dining options at Luna Rossa abound. The menu is laid out pretty much like you'd expect in an OC Italian restaurant. Salad and appetizers start things off, numerous pasta options are up next, along with some baked pasta dishes, then the more substantial, protein-laden plates are up next. They do also have four risotto selections for your consideration. Their wood-burning pizza oven is prominently seen from where we are sitting, and there's 13 pizzas listed on their menu. Entrees range between $17 to $40 for their lamb chops. Lamb chops, always one of my favorites, was not what I was eyeing on this evening though. Let's see what we did end up trying on our maiden visit to Luna Rossa.

Bread service is, of course, the first step in an Italian restaurant, and Luna Rossa was no exception. They had two different styles of bread in this basket, a ciabatta style, and a more traditional Italian bread. Both were good and fresh and made even better with the provided oil and vinegar. Restaurants have been shying away from this practice, which I've learned is not done at all in Italy. I imagine the high costs of the balsamic vinegar and olive oil have a lot to do with this, but it was kind of refreshing to have it here for a change.

Three of the four of us had a salad to start our meal. Katie had the Half Lattughine Mista ($7)) or Mixed Green Salad for the non-Italian of the rest of us.  This simple salad came with grated carrots, tomato wedges, and a balsamic dressing. Katie thought this was just okay. The veggies were fresh, but the dressing did not bring the greens to life. A much better option was the Half Caesar ($7) that I had. The romaine salad was dressed with a very tasty Caesar dressing and overloaded with shaved parmesan cheese. A great Caesar which had just the right ratio of dressing, cheese, and romaine in each bite. Well sized for the half portion as well. It kept me busy until the entrees started to come out for us.

My mom is definitely a creature of habit when she sees an arrabbiata sauce on an Italian menu. She has to order it. That was the case here at Luna Rossa. The Penne Arrabbiata ($15), with its slightly spicy tomato sauce and garlic undertones, made her very happy this evening. It's kind of funny, she's not really into anything really spicy other than this dish. She would definitely get this again when returning here to eat.

I guess I'm pretty predictable as well when eating in an Italian restaurant. I always look for a dish which features sausage. This Rigatoni Con Salsiccia ($24) not only came with sausage but onions and mushrooms as well. The rigatoni was nicely made, there was a ton of sausage in this, and the mushrooms and onions added a ton of flavor. This was big enough that I kept half of it for lunch the next day, which allowed the flavors to meld even more.

Katie is a little less predictable when eating out, as I would not have guessed that she'd get this Tortellini Di Pollo ($23). The tortellini was filled with chicken and came with peas, mushrooms, and an Alfredo sauce. She thought this was a very pleasing dish. She loved the flavorful Alfredo sauce and the tender chicken nestled inside the tortellini. She could totally see herself getting this dish again.

Last but not least, was my dad's selection on this evening, the Lasagna Classica ($21). It doesn't look like it from the picture, but this was a pretty good sized slice of lasagna. This came not only with tomato and meat sauce but bechamel, which I always enjoy when its included in a lasagna. This was rounded out with some mozzarella and sprinkled parmesan on top. My dad put this away rather quickly, so I assume he was a big fan of it. The bite I had was pretty tasty as well.

From what we could tell, they send you off with, what some people online have called beignets, but these were lighter and more hollow than the typical beignet. They were fine for a free dessert, but only the powdered sugar topping these made them memorable. Our server also brought out a Panna Cotta birthday dessert for me. It had a generous amount of strawberry puree streaked across the plate. The pannacotta was one of the better versions I've had, it had a pleasing texture, understated sweetness, and paired well with the strawberry. This was my parents first time having pannacotta, and I think they were pretty impressed.

I actually really liked the food that I experienced at Luna Rossa, even if it is a little unsettling to be eating in a completely empty dining room throughout our entire visit. Actually, almost all of the restaurants that we passed by on our walk to and from the parking lot were pretty close to being deserted. It could have been because it was a Monday evening or a lot of people are on their summer vacations. Anyways, Luna Rossa is a solid spot for Italian food, with a varied menu, and some very good service. Our server, Gianluca took great care of us, even though he did not really have much to do in this uninhabited restaurant. It will hopefully not be another year and a half before we head back to the District.

Out of five lunar eclipses, (because this restaurant's name translates to a red moon in Italian, a phenomenon brought on by the earth blocking the suns light from reaching the moon, resulting in the moon being bathed in a red hue), five being best to zero being worst, Luna Rossa gets 3 lunar eclipses.

For more information about Luna Rossa, head to their website here: http://lunarossatustin.com/Home.html

Enjoying the Ride at Harley - CLOSED

Harley Laguna Beach

370 Glenneyre St. 

Laguna Beach, CA 92651

Birthday dinner time, and where should we head? This year, it was much easier to come up with some places because the April issue of Orange Coast Magazine listed the top ten best new restaurants in OC. When I read the list, I made a pact to try as many as possible within the next few months. The list includes some pretty pricey spots, so we'll see how many we make it to, but Harley Laguna Beach was the second one we could cross off the list.

The last time we had run across Chef Greg Daniels was when he was at Haven Gastropub in Orange. I actually owe Chef Daniels an apology for that review. My review took place in 2010, during the first full year of this restaurant review blog. Back then, I would say my tastes were a little conservative. Reading my review from nine years ago made me cringe quite a bit. I have grown as a restaurant eater and appreciate chefs who think outside the box. If you want to read that awful review, check it out by clicking on Haven Gastropub on the right-hand side of this blog. I'm definitely not going to link it because it's pretty embarrassing.

Harley is named after Chef Greg Daniels' grandfather. He named this restaurant after his grandfather because he wanted his guests to experience the sense of home and hospitality he felt when visiting his grandfather's house. Speaking of home, this address used to be home to one of our favorite restaurants, 370 Common. Chef and Owner Ryan Adams has since moved on to Parallel Pizza in Dana Point and Buttermilk in Downtown Orange, both of which are very good.

Harley sits on the corner of Glenneyre and Mermaid Street. Since taking over in November of last year, they have lightened the place up a bit, adding some visually pleasing lighting fixtures hanging from the ceiling and an eye-catching shade of green to the walls of the dining room. Make a note that Harley is closed on Mondays, and they are only open for dinner during the week but feature brunch on weekends starting at 11 a.m.

Back to our visit on a recent Sunday evening. We arrived at a nearly empty restaurant and had our pick of seating options. There's the dining room, with its high ceilings and plenty of elbow room; there are a few cozy, out-of-the-way booths; and lastly, the option we went for, a chef's bar, where you have a prime spot to glance at the inner workings of a professional kitchen and watch your food being prepared. We could not pass up that opportunity.

The menu at Harley is designed so that most items are meant to share family style. There's a good assortment of at least 16 appetizers by my count, they have a $30 burger which made me do a double take, two pasta dishes, and one each of a chicken and seafood entree. Steaks and chops are the most significant part of the menu, are grilled over pecan and citrus, and come pre-sliced for easy sharing. Harley has also partnered with Stemple Creek Ranch and Electric City Butchers to provide a rotating list of options from their wood-fired grill. Let's check out what we experienced for my birthday dinner.

First up was the Grilled Avocado ($14). At first glance, this seems like a simple dish, but there was some complexity to it. The visually stunning avocado, with its grill marks clearly showing, was seasoned with coarse salt, rubbed with some avocado oil and lemon, and placed on top of ground-up avocado leaves and pit. The ground-up avocado leaves brought an earthiness to this that I was not expecting this plate to need. The avocado was warm enough that it was just on the verge of melting, which led to it spreading wonderfully across the lightly buttered thick bread.

A special treat from Chef Daniels was up next for us. I would not usually order fried Halloumi Cheese ($14), probably because this evening was the first time I had heard of Halloumi cheese. I have since learned that this cheese comes from the island of Cyprus, is traditionally made up of goat and sheep's milk, and has a high melting point, which allowed it to be brought out to us on fire, fueled with Blinking Owl Distillery's Aquavit. We doused the flames with the provided lemon and dug in. The nicely charred outer crust gave way to a very structured, creamy inside with a nice salty flavor. It might have been because of the lemon, but it reminded me of a very subtle piece of grilled fish, but that was just my experience. I'm odd.

Since the menu encourages the sharing of dishes, Katie and I decided we'd order a few items and split them. She loved this Cacio E Pepe ($20) more than I did. The pasta is made here and dressed with black pepper oil and pecorino cheese. The pasta was well crafted, but I needed a bigger pop of flavor, whereas Katie liked the subtleness of this and described it as total comfort food that she could see herself eating on a chilly winter evening. We will have to agree or disagree with this dish.

When ordering, we inquired about many unique cuts of steak listed on their menu, like bavette, flank, skirt, and velvet, but they were out. We finally decided on this Bone-In New York Steak ($78). This sixteen-ounce steak was dry-aged for 35 days and came from the Stemple Creek Ranch near Santa Rosa in Northern California. At Harley, it comes sliced with a red wine pepper au jus. I admit this was one of the cleanest pieces of beef I have had, and it was cooked perfectly to my desired medium rare. I needed it to pop more. The au jus did not do enough to elevate this steak for me. Maybe I've become too spoiled by the ribeye steaks I've grown accustomed to.

We rounded out our meal with Brocollini ($10) this evening. This was farmer's market fresh and nicely brought to life with the addition of roasted garlic and chili flakes. I decided to take more than my fair share of this since Katie was more partial to the pasta than this. It all worked out in the end.

We needed a sweet end for our meal at Harley and chose this Chocolate Flan ($12) from the four options. Not very sweet, this chocolate flan was plain tasting, and I needed the caramel sauce and the tart luxardo cherries to bring this to life. From reading online reviews and looking at pictures, I think the pineapple upside-down cake or the pecan pie would have been better options.

When they leave Harley, everyone is sent off with these Chocolate Chip Cookies. It's an homage to Chef Daniels's Grandma Mary. She'd always have her cookie jar full, and when leaving her house, everyone took one for the road. It was a very nice gesture, but these did not even make it out the door, as I had to eat them right away. They are classic chocolate chip cookies, just the way I like them—a little crunch on the outside and chewy inside.

There's no doubt that Harley is a welcome addition to the Laguna Beach restaurant scene. They are using some of the best quality ingredients we have encountered for a long time. There's also no doubt that Chef Daniels knows his way around the kitchen and has his techniques down. I can not fault how anything came out for us this evening, as it was all cooked wonderfully. For me, everything here was done safely. There was no risk, no big burst of flavors, like the apple tart with blue cheese ice cream we had at Haven (the one I criticized when I wrote my amateurish review ten years ago before I knew any better about the creativity that chefs must have). The steak here was good, but I needed more if I paid close to $80 for a steak that was only a pound, including the bone. In hindsight, I might have forked over the extra $40 for the $125 16-ounce ribeye. It may have wowed me as much as the one I had at Sellane Steak Tavern a few years ago. Even without the wow moments, I can see Harley being around for a long while, with their excellent service, small touches that show how much they want to take care of their guests, and their use of only premium ingredients. I'll bet that Harley will become many Laguna Beach residents' favorite restaurant spot for special occasions for years to come.

Out of five hogs (because when you think of the name Harley, it's hard not to think of the motorcycles, which are affectionately nicknamed hogs), five being best to zero being worst, Harley Laguna Beach gets 3.5 hogs.

For more information about Harley Laguna Beach, head to their website here: https://www.harleylagunabeach.com/

Andrei's Tenth Anniversary Celebration

Andrei's Conscious Cuisine and Cocktails

2607 Main Street 

Irvine, CA 92614

Ten years is a pretty long time when you stop to think about it. The current life expectancy in the US currently stands at 78 years, so ten years is pretty close to thirteen percent of the average American's life. Ten years in the restaurant business is even rarer. While it's true that fifty percent of restaurants close within the first three years of being open for business, once a restaurant passes its fifth year of operation, they have a 90 percent chance of making it well past their tenth anniversary and beyond. One such restaurant that is celebrating their tenth year in business in the next month is Andrei's Conscious Cuisine and Cocktails and they have quite a lot celebrate.

Opened in 2009, Andrei's was started by the Olenicoff family and named after their beloved son, husband, and brother, whose life was tragically cut short in an accident. Before his death, he was diagnosed with retinal eye disease, which led to the creation of the Andrei Foundation in 2005. This foundation honors Andrei's legacy by supporting blindness and vision impaired charities, along with animal and environmental causes. 

Andrei's operates as a not for profit restaurant. One hundred percent of all of their net profits go to the Andrei Foundation. So, since they are celebrating their tenth anniversary in the month of July, they wanted to do something even more special by highlighting one of their favorite charities, Miracles For Kids, which helps the families of critically ill children with counseling, housing, paying their bills, and anything else which helps families stabilize during this trying time. Andrei's will be donating 20 percent of their monthly sales to Miracle For Kids for the month of July.

Not only will Andrei's be generous with their donation, but they have also created a special menu of ten signature items, all priced at $10. This special menu is available from July 1st to July 13th and includes many of their customer's favorites from their menu. We had the privilege of attending a preview party on their second-floor patio a few days ago and we were quite impressed with everything. Here's a quick look at some of the highlights.

I was very partial to the Fish Tacos, which used a daily fish which came dressed with pickled cabbage, guacamole, and a very well made chipotle sauce all on a handmade corn tortilla. I could have eaten another ten of these if I was not on my best behavior. The Calamari was another bright spot, with its white wine lemon reduction and very well done tartar sauce. Due to Katie having a real aversion to calamari, I have to relish it when I get any chance to partake in it. The Black Angus Spring Rolls were unique with their Morrocan seasoning on the ground beef and a dollop of tzatziki sauce topping each one. Anytime these made an appearance near me I could not resist getting two or three at a time. Here's a full list of what is available on the special anniversary $10 menu.

Double Dip Duo – Cilantro-Green Pea Hummus, Avocado Bacon Dip, Warm Pita, Seasonal Vegetables
Calamari - Flash Fried Calamari, Garlic, Shallots, White Wine-Lemon ReductionPortobello Steak Fries – Panko-Crusted Portobello Mushroom Fries, Tartar Dip VG
Black Angus Spring Rolls – Feuille De Brick, Moroccan–Spiced Ground Beef, Fresh Herbs, Sauerkraut, Tzatziki
Andrei’s Chop Salad – Organic Field Greens, Roasted Chicken, Cucumbers, Avocado, Tomatoes, Corn, Candied Walnuts, Goat Cheese, Dates, Corn Bread Croutons, Sherry Vinaigrette
Market Fish Tacos – Daily Fish, Pickled Cabbage, Guacamole, Black Beans, Spanish Rice, Handmade Corn Tortillas
Lamb Burger – Superior Farms Seasoned Ground Lamb, Heirloom Tomato, Arugula, Shaved Cucumber, Onion, Feta, Fennel-Lemon Aioli, Brioche Bun, Pommes Frites 
Vegetable Caponata – Organic Carrots, Indian Eggplant, Sweet Peppers, Kohlrabi, Caulilini, Zucchini Noodles, Fresh Pesto
Andrei’s Dessert Tasting – Piña Colada Carrot Cake, Bourbon Peach Cheesecake, Andrei’s Beignets
Bastille Day – X-Rated Liqueur, Fresh Berries, Brut Champagne

Andrei's also has event space available on the ground floor of their restaurant which can host up to 300 guests. They've hosted birthday parties, corporate events, weddings, and more at their restaurant in the ten years they have been operating. The Hor D'Oeurves Platters that they had set up for our media event were beautifully put together and delicious to eat. If you have an event coming up soon, Andrei's is definitely worth a visit to see if this could end up being the perfect spot to host your upcoming occasion.

This fantastic media event has really piqued my interest in Andrei's and I look forward to returning very soon to do a proper restaurant review.  In the meantime, make sure to take advantage of their $10 specials at the start of July, and also help out a worthy charitable cause by eating here during the entire month of July. You can feel good not only for doing some good in the world but also feeling good by eating some great food as well.

Katie and I would like to thank everyone we encountered at Andrei's, starting off with Natalia Ostensen, who, along with her family opened Andrei's, and could not have been nicer. Her passion for Andrei's and their philanthropy was very evident. It's also apparent that the team at Andrei's is a big part of their success and longevity here. General Manager Shannon Jones and Event and Marketing Director Jennifer Simmons have been at Andrei's almost from the start and were very gracious hosts on this evening, and their passion for this restaurant is obvious when they were chatting with us. It was a great pleasure getting to meet both of them. We'd also like to thank the servers, bartenders, and others at Andrei's, who made our visit smooth and seamless. Lastly, we'd like to thank Mona Shah of Moxxe PR, one of the best in the business, for inviting us to this wonderful event and getting the chance to catch up with her after such a long time. Great seeing you again Mona.

For more information about not only their tenth-anniversary events but everything Andrei's Conscious Cuisine and Cocktails, head to their website here: https://andreisrestaurant.com/

Coming Full Circle at ARC

ARC Butcher and Baker

417 30th Street 

Newport Beach, CA 92663

Memorial Day weekend was strange this year in OC. It started off nice, with temps in the mid-70s, and then on Sunday, it dropped to the low 60s with a good amount of precipitation. Monday was nice and sunny but windy and not conducive to sitting on the beach all day. I can't remember a Memorial weekend when it rained, and it threw everything off.

On that Memorial Day Monday, Katie and I had a rare day off together. Instead of being lazy, we would head down to Newport and get some steps in. Our walk did not last too long, as we got sidetracked when we ran into one of our favorite bartenders at Blackie's and, of course, had a few cocktails. Predictably, I had a place picked out to try for lunch, so after we finished our drinks, we headed to ARC Butcher and Baker.

If ARC sounds familiar, it's because this is the little sister restaurant to the much-heralded ARC Food and Libations at SOCO in Costa Mesa. That restaurant has won numerous awards since it opened its doors in 2013 and made culinary stars from the husband and wife team, Noah and Marin Von Blom. Not only do they have supermodel looks, but their food is also sexy as hell, excuse my language.

ARC Butcher and Baker is a smaller version of the original ARC, but they are five businesses in one. They offer grab-and-go dinner options and will deliver boat baskets and catering straight to your boat at the nearby Newport Harbor. They are part butcher shop where you can take the meat to grill at home, or they will grill it for you in their wood-fuelled kitchen. They are part bakery, with a wide selection of baked goods available daily. Last but not least, they have a small dining room with maybe a dozen seats for people who want to eat here like us.

I expected the menu to be relatively small in a space as small as this, but I was impressed with the vast array of items available. The menu lists starters, salads, sandwiches, plates, breakfast items available all day, sides, soups, and baked goods. All menu items, except entrees, will set you back less than twenty dollars. The entrees are a little pricier, ranging from $22 to $32. Let's take a look at what Katie and I had to eat on this weird Memorial Day.

Baked goods offered? Of course, we needed to start with something sweet here at ARC Butcher and Baker. This Cinnamon Roll ($4) caught my eye as soon as I walked in. This reminded me of a better-made version of the cinnamon rolls at the OC Fair, which I love. It was a little more structured and less sweet than the ones at the fair, but still delicious. The outside layers had a nice crunch, while the insides were softer and more pliable. A little more cinnamon would have made this one of the best cinnamon rolls that I have had, but it's definitely worth trying when visiting here.

When we walked in, Katie knew she would have this Turkey and Avocado Sandwich ($14). She stated that this was the best turkey sandwich she had ever eaten. High praise, for sure. This sandwich came piled high with some of the freshest and most flavorful turkey we have had in sandwich form, bacon, arugula, avocado, and dijon on a well-crafted French-style roll. This sandwich made Katie gush with a fondness for it. She loved the hard work that went into this turkey, the thick-cut bacon, the contrasts of the avocado with the aioli, and the solid bread used here. She claims this turkey sandwich has ruined her for all others she will have in the future. 

When these Fries ($7) sat in front of us, I was unsure what to make of them. I thought they looked burnt, but that was not the case. They were some of the best fries I've had recently. Not crunchy, but the insides were incredibly soft and pillowy, while the outside was seasoned very simply but effectively. I'm also not a big fan of housemade ketchup, but this one was adequate and went well with these fries. A must-get. 

Another appetizer before we get to the central portion of my meal. We gave these Meatballs ($13) a try. Like the fries, I thought these looked like they were burnt, but they were not. These come in ten meatballs to an order, were ping pong ball sized, and came with some burrata and parmesan on the plate. I don't know what these were made of, but they could have been more tender and flavorful. Not bad, but we'd skip these next time in favor of trying their mac cheese or another side.

The to-go boxes at ARC Butcher and Bakery proudly state, "Dirty Sexy Happiness," which summed up my feelings when this ARC Burger ($14) was placed in front of me this afternoon. It was very sexy and made me very happy. This was a tall burger with a thick beef patty, cheddar cheese, tomato, bacon, and a spring mix on a sesame-studded bun. Tackling this burger required me to remove the tomato and some of the lettuce to get my mouth around it. It was a little salty with the bacon, seasoned patty, and white cheddar cheese. The beef patty also had a few burnt pieces around the outside, which I tried to eat around as much as possible. Not my favorite burger, but I'm still glad I got to try it. It also looked terrific in pictures.

We also got two things to take home with us. This Cornbread ($6) was a total miss for both of us. This is made fresh when you order it, so expect a fifteen-minute bake time. This stayed over the fire a bit too long, as the outer ring got burnt, and the inside portion of this needed to be better as it was a very dry version of cornbread. There was no sweetness to this, which I look forward to when having cornbread. The salt topping this also threw me off. Not good at all.

As much as we were disappointed by the cornbread, this Carrot Cake ($10) more than made up for it. Seven layers, yes, I counted them, made up this delicious mile-high cake. The cake portion was moist and flavorful, while the cream cheese frosting was not overly sweet and was a great compliment to the cake portion. I'm a carrot cake snob, and this is one that I can definitely get behind. Perfect for people who find traditional carrot cake to be way too sweet. This one would totally be your jam.

Even though I had some issues with the food we had at ARC Butcher and Baker, I left here impressed with what they are doing in such a small space. I'm also excited to return and try more of their menu very shortly. The breakfast items, steak sandwich, pork, and beans, have piqued my interest, and I'll save room for a slice of German chocolate cake next time. It was an absolute pleasure getting to meet Chef Noah and Marin while we were here. They are not only great ambassadors for the food scene in OC, but they are also some incredible people as well. I love that they are innovators and love trying out new things. I look forward to seeing what they come up with next. No pressure, guys. I'm glad Katie and I could get outside on this Memorial Day, even if we did not get our full workout before stopping to have cocktails and get lunch.

Out of five geometry textbooks (because an arc is a segment of a circle, which is the extent of what I learned about Geometry in high school), five being best to zero being worst, ARC Butcher and Baker get 3.5 geometry textbooks.

For more information about ARC Butcher and Baker, head to their website here: https://www.arcbutcherbaker.com/