Sailing off to Glasspar for Our Sixth Anniversary Dinner

Glasspar

24961 Dana Point Harbor Drive

Dana Point, CA 92629

It's a whole new world this year. Last year during our anniversary we were relegated to takeout from a Mexican restaurant. It was fine, but we longed for the ritual of making reservations, getting dressed up a bit, having a leisurely night out while being waited on, and hopefully having some pretty fine food. Flash forward to a year later, and that's what we were hoping for when we visited Glasspar in Dana Point. 

Since dining restrictions have been lifted a bit, I've been trying to hit up as many of the restaurants on my restaurant wishlist as possible. Trying to make up for the lost time I guess, and also not taking time for granted. Glasspar made my list because they were featured as one of the best restaurants of 2021 by Orange Coast Magazine. 

Glasspar, which is situated in the same retail center as Jimmy's Famous American Tavern and underrated breakfast favorite, What A Dish Cafe, is a stone's throw from Dana Point Harbor and took over the space that was once occupied by the always packed, but unremarkable sushi restaurant Mahe. Glasspar is headed by chef-owner Rob Wilson. He started his culinary career up the hill from here, at the Chart House. After graduating culinary school he cooked at many prestigious OC resorts up and down the coast before opening this spot in late 2019. 

The vibe they are going for here is an east coast seafood dining hall, with a west coast slant of being casual and making visitors feel welcome. We were seated on the spacious patio overlooking the center of this retail center. The brunch, lunch, and dinner menus at Glasspar have plenty of overlap when it comes to food offerings. Entree prices for dinner range between $18 to the market price for their swordfish and halibut selections. There's also a few non-seafood choices for people that shy away from fishy dishes. Let's see if Glasspar was a worthy place to usher in our sixth year of wedded bliss. 

We started off our meal with a Glasspar Caesar ($13) for Katie and I went with the Glasspar Clam Chowder ($12). The caesar salad was pretty traditional, with long strips of romaine piled on the plate topped with plenty of parmesan cheese, dressing, one large crouton, and occupying the top layer of the salad were two white anchovies. This was a good salad with a very nice balance between the ingredients. I'm always partial to a chopped version, but Katie seemed fine with having to cut this herself. I just don't like the extra work. The clam chowder was one of the darker versions I have seen, with plenty of clams, potato, and smoked bacon in each spoonful. This was a very comforting chowder and one that should not be missed. 

Katie must not have been feeling like seafood this evening, as she zeroed in on this 10 Ounce Prime Grilled Short Rib ($36) rather quickly. This plate burst with color, from the bright greens of the broccolini to the contrast between the eye-popping reds of the blistered tomatoes and the chasseur sauce topping the sliced steak below. The piece of short rib that I was granted really went down nicely, but I wish I would have tried it with the delicious-looking celery root puree that was hiding beneath the broccolini. Maybe next time. 

It's hard for me to be this close to the ocean and not try something from the sea. I went with the IPA Fish and Chips ($18) to celebrate another year of marriage in the books. These fish and chips were as great as the last six years with Katie, which have been pretty great by the way. The light, but flavorful breading had a great crunch to it without a greasy feel to them. The fish underneath, which I believe was halibut, but don't quote me on that, was nicely mellow and allowed the breading and the well-made tartar sauce and atomic cocktail sauce to share the stage with the excellently executed fish. You can never go wrong with duck fat fries, and these were no exception. They were lightly dusted with parmesan and chives and were made even better when I asked for a side of garlic aioli to go along with them since they arrived at the table with no dipping sauce. A very solid meal. 

We rounded out our meal with Roasted Brussels Sprouts ($12). Every restaurant seems to have their twist on this popular side dish, and at Glasspar they made this their own by adding goat cheese, pomegranate molasses, along with the obligatory but not unwelcome bacon. I enjoyed the competing flavors and textures in this. The creamy goat cheese and the crunch from the roasted sprouts went well with the tinge of sweetness from the molasses. 

Our server and the menu described the Desserted Island ($12) as a butter cake, but to Katie and I, it reminded us more of a cross between the lava cake that you can get at Chili's and an Almond Joy chocolate bar. The inside was filled with chocolate that came spilling out when pierced with our spoons, while the toasted coconut surrounding this, along with the coconut ice cream, added to the Almond Joy experience. It was good but needed a bit more ice cream as it melted way too fast because of the heated cake it was sitting atop. 

The food we consumed at Glasspar lived up to the lofty expectations I came here with this evening. Everything was very good, and it made me want to make return trips to try their oysters Rockefeller, swordfish, their burger with a crab cake added, and even their brunch. The lone downside of the evening was the pace of the meal. Calling it leisurely would be way too kind. Fifty minutes into our evening, we had just finished our first course, and it would be another 100 minutes before we were back in our car on the way home. I know that restaurants are having staffing issues, but Glasspar was not terribly busy this evening, and even though we had no other plans for this evening, we did have some TV to watch at home. See, we are an old married couple now. 

Out of five fiberglass boats, (because I recently learned that Glasspar was one of the largest fiberglass boat makers in the US, and they started out in Costa Mesa in the late '40s), five being best to zero being worst, Glasspar gets 3.5 fiberglass boats.  

For more information about Glasspar, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.glasspar.com/

Hooking up for Hot Dogs in Orange

Pacific Coast Hot Dogs

3438 East Chapman Ave. 

Orange, CA 92869 

If there's one thing that south OC needs, it's a good hot dog place. Sure, there's a few restaurants down this way that have a hot dog on their menu, like The Hat, Tommy's, Five Guys, and Hot Off the Grill, but we need a hot dog-centric restaurant. A no-nonsense place where the main focus is hot dogs and no Wienerschnitzel's diminished quality over the last few years does not count. We need a place like Pacific Coast Hot Dogs, which unfortunately is not south of Irvine, but instead resides in the city of Orange. 

PCH Hot Dogs reached out to me recently on Instagram to come by for a visit. It had been seven years since my last visit, so you could say that I was definitely ready to quench my hot dog cravings. I decided I'd meet up with my good friend Rebecca, a long-time Orange resident, one who has passed by this place many times but had never stopped until now. 

Situated as close as you can get to the heavy traffic on very busy Chapman Avenue, PCH celebrated their 25th year in business last year and is still going strong. The man who started it all is Scott Browning, a self-proclaimed hot dog fiend. He was a big fan of the hot dogs at Cupid's in Northridge, where he grew up. When he moved to OC, he was frustrated by the lack of good hot dog spots, (I feel your pain, Scott), and he decided to create his own hot dog legacy. 

This roadside restaurant has nine hot dogs on their menu, fries, and a ground beef taco, which we are told is slowly gaining in popularity. PCH uses Thrifty's ice cream to make floats, freezes, shakes, or, if you prefer, just scoops for those with a sweet tooth. Prices are not growing to break the bank here, as most hot dogs hover around the $4 mark, which is two dollars more than what you can get at Weinrchnitzel, but the quality here is way better. 

Rebecca and I decided on what to have and found a table on their patio, which was shielded from the wind while we caught up with each other's lives and basically just gossiped about all of our old coworkers. We could easily talk for hours, as we did this afternoon, but we also had hot dogs to eat, so let's check out Pacific Coast Hot Dogs. 

Here's what we picked up fresh from the window. We decided to get a nice cross-section of their menu but did not want to make hogs of ourselves, even though I could have totally eaten way more than this, but I did show some restraint for once. Let's dive a little deeper into each item.  

I could sense Rebecca's anticipation of diving into these Chili Cheese Fries ($4.65) as I was snapping my pictures as quickly as I could. The crispy fries, chili, and grated cheese were as photogenic as anything I have eaten recently. The fries were nice and crisp, they layered the chili well so every french fry had some on it, and what made this for me was the hand-grated cheese, which is very rare these days with the popularity of bagged cheese that almost everyone else uses. A very nice start to our visit.   

These two hot dogs look similar, but they are not. The one up at the top is the BBQ Bacon Dog ($5.40) with its slice of bacon, jalapenos, pickle, and barbecue sauce topping the snappy hot dog. I'm not usually a big fan of barbecue sauce, but it worked here, with the tinge of spice from the jalapeno and the smokiness of the bacon. On the bottom is the Tijuana Dog ($5.40), which comes dressed with mustard, diced tomato, grilled onions, and jalapenos. This one showcased the all-beef flavor of the hot dog and the snap of the casing better than the bbq bacon dog. I also have to mention the buns, which were pliable and soft, but still held everything together nicely. 

I did not ask, but I'd bet that the Chili Cheese Dog ($5.40)  is the most popular item on the menu at PCH Dogs. This was filled with chili, grated cheese, onion, and mustard. The chili is very solid, but not overly spicy. It adds good flavor, which goes well with the rest of this hot dog. I appreciated that this is not a sloppy chili dog, one that is so overloaded with chili that most of the chili winds up on the parchment paper as you consume it. This did not happen here, as it had the perfect amount topping it. I easily could have eaten another two or three of these with no problem. 

Since I visited Pacific Coast Hot Dogs, I have lamented the fact that they are not located closer to where I live. It would be so nice to be able to swing by whenever the hot dog cravings set in, but maybe because they are so far away, it makes a trip to PCH seem even more special. Check them out for yourself and let me know what you think of them. Now that Rebecca has tried them out, I'm sure she will be swinging by from time to time. Lucky girl. 

For more information about Pacific Coast Hot Dogs, head to their website here: https://pacificcoasthotdogs.com/home

Socializing at Saint and Second

Saint and Second

4828 Second Street

Long Beach, CA 90803

Katie doesn't have many friends that she hangs out with. Preferring to be with her family, playing with her nieces and nephews, and staying home to watch tv, have her eyes glued to her phone for long stretches at a time, or her favorite pastime by far, sleeping as much as she can. So, it's very rare for Katie to make plans with one of her friends, and actually keep those plans instead of weaseling out of them. That's how I know that she really enjoys someone, like her friend Diana and her boyfriend Carlos, with whom we were going to be meeting for brunch on a recent Sunday morning. 

They live in Long Beach, and since we never make it up this way, we decided to come up their way to check out the Long Beach dining scene. I had sent Diana a list of brunch spots, and let her pick where we'd be eating. She said my list was pretty good, and she selected Saint and Second, which is in the Belmont Shore area of Long Beach. 

Saint and Second opened in 2015 and is brought to us by the Hofman Hospitality Group, which is under the same umbrella as Hof's Hut and Lucille's BBQ. In fact, this site used to be a Lucille's but was converted to this new concept six years ago. They are going for a restaurant experience that is comfortable, yet sophisticated at the same time. A very tough balance to achieve. Their website states that they strive for food that is local and organic, from purveyors that equal their very high standards. I was intrigued. 

Traffic from OC was lighter than usual, and we had some good, "parkma," getting a spot pretty much right in front of the restaurant. Adding to everything coming together nicely, Diana and Carlos pulled up just as we were getting out of the car. Our little quartet made our way to the restaurant and was seated to the side of the restaurant, where they had constructed some booths on the sidewalk. 

Brunch at Saint and Second is served on weekends from 9 to 2pm. The one-page menu is not going to blow you away with its diversity, but there's enough here to satisfy most people. There's six egg dishes to choose from, followed by a couple of hashes, one flatbread, and one each of pancakes, waffle, and two offerings of french toast. Prices range between $12 to $19 for entrees, which is pretty modest when you consider the area this restaurant is situated in. Let's see if Diana made a good pick from my list of brunch places in the LBC. 

Let's start things off with what Carlos had as his first meal of the day, the Classic Eggs Benedict ($14). This version of a benny uses a cheddar biscuit as a base and then tops it with thick-cut Canadian bacon, poached eggs, and hollandaise sauce as a topper. Carlos seemed pretty pleased with this meal, as it did not stay around very long. From my vantage point, the eggs looked nicely poached and the hollandaise sauce appeared to be thick. The house potatoes that came alongside this looked like they would be right up my alley, as the potatoes were different sizes, so there would be some variety in texture from bite to bite. 

Diana has been described as a spicy dish many times before, so it was no surprise to the three of us that she went with the Chicken Chorizo Avocado Hash ($18). Joining the chicken, avocado, and chorizo on this plate were some potatoes, green beans, butternut squash, two poached eggs, and a chipotle hollandaise sauce. An unusual mixture of ingredients for a breakfast hash, but one that was lighter than most, and did not sacrifice flavor. 

I got the other hash on the menu, the House Smoked Tri-Tip Hash ($19). This hearty meal combined potatoes, tri-tip, onions, broccolini, bacon, two poached eggs, and the same chipotle hollandaise sauce that was used on Diana's hash. I really enjoyed this. I thought the tri-tip was going to get lost here, but it was front and center, and very good. The poached egg and hollandaise sauce tied everything together well, and the potatoes did offer some bites with creamy potato, and others that were on the crispy side. My only criticism would be that they could have added a little extra bacon, but I'm always clamoring for extra bacon with my meals. 

The most straightforward meal between the four of us belonged to Katie, who got the Traditional ($13). This came with two eggs, she got them over hard, two strips of bacon, potatoes, and a cheddar biscuit with butter and preserves. Katie was impressed with the high quality of the food she had here, which helped set it apart from other breakfast spots. She was especially fond of the cheddar biscuit, which was worth breaking her keto diet for, at least for a few bites.  

Since I'm always fond of combining sweet and savory at breakfast, I also got the seasonal favorite, the Tres Leches French Toast ($13). The two slices of french toast were topped with caramelized banana, pecan and oat crumble, and caramel whipped cream. This was the weak link of my meal at Saint and Second this morning. It was just kind of bland, and the muted sweetness did nothing to rouse my taste buds. It would have been better with some syrup alongside it. 

Even though the french toast failed to impress, the same could not be said about the rest of our meal at Saint and Second. The four of us all enjoyed our meals and would come back again for another visit. This trip whetted my appetite to try their lunch or dinner next time. I especially have my eye on their tri-tip sandwich, signature burger, and smoked pork chop on future visits. Back to this meal though, I did not find their prices crazy expensive, which is not always the norm when you are eating out in the Belmont Shore area. Service was pretty solid this morning, as our server kept tabs on us regularly, without being too intrusive while we were busy catching up with Diana and Carlos. Hopefully, Katie will make more time for her friends as things open up more and more. 

Out of five knots, (because Belmont Shore is the site of a youth sailing program which was founded in 1929, and I'm sure they have taught many of their young sailors to tie many knots over those 92 years), five being best to zero being worst, Saint and Second gets 3 knots. 

For more information about Saint and Second, head to their website here: http://saintandsecond.com/

Getting Sauced in Orange

Sauced BBQ and Spirits

1535 West Katella Ave. 

Orange, CA 92867

I have to admit I was a little skeptical walking into Sauced BBQ and Spirits. The last time I was in this building it was Old Crow Smokehouse, and although I liked the meats that I got during that visit, the rest of the meal, including the sides, cornbread, and dessert kind of fell flat. Proving once again that it's hard to find a well-rounded barbecue restaurant in OC, even though the barbecue landscape has improved dramatically in the last couple of years. 

I was also a little doubtful about Sauced because I had looked at their website, and they had five locations, all of them except for this one in Northern California. In my experience, the best barbecue restaurants are the ones that have no other locations. Sorry, that rules out a lot of people's favorites like Lucille's, Famous Dave's, and Dickey's. 

So, it was with a little trepidation that I made reservations for us and my parents on a recent Sunday afternoon. For those who are not aware of where this restaurant is, it's near the Honda Center, in the Stadium Promenade, which is also home to King's Fish House, Lazy Dog, Tilted Kilt, and Anchor Bar, a place I also want to try soon for their wings. 

Sauced wants to make sure that you are aware that they are a completely different restaurant than Old Crow. They state on their website in bold print that they have completely different management, menu, concept, and a new team from the previous tenants. To further distance themselves from the previous occupants of this space, Sauced transformed their restaurant a bit by lightening the walls up and creating a nice and open ambiance. When you walk in there's a bar to your right with some very large TV's providing plenty of sports to watch. Towards the restaurant's back, there's ax-throwing cages, which seems to be all the rage right now, as I've seen it on ESPN numerous times recently. 

The two-page menu at Sauced is pretty good-sized. Separated into sections of starters, salads, burgers, barbecue plates, combo meals, and sandwiches. Prices range between $10 to $20 for starters, sandwiches, will set you back on average of $18, and entrees are competitively priced compared to other barbecue restaurants in the area, with prices ranging between $17 to $40 for a full rack of St. Louis Spare Ribs. The menu was a lot to take in, but we managed to make our choices. Let's see if Sauced could squash my skepticism. 

I was outvoted when it came to the starter that we eventually had. I really wanted to try their brisket chili cheese fries, but my parents and Katie really wanted these Hand Grenades ($14.99 +$4.39 because we added an extra one). Hand grenades are oversized breaded jalapeno poppers filled with pulled pork, cream cheese, and sharp cheddar cheese. I've never been a big fan of jalapeno poppers because I'm not really too fond of cream cheese, but these were a little light on the cream cheese, and the addition of the cheddar helped counteract the cream cheese. The pork also got a little drowned out by the other things going on here, like the crunchy outer layer and the muted heat of the jalapeno. A little more ranch dressing would have been appreciated for these four enormous poppers. They were fine, but I'd try another appetizer on my next visit. 

My dad almost always gets sandwiches when he's at a barbecue restaurant and that held true with his selection of the Brisket Melt ($18.99) on this late afternoon. This came on Texas toast with cheddar cheese, bacon, and cubed brisket. My dad was very excited by the brisket here, calling it, "killer." He also enjoyed the toast but wished for a bit more cheese to be included on this sandwich. Still, this was one of the better barbecue sandwiches he's had. He got the stone ground jalapeno cheese grits for his one side, and after his first taste, he became a big fan. 

My mom has always been a light eater, so she forgoes the big plates at barbecue restaurants, instead, veering towards smaller portions. She ordered these Sliders ($13.99) off the stater portion of the menu. These three mini sliders were perfect for her, and she also took one home for lunch the next day. She got two sliced brisket and one with pulled pork, but you can mix and match any way that you want. She loved the slightly sweet bun and was partial to the brisket. Out of the four sauces available, she could not get enough of the Pig Candy bbq sauce which had equal parts sweet and tangy coming through in each bite. 

Katie got the more substantial Two Meat BBQ Combo Plate ($28.99 + $1.49 + $2.99 for upgraded sides). Picking from the eight types of meat offered, she went with the Smoked Jalapeno Cheddar Sausage and the Pulled Pork. Both portions of meat were very good. The pork had a nice mixture of bark and a little bit of fat that made each bite a joy to consume. The sausage was well made, with a nice snap to the casing and just enough cheese to support, but not overwhelm the sausage. The upgrade for her salad was an extra buck and a half, but as you can see from the picture, the salad was very good sized. The Buffalo Chicken Mac was another three-dollar upcharge and Katie enjoyed this twist on regular mac and cheese. 

To no one's surprise, I one-upped Katie by having the Three Meat BBQ Combo Plate ($37.99). My meat selection was the Sliced Brisket, Pork Ribs, and Pork Belly Burnt Ends. All were pretty stellar, but I liked the pork belly burnt ends the best. They were a little fatty, but that just added to the flavor that these emitted. The glaze on them added an additional element that I was not expecting. The ribs came clean off the bone and were nice and moist. The brisket for the most part was good, but in the bites where there was no fat present, it was a tad dry. The meats are not over-smoked like other barbecue places, so the natural flavor of the proteins shines through. I did not need too much barbecue sauce with this, but I liked the variety that was available, with the sweet version being my favorite, when I could pry it away from my mom. The jalapeno cheese grits had a very comforting feel to them, but some added heat from the jalapeno would have made this even better. The jalapeno sweet heat slaw was sweeter than spicy, and as a result, was a little boring. 

Ever since the pandemic started, I've been on a real banana kick; banana chocolate chip bread, chocolate-covered bananas, and of course, banana pudding. I can not get enough and had to try the Banana Pudding ($6.49) at Sauced. This one came in a small mason jar with sliced bananas, nilla wafers, and whipped cream on top. The banana pudding portion of this was very smooth and satisfying, but they could have used more nilla wafers in here for a change of texture. I'd still get this the next time I'm here, but I'd get my own, as this was way smaller than I was expecting for six dollars. 

I'm big enough to admit that I was wrong about my preconceived notions about Sauced before even visiting here. Like I stated earlier, I thought Sauced could not be good because they had several other locations, but I was wrong. Based on the meal we had this afternoon, this is a definite upgrade from the barbecue restaurant that was here before. The meats were all stellar, and not as overly smoked as other places that are popular at this moment. Sides were fine as well, but I'd like to try others the next time we visit, which will be often once the Ducks allow more fans to their games, which should be this fall. Service was another black mark for the former tenant here, but Sauced provided some very good and pleasant service throughout our stay. Prices were a little high, but barbecue is worth treating yourself to every so often, or in my case almost every two weeks. Welcome to OC Sauced. 

Out of five jars of mayonnaise, (because the most popular sauce/condiment in the US is mayonnaise, which brings in 2 billion dollars annually in sales), five being best to zero being worst, Sauced BBQ and Spirits gets 3.5 jars of mayonnaise. 

For more information on Sauced BBQ and Spirits, head to their website here: https://www.saucedbbqandspirits.com/

Betting the Farm on a Good Meal at Farmhouse

Farmhouse at Roger's Gardens

2301 San Joaquin Hills Road 

Corona Del Mar, CA 92625

I've always considered myself lucky. No, I have never won the lottery, but as a kid, I won a TV at Angel Stadium, I entered a contest in the Orange County Register and won four tickets to Knott's Berry Farm, and I got to skip school when I was selected as one of four kids in the fifth grade to watch one of the first showings of the movie Annie. 

My luck returned recently when I entered an Instagram contest on the OC Restaurant Week Instagram page. I just had to like both the OC Restaurant Week page and Farmhouse at Roger's Gardens page, something I was already doing, and then tag one of my friends to be entered. Out of 545 entries, I was picked as the winner of the $100 gift card. I tried to make reservations during restaurant week, but they were booked solid by the time I could pick up my gift card, so we waited a few weeks after and coaxed my wonderful inlaws to join us. 

Farmhouse came across my radar back when they first opened in 2016. As soon as they premiered they landed on just about every best restaurant list I saw. At the Golden Foodie Awards in 2017, Farmhouse won for best cocktails in OC, best chef, and was nominated for the best lunch spot in OC. As recently as last year the OC Register named them one of the best patios in OC, and the glowing reviews have continued ever since. 

The reason for this I believe is the fantastic ambiance of the seven-acre Roger's Gardens Nursery, which has been around for over 55 years now, and Chef/Owner of Farmhouse, Rich Mead. He is pretty much one of the first chefs to practice the now way overused phrase, farm to table. He is very keen to develop relationships with only local purveyors and merchants that he feels do things the right way and provides the highest quality goods. He tailors his seasonal menu to what he feels are the best things available at the time, something that was very rare when he opened his first OC restaurant Sage back in 1997. 

Always a tough reservation to get, I could only procure an 8pm reservation on a recent Wednesday evening. Since it was already dark when we arrived, we did not get the full brilliance of the Roger's Gardens experience, but from what we could see of this partially covered space, it might be worth another visit to dine on their patio on one of the over 300 days of sunshine that graces Corona Del Mar. The venue on this evening was filled with lots of beautiful people, let's see if they were here for the food, the great venue, or both. 

A signature at Chef Mead's restaurants throughout his career is his Parmesan Crisps, which he serves instead of the usual bread basket you get at other places to start your meal. These crackers were very flavorful and went wonderfully with the provided hummus. We made very quick work of this but sadly were limited to only one serving between the four of us. 

Katie was the only one of the four of us to elect to get a starter from the menu. She went with the Brussels Sprouts with Cipollini Onions ($10). This was one of the cleanest versions of sprouts we have had. They let the fresh sprouts be the star of the show, while letting the fish sauce, garlic, and chili paste come through in short muted bursts. Definitely a wonderful option for true Brussels sprouts fans that don't need a detracting sauce to keep things interesting. 

Katie's parents and I went with soup and salad for a beginning course this evening. To be honest, I'm not entirely sure what the Daily Soup of the Day ($8) was on this evening, but there must have been two options because they both got different ones. Both of them must have been very good as well because they did not last very long. I'm a very big Caesar salad fan, so I went with the closest thing Farmhouse had on their menu this evening, which was the Kale and Little Gem Lettuce Salad ($12). I'm not the world's biggest fan of kale, but this was one of the better ways I've had it. The greens were topped with garlic croutons, plenty of grated parmesan cheese, and a roasted garlic anchovy vinaigrette. The greens were farmer's market fresh, while the cheese and croutons did a great job subduing the sometimes too bitter taste of the kale. I would have loved a touch more vinaigrette on this, but a very solid salad nonetheless.  

I've heard such good things about the RG Burger ($18), but Dennis beat me to the punch by ordering it first. They build their burger with some really good bacon, Vermont white cheddar cheese, and garnish it with lettuce, tomato, and red onion at Farmhouse. According to my fantastic father-in-law, the burger was very good, and he's had his fair share of burgers from coast to coast. He was gracious enough to let me try the fries, which I found to be too starchy and they definitely needed more salt or another seasoning. The house-made ketchup did the fries no favors either, as it needed some sweetness or something to wake it up. Truthfully, I'm never a fan of house-made ketchup though. 

Lynn was over the moon with her Herb Roast Jidori Chicken ($26). Never one for hyperbole, she claims that jidori chicken is the best, as she enjoys the freshness and robust flavor of it every time she encounters it. Even I admit this was a good-looking bird, beautifully browned and served over a bed of broccolini, carrots, peewee potatoes, and cipollini onions. It took all my willpower to not reach across the table and try some of the crisped chicken skin. With the chicken au jus, there was no way there was going to be a dry bite to be had with this plate. Very well done.  

Since we had our gift cards, Katie decided to go big at Farmhouse and get the Grilled Autonomy Farms Grass-Fed Flat Iron Steak ($34). This dish had a lot going on with it. It came with a chimichurri sauce and a red wine au jus, which I thought was going to contrast, but both were a nice compliment to the tender beef that was expertly cooked, even though Katie asked for this to be cooked medium-well. Ugh. The beef came with cipollini onions, (must be Chef Mead's favorite), sauteed spinach, shitake mushrooms, fingerling potatoes, and garlic. A very hearty meal that was equal parts comforting and lighter than expected at the same time. Not a combination that happens too often. 

I went with another comforting meal, the Pork Tenderloin ($30). This reminded me of a meal I had years ago at Cedar Creek, but way better. The pork on this one was moist all the way through and I liked the combination of the applejack brandy sauce and the apple raisin compote with the savory pork. It was a kind of yin and yang thing that kept me interested all through my meal. This also came with some braised red cabbage and two parmesan potato cakes. The potato cakes were good but needed a tad more seasoning and some extra parmesan wouldn't have hurt either. Still, it was a solid meal that helped erase the bad memory from Cedar Creek all those years ago. 

I've never really been a big fan of fruit desserts, preferring chocolate way more, but I got outvoted on this evening into sharing two fruit desserts, the Warm Fair Hills Farms Apple Crisp and the Meyer Lemon Bread Pudding. Both made me rethink my chocolate addiction. The bread pudding had a nice sweet and slightly sour vibe going on with it, and the consistency was very pleasing. The apple crisp was nicely executed with brown sugar and oat topping, an apple sage sauce that was not too sweet or syrupy, and plenty of vanilla ice cream. I could have eaten this one all by myself. It was like eating the best parts of a slice of apple pie ala mode. 

I left Farmhouse very pleased with the meal that we all enjoyed. Sometimes these farm-to-table kinds of places think that they just have to have fresh and local food, and that's enough to make people happy. They don't realize that they still have to execute good cooking skills, have menu items that appeal to the dining public, and have enough variety to keep people coming back. Farmhouse checked all of these boxes for me. Yes, some tweaks could have been made, but for the most part, everything we encountered was cooked wonderfully, and I did not leave here with that overly heavy feeling, even though I ate a lot of food on this evening. Service was another story. I know that they were busy, but our server was slow to greet us and from what our empty glasses told me, he might have been stretched a little thin. It's sadly become a trend these days since every restaurant has gotten overrun with people tired of eating at home for the last 14 months. I'm sure it will be rectified. Hope my luck has not run out with Instagram contests, but even if it has, we will be returning to Farmhouse again. 

Out of five scoops of ice cream, (because the band Phish has an album named Farmhouse, and they hail from Burlington, Vermont, the same city as Ben and Jerry's), five being best to zero being worst, Farmhouse at Roger's Gardens gets 3.5 scoops of ice cream. 

For more information about Farmhouse at Roger's Gardens, head to their website here: https://farmhouse.rogersgardens.com/

Another Jewel in the Crown of a Local Restaurateur?

Sapphire Cellar. Craft. Cook

1200 South Coast Highway Suite 101

Laguna Beach, CA 92651

The juggernaut that is Russ Bendel and his merry band of partners has been on quite a roll lately. When Russ left Flemings eight years ago to take over ownership of Vine Restaurant in San Clemente, I don't think even he and his partners expected the great success that they've had. In those ensuing eight years they have opened four critically acclaimed restaurants, all in different cities. The aforementioned Vine in San Clemente, Ironwood in Laguna Hills, not far from Russ's childhood home, Olea in Newport Beach, and their latest acquisition, Sapphire in Laguna Beach. 

Sapphire stands on the site of the old Pottery Shack, at the corner of PCH and Brooks Street. The Pottery Shack was a mainstay in this beach town from 1937 until it closed in 2004. After two years of renovations, the site was made into a mixed-use retail space, with specialty shops, restaurants, and offices inhabiting the place. A year later Sapphire Laguna Restaurant and Pantry joined the collective. When that restaurant was put up for sale in March of last year, Russ and his team jumped at the chance to be able to share their cuisine with the people of Laguna Beach. 

Each of the four restaurants has some overlap of menu items, but tweaks seem to be made to keep each restaurant from becoming a carbon copy of the others. Sapphire is the only one to offer brunch, so I was instantly intrigued. It also just so happened that in my latest issue of Orange Coast Magazine they got a glowing review for not only their dinner menu but their brunch as well. Pushing me even farther out my front door was the fact that my good friend runs one of the car lots in Laguna, so the hassle of finding parking on a weekend was not going to be a problem. I quickly made a reservation. 

The brunch menu at Sapphire is available Saturday and Sunday from 10 to 2:30pm. There's around fifteen offerings that range in price from $16 to $42 for a filet mignon and eggs. Even though I didn't have to pay for parking, I could not justify paying close to fifty dollars on my first meal of the day. I did narrow down my choices to a couple things before arriving but left it to how I was feeling in the moment to make my decision as to what I'd be having. Let's see if Russ and his team members have another hit on their hands at Sapphire. 

Sapphire runs a pantry, off to the right of their entrance, where they offer grab and go breakfast and lunch items, along with some more substantial offerings, like their delicious-sounding egg sandwich, breakfast burritos, a burger, and a chicken sandwich. I'm not sure if they allow you to order from the pantry menu while sitting in the dining area, but our server was gracious enough to get us some pastries to start off with this morning. We went with the Chocolate Croissant ($3.95) and the Cinnamon Pull-Apart ($3.95). Of the two, I liked the chocolate croissant better. It was filled with plenty of pieces of chocolate and the outer croissant was made the right way. The cinnamon pull apart was fine, but a little bland in parts and needed more than the drizzle of icing that was placed on top. Both could have been boosted with the option of having them heated. Still, a good way to get some sweetness in with your first meal of the day. 

Even after nearly 12 years of being together with Katie, I am still sometimes shocked by her choices when we are out to eat. On this morning she went with the Smoked Salmon and Blue Crab Omelette ($27), mostly because this was the most keto-friendly offering here at Sapphire. This well-crafted omelet was topped with a dollop of garlic formage blanc cheese and chives to go along with the plentiful fresh salmon and flaky blue crab inside. She felt this was one of the lightest and most delicate omelets that she's ever had. She was a little worried about the textures working well together here, but her worries subsided after her first bite. Each item worked well with each other to showcase the other. She was also a fan of the fingerling potatoes and heirloom vegetable hash, which is an upgrade from the breakfast potatoes you get just about everywhere else. The menu did not say anything about getting a salad, but the farm fresh greens with a splash of dressing were appreciated and helped round out the plate. 

Maybe one of the most eye-catching breakfast plates I've seen in a long while, this Kurobuta Pork Belly Benedict ($22), also might have been one of the tastiest. Sapphire's riff on a benedict uses one of my favorite proteins, pork belly layered on top of sturdy rosemary focaccia with a perfectly poached egg placed on top with a champagne bearnaise sauce which I could easily drink by the glass. The richness of this dish kept me satisfied well past dinner. The pork belly was flavorful and not as fatty as others I've had, while the poached egg when pierced released the rich yolk that tied everything together wonderfully. Like Katie, I was a fan of the farmer's market hash and fingerling potatoes, which were lighter than other potatoes you are accustomed to at other breakfast places. 

The hits just keep on coming for this four-unit restaurant group, and brunch is a new dimension where they excel, not unexpectantly. Even though their restaurants differ from each other in some ways, it's nice to see the creativity that adding brunch to their repertoire has brought here at Sapphire. I feel Sapphire is the type of brunch spot that begs to be your go-to spot for special occasion brunches. Nearly thirty dollars for an omelet, no matter how good it is, is not in the budget for a lot of us, but once in a while for food this fine, it seems to justify the cost. Service was predictably warm and friendly, and management seemed very active in making sure their guests were happy with everything. I'm looking forward to where Russ and his team will land next and seeing how long their winning streak will keep on rolling. Probably way longer than any that his beloved Philadelphia Eagles will have in the upcoming NFL season. Sorry Russ, could not resist.   

Out of five cups of tea, (because the world's largest sapphire, the Star of Adam was found in Sri Lanka six years ago, a nation which ranks fourth in the production of tea on the planet), five being best to zero being worst, Sapphire Cellar. Craft. Cook gets 3.5 cups of tea. 

For more information about Sapphire Cellar. Craft. Cook, head to their website here: https://www.sapphirelagunabeach.com/