Izakaya Zero (Huntington Beach) - LA-OC Foodie's Report

I've been wanting to try out Izakaya Zero for quite awhile, but finally made a point to go this past Sunday (and take a "mini Easter" break from my Lent-induced vegetarianism) after reading Los Angeles Times' positive review a few weeks back. Situated in the downtown Huntington Beach area, a block away from the beach itself, my first thought upon arriving was "Haven't I been here before?" Sure enough, it was in the former Red Pearl Kitchen space, where I had pretty unmemorable meal. Hopefully this building isn't cursed with mediocre, overpriced eats . . . Thankfully, the interior has been re-vamped. Gone is the dreary & campy red-and-black decor that's neither trendy hip nor authentically Asian. The bar and dining area is minimalistic modern with soft beige lighting and nice Asian-fusion touches -- lots of polished stones and a cute bathroom faucet that resembling a bamboo water pump. I was debating whether to get their hot house sake (half off from Sun-Thurs) or one of their signature cocktails, and eventually decided on the latter and ordered the "Zen-gria" Made with green tea liqueur (probably of the same name), sauvignon blanc, lemon and sweet-and-sour. I was afraid that this drink may be too sweet but turned out it's very well balanced and smooth, though I would've liked a little more green tea and fruity aromas to come through. As I sipped away, I studied the menu - which is pretty much standard izakaya fare, Americanized a bit for the palates of the beach-going crowd (e.g. more deep-fried items than usual, and no hearts/gizzards/organs grilled up). Nonetheless, a lot of the items looked interesting and creative and a little whimsical (like fried crab cigar with scallops, shrimp and spicy mango sauce and sashimi ceviche served with tomatoes, red onions and yuzu dressing). Now I wished I came with others so I could try more stuff. But being a party of one for this foodventure, I ordered three small plates that started off with: Eggplant with Shrimp and Miso-Aioli Sauce that was very luscious - the aioli, though a bit on the heavy side, had a subtly-sublime combo of flavors: a little sweet, a little tangy and a little garlicky, meshing very well with the grilled, creamy eggplant and the little chunks of shrimp. Would've been nicer if whole shrimps had been used, but overall very well-executed. And this is definitely a dish meant for sharing--The first few bites were divine, but it started weighing my tastebuds & stomach down fast. Nonetheless, my mouth still watered with the next dish's arrival: Buta Kakuni - pork belly stewed in a soy-mirin broth with assorted veggies. Again, a wonderful dish with sweet and meltingly tender pork that barely needs any chewing. Wished I had some sort of starch to dip in that delicious broth. Mildly confuzzling, however, was the other veggies in the stew. The menu said "japanese mustard and mashed potatoes" (how the latter would fit into a dish like this, I wouldn't know) but instead it came with asparagus, enoki mushrooms and a root vegetable that I couldn't ID because it soaked up all that delicious sweet & greasy broth. Another minor mishap is that the stew served on one of those self-heating claypots, but there was no heat source when it was served. Not that I took long enough with this dish to let it get cold... And finally, I got the course that I expected to come out first . . . Mixed Green Salad with Baked Salmon Skin and Sesame-Ponzu Dressing. Timing for whipping this out is off, but at least from the still-warm salmon skin and crisp leaves I am at least relieved that it hadn't been left in the kitchen for half an hour while I was noshing on the other two items. The salad was light and refreshing, well-dressed and pretty generous with the crispy fish skins. All in all, a nice delightful small-plates meal with a large variety of creative dishes that can please any tastebuds (there are at least another half-dozen things I wanted to try from the menu.) So, this time, I'm in agreement with Ms. Virbila -- and can't wait to come back for another round of delicious izakaya grub. The Bill: Zengria - $9 Eggplant w Shrimp - $6.95 Buta Kakumi - $5.95 Salmon Skin Salad - $4.95 Pre-tax/tip total - $26.95 The Rating: Ambience: 4.5/5 (Comfortable and casual-hip with nice Asian-y accents) Value: 3.5/5 (Like most other small-plate-oriented places, it's easy to run up the bill on not a whole lot of food; but portions here are deserving of the prices paid and I got quite a satisfying meal on about $20 of food) Service: 7.5/10 (Nice and friendly without being obtrusive; given its location, the beachy surfer casual attitude is kind of there; service was only iffy from the timing of the dishes and no notice about veggie swaps) Food: 17/20 (Pretty darn good all around, everything I tried had a tasty je ne sais quoi that made it a little bit unique; flavors could have been a little bolder, but I was pleased overall) Bonus/Demerit: -.5 (crazy Huntington Beach parking) TOTAL: 32/40 Izakaya Zero 412 Walnut Ave. Huntington Beach 714.960.1278 http://www.izakayazero.com/

Sage Restaurant (Newport Beach) - LA-OC Foodie's Report

After hearing about Newport Beach Restaurant Week last month on this very blog, I knew it would be a good excuse to check out some OC dining at a discounted price (during Restaurant Week, 3-course lunches are $12.95, and 3-course dinners $26.95.) As I scroll through the list of participating restaurants, which include the usual popular suspects such as Newport Beach Brewing Company, Rusty Pelican and chains French 75 & Daily Grill, my eyes fell upon Sage Restaurant and its sister Sage on the Coast. At first, I thought they're rivaling/piggybacking the Stinking Rose with their own herb, but upon seeing their menus online I realized the restaurants specialized in "creative American cuisines" with a nod to Pan-Asian and Mediterranean styles. Interested, and relieved it wasn't "let's put sage in, on and around everything", I made my reservation and took a trip to Sage (not Sage on the Coast, which was a bit further south in Newport). Sage Restaurant is in the corner of the Eastbluffs Village Plaza, which has a small collection of shops and eateries and is anchored by CVS & Ralphs. The interior is both cozy and airy at the same time: dimmed lighting, blond wood floors with cream-and-sage colored walls and nondescript plants and paintings in a dining space that seats about . I went on a weekday around 8 p.m., and the crowd was pretty much professionals and colleagues having afterwork dinner, along with a few mature couples and foursomes. Normally I don't talk much about bread (let alone take pictures of them), but the warm, sage-infused foccacia here are something special - a nice crust with a soft texture and a green grassy, slightly-minty perfume of sage, just strong enough against the accompanying garlicky hummus-like spread. Shortly afterwards, my wine (a light, crisp & fragrant albarino) arrived with my appetizer: Spicy ahi tuna spring rolls with a sweet-spicy sauce with asian slaw - I had higher expectations of the bite-sized rolls, which, while light and crispy, turned out have fairly bland and dry fillings and I had to submerge each in the soy-based sauce (a cheap trick, in my opinion) to make them kind of palatable. But I did love the slaw, bespeckled with toasted sesame seeds and tossed in a wonderful fruity, nutty dressing. If it was me, I'd rather bill and build the starter as "heaven-on-earth Asian slaw, accompanied with tuna rolls", but that could be just me. Having mixed feelings already, my entree came: Herb-crusted salmon over risotto with leeks, peas, beans and mushrooms with a champagne-saffron cream sauce. A bit clichéd but Holy crap! This is frickin' delish! The buttery and slightly salty salmon melds wonderfully with the sublimely aromatic sauce, and the creamy vegetable risotto side dish are better than most of the risotto main courses I've had at other places. Even though I tend to be mindful of how much refined carbs I'm eating, I can't help but take another half-slice of the bread to mop up the rest of sauce, risotto bits and stray flakes of salmon. The wine paired well enough with the courses so far, even though in hindsight I should've chosen something a little more full-bodied (despite my love affair for lesser known, fragrant whites). Wrapping up it all up, a vanilla cheesecake with creme anglaise and a citrus salad. The cheesecake was light and airy (as opposed to the dense NY style ones) with good vanilla flavors, and the oranges and grapefruits were good for rounding off the palate. And so concludes my experience @ Sage Restaurant - all in all I really like the place and the food. I do feel just a little young and under-dresseed for the occasion, but when all your senses are locked upon great food and not how other diners are looking at you - who cares? The Bill: Three-course prix-fixe: $26.95 Wine: $8 Pretax/tip total: $34.95 The Rating: Ambience: 3/5 (A nice, cozy place with nothing particularly remarkable. Tables spaced just a little too close for my comfort) Value: 4/5 (For this event, I think the prices are more than reasonable -- perhaps less so for their regular menu which I also looked at, where a dinner can run around $35-50 a person, without drinks) Service: 7/10 (Staff was prompt, efficient and attentive, but not particularly beyond-the-call-of-duty stellar and there was a bit of a lag time between courses) Food: 16.5/20 (Lovin' it overall! The only downer was the spicy ahi tuna spring rolls) Bonus/Demerit: +.5 for a perfectly-portioned prix-fixe (most others I've had is WAY too much food, this one left me thoroughly satisfied, but not bloatingly full.) Overall: 31/40 (Worth the trip if in the area or for a slightly upscale occasion.) Other notes: *keep your change & small bills at home - ample free parking in the lot (thanks to Ralphs/CVS) *according to the Website, they also have a small plates, small tastes menu (reminds me of tapas) ~ I didn't notice it when I was looking at my regular menu, so probably best to call them up on it. *Sage on the Coast, on the other hand, offers a reasonably-priced prix-fixe menu year round ($30 , $40 with paired wines) Sage Restaurant 2531 Eastbluff Dr Newport Beach, CA 92660 (949) 718-9650 www.sagerestaurant.com

Sweet Divas Cottage Bistro (Brea) - LA-OC Foodie's Report

Being a fan of high teas in general (which usually consitute a meal with their carb-loaded scones, finger sandwiches and desserts,) I was intrigued by Sweet Divas' offerings, despite their very amateurish Website. But, from previous outings, professional Web pages do not necessarily translate into a quality dining experiences, so what the heck. And, wanting to warm up from the December chill and with my usual craving for sweets, off to cottage bistro I went. Sweet Divas started out as a cake & pastries catering business, but soon moved into their current cottage location (situated on Imperial Highway, between the cookiecutter Brea Mall and the redeveloping downtown Brea.) While they do also serve sunday brunches and dinners, their most famous offerings are their various afternoon teas. I arrived upon a nearly full dining area, with women of all ages in celebration or conversation. The interior of the cottage is comforting, warm/neutral tones and Christmas trimmings and lights, along with a few antiques and teahouse-appropriate artifacts (paintings, fine china, etc.) The table setting looked adequate . . . and functional ~ the only thing I found particularly pretty were the colored sugar-crystals for my tea. With only 2 servers hustling about the dining floor (of about 12 tables, though some were configurated for large party,) it was a little while before my order was taken. I didn't mind, gave me a chance to take in the vibe of the place and decide upon my selection - which turned out to be "Mrs. Claus' Tea", a variant from their "Lady James' Tea" from their regular menu - I presume. So that's what Santa's wife does while he's away sneaking down chimneys . . . While they have a variety of high tea arrangements available (including ones with salads, special baked desserts & even a warm chocolate fondue), once the selection is made everything else is fairly structured (i.e. you only choose the tea you want, everything else is prix-fixe.) Their tea selection is fairly large (about 40) ranging from the traditional English Breakfast to fun flavored concoctions like Chocolate Covered Strawberries, along with some herbal and rooibos choices for the caffeine-sensitive. I decided to go for the "White Peach," since it's rare for me to find white teas served anywhere. And that turns out to be a mistake, the white tea was improperly steeped and over flavored. Unlike other teas, which takes 3-5 minutes, white tea really should take no longer than one minute to steep ~ lest its delicate nutty flavor gets ruined by bitterness, which is the case here (I opened my teapot to find the buds still in there.) It was also overpowered by the artifical-tasting peach flavor. In spite of the bad tea (which I tried to compensate, to no avail, by oversugaring,) I did enjoy the scones served: vanilla-sugar (pictured) and cinnamon-spice. Warm, fluffy, slightly sweet and absolutely delicious with the marionberry jam & double cream. Maybe a little too soft for spreading since crumbs kept falling left and right, but overall heavenly. Soon after my scones, and basically chugging the first cup of tea, I was served the tier of tea sandwiches & tea sweets on frosted glass plates. I started off with the savories, which included a chicken salad sandwich on wheat bread, egg salad sandwich on potato bread & a vegetarian quiche. The two sandwiches are tasty, well-seasoned and with just enough mayo - albeit a bit smaller compared to other finger sandwiches I've had in the past. The quiche was ok overall, a bit too salty for my preferences - but a good cheddary flavor going on, which paired well with the veggies that I can best ID as spinach or broccoli but can't be sure of. Next, the sweets plate, bite-sized version of caramel-apple bar, chocolate-pecan pie and red velvet cupcake. All were as yummy as I expected, not too sweet, and portioned just right (one-two bites) so my palate didn't get bored & my conscious guilty. The cupcake was topped with the cutest candy wreath that I didn't capture in the above pic, so here . . . Finishing off the tea was a freshly baked, piping hot Apple Cobbler. Again, wonderful - thinly-sliced, spiced tart apples topped with a crunchy yet substantial crust which tasted a lot like the scones--wouldn't be surprised if it's the same dough. The crust-to-filling ratio was slightly off (wished for more of the latter) but again, a yummy treat. And so concludes my experience at Sweet Divas, as good as all the food is, I still can't get over how absolutely awful the tea tasted, though that could've been food-karma nipping me in the butt for going for something adventurous. Maybe next time I'll opt for something more conservative -- though not anywhere in the near future, as there are a few more tea rooms I've set my eyes on. The Bill: Mrs. Claus' Tea & pre-tax/tip total: 18.95 The Rating: Ambience - 3/5 (comfortable and functional, but nothing particularly special) Value - 2/5 (portions are comparatively small to the other similarly-priced high teas I've had) Service - 7.5/10 (adequate - a bit slow but the servers were swamped with a full floor) Food - 14/20 (food was overall good & the score would be substantially higher if not for the nasty tea) Bonus/demerits - no points deducted, but a demerit worth noting for a bad (and possibly confusing) Web site! Total Rating - 26.5/40 (have mixed feelings about returning, again, due to generally good tasting, but small-portioned, foods and, did I mention this before?, really bad tea.) Other Notes: ~ Reservations highly recommended, this place is often fully booked - you can do this via their Website, through phone, or on Opentable. ~ Parking on adjacent streets are fairly easy to find. ~ They also sell cookies / sweets to go, and have special event menus available for baby showers, bridal parties, etc. Sweet Divas Cottage Bistro & Patisserie 518 E. Imperial Hwy. Brea, CA 92821 714-990-4832 www.sweetdivascakes.com