PASCAL'S TRADITIONAL

This was a really good dinner. 

I think we've tried to visit Pascal's several times, but for whatever reason it just didn't happen. But Saturday we finally made it! And it was fantastic. 

We didn't do the tasting menu. But it looks good. 

We ordered, of course, the foie gras as an appetizer. It won out ~ just barely~ over the escargot.  It's not often when I see foie on a menu that we don't get it. Unfortunately, it was the least favorite dish of the night though.  Overcooked, and over salted. I could still eat twelve pounds of it, but I wouldn't enjoy it near as much as when it's done right. Here they have plated with what seems to be baked or grilled pears. They just weren't sweet enough to cut through all that salt though. And the fois was just rubbery. 

OK, now this dish (below) was one of the best things I have had in a loooong time! It was thyme crusted sea bass. It just worked, with the sauce and the buttery crust. It was fantabulous! 

Theo's dish rocked it as well... he got the rabbit with wild mushrooms. Both his rabbit and crispy fingerling potatoes came in their own cast iron pots, which made for a very authentic French presentation. His rabbit was so good - fall apart tender and it was swimming in a rich, mushroomy sauce. 

They weren't very busy, maybe only half full, so I felt like we were there on a Tuesday rather than a Saturday...  and it was as quiet as could be. Some music would have been nice for atmosphere and just creates a background buzz that you're used to hearing in busier restaurants. Dead quiet makes you feel like you're in a place that can't wait for you to leave so they can close.  Just a suggestion. 

Our server was very pleasant and friendly though, but seemed to maybe be handling the entire room alone? That also would be authentically French though. :)

We had a good time, and the food was very good. We will definitely be back. 

IZAKAYA ZERO WAS A BIG ZERO.

This was the view from outside Izakaya Zero at about 8pm. They were very busy (except for this lonely "reserved" table) and I had high hopes for the food. There had been a flattering article in the paper about this place and it was just down the street so we went to check it out.

These guys had a really neat contraption that keeps your beer fresh and cold. We weren't in the mood for a gallon of beer however, so we just ordered something else. I got sake - they had Dewasansan, so that was fine for me. Theo got some sort of bottled beer.

The decor was nice. Japanese-ish with a modern, sassy, cafeteria feel. I didn't love it, but it was alright. 

This was one of the few dishes that was OK, but it's kind of hard to screw up sashimi. And halibut is such a scarce creature lately.... so we enjoyed this. 

This was some sort of roll. Theo said it was very bland. No rice, and the cucumber just was a flavorless wrap that added nothing to the other mellow ingredients. 

Ahh... the food. Ick. Most of it was ick. I was not impressed at all. Maybe it's because I'm used to quality Japanese food and posers just don't "do it" for me... or, maybe it's just because this place's chef sucks. Could be either. 

We had a variety of small dishes, as is typical at Japanese places. Most of it was not very good. I think they tried to be original with their food, but most of what we ordered (which was about half the menu) just wasn't exciting at all. 

The sake was fine though. :)

Dessert. Choc souffle and lychee sorbet. The sorbet was very good. I'd have that 

again.  It was the hit of the night for me. 

Now, to be fair, Theo's experience with this place was not as bad as mine. He said he'd definitely go back. I think by now you'd know if I would or not.  

Here's a weird thing about this place also.... for a place that was totally packed just an hour earlier, by 10pm they were almost completely empty. (crickets)

MARCHE' MODERNE

Marche' Moderne is a fantastic restaurant located above Tiffany & Co. in the world famous South Coast Plaza in Santa Ana.

Let me talk a minute about this dish - Riesling Pressure Cooked Choucroute Moderne. Short ribs, belly, ham hocks, sausage and pork cheeks - with sauerkraut and potatoes. It was the kind of thing I remember eating as a kid - my Mom has a German background so we ate this kind of thing often. Maybe it was because it was easy to make for busy moms?Just toss your meat of choice in the pot or pressure cooker and leave it. Add veggies at the end and serve. Well - a little more to it than that, but not much. 

Their version of this type of dish was AWESOME. Meat falling apart it was so tender, and a variety to keep things interesting, the potatoes and cabbage and that salty broth. This is my kind of food! Thank goodness Theo ordered it and not me, because I would have eaten the entire gigantic portion and then exploded. This may be a "French" restaurant, but their portions are not typical French portions. They're huge! I had steak frites - which includes a very large 8oz super-tender filet and that comes with a large salad and enough fries (the thin crispy kind too!) to feed a family of six!! I couldn't even eat half of this.

The interior is almost Swiss like - and I always feel like I'm sitting in some upscale restaurant at a ski lodge. Warm and small - and you can see right into the kitchen, as it's literally part of the room. 

Our appetizer - Charcuterie. How fun is this! And, it was delicious!

THE IVY HOTEL - SAN DIEGO

We found this place on our last visit to San Diego, and liked it so much it was our first stop last weekend when we went back to SD.  The Ivy Hotel is very contemporary and stylish, but it's in a part of town that you don't really want to walk through at night (San Diego has a lot of transients, and unfortunately they are not all pleasant human beings) so we will probably never stay there, but we'll certainly visit during the day and eat lunch at their restaurant! 

The same guy took care of us both times we've been there - he is the bartender. Very nice guy. We always get there too late for the regular lunch hour, so we end up in the bar section, but that's OK because it's totally empty during the day and pretty cool to hang out in (we sit outside in the covered courtyard). And the bartender is so attentive and helpful and just makes the visit all the more pleasant. It's the whole package. 

We sat at a table right near the kitchen window.

You can see into the kitchen from the courtyard. Very pretty kitchen. I could sit here all day and just watch them work. I'm not kidding. 

At night, on the weekends, it's more of a hot spot hangout for SD's young & hip crowd, but on Saturday afternoons we get the whole place to ourselves.  

This was my Caesar salad. I love the poached egg addition, rather than just making the yolk dressing. You get to break the yolk yourself, then mix the egg through the greens. Very French.  It also had the freshest anchovies - which I gave to Theo and he loved - that I have ever seen. Very simple and just fresh and delicious! This is so my kind of food.

This was a really good Kobe burger/wiener combo that Theo had. Definitely not the healthier and low-fat dog that I buy in the grocery... these were the real thing baby, and SO delicious! :)

Popcorn shrimp..... pretty standard. The dipping sauces were excellent, a ponzu, a honey sauce and a spicy creamy sauce. 

These are the dipping sauces for the shrimp, and the chili fixin's for the dogs.

How cute is this highchair! It really fit in with their contemporary decor. And I think the baby liked it too! Fashion is always better when it's functional too. 

Some more pics from around the Hotel...

BASILIC - BALBOA ISLAND

Balboa Island is just 5 minutes away, but we only recently discovered Basilic a few months ago. It's a very small place, like the types of family owned Bistros you see in Paris - 8 or 10 tables in a warm, dimly lit room with only one waiter. You can't just walk in at dinner time and expect to be seated, they were always booked up. Then, when we'd think ahead of time about it, we could never remember the name! Long story short, we made reservations eventually and the rest is history. It's one of our favorite places!

The food is Swiss French. Classic French cuisine, with a Swiss flair. For us, it's one of those splurge places. It's not extremely expensive, but it's extremely decadent, and I think it should be appreciated, so we don't overdo it. On Saturday night it's always full of super wealthy Newport snobs. Doesn't bother me. The owner isn't a snob, either is the waiter or the chef. Besides, it's the kind of place that you just feel comfortable at no matter who you are, what you're wearing or who you're sitting next to. 

So, on to the food. 

Appetizer: Braised Endive with Prociutto and Gruyere Gratin (this was out of this world!)

Appetizer: Foie Gras, seared with Balsamic Glaze and Blackberries (huge piece of Foie, seared perfectly!)

Entree:  Steak au Poivre - Grilled New York Steak with creamy Black Peppercorn Sauce (I highly recommend it!)

Entree: Coq au Vin - Braised Chicken, Burgundy Wine and Mushroom Sauce

Dessert: Strawberries & Whipped Cream atop a Merengue

Dessert: Ice Cream - Strawberry & Vanilla

About this time the Chef is going table to table, asking how everyone's dinner was.