Crescent Farm Duck Breast from Knife Pleat
Here are the best tasting menus in Orange County for all your culinary desires!
Located in Crystal Cove Shopping Center, this chic French eatery offers a five-course tasting menu complete with inventive small plates. Be prepared to taste French delicacies from chef-owners Florent and Amelia Marneau—including their famous brown butter chestnut chicken with black truffle tapenade, and burnt honey yuzu with white chocolate and lemon confit. Newport Beach, 714.434.7900, marchemoderne.net
Michelin-starred chef Tony Esnault and restaurateur Yassmin Sarmadi's elegant and creative French restaurant has become a staple at the luxurious South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa. Their six-course tasting menu has an optional wine pairing, and offers gourmet plates such as jus “vinaigré” quail with spinach and swiss chard, and beef tenderloin with potato mousseline. It ends with a "hearts and roses" raspberry rose buttercream dessert. Costa Mesa, 714.266.3388, knifepleat.com
The luxurious Montage Resort in Laguna Beach offers fine dining in style. An extravagant four-course meal tasting can be enjoyed alongside ocean breezes, while overlooking a panoramic 50-foot bluff. With each course of the tasting menu, which comes with an optional wine pairing, guests will receive two unique and delicious plates to share. Notable dishes include grilled Mediterranean octopus and American wagyu striploin, and a rich raspberry fondant with Madagascar dark chocolate, lemon thyme and coconut completes the experience. Laguna Beach, 949.715.6030, montagehotels.com
A culinary gem located in Newport North Shopping Center, chef Zach Scherer's 12-course tasting menu is a unique experience in Orange County. While the chef's menus aren't necessarily filled with Italian dishes, they're inspired by the simplicity and seasonality for which Italian cuisine is known. Scherer hand-selects quality ingredients each week from local purveyors like Chino Farms and TransparentSea Farms. The menu changes each week and features expertly-paired wines, and Bello Chef's Table is available every Friday and Saturday at 7PM. Newport Beach, 949.520.7191, bellobysandronardone.com
The delightful Lido Marina Village in Newport Beach houses a location of the world-famous Nobu, known for its lavish cocktails and fusion cuisine blending traditional Japanese dishes with Peruvian ingredients. This year’s tasting menu offers seven deluxe courses, enabling guests to sample the delicious flavors that Nobu has to offer. Get ready for purple Peruvian potato gazpacho, toro & uni truffle, the chef’s sushi selection, and a fresh fruit tart with vanilla cream and mixed berries for dessert. Newport Beach, 949.429.4440, noburestaurants.com
This five-star Santa Ana fine dining restaurant by sushi chef Gino Choi serves a multi-course omakase with an enjoyable atmosphere and exquisite dishes. Known for their fresh fish, large portions and sublime tasting menus, Omakase by Gino is a favored sushi spot in North Orange County. The popular spot is open Wednesday through Saturday, reservations only, and all reservations can be made through Resy.com; but act quickly, as this gourmet eatery's reservations fill up rapidly. Santa Ana, 657.231.6008
Mix Mix by award-winning chef Ross Pangilinan presents creative dishes with global influence, ranging from traditional French and Italian to modern Filipino cuisines. For a truly unique dining experience this Valentine’s Day, a three-course prix fixe menu will be offered, with menu options including a heart-shaped butternut squash ravioli with brown butter, duck coq au vin with fennel onion soubise and red wine jus, and for the final course, the chef’s special dessert trio. Santa Ana, 714.836.5158, mixmixkitchenbar.com
One of the most exclusive restaurants in Santa Ana, TRUST offers tapas and small plates in an intimate “18-seat culinary theater." Chefs will prepare your "dozen-or-so course meal," and sommeliers will select beverages to pair with each course. A highlight of dining at TRUST is its top-rated wagyu beef, which comes with a genuine wagyu beef certificate of authenticity. The chef has an immense passion for the food, and the meals will consist of whatever inspires the chef that day or week. Santa Ana, 714.732.2705, trustdtsa.com
Amar Santana's Broadway is situated in the center of the seaside town of Laguna Beach. Within one block of the Pacific Ocean, the restaurant also captures the gourmet culinary experiences and atmosphere of New York City. The tasting menu with optional wine pairing for this Valentine’s Day features deluxe dishes, from steamed Chilean sea bass to roasted Sonoma duck breast. Ending the meal with a mouth-watering coconut passion seduction rum cake is sure to delight your taste buds. Laguna Beach, 949.715.8234, broadwaybyamarsantana.com
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