Orange County’s restaurants are celebrating anniversaries, menu updates and grand openings. Here’s what’s cooking.
San Pedro fish with Kaluga caviar and green peas from BluSky Restaurant & Bar PHOTO: BY CARA HARMAN
A CRYSTAL COVE Spring welcomes the arrival of A Crystal Cove, the fourth O.C. restaurant from River Jetty Restaurant Group partners Jordan Otterbein and Joseph “McG” Nichol, known for Newport Beach’s A Restaurant and A Market and Corona del Mar’s CdM Restaurant. Situated in the former Settebello Pizzeria Napoletana space, adjacent to Marché Moderne, the restaurant will be helmed by executive chef Elvis Morales and will feature a seasonally driven menu of homemade pastas, meat selections, seafood and pizzas from both A Restaurant and CdM Restaurant. With room for up to 200 diners—including a 24-seat bar—the ample space will house live DJs on select Saturday evenings and a vintage photo booth for capturing all the night’s fun. arestaurantcc.com; riverjettyrg.com
The patio at Henry’s Coastal Cuisine offers fire pits and ocean views. PHOTO: COURTESY OF HENRY’S COASTAL CUISINE
AVEO TABLE + BAR Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach Resort & Club is spicing things up at AVEO Table + Bar. Moving away from a Mediterranean menu, the hot spot will now put Latin flavors in the spotlight thanks to chef de cuisine Diego Bernal. Boasting myriad vegan and gluten-free dishes, the new menu includes favorites like the roasted salmon bowl (with quinoa, braised kale, fermented cucumber, sprouts and a passion fruit glaze) and el jardin tacos (blue corn tortillas stuffed with sweet potatoes, quinoa, jicama slaw, radish and poblano salsa). Pair your bites with a Patrón-spiked passion fruit fresno margarita. waldorfastoriamonarchbeach.com/dine/aveo-table-bar
The Bungalow Kitchen’s king salmon arrives with roasted artichokes, morel mushrooms and green garlic PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE BUNGALOW KITCHEN
BLUSKY RESTAURANT & BAR Zip up the elevator to the 12th floor atop Radisson Blu Anaheim hotel to experience BluSky Restaurant & Bar’s new 12-course Basque Carta Blanca tasting menu. Priced at $225 per person, the two-and-a-half-to three-hour dinner kicks off at 6PM with executive chef Edgar Beas personally preparing each exquisite dish at his dedicated chef’s counter. To keep Beas’ vision intact, dishes—like the San Pedro fish with Kaluga caviar and green peas—cannot be substituted or changed, so come with an open mind and empty stomach. radissonbluskyrestaurantbar.com
Rum Social’s beautiful bar PHOTO: BY VU VUONG
HENRY’S COASTAL CUISINE Head to The Waterfront Beach Resort in Huntington Beach to experience the new and improved Henry’s Coastal Cuisine, where executive chef Lewis Butler has steered the former fine dining concept in a more modern and approachable direction. “In addition to being the anchor restaurant for the hotel, our goal is to become a neighborhood favorite known for its creative, progressive and consistently satisfying menu,” says Butler. Request a seat on the heated, ocean-facing patio and indulge in SoCal and South American flavors in the form of honey soy-marinated hamachi crudo, pan-roasted sea bass and a hearty cowboy ribeye for two. Finish with the vanilla creme brulee for dessert. waterfrontresort.com/dining/henrys-coastal-cuisine
AVEO Table Bar’s Chilean sea bass is served with black rice, coconut sauce, pickled red onion and orange segments PHOTO: COURTESY OF WALDORF ASTORIA MONARCH BEACH RESORT & CLUB
RUM SOCIAL Tucked within the former Watermarc space in Laguna Beach is a charming new watering hole and eatery that seeks to transport its guests to the tropics. Enter Rum Social, where cocktails like the R.S. Cuba Libre (with Malahat black tea rum) are teamed with bites like the island mixto ceviche, hamachi crudo and sesame-crusted ono. Dine downstairs to enjoy a full dinner menu or head upstairs to the Treehouse Bar for ocean views and pours created by F&B director Jered Adams. rumsocial.com
River Jetty Restaurant Group partners Jordan Otterbein and Joseph “McG” Nichol. PHOTO: COURTESY OF RIVER JETTY RESTAURANT GROUP
THE BUNGALOW KITCHEN BELMONT SHORE It’s a celebration for chef Michael Mina and restaurateur Brent Bolthouse as the duo toasts the one-year anniversary of The Bungalow Kitchen at 2ND & PCH. To commemorate the affair, a new spring menu full of bright flavors and fresh ingredients has taken root. Think roasted asparagus and burrata decked in truffle vinaigrette and garlic streusel, and phyllo-crusted petrale sole teamed with horseradish potato puree, green beans, pea shoots, whipped mascarpone and Meyer lemon caviar sauce. Toast the anniversary with a bubbly glass of Champagne, a rustic malbec or a fruity pinot noir, a new selection of which is now on offer through the restaurant’s updated wine program, curated by Level III sommelier Ryan Kraemer. Here’s to year two! bungalowkitchen.com
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