Stonehill Tavern - St. Regis Resort, Monarch Beach

Stonehill Tavern
1 Monarch Beach Resort
Dana Point, CA 92629
Tel: 949.234.3318
http://michaelmina.net/restaurants/locations/stoc.php

Last week I was lucky enough to be invited down to Michael Mina's restaurant, Stonehill Tavern at the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort, to try the new tasting menu. I know that sometimes I review fast food joints on this blog. Well, Stonehill Tavern would be as opposite of a fast food joint that you can get. This restaurant is the epitome of fine dining. The food and service at this establishment are truly first-class.

The evening started out on the gorgeous balcony with the Seasonal Shellfish Platter ($29pp). This item is not usually included with the tasting menu. We were also given a couple of Stonehill Tavern's signature cocktails to try, the Violet Turning Violet and the Moscow Mule.



The platter consisted of some of the freshest shellfish from the sea served in a variety of imaginative ways. On the shellfish platter were (from left to right) a kumamoto oyster, giant clam ceviche, marinated abalone sashimi, spot prawn cocktail, dungeness crab leg and uni flan.


Next, we were moved inside to start the tasting menu. The tasting menu is $148 per person. You can add a wine pairing to each course for an extra $95 or a pairing of alternate alcoholic beverages (think cocktails, sake and more) for $65 per person. Below are the courses that we sampled (Selections may vary).

Ahi Tuna Tartar (image courtesy of Stonehill Tavern)


Smoked Salmon with Cucumber Dill Yogurt Sauce and Pumpernickel Toast


"Three Eggs" Layers of Uni Custard, Scrambled Chicken Egg and Wasabi Tobiko Caviar


Dry-Boat Halibut with Asparagus, Green Almonds, Ramps and Pancetta


Lobster Pot Pie


Grimaud Farms Duck with Black Barley and Baby Turnips


Wagyu Striploin with Porcini, Broccoli and Bone Marrow


Melted Camembert on House-Made Brioche with Rhubarb Confiture


Raspberry Curd

The menu included a variety of artfully presented delights. My two favorites for the evening would have to be the Grimaud Farms Duck and the Lobster Pot Pie. All of the above dishes are available in a larger entree size. I am told that if you order the entree size Lobster Pot Pie, it comes in a large copper kettle with an entire lobster inside. S's favorite dish of the night was the halibut.

Overall, I know this restaurant may be out of price-range for a lot of you. If you can swing it though, you are in for a real treat. I have been to many fine dining restaurants in my life and Stonehill Tavern has some of the finest service of any restaurant I have been to. The attention to detail and the presentation that the chef puts into each dish makes each plate a feast for both the eyes and your stomach. The next time you are looking for a fine dining restaurant, make sure that Stonehill Tavern is on your list of considerations.

Taps Fish House & Brewery Brunch - Brea

Taps Fish House and Brewery
101 E. Imperial Hwy
Brea, CA 92821
Reservations: 714-257-0101
www.tapsfishhouse.com

I was lucky enough to recently try the Sunday brunch at Taps Fish House and Brewery in Brea. This was one of those brunches that I had always meant to try, but never got around to. I don't know what took me so long. Taps Fish House has an enormous buffet style Sunday brunch. The price for brunch is $35.99 and it is served from 9:30 AM-2:30 PM. On an average Sunday, the restaurant serves about 750 people for brunch. On a holiday, they serve around 1,000. The brunch spread boasts over 100 items and includes your choice of two beers or unlimited champagne and mimosas. In addition to the buffet, there are also some made-to-order items included with the brunch that you can get from the kitchen, such as omelettes and breakfast burritos. Below are some photos I took of the buffet. "Chilled" Seafood Mediterranean Station Roast Beef Carving Station Eggs Benedict House Made Cinnamon Rolls House Special Omelette Beignets $1 extra for 7 My First Plate Overall I was very impressed with the variety and selection of food items offered. You will find a variety of breakfast and lunch favorites, cold and hot seafood, soups, salads, desserts and more. My only concern was that the "chilled" seafood wasn't really that cold. I would call it more "room temperature" seafood. Also, in my opinion, you're better off skipping the extra $1 beignets and opting for the included dessert buffet. Overall, it was a fantastic brunch spread. I look forward to visiting again soon.

Tasti-D-Lite Tustin - My latest obsession

Tasti-D-Lite
13662 Newport Ave, Suite C
Tustin, CA 92780
714-838-8100

www.tastidlite.com
Do you ever wish that there was a tasty frozen treat that had less fat and calories than most frozen yogurt? Do you get tired of picking from whatever 8-10 flavors are on tap at your local soft-serve place? You must be thinking to yourself, "There has to be a better way!" Well now there is! Tasti-D-Lite in Tustin is here for all of your low calorie, all-natural, frozen treat cravings!

Ok....enough with the infomercial spiel. Seriously though, this place is pretty awesome. When you enter the store, they tell you that their product is not frozen yogurt because there are no live, active cultures. They also can't call it ice cream because it has less than the required 10% butterfat to officially be called "ice cream." So they just call themselves a tasty frozen treat. Tasti-D-Lite has around 70 calories and 1.5 grams of fat per serving. The ingredients are all-natural. They have 8 flavors on tap that rotate on a daily basis. Here is the best part though, if you don't see a flavor you like on tap, you can choose from their menu of over 100+ flavors that they can mix up for you on the spot.

Tasti-D-Lite has a very extensive flavor list from Acai to Tropicolada to Rice Pudding and Cinnamon Crunch. The most amazing part is that all of the flavors I have tried taste almost exactly like the item they are trying to mimic. My favorite flavor so far is rice pudding. It actually tastes like homemade rice pudding that has somehow been pureed and frozen. I add a little extra cinnamon to mine and it is just as satisfying as eating a big ol' bowl of rice pudding.

So far this Tustin location is the only location in California. There are many Tasti-D-Lites on the east coast. Hopefully this Tasti-D-Lite is just the first of many to come to OC.
The Custom Flavor Mixing Station Toppings

Fleming's Steakhouse 5 for $6 til 7

I have recently discovered that Fleming's Steakhouse in Newport Beach has a bunch of amazing happy hour specials, 7 nights a week! Their happy hour is called 5 for $6 til 7 because they have a selection of 5 appetizers, 5 wines and 5 cocktails for $6 each until 7:00 PM. As an added bonus, you can also get a big 'ol cheeseburger with onion rings for $6 as well. I recently had the opportunity to try all of the appetizers that Fleming's offers during the happy hour. The appetizers and the burger are pictured below.


Tenderloin Carpaccio


Sweet Chile Calamari Tossed with Banana Peppers


Wicked Cajun Barbecue Shrimp


Roasted Mushroom Ravioli


Baked Brie in Puff Pastry


Fleming's Prime Burger with Cheese and Bacon


My favorite of all the selections was the Tenderloin Carpaccio. I'm a total sucker for raw beef though. The thinly sliced filet mignon was paired perfectly with some salty capers, diced red onion, fresh basil and hard boiled egg. Absolutely delicious. The burger was also an amazing deal for only $6. This is a gourmet burger with onion rings at a price that is lower than many fast food joints. These food specials, plus the drink specials below, are available 7 days a week, at the bar, from 4-7 PM.

$6 Cocktails
TROPICAL MARTINI, Malibu Coconut Rum
WHITE COSMO, Svedka Vodka
POMTINI, Smirnoff Vodka
LIMONCELLO MARTINI, Smirnoff Vodka
STOLI BOMBSHELL, Stoli Vodka (99 calories)

$6 WINES BY THE GLASS
SPARKLING, Mas Fi Cava, Spain
CHARDONNAY, Canyon Road, California
PINOT NOIR, Mark West, California
MERLOT, Red Diamond, Washington
CABERNET, 14 Hands, Washington

Blackie's Originals - Pork Chips

www.blackiesoriginals.com

I happened to be walking through the Farmers Market at the Kaiser in Irvine (Wednesdays) when I spotted a booth offering what they call Crispy Pork Jerky. I tried a sample and discovered that is was not much like jerky, but much more like a crispy meat chip. Fantastic! The company is only 5 months old and currently sells their product at this Farmers Market plus the Huntington Beach Farmers Market and the OC Swap Meet at the Fairgrounds over the weekend. The crispy pork chips are now available in Original and Spiked Pepper. The flavor is a little like a sweet teriyaki glaze on lightly smoked, crispy bacon. New flavors will be coming soon. I hope he comes out with a flavor soon that focuses more on the salty instead of the sweet. These are still a great little snack though. The chips are baked, all-natural and 97% fat-free. Bags are currently $6 each or 2 for $10.

Aria International - The new giant grocery store in town

2505 El Camino Real
Tustin, CA
714-665-8269

The giant space in Tustin that once housed K-Mart and then Sears Essentials finally has a new tenant. The New Aria International Supermarket opened this past week. This grocery store is among one of the biggest I've seen. Apart from the giant size, it is not much different than your standrad grocery store. The store claims to be an international grocer. While I saw many Middle-Eastern and Mexican groceries, I did not see very many Asian items. The produce is currently dirt cheap because of their opening week, but I'm not sure if prices will remain this low. The produce also seems to be a little lower quality than average. The large bakery makes freshly baked Sangak bread for those of you that don't want to stand in the long line at Wholesome Choice. There is a International Food Court in the back of the store, but as of now there is only a single Middle-Eastern restaurant serving food. Here are a few photos from inside the store.


The Giant Store

The Bakery

Mexican Cheese in The Deli Department

Fresh Meat Department

Hot Food - International Food Court

The Cocoa Lounge is back! - Palm Terrace Restaurant, Island Hotel Newport Beach

The Cocoa Lounge, inside
The Palm Terrace Restaurant, inside
The Island Hotel
690 Newport Center Drive
Newport Beach, CA 92660
Toll Free: 866-554-4620
Phone: 949-759-0808
www.islandhotel.com

The time has come for the 4th annual Cocoa lounge at the Palm Terrace restaurant in The Island Hotel in Newport Beach. For those of you not familiar with it, the Island Hotel hosts a pop-up chocolate lounge, once a year in February. The lounge is open in the evenings only and offers all-you-can-eat chocolate indulgences. Due to the huge surge in popularity, reservations are highly recommended. There is also a pricing adjustment this year. Admission to the Cocoa Lounge is $24 per person. If you dine in the restaurant beforehand and order an entree, your admission to the lounge is only $12. For last year's full coverage of the event, including many pictures, please visit http://www.griffineatsoc.com/2011/02/cocoa-lounge-at-palm-terrace-in-island.html

The lounge is open Tuesday thru Saturday from 6:00 PM-10:00 PM, Feb 3-March 3.

Below is a sample of the chocolate delights that await you, however the menu is subject to change.

Cocoa Lounge Menu – February 2012

Whole Cakes

· Dark Chocolate Mousse Cake

· Espresso Mousse Chocolate Cake

· White Chocolate Red Velvet Cheesecake

· Chocolate Bread Pudding with Bourbon Cream

Mini Pastries

· Chocolate Pudding Cake with White Chocolate Mousse, Raspberry Glaze

· Milk Chocolate Mousse Timbales

· Cream Cheese Peanut Butter Brownies

· Orange White Chocolate Pistachio Cake

· Financier S’mores (pictured below)

· Gianduja Chocolate Pot de Crème

· Dark Chocolate Éclairs filled with Almond Cream (pictured below)

· Dark Chocolate Cheesecake (Pyramids)

· Fresh Fruit Tarts

Candies

· Peanut Caramels

· Chocolate Lollipops

· Port Truffles

· Chocolate Hazelnut Clusters