Fashion, Dining & Trends of OC
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Greer’s Pick of the Week
The Sassoon Salon Experience
Sassoon Salon offers a truly exceptional cut and color that will effortlessly complement your personal style for the holidays.
Sponsored by Sassoon Salon, South Coast Plaza
Greer’s Good Life
A+ for A Restaurant
From the darling "valet girls" to the retro luxe interior, the legendary restaurant property has never looked so good. It's serving up a 3 p.m. bar menu daily; Saturday and Sunday brunch (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.) and dinner nightly from 5:30 p.m. 3334 West Coast Highway in Newport Beach. 949.650.6505
Sponsored by A Restaurant
daily dose of OC
THIRD TIME; STILL CHARMING
The new Kimera Restaurant Lounge in Irvine joins the Ghoukassian's family of top-rated OC restaurants that includes Bayside in Newport Beach and Bistango in Irvine. Kimera offers a modern youthful vibe and a fresh take on lounge dining with a cool mix of nightly music.
For more than 20 years the family has created successful restaurants by combining excellent cuisine, contemporary atmosphere, and quality service.
At Kimera, you can dine outside in canopy-covered patios or opt for the livelier and sexy lounge/bar area with low tables and couches. The ambiance throughout is warm and inviting with modern ecologically friendly touches. Take note of the striking suspended bamboo ceilings, cork floors, dark lacquered wood tabletops, and caramel brown leather upholstery.
And you'll be wooed by the global fusion cuisine prepared by Kimera’s executive chef, Chris Grodach. (His culinary expertise includes cooking at the iconic French Laundry.) Chef Grodach's cuisine features international influences made from fresh local ingredients.
Starter dishes include grilled heirloom squash with baby corn, queso fresco, cojito, mole and lime; a summer roll of yuzu-marinated daikon, green apple, watermelon, wasabi sorbet; and polenta beignets with mornay and marinara.
Main courses feature delicious halibut with confit potato, baby heirloom tomato, asparagus, basil pesto; red wine-braised short ribs crispy polenta, rainbow chard, natural jus; or try pine nut-crusted lamb loin Israeli couscous, golden raisin, roasted eggplant, yellow curry.
A word of warning: desserts are too tempting. You can try the Moroccan peach parfait with preserved lemon, mint, rose; pan-asian crème brûlée with toasted coconut, chai, sweet almond milk; or triple berry cobbler with orange blossom and ginger ice cream.
Open for lunch and dinner Monday through Friday, and for dinner on Saturday and Sunday. A bar menu from 3 until 5 p.m. offers light snacks and small pizzas, ranging from $2.00 to $9.50.
Open for lunch 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Open for dinner 5 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday.
Kimera Restaurant Lounge at 19530 Jamboree Road in Irvine. 949.261.1222.
GREAT NEW DEALS
Special to Greer's OC subscribers are eight discounts and special deals from some of Orange County's hottest retailers and service providers. Just click on OC Deals and you'll find bargains such as the first hour free (a $175 value) with Barbra Horowitz of Closet Therapy, 20% on everything from Sidewalks Boutique in Laguna Beach, or a 15% discount on online orders from Laura Matthews Designs, a Newport Beach-based handbag designer.
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