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Elevated Mexican Cuisine in OC

08.20.14

Taco Maria, the one time famed taco food truck that easily served the best tacos in Orange County and beyond (we’ll never forget the roasted pumpkin tacos), has been on a metamorphosis ever since it opened its first brick and mortar restaurant at SoCo in Costa Mesa last August.

With a Chef/Owner like Carlos Salgado, whose culinary career included working at Coi in San Francisco, and opening Michelin starred restaurant Commis in Oakland, he was destined to expand his culinary genius beyond tacos. It’s been a year of Chef Selgado preparing his self-proclaimed “Chicano cuisine” influenced by Mexican and American cultures and always brilliant.

We’re talking dishes such as shrimp tacos in a squid ink tortilla; a sopa de chicharrón with asparagus, spring garlic, pork skin, meyer lemon and cream, and the likes of guinea hen, stuffing and mole.

The latest update at Taco Maria is that they’ve extended hours and are offering more than the four-course chef’s menu, there’s an a la carte dinner menu on Tuesday and Wednesday from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. and a brunch service on Sundays from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

The a la carte dinner menu includes tacos and small plates, and the original four-course prix fixe menu will continue to be offered Thursday – Saturday.

On the new a la carte dinner menu, you can can expect dishes like Torreados: charred padron peppers, almond, chile, lemon, and pork powder; Gazpacho with spot prawn, early girl tomato, Persian cucumber, and Baja olive oil; Aguachile: Pacific albacore, watermelon, avocado, serrano, and citrus; and more. The taco selection, all served on housemade tortillas, will include Jardineros with shiitake mushroom chorizo, crispy potato, and queso fundido; Mole de Pollo: Jidori chicken, ancho-almond mole, queso fresco, and onion pickle; and Carnitas with Berkshire pork belly, onion pickle, and salda de aguacate; and more.

The new brunch menu offerings includes Mollettes with  grilled sourdough, black beans, queso fresco, roasted tomato, huitlacoche butter; or  Melones Con Chile with summer melons, yogurt, honey, chile, lime, salt; and Chacales with Anson Mills heirloom grits, roasted figs, vanilla butter; or Ricotta Pancakes with Andy’s Orchard peaches, ricotta, lemon thyme maple.

There are also Chilaquiles with crispy tortilla, chile cascabel, queso fresco, fried egg (with chicken confit or mushroom chorizo) or Huevos Rancheros and hanger steak, early girl tomato, cattle beans, poached egg. Three courses cost $32.

Side dishes include grilled bacon with piloncillo; or crispy potatoes, roasted onions, chile, queso.

Open 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday; open 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday. Open 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.

3313 Hyland Ave. in Costa Mesa. 714.538.8444.

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From Naples to Newport

07.29.14

Pizza eateries are continuing to pop up in Orange County. On Friday, Blaze opened in Mission Viejo and Fresh Brothers Pizza opened in Newport Beach and Settebello just opened at Crystal Cove Promenade in Newport Beach.

Named after a revered card in an Italian card game, Settebello could easily be one of the best looking Italian restaurants in Orange County, with its stunning indoor/outdoor space designed by Marshall Projects (who also designed LA hotspots Gjelina and Hinoki and The Bird.) The open-air space boasts a greenhouse like bar area, olive trees, classic Italian black and white films projected on a wall in the dining area, leather lounging sofas and family style tables.

Settebello is on a mission to serve up the best Neapolitan pizzas they can make with ingredients imported from Italy and sourced from the best purveyors they can find.

Settebello serves delectable appetizers such as deviled eggs with cured salami; bacon wrapped dates; duck confit and polenta with asparagus and mushroom sauce, and summer fresh salads like an heirloom tomato salad with Buffalo mozzarella; radicchio salad, and a mixed green insalata with kalamata olives, balsamic vinaigrette, cracked Pepper, and shaved parmigiano reggiano.

We tasted six Neapolitan pizzas and loved each one of them. Favorites include the Settebello pizza with crushed tomatoes, pancetta, wood oven sausage, roasted mushrooms, toasted pine nuts, mozzarella, basil, extra virgin olive oil; the Bianca with prosciutto crudo, arugula, parmigiano reggiano, mozzarella, and extra virgin olive oil; and the Diavola with crushed tomatoes, finnochiona (peppered salame), roasted red bell peppers, crushed red peppers, garlic, mozzarella, and extra virgin olive oil. 

Save room for Settebello’s desserts, we loved the Torta della Nonna a lemon tart, and Bomboloni, a fried pizza dough with Nutella and sprinkled sugar.

Open 5 to 11 p.m. Monday through Friday, 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. In the next several weeks they will be open for lunch service, too.

7864 E. Coast Highway in Newport Beach. 949.715.2072.

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