Dining
ANDREI’S FOR A GREEN VALENTINE’S DAY
02.08.11
By Sheryll Alexander
Want to go green this Valentine’s Day? Andrei’s Conscious Cuisine in Irvine serves up organic and sustainable seafood and meats along with hand-crafted cocktails, award-winning wines and live music.
Available from Friday, Feb. 11 through Monday, Feb. 14 (excluding Sunday), Andrei’s gives each female guest a long-stemmed red rose upon arrival. Chef Yves Fournier’s regular menu is available as well as special dishes such as crispy jumbo shrimp, Carlsbad clams, a lamb tasting, a signature surf-and-turf combo and a chocolat à deux dessert for two.
Andrei’s also has a special “A List” of wines by the bottle to complement each special dish. Plus, each guest who orders a bottle from the “A List” gets to bring home four freshly-baked banana-chocolate chip muffins to take home and eat the next morning with your sweetheart (and mimosas?).
To add to Andrei’s already casual, yet sophisticated ambiance, jazz guitarist Bruce Wall performs on Valentine’s evening. A photographer is also on hand to take special photographs, which can be sent to you the next day via email.
Andrei’s Conscious Cuisine, 2607 Main St., Irvine, 949.387.8887. www.andreisrestaurant.com.
Open Monday-Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Fridays from 11:30 am. To 11 p.m. and Saturdays from 5-11 p.m. Closed Sundays.
Sheryll Alexander is a lifestyles writer based in Costa Mesa, California.
BEACH PIT BBQ, CHEF JOE AND THE BACON SANDWICH
02.04.11
Review By Sheryll Alexander
What happens when you take an already good barbecue restaurant and let a fine dining chef tweak the menu? Pure country goodness, my friend.
Yep, Beach Pit BBQ owner Tim DeCinces and former Savannah Chop House and Chat Noir Chef Joe Youkhan (who now has a mobile gourmet food truck in The Wooden Spoon OC) have teamed up to overhaul the menu from top to bottom and to create some new menu items for the Beach Pit’s six OC locations.
First up on the new menu is the bacon sandwich. No, we are not talking BLT here. Chef Joe cures pork belly for three days and then smokes it for eight hours. When ready to serve on your sandwich, the pork belly is cut, sautéed on the grill and then stuffed on a hamburger-like bun with fried pickles, lettuce, tomato, avocado and Joe’s new “California gold” mustard sauce. We tried the bacon sandwich and it was tender and crispy and smoky and creamy all at the same time. Yummy!
Some other new menu items worth noting are the super creamy macaroni and cheese, the really-good-for-you tender collard greens and a house made blueberry lemonade that smacks of tart sweetness.
Chef Joe has also changed up the way Beach Pit’s ribs are seasoned, mopped and smoked. We were impressed with how the new ribs are super tender and don’t need any sauce to cover up the already perfect spices. These “new” ribs at The Beach Pit are definitely finger lickin’ good!
For Sunday’s Super Bowl, Beach Pit BBQ is offering a Pig Skin Party Pack, which feeds 10 hungry football fans. Costing just $5.99 per person, the package features three pounds of pulled pork or beef brisket, 10 sandwich buns, a pint of barbecue sauce, two quarts of sides (either beans, potato salad, cole slaw or macaroni and cheese) and 20 hot wings (with ranch or bleu cheese sauces).
You must order 24 hours ahead of game time by calling one of six Beach Pit BBQ locations:
Costa Mesa, 1676 Tustin Ave., Costa Mesa., 949-645-7427
Old Town Tustin, 560 El Camino Real, Tustin, 714-929-7427
Old Towne Orange, 128 N. Glassell St., Orange, 714-633-7427
Downtown Huntington Beach, 301 Main St., Huntington Beach, 714 374-3033.
Laguna Niguel, 32371 Golden Lantern, Laguna Niguel, 949-496-7427.
Aliso Viejo, 926541 Aliso Creek Rd., Aliso Viejo, 949-362-7427.
Sheryll Alexander is a lifestyles writer based in Costa Mesa, California.
More Daily Doses
- 04.30.24 – Peel Craftbar & Kitchen’s Cinco de Mayo Specials: Sophisticated Culinary Cocktails
- 04.17.24 – Earth Day Celebration: Vegan Sushi & Organic Cocktails at Ocean Prime Beverly Hills
- 05.24.23 – Rare Society Steakhouse Opens in San Clemente, Blending Vintage Charm with Modern Flair
- 05.22.23 – The Country Club Debuts Vibrant New Seasonal Menus
- 04.13.23 – Sustainable Beast Feast Dinner at CUCINA enoteca
Follow Greer on Pinterest
from the blog
- 12.22.25 – A Thoughtful Holiday Gift for OC Locals
- 12.21.25 – A Coastal Take on Christmas at Huntington Holiday House
- 12.18.25 – Katsuya Century City Debuts Festive Holiday Menu for December Dining
- 12.15.25 – Cozy Earth Is a Holiday Gifting Favorite in Corona del Mar
- 12.12.25 – il Girasole Turns Thanksgiving Into a Day of Giving Back
- 12.09.25 – Holiday Lights Boat Cruise Aboard Pendry Newport Beach’s Private Yacht
- 12.09.25 – Celebrate the Holidays at CasaDami on the Waterfront
- 12.06.25 – Pete’s Christmas Vacation Returns to Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach
- 12.03.25 – Wrap Yourself in Luxury at Oats Cashmere’s Annual Event
- 12.02.25 – French Florist Opens New Boutique in Mission Viejo
- 12.01.25 – Holiday Cheer at North Italia
- 12.01.25 – Coastal Holiday Magic at Paséa
- 11.30.25 – Pouring Joy: Blue Hummingbird Welcomes Its Newest Café
- 11.28.25 – Puesto Goes Seed-Oil Free and Launches New Winter Menu
- 11.27.25 – American Ballet Theatre’s ‘The Nutcracker’ Returns to Segerstrom Hall
- 11.26.25 – A New Chapter for Lido House in Newport Beach
- 11.25.25 – The Nutcracker Returns to Irvine Barclay Theatre
- 11.24.25 – HAVEN Honors Taco Asylum with New Taco Tuesday Menu
- 11.23.25 – Musco Center Welcomes Soweto Gospel Choir: Peace
- 11.22.25 – A Luxurious Thanksgiving at The Mayor’s Table
More Daily Doses
- 12.21.25 – Phantom: A Perfect Gift Idea
- 12.18.25 – Celebrate the Season at Pendry Newport Beach
- 12.18.25 – Inside Poppy’s, Anaheim’s New Go-To for California Cuisine
- 12.14.25 – Fire & Lights Festival Returns to Newport Dunes
- 12.11.25 – Butcher’s House Marks Four Years With New Fromage Menu
- 12.09.25 – Manolo Blahnik Opens First West Coast Boutique at South Coast Plaza
- 12.09.25 – ClubSport Debuts New High-End Recovery Amenities in Time for the Holiday Season
- 12.04.25 – Festive Holiday Dining at Paseo, Céntrico and Naples in the Downtown Disney District
- 12.03.25 – Celebrate the Holidays at Discovery Cube Orange County
- 12.02.25 – Chef Charbel Hayek to Open ILYA in San Clemente
- 12.01.25 – Family Holiday Celebration This Saturday at The District
- 11.27.25 – QUA Brings Contemporary Chinese Cuisine to Fountain Valley
- 11.25.25 – Holiday Packages to Help You Look and Feel Your Best
- 11.23.25 – Winter Fest OC Returns November 28 With Expanded Experiences
- 11.21.25 – Wellness That Works: Vida by VTL Boutique Spas + Wellness
- 11.17.25 – Santa Maria Novella Brings Centuries of Craft to South Coast Plaza
- 11.16.25 – HOTWORX Costa Mesa Courtyards Offers 24-Hour Infrared Sauna Workouts
- 11.13.25 – Prairie Opens in Mariners Square: A New Home for Refined, Relaxed Interiors
- 11.11.25 – Mother-Daughter Duo Launch Eugénie Boutique in Newport Beach
- 11.09.25 – You’re Invited to South Coast Plaza’s Annual Tree Lighting Celebration
