Greer's OC

Dining

AMAZING ANDREI’S

03.03.11

Review by Joanne Tucker

If you haven’t yet discovered Andrei’s Conscious Cuisine & Cocktails, maybe now is the time to taste French-born chef Yves Fourneir’s delectable menu, which is prepared from the freshest local and organically grown produce as well as naturally raised meats and sustainable seafood.

Located in the heart of Irvine’s business district on the corner of Main Street and Jamboree Boulevard, Andrei’s is not at all like the green business you may imagine. First off, the two-story space is decked out in almost unbelievable marble with an awe-inspiring waterfall in the first-floor foyer.

Upstairs in the bar and main dining room, you will be awed again at the recycled pecan wood floor. Green satin banquettes and copper tables give this room a classy vibe. Picture windows that open to ocean breezes makes you feel like you are on a tropical getaway.

Need a new place for lunch, happy hour, dinner or for entertainment on the weekends? Andrei’s is the place to refresh the palate and renew the spirit.

Lunch at Andrei’s

We started lunch off with refreshing housemade cocktails and sampled small plates of pan-seared, curry-infused sea scallops with sun choke puree (wow!) and the chef’s signature octopus salad (double wow!), which includes fingerling potatoes, bell peppers, fresh herbs and a delightful surprise: crispy chorizo.

If you are a salad lover, don’t miss Andrei’s chopped salad with its fresh greens, roasted chicken, Persian cucumbers, avocados, goat cheese, dates, cornbread croutons and candied walnuts.

We also loved the Chef Fournier’s steak wrap, which comes with thinly-sliced marinated skirt steak, roasted red peppers, red onion, Gruyère cheese, wild arugula, all wrapped up in a Mediterranean flatbread. This tasty sandwich also comes with crisp sweet potato fries with Rogue Creamery blue cheese dip (super yummy!)

The lunch menu also features a variety of paninis, flatbreads and mains such as Columbia River trout, Andrei’s cheeseburger and range-free roasted chicken. At dinner, try such entrées as fresh mahi mahi, king crab ravioli, garlic sage gnocchi and braised short ribs.

When at Andrei’s, always finish your dining experience with a tasty of dessert from pastry chef Elyssa Fournier (yes, she’s the chef’s wife). May we suggest the always-on-the-menu seasonal fruit cobbler?

Andrei’s also offers complimentary sparkling or Still NATURA Purified Water, and a vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free menu is available upon request.

Andrei's All Week

Happy Hour: Mon.-Fri. from 3-7 p.m. Choose from six small plates for $6 each as well as draft beers ($4), well drinks ($5) and $2 off signature drinks.

Mondays: Locals get 50 percent off food items (beverages and happy hour items not applicable).

Tuesdays: Free corkage.

Wednesdays: $15 Wine and Cheese Tasting (3 wines and 3 cheeses offered all evening)

Thursdays-Fridays: Live jazz guitarist from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Saturdays: Live music during dinner

Andrei’s Conscious Cuisine & Cocktails, 2607 Main Street, Irvine, CA 91614, 949-387-8887, www.andreisrestaurant.com

Open Mon-Thu 11:30 am-9 pm; Fri 11:30 am-10 pm; Sat 5 pm-10 pm. Valet parking is complimentary.

Joanne Tucker is a dining and travel writer based in Costa Mesa, Calif.

Sapori Ristorante

SAPORI RISTORANTE FOR AUTHENTIC ITALIAN

02.09.11

Review by Sheryll Alexander

Seeking a new favorite spot to enjoy authentic Italian? Sapori Ristorante in Newport Beach may have modern Euro décor, but the food is pure old world Italy. And that’s a very good thing.

Located on Bayside Drive near Balboa Island, Sapori has been a bright spot in OC’s dining scene for 22 years. Chef and proprietor Salvatori “Sal” Maniaci, along with his top notch service staff, is an affable host and aims to please the palate as well as the spirit.

Sal soothes the soul within this casual, yet sophisticated space with white tablecloths, French café chairs, lush greenery and charming garden patio with roaring white stone fireplace.

If you are unsure what to order, ask for longtime server Paolo and he will hook you up to a memorable feast that includes cocktails, wines, cold antipasti, hot appetizers, delicious housemade pastas and decadent desserts.

We started with a refreshing bellini, which is made with super fresh peach juice and a good Italian champagne. Next, Paolo brought an off-the-menu antipasti platter full of flavor such as fresh Mozzerella cheese, cantaloupe draped with thinly-sliced prosciutto, olives, salamis, sliced tomatoes and fresh basil leaves.

Next, Paolo showcases the restaurant’s tender and flavorful pastas such as the farfalle al salmon (bow tie pasta with fresh salmon in a tomato cream sauce) and lobster ravioli. Paolo can also suggest off-the-menu items like cheese tortellini in a cream sauce with walnuts and sage.

Secondi entrées are also enticing. We enjoyed the cut-with-your-fork suprema di pollo piaccta (chicken breast sautéed with lemon, white wine, capers and mushrooms) and the scaloppini Gorgonzola (veal sautéed in Marsala wine with Gorgonzola cheese and mushrooms).

What about wines? Let Sal or Paolo pick a bottle for you from their list of to-die-for Italian wines. We were enamored with a 2007 Beltrame Pinot Grigio and a 2008 Chianti Don Guido La Collina.

On Feb. 23, Sapori is holding a Marchesi Antinori wine dinner. The five-course dinner starts at 6:30 p.m. and costs $75 per person. Some of the dishes include lobster bisque, a butter lettuce salad, wild porcini mushroom risotto, beef medallions with foie gras and amaretto cheesecake. Wine are paired with each dish by Marchesi Antinori’s Lorenzo Montoya.

Sapori Ristorante, 1080 Bayside Dr., Newport Beach, 949.644.4220. www.saporinb.com.

Dining

AMAZING ANDREI’S

03.03.11

SAPORI RISTORANTE FOR AUTHENTIC ITALIAN

02.09.11

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