Greer's OC

Russ Bendel, the Orange County restaurateur who has launched one beloved concept after another, has opened his eighth restaurant. Creekside Restaurant & Bar in Rancho Mission Viejo is a relaxed neighborhood spot serving thoughtfully prepared American fare. The dinner-only restaurant opened Monday, Oct. 12.

Located in Sendero Marketplace, the 3,000-square-foot space seats 120 between the dining room, bar and patio. The covered patio holds up to 60 for private events.

Bendel and his partners drew up a long list of possible names, but none felt right. “We started observing the nature reserve that surrounds the center, which generated new ideas,” Bendel said. “San Juan Creek runs directly behind the restaurant and that sparked the conversation that led to Creekside.” He knows Mission Viejo well, having grown up in the community and bought his first home there.

The menu reflects chef-partner Jared Cook’s decision to elevate approachable classics to the standard of the group’s other restaurants. “We see this becoming a neighborhood staple where guests might frequent Creekside several times a week, or stop off on the way home from work for an order to go. Our focus is on high quality and value pricing,” Bendel said.

Cook points to his chili, made with whole beef brisket and pork butt simmered with fresh ingredients rather than powdered spices. It also appears as chili cheese fries made with fresh potatoes. Entrees range from pan-roasted rainbow trout, cioppino and Creekside fish and chips to prime short rib roast and double-cut heritage pork chop. A signature Jidori chicken pot pie, served with organic mixed greens for $23, is available in limited quantities on Mondays only. Sandwiches include a barbecue chicken breast sandwich and a prime short rib dip. For dessert, Cook offers a Nutella banana split made with Neapolitan ice cream, Chantilly cream and bourbon caramel sauce.

I attended the soft opening last week and came away impressed. Two dishes stood out: the tuna tartare with hearts of palm, orange, cherry tomato, cucumber, avocado, scallion ponzu, tobiko caviar and cilantro sprouts, and the pan-roasted trout with grilled sweet corn, blue lake beans, toasted almonds and tangerine-tarragon gastrique. The meal confirmed that Bendel and his team have another winner.

Beverage director and partner Gabe Whorley created the spirits program, which features local touches. Every drink on the craft cocktail list is priced at $17, and one nods to the historic Ortega Highway. Ortega Falls blends papaya tea-infused vodka, orange liqueur, limoncello, cucumber and lemon. It is named for a swimming spot off the highway where Whorley and other teens hung out. Mono Sentero, which roughly translates to “Monkey Trail,” is a bourbon drinker’s cocktail. Whorley said the crème de banana, bourbon and Lillet make a perfect play on an Old Fashioned.

Among the beers, Webb’s Coast IPA, a West Coast IPA from Webb’s Grain Works in Aliso Viejo, will be a featured draft. It comes from Whorley’s friend Jeremy Webb, the brewery’s founder and head distiller.

Creekside accepts reservations through OpenTable, at creeksidermv.com or by calling 949-247-7924. Free parking is available in the Sendero Marketplace lot and near the restaurant.

Creekside is the eighth restaurant for Bendel and his partners: chef Jared Cook, operations vice president Kyle Simpson, and beverage directors Gabe Whorley and Mike Alvarez. Together they run the RJB Restaurant Group, which began in 2013 and includes Vine and Parlor in San Clemente, Ironwood in Laguna Hills, Olea in Newport Beach, Sapphire and The Pantry in Laguna Beach, and Bloom in San Juan Capistrano.

Open 4 to 9 p.m. Sunday to Thursday; 4 to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. 

30865 Gateway Place, Suite E6, Rancho Mission Viejo.