New Restaurant Review: Irenia in Santa Ana

Stopped by the new Philipino restaurant Irenia last month and of course, had to bring along a Philipina friend to give me her opinion on the authenticity of the flavors. Admittedly, most of my previous experience with Philipino food was at the chicken adobo level. That, and the occasional lumpia that co-workers have brought into the office throughout the years. Both of which I really liked and helped to nudge me to want to try Irenia - which bills itself as 'soulful Philipino cooking'. 

In case you don't know the backstory of Irenia, it started as a Pop-Up concept in early 2015 - several highly regarded dinners were held which led to earning a 9th spot on Eater LA’s 21 Hottest Restaurants in Orange County in summer of 2015. Eventually, in early 2016 Irenia, the permanent restaurant was born!

One of the first thing I noticed about Irenia is the space itself has really been brightened up from it's former Crosby & North Left days. I was fan of both of those restaurants and frequented them often. I was sad to see them both disappear but have to say I immeditally appreciated the bright updated warm feel of Irenia's decor. 

Our first surprise of the evening came with of all things the cocktails! We were presented with a really unique and well thought out menu of amazing sounding cocktails. Not sure what I was expecting but just didn't think a Philipino restaurant would have such modern unique cocktails. We wasted no time in ordering several and I have to say each one we tried was almost better than the last -- all very refreshing and well put together with just the right combination of flavors. My favorite ended up being the Supper Club and the Bottle Rocket but I don't think you can wrong with any of them here folks!

The menu here is small but pretty comprehensive - separating menu dishes into snacks (i.e. appetizers), small plates and entrees. Myself and my two friends opted to share and pretty much ordered almost everything on the menu. Be aware though that the menu does change as often as daily so it may be different when you visit but from my obsessive monitoring of the menu it appears some of the more popular dishes make constant appearances on the menu. ;)

Dilis - try to just eat one! 

We started with the infamous dilis - which I had never had before. Dilis are basically fried whole tiny anchovies that you dip into a vinegar spiced with chiles. I quickly learned that you want this vinegar to be ultra-spicey for optimum flavor - as my friend pointed out. They were delicious and while I know some people will be put off by the 'whole fish' notice you really should try one before you write 'em off. Close your eyes if you MUST folks cuz the taste will be worth it, and you most likely won't be able to eat just one! 

Ginataan Corn - YUM!

From the 'small plates' section one of our absolute favorite dishes was the Ginataan Corn.  Simple- yes, but with incredibly developed flavor exploding with lime, chile and a distinct
earthy flavor most likely coming from the tiny mussels studded throughout. Somewhat reminiscent of the Mexican corn on the cob with the lime/chile taste but with a distinct flavor and creamy texture that was all it's own.  It was divine and we ate it down to the last kernel!

Kuliplor - roasted cauliflower

The second small plate we tried was the Kuliplor - which is a roasted cauliflower with a special bagoong mole sauce, mango and toasted sunflower seeds. This was good but actually one of my least favorite dishes. The tastes were very subtle and the cauliflower itself was over cooked and a tad mushy for my tastes. I did like the brightness of the mango and the crunch of the sunflower seeds - both nice additions to an otherwise dull dish.

Pancit

Our final small plate was the Pancit - which truthfully was more entree size as it was quite large and a bit on the heavy side to be considered a small plate. Regardless, we absolutely loved this dish! Canton noodles topped with luscious whole crispy Santa Barbara prawns
topped with a luscious prawn head sauce and speckled with crunchy blue lake green beans & slightly cooked carrots. Drizzled lightly on top almost like a Philipino version of Parmesan cheese was a savory shrimp powder. We shared this dish but it could easily be an entree for someone but just be warned it is a tad rich.

After the two small plates, the entrees made their way to our table. First up was the Pork Belly adobo. Now - this is where my friend & I diverged a tad. ;)

Pork Belly Adobo

I thought this dish was fantastic - perfectly cooked with excellent flavor. However, my Philipina friend made it clear that this was no adobo. She said it was highly lacking in the vinegar taste that is usually prevalent in adobo flavor.  To her this was more of a pork belly teriyaki so be warned Philipino friends seeking authentic adobo tastes that this may not be the traditional taste you've had before.  Regardless, the dish was very tasty - cooked tender with a crispy char and an asian-like sauce. Even my Philipina friend agreed it was still tasty and worth ordering. .

Chicken Inasal

The last entree to arrive at our table was the Chicken Inasal. At this point we were quite full as we didn't anticipate well how large some of the small plates would be and it was quite a substantial amount of food. However, this looked (and smelled) so yummy when it arrived that we couldn't go without at least trying it. If I'd known how delicious this was I would've
eaten less of the prior dishes! Pan roasted chicken thighs with 'chicken joy' gravy  served over summer squash and gailan greens. I have no idea what is in the chicken joy gravy (family secret apparently!) but it's very true to it's name and just lends a warm comfort food taste to this dish that isn't apparently in anything else we were served. This was my favorite dish here and I highly recommend that you order it if it's on the menu the night you are there. 

As full we were, there was no way we weren't going to order dessert here. Irenia has snagged one of the top pastry Chefs in the area - the highly revered Ashley Guzman. Knowing this, we decided to share the Turanodo. Holy smokes... basically dessert lumpias, these were insane! I could eat a plate of these for dinner and be happy. ;)  Fried crispy and stuffed with banana semi-freddo and coconut jam (*sigh*), and topped with a crumbled peanut brittle floating in a sea of champuraddo chocolate-corn sauce. Crazy delicious and the PERFECT way to end our Philipino food adventure at Irenia. 

The Turonado - dessert lumpia (sinful!)

All in all our experience at Irenia did not disappoint and we all agreed we would definitely come back.  The service also deserves a mention as it was top notch - attentive, prompt and more than patient with us as we had a lot of questions with it being our first time here and me only being somewhat familiar with Philipino food. Our waitress was extremely well versed on not just the ingredients of the menu items but the actual flavors of each dish. She really helped steer us in the right direction for a fabulous meal. 

Irenia is located at 400 N. Broadway in Santa Ana - it is a tad bit hard to find as the signage is small. For reference, it is one block north of the Santara Arts Building. Two storefronts up from the Starbucks on the corner. Reservations are HIGHLY recommended (especially for Friday or Saturday night) and can be made by calling 657/245-3466.  Dinner is available Tuesday - Saturday. Lunch is also served Tuesday - Saturday but only from 11-2pm. 

New Restaurant Review: The Rye Truck in Tustin

So I had been trying to get to the Rye Truck for a few months before I was actually able to get there... admittedly, their hours are pretty limited. They are only open three days a week for a total of 7 hours total but trust me, make a point of getting there during one of those precious hours cuz it's well worth the effort!

The first thing that caught my eye upon arriving at the truck were the cinnamon rolls - speckled with cinnamon and slathered with a thick mound of frosting. Just their appearance made it impossible for me to refuse one of these bad boys!

Cinnamon Rolls w yummy icing

                            

The other thing I couldn't resist were the pop tarts. Holy cow... I've had a few gourmet poptarts in my day including some infamous ones like the one at the Nickel Diner in downtown LA but I have to say this is the BEST poptart I've ever tried! It was perfectly flaky and filled with this wonderful homemade berry compote and topped with this sweet, but not too sweet, frosting sprinkled with crispy cereal. 

  

The sinful Poptart - a MUST order when you visit!

They also had several other baked goods that looked very tempting but I couldn't quite justify ordering one of everything, although I wish I had but some of the other items that were hard to resist included the see salt chocolate brioche bun and the blueberry lime muffins. I've also heard they have amazing banana bread and bacon scones but they were sold out of these when I visited - gives me something to aspire for next time I visit! ;)

They also serve the infamous Portland Stumptown Coffee.  Their hours are Tuesday & Friday 8-10am and Sunday 9-noon. The truck is parked during these times in the parking lots of Mrs. B's Consignment Store, on the corner of Main Street and El Camino Real,

Golden Chef Series

The 2016 Golden Chef Series! 

Have you heard about the Golden Chef Series? It's a series of FREE chef demonstrations that showcase local OC Chefs and unfortunately, it's almost over!

There is only one demo left scheduled for Saturday, June 18th featuring Chef Josh LaQuet of Brio Tuscan Grille & 
Chef Alejandro Benes of  Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill.

The event is FREE and takes place near the big wheel at the Irvine Spectrum shopping center. If you'd like a VIP seat you can purchase one for $25 with the proceeds going to the Golden Rule Charity, a local Chefs' charity. Seating is limited to just 40 seats, however these demos encourage as many people as would like to attend as there is plenty of standing space to watch the demos. There will be TV screens and high top tables for all guests to enjoy the demos, as well as fresh fruit provided by Melissa's Produce free of charge.

I just went to the Demo this past Saturday featuring Chef Tony Trujillo from Cucina Enoteca and Casey Reinhardt from Casey's Cupcakes, and it was such a fun event with fabulous food!






Chef Trujillo was up first and walked us through his dish starting with your basic pasta making. He prepared a delicious sweet corn ricotta agnolotti w a side of salty speck and arugula on a bed of wonderful sorrel puree that just brought the dish together beautifully.

 It was so good that when they came around with seconds we gladly accepted them! It was even more delicious than it looks in the picture below!

The Sweet Corn Agnolotti from Cucina Enoteca

Here is the emcee extraordinaire, Wing Lam of Wahoo's personally handing out samples to the VIP section. 

One of the advantages of purchasing a $25 VIP seat is that you get to taste everything! Did I mention the $ goes to charity too?? :)

Casey Reinhardt

 Next up was Casey Reinhardt, owner of Casey's Cupcakes and winner of Cupcake Wars on The Foodnetwork.  Casey walked us through making her popular White Russian Cupcakes starting with the batter which she makes with the surprise ingredients of sour cream and mayonnaise! She then went on to show us how she makes the frosting and filling using real Bailey's Irish Cream! (YUM!)

She also demo'd for us how to fill and frost them, then she surprised us all in the VIP section with our very own cupcake, boxed and bagged for us to take home. They were also handed out to us by her adorable assistants (see below!)

The beautiful AND sinful White Russian Cupcakes from Casey's Cupcakes!

The cutie patootie Casey's girls handing out our treats!

 It was a really fun and educational afternoon! I highly recommend you attend the last demo on June 18th if you're able to... very worth your time! :)

The Golden Chef Series is presented by Fisher & Paykel and DCS is part of of the exciting line-up of pre-eventw fo the highly enaticipated Golden Foodie Awards. 

For more info: http://www.goldenfoodieawards.com/golden-chef-series.html

New Restaurant Review: Public Steak in Santa Ana

I'd been hearing about Public Steak since they opened at the end of March but unfortunately, hadn't been able to get here til this month. BIG mistake on my part.

When I first heard that a former longtime Mastro’s Chef had opened up his own place I knew it was in the cards for this Mastros-loving girl to pay a visit.

First off you need to go with an open-mind as the location is your basic strip-mall so don’t let your first impression of the exterior fool you. Having been a local steakhouse (a la Steer Inn style) for many years it’s not a place you would drive by and say… ‘oh, I gotta go there!’ Once you set food inside though you’ll see the interior has been fully revamped into an inviting cozy space.

The Duck mascot,
 a gift from the Chef's young daughter

House Rules! 

The cocktails are a MUST order here and if you come in for just a drink there's a gorgeous long bar with a very creative bartender.  Pictured here is the Southern Belle, a refreshing strawberry gin drink. I was a little worried it might be too sweet as many strawberry cocktails are but you could tell they used fresh berries as there was none of that syrupy sweet taste. 
My friend also ordered "the Mrs." tequila grapefruit cocktail which was also very tasty, even for this non-tequila fan. 

Normally, I wouldn't even bother reviewing the bread but holy smokes, it was THAT good here. A good bread basket is so underrated by restaurants but IMHO there is nothing like a warm bread basket filled with a crispy delicious variety of bread to set the tone for a great meal... and this definitely fit that bill!

The first dish to arrive at our table was the foie gras creme brulee, and it was one heckuva way to start the courses. If you aren't a foie gras fanatic don't be dissuaded, as it's an extremely subtle FG flavor with a creamy mouth-satisfying texture. Perfectly served with toast points and this insanely delicious fig jam- make sure to put a smear on your toast w the creme brulee.

Another delicious starter we ordered was the Tomato Burrata Salad. It was almost too pretty to eat served up like little pieces of individual art, each crowned with a full basil leaf. Each piece was a perfectly portioned flavor bomb with the precise amount of tomato, creamy burrata cheese, delicious pesto sauce and balsamic. The basil leaf was literally like a cherry on top adding that addt'l kick of basil. LOVED this dish and could seriously have eaten this as a course by itself.  

So my standard of comparison for steakhouses is the in house dry-aged prime bone-in ribeye (aka Tomahawk steak) so this was a no-brainer for our evening's dinner agenda. Ordered medium-rare and requested sliced for easier sharing, it was delivered to our table exactly as ordered.  Upon first bite it was apparent this was no ordinary steak! The seasoning on the charred exterior blew our minds as it added such amazing flavor to every bite. It was also cooked perfectly with a red center and charred exterior.  AND yes, it's the priciest thing on the menu at $89 but when you take into account that three of us shared it (it's 40 ounces of deliciousness!) it's actually pretty reasonable so don't be shy about ordering this to share. It's also comparable to what other steakhouse (a la Mastros or Vaca) charge for a dry-aged prime cut of this size and quality. Note: This came with a demi-glace sauce and topped with arugula. We requested the sauce on the side (I suggest you do as well) and we were all quite happy with this decision as we felt the steak shined on its own without the sauce. However, the peppery arugula was a perfect compliment to the ribeye.  

 As is the norm with most high end steakhouses, steaks are served a la carte so sides are ordered separately. After consulting with the waitress for some recommendations we settled on the Lyonnaise Potatoes Gratin and the Roasted Cauliflower to accompany our ribeye. Both dishes were very tasty and worked perfectly to compliment our steak. Of the two, my favorite was the potatoes (pictured below) but how can you wrong with cheesy creamy potato goodness? 

To end our meal we ordered the butter cake which actually comes with a regular butter cake AND a chocolate butter cake (who does that?!). I am guessing that Chef Briggs was channeling his Mastro's days as butter cake is their signature dessert. I have to admit that the butter cake here was actually my least favorite item as it was a tad dry and paired with a heavy chocolate ice cream. I think it would've fared much better with a lighter vanilla or even a strawberry ice cream would be a better pairing.  The chocolate butter cake on the other hand, was VERY tasty as it was moist and almost reminiscent of a lava cake with it's fudgey interior. It was paired perfectly with vanilla ice cream to cut the richness.  

We were also able to meet the Chef, Matthew Briggs, who came out of the kitchen to chat with the guests. I love that he does this – really adds a personal touch and shows how much he cares about his new venture. He proved to be a really charming gracious man with a definite goofy side that we enjoyed and is apparent in the below picture. Love it! 

All in all our meal at Public Steak did not disappoint and we were very impressed with the food, drinks and service here. I can highly recommend you try them out and I'll definitely be back soon! 

Public Steak is located at 3752 S. Harbor in Santa Ana (close to Costa Mesa). 

Even though they are still new, it won't be too long before people find out about this gem so I recommend making a reservation when you plan to dine here. 

They are on Open Table and their direct phone # is 714/557-2987. 

Open M-Saturday, 4-10PM. They are closed on Sundays.