I have always passed by Ecco whenever I'm walking around The Camp, constantly peering at the menus displayed on stands right outside the door. Everything always sounded delicious but rarely did I pass by with the intention to eat anywhere. However, I got the chance to finally try out this place which had always looked so appealing once it was Orange County Restaurant Week. So, yesterday, after spending quite a time looking for parking, I had lunch there with the awesome ladies of Moxxe PR.


As tempting as it looks from the outside, you don't really get the vibe of the place until you take a step inside and check out the wooden, cozy feel that they are able to portray despite having a wall of ceiling-to-floor windows. Brightly lit yet intimate, it reminded me of some restaurants I had been to in Italy and with good reason - its cuisine is Italian. I've known the word "ecco" to be an exclamation of "HERE!" in an excited, joyous way, a "check this out!" or a "behold!" (the Latin root is more of the "behold" variety). Random fun fact: I've studied both languages.


So while the menu was very much tempting and the smells tantalizing, we still decided that we would stick to the Restaurant Week menu as planned; it was for a $20 per person lunch. With the three of us, almost every option was tried. The starter choices were the Eggplant Caviar (Fontina, Grana Padano, and roasted eggplant served alongside wood-fired flatbread) and Bruschetta (Burrata, tomatoes, and basil). I have noticed that I tend to have a tinge of an allergic reaction when I eat too much eggplant (at least, I think that's what it is - what's an itchy tongue, lips, and throat mean?) so I just tried a smidgeon on the flatbread. The cheesiness helped balance out any overwhelming vegetal taste resulting from a whole roasted eggplant, and the flatbread had just the perfect amount of savory from the garlic and salty from the seasoning. Lovely. As for the bruschetta, it was quite the daunting piece as the soft toast, crisp around the edges, was piled high with slighty-melted cheese and freshly diced tomatoes. The flavors were so bright, and the burrata shone through with its subtle and light flavor - an appetizer not to miss.


For Restaurant Week, there were four choices for entrees of which we chose three. The outlier was their baked rigatoni which I honestly had wished we had a fourth person there for; yes, just to order the pasta. So anyhow, we got the Guido Pizza (smoked Mozzarella, wood-roasted peppers, caramelized onions, garlic, fennel sausage, and olive oil), Chopped Chicken Salad (garbanzo beans, red onions, salami, tomatoes, olives, pepperoncinis, and Mozzarella in a white wine vinaigrette), and the Ecco Burger (Fontina, pancetta, arugula, pickled onions, basil aioli, pickle, and house fries). With so much in the first course, it was hard for us to finish our entrees! Nevertheless, we powered on and had our tastes of each. The pizza had a pleasantly smoky feel highlighted by the fenneled meat and roasted peppers; the aroma just about filled our stomachs itself! Their salad had everything you needed in a salad and was executed well. We all really liked it. Lastly, the large burger had a slightly dry patty (blame us for saying medium on its doneness) but all the rest helped smooth out that kink as the aioli coated each bite in umami. As for the house fries, I can't stop putting the leftover ones in my mouth straight from the to-go box because they are that delicious. Think well-done fries with plenty of salty, garlicky, and herby goodness.


While we thought that no more could be had, the pretty third course came out and was finished easily. Ecco's tiramisu with espresso sauce and chocolate shavings was drenched enough in its own sauces but separated by dry enough layers that a perfection of forkfuls was achieved. Heavy in flavor but light in feeling, it was a good end to the meal, especially if you're a fan of the pleasant buzz following some alcohol-soaked ladyfingers. Yum!

Photography by Minerva Thai.

Looking for other bloggers chowing down during OC Restaurant Week 2013? See who's writing at http://www.orangecountyrestaurantweek.com/OC_Food_Blogs_That_Rock.html!

My Tuesday tackling of Orange County Restaurant Week (OCRW) yielded no lunchmates, so I opted for a lonely lunching at zCafe which had a menu in my price range ($10 lunch!) and a generally close location to where I needed to be later that day. It certainly was not too busy once I got there but they did strongly promote their participation in OCRW (the picture above is an older picture I took of the storefront). There were three different ways which you could decide to get your $10 lunch:

1. Sandwich combo - Turkey, Barbecued Chicken, Italian, Meatball or Roasted Veggie Sandwich; Cafe Salad, Caesar Salad, or Cup of Soup; & Fountain Drink or Fresh Baked Cookie
2. Pizza combo - Any Small Pizza & Fountain Drink or Fresh Baked Cookie
3. Vegan combo - Fresh Hummus or House-made Guacamole with zBread & Bowl of Vegan Veggie Soup or California Salad

 
My favorite pizza there is the Tuscan (roasted garlic sauce, Mozzarella, Crimini and Shiitake mushrooms, caramelized onions, Feta, truffle oil, and fresh thyme), so it was an easy decision for me. Considering it was just me eating, it was a personal pizza challenge! The dough was just the right mix of crispy and soft, and the toppings made for a very savory meal. There is no shortage of mushrooms so I would highly recommend this for any mushroom lovers.


While overall it was a good meal, I was slightly disappointed to see that the price between the OCRW options and what it would have cost on a normal day was hardly different. I basically got a free drink yesterday seeing as the pizza would have been $9.95 any other day. However, if you're interested in getting your nom on, perhaps the sandwich combo would be the better deal. Check out their menu here.

Photography by Minerva Thai.

Looking for other bloggers chowing down during OC Restaurant Week 2013? See who's writing at http://www.orangecountyrestaurantweek.com/OC_Food_Blogs_That_Rock.html!

Cheated a little bit! One OC Restaurant Week menu at Tommy Bahama's Island Grille but two people making completely different choices. What's this yield? Just about a little bit of everything. I promise I didn't eat ALL of this by myself...just tasted all of it. Oh the woes of being a foodie, right? This is for their $15 lunch menu.


In the choices of starting off from the prix fixe menu with coconut shrimp, chicken tortilla soup, or heirloom tomato soup, we picked the first two of the three. The World Famous Coconut Shrimp came with a bright and colorful papaya-mango chutney and a smidgeon of their Asian slaw. Fabulously battered and fried, the shrimp was cooked perfectly through and sat on top of the great citrus sauce. There was also the Chicken Tortilla Soup made in Tommy Bahama's case with puréed torillas and vegetables and topped with a bit of corn salsa. I personally found it a little too salty for my taste but the texture was pretty good and creamy.


Three choices - two decisions: from the sliders, salad, and tacos, we opted for the sliders and tacos (go healthy choices!). Alongside our American Kobe Beef and Scallop Sliders, we had crunchy fries seasoned lightly with some cracked pepper and salt. The beef patty was medium rare and a little forgettable despite being Wagyu beef (perhaps the way it was prepared?) but it did come as a total package with aged Jack cheese, tomato jam, and guacamole. Those added nice touches. What stood out from that dish was actually the large Maine Sea Scallop with touches of their chiptole aioli - delish! Then our Blackened Fish Tacos made me create a mess as my portion dripped out the one side as I took huge bites out of the other. You know that happens to you too! The tomato relish paired with more chipotle aioli was fantastic but could not have been complete without some lime sour cream. Good taco!


At this point, we were already getting fairly stuffed despite sharing. Also, being seated outside meant that the sun and shadow play from the greenery was fickle so my pictures weren't as clean as they were in the beginning. That can't take away from our desserts however. A slice of Key Lime Pie topped with white chocolate mousse is just about the perfect way to end a meal - you have your creaminess from the body of it and the tartness from the lime. Talk about zings! We also had a hefty slice of their Piña Colada Cake, a layered and toasted coconut-covered beast with the same white chocolate mousse but also made with Tahitian vanilla bean. Yum and yum. Unfortunately for that cake, I'm more of a pie person myself, haha.

UPDATE: Talk about excellent service - I had made a reservation with them through OpenTable so my phone number was under the reservation. I received a phone call the day after my visit to just see if everything went well. How nice is that? Thumbs up Tommy Bahama's! 

Photography by Minerva Thai.

Looking for other bloggers chowing down during OC Restaurant Week 2013? See who's writing at http://www.orangecountyrestaurantweek.com/OC_Food_Blogs_That_Rock.html!

How appropriate that on "Meatless Monday," I would post about 118 Degrees! Anyhow, this was the first of my restaurants to hit up for OC Restaurant Week, and it was a great first experience. My goal is to make my visits only to restaurants that I have not dined at before. That restaurant list is long by the way - I feel like I've barely tapped into the restaurant scene around here! Okay so enough of my rambling. Let's get to the important stuff: the food.


If you don't know anything about 118 Degrees,  here's the down-low. Their philosophy is to "serve nothing but the freshest gourmet living cuisine" with all "menu items are lovingly prepared, by hand, daily using local organic produce wherever possible." That's not it though. They are also a raw foods restaurant and the name comes from that fact that their items are "entirely plant-based made from fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds & sprouted grains-all prepared at 118 Degrees or lower to preserve valuable nutrients." Sound healthy enough for you? It was a good way to begin a week full of, let's be honest here, gorging. To start, my lunchmate had their berry iced tea and I their Apple, Lemon, Ginger juice. What a waker-upper! I think I'll need some of that juice every morning to get me pumped up just right.


Their first course on the $10 lunch menu for OC Restaurant Week was a citrus salad dressed in a sweet mustard vinaigrette. Cute Ojai pixie tangerine slices had been placed on top along with shredded beet. It was a nice refreshing starter with very crisp greens (despite the sauce) and a good sweet spiciness from the mustard. The bursts of citrus flavor added well to the natural sugariness of beets.


Our second course was their Sobeca flatbread, something I had read but didn't remember once the plate came into view. In the back of my mind, I had thought that there was some sort of bread associated with the entree but when I saw it, I didn't recall what it was. That was because the housemade buckwheat flatbread was buried under mounds of crunchy raw broccoli, thinly sliced red onion, and roasted red bell pepper. There was also their award winning tahini cheese between the vegetables and flatbread as well as a red fajita sauce smothering it all. Think of nachos except healthier. Because I had realized that there was flatbread underneath, I think I had let it get too soggy. Oh well - the broccoli kept me busy and amused as each loudly cracked and crunched in my mouth.


The fun part about having these more health-oriented foods is the lack of a heavy, languid feeling at the end of a meal. It came time for our third course which was their toffee brownie bite made with walnut and cacao and topped with an "espresso crunch." This too did not illicit a lazy feeling which was certainly surprising as chocolate desserts this rich can put turn one into a sloth. No, this was, instead, very rich in flavor but light in feeling. I enjoyed the crunch on top of each and the misleadingly thick sauce drizzled on top. The service was great; another reason to come back aside from the awesome food!

Photography by Minerva Thai.

Looking for other bloggers chowing down during OC Restaurant Week 2013? See who's writing at http://www.orangecountyrestaurantweek.com/OC_Food_Blogs_That_Rock.html!

It has begun. Today marks the first day of the 5th annual Orange County Restaurant Week! I've posted a few reminders on my Facebook already but hey, are you doing anything for it? I know that I'll be hitting up at least one restaurant a day which should be very, very exciting. Anyhow, yesterday Duc and I attended the awesome Launch Party for the week where loads of restaurants and people clamored together at the Newport Beach Lexus to get a taste from restaurants participating in the prix fixe week and mingle with other foodies. Proceeds from the night went to the childhood hunger non-profit, No Kid Hungry.


Despite how large the space was, I can tell you that it got busy! Where do I even start? The food's definitely the main attraction for all of those coming out for the afternoon. Let's try to get at it alphabetically! American Tavern Eatery & Drink offered a well-liked bratwurst in miniature bun topped with an onion-mustard sauce that made others come back for more. Blackmarket Bakery wooed attendees with more than plenty of desserts by featuring their black widow tart, chocolate haystacks, soft cinnamon cookies, peanut butter blondies, and more. Loved it! Bluewater Grill dished out warm bowls of their delectable clam chowder, a creamy and smooth bodywarmer.


Canyon got our hands a little messy as we fit the steak lettuce wraps into our mouths, crunching on the bright butter lettuce, red onions, and (what I think were) julienned young papaya. A real crowd pleasure was the short rib and polenta from Cucina Enoteca who served the melt-in-your-mouth dish from their beautiful decorated table. I'd have to say that the hit of the party was the ruckus every once in a while that came from the Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour Restaurants table as they broke out into song and dance for special occasions - attendees celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, and anything else were publicly put on the spot as witty parodies were sung their way. Let me retract my statement - I'll call them the life of the party and not just the hit. With ice cream and candy, our inner childs were smiling every time we passed by the brightly decorated table. Frostings Cupcakes had their OC Restaurant Week 5th Anniversary cupcake available for those sweets fans. One thing that we had to go back for seconds for was the lobster mac and cheese of House of Big Fish & Ice Cold Beer which was crunchy on top, creamy throughout, and lightly satisfying in both the cheesy and lobstery bodily needs (yes, those exist). There were also sticks of what chocolate rice crisps that brought on some munching. K'ya Bistro passed out awesome incentive cards (one small plate!) while handing over large meatballs smothered in a BBQ sauce. Landmark had a nice cup of tangy tartare alongside some spicy mango sorbet infused with tequila - alcohol in my dessert? Right on.


Of course beloved Melissa's Fresh Produce was there not only passing out the most beautiful of fruits but giving us all insight into fruits in general and then particularly on the ones they offered. Orange Hill Restaurant brought some interactive interaction in their samples as the seared ahi tuna morsel included a truncated pipette filled with a citrus sauce; it served as the skewer for the food but also a playful way for us to put some effort into our tasting as we squirted the juice in our mouths with the bite. There was also a succulent piece of pork belly to whet our fat-craving appetite. Paul Martin's American Grill added the "class" to the event by treating attendees to full cheese and charcuterie plates (I especially loved the meats) which included something I hadn't seen before - caper berries! There was also a serving of mashed potatoes and beef that really fell apart perfectly under our fork's touch and in our mouths. Pizzelle's Bistro provided some saucy meatballs and flatbread for people to nom on.


Quinn's Grill gave us some fun with our pictures as we tried to snap a shot of them with their sliders and shepherd's pie. RA Sushi pleased those looking for some raw food as tuna tartare was beautifully presented on a crisp alongside roasted peppers. Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen brought their A-game as they passed out samples of their award-winning dessert, an ooey-gooey powdered sugar mess of chocolate and chocolate syrup; they earned Best Dessert at the Golden Foodie Awards 2012 for this decadence. Sadie Rose Baking Company was there passing out lovely small loaves of their bread and slices of deliciousness.


Both of our favorites for the event came from the talented Savannah Chophouse, an open-faced beef wellington made of flaky puff pastry, a to-die-for topper sauce, tiny pieces of beef, and an artistic and perfectly complimentary sauce. Love, love, loved it. Scott's Seafood passed out plates with a generously large shrimp flaked with fresh Parmesan atop a bed of lightly dressed greens - delish! A huge draw for everyone was outside as each person got a 1/4 piece of the infamous Slater's 50/50 burger; who says no to the type of amazingness in a patty that is 50% beef, 50% bacon? Sundried Tomato showed us an alternative way to make lasagna - by not using pasta! Every layer was a delectable layer of roasted vegetables, all covered in a tangy tomato sauce fit for the lasagna lover in all of us. The Melting Pot treated guests to assortments of dessert items smothered in dark liquid chocolate once we picked up our cups (they are a fondue place after all). Villa Roma passed out Italian spins on empanadas and had a lovely dessert display of two various delicacies presented in miniature martini glasses.


Is it a proper OC party without free-flowing alcohol? I'm not too sure it is. There was no shortage of sources at this Launch Party though. Chambord poured their spirits with berries, and Stella Artois could not have gotten any busier as lines formed for their generous pours. For those who preferred a more grapey taste, both La Crema and Freemark Abbey wineries had their wines pouring limitlessly as well.


However, despite all of those places, the one drawing the most attention was Patron Tequila who not only had a live bar that people waited in line for up to 1.5 hours for but also a complimentary engraved juice presser and a "Taste of OC" cocktail dispenser. Drink up!


Other sponsors present that event included the refreshing products from Hawaiian Springs, the informational spread from AAA, and the ever fun and funky people of Yelp who also brought some excitement with a silly photobooth. Overall, a fabulously awesome time with some of my favorite foodies. I'm looking forward to getting my nomming on during OC Restaurant Week! Let me know were you all are going too! If you're looking for more (and bigger pictures), check for them on my Facebook tonight.

Photography by Duc Duong. More photos are available on Facebook.

Looking for other bloggers chowing down during OC Restaurant Week 2013? See who's writing at http://www.orangecountyrestaurantweek.com/OC_Food_Blogs_That_Rock.html!