Posted on August 5th, 2008 by Carolyn
Some of the stuff from Charlie Palmer’s - the “farewell” brownie wrapped up in cellophane, matches, a biz card from the wine shop and their upcoming wine tasting calendar.
Yesterday was my birthday. Our family already celebrated my birthday (and the 4 other birthdays in our family in a 2-week period), so my DH said he’d take me out to dinner. We’d heard so much about Charlie Palmer’s, so decided to give this new restaurant a try. I give it a full five stars. It’s located inside the Bloomingdale’s store in South Coast Plaza. There’s an outside entrance also at one corner of the building.
This is a very upscale restaurant – the kind that serves an amuse bouche at no charge. Where there are several layers of tablecloths, including a silky, shiny one that puddled on the floor around our feet, and a variety of crystal glasses surrounding our place settings. The kind of restaurant that requires you to order vegetables if you want them ($7.00 per order, enough for two people). The kind of restaurant that has about 5 different people to serve you – one for water, another for cocktails, yet another to serve their fresh baked breads, the “main” waiter who takes your order, and lastly a busboy to clean up after us through all of our courses. The kind of restaurant that hands you another treat as you leave – we got a choice of popcorn or brownies.
First we were presented with a cocktail menu and their wine list. Now, when I say we were handed a wine list – well. This was in another league of wine lists. It was a tablet kind of computer (a flat panel type, measuring about 9 x 11 inches, with a stylus to meander your way around the different wine menus. The restaurant is associated with a wine shop adjacent to it, and they indicated that all the wine was charged at normal, retail prices. That’s a really nice touch! I ordered a blood orange mojito, since mojitos are a kind of favorite of mine. It was really, really special. The fresh mint, the just-right chemistry of sweet to sour (I asked them to use less sugar since I like it more tart). Dave ordered a Spanish grenache, from Las Rocas. He liked it so much he wants to buy some for our cellar.
Since this was a special evening, and we were anxious to try several things, we decided not to share anything (except the side vegetable and dessert). We ordered starters, main courses, one vegetable and one dessert. The waiter told us that the chef is a real guru in the first order when it comes to pork. Initially I was going to order their house-made pate, but having just watched a TV program last week about pork belly, I changed my mind, upon the waiter’s recommendation. My previous knowledge was that pork belly was all fat. Not so. I ordered it – “Crisp pork belly with melon, pickled onion and aged sherry vinegar.” Apparently the chef has a long cooking process for it – it was absolutely fabulous. Dave ordered their “Heirloom tomato and watermelon salad with arugula pesto, burrata and lemon verbena.” It was such a huge plate, he couldn’t eat it all. The yellow watermelon (which played a very minor role on the plate) was rubbed with a variety of spices and quickly grilled. The heirloom tomatoes were slices from several colors (red, yellow and green). There were a lot of flavors running around his plate, and the one bite I had was outstanding.
For our mains, Dave ordered their “Liberty duck breast, braised endive and toasted cumin.” I didn’t taste the duck – Dave had devoured it in a matter of minutes. It was exquisitely served. We ordered wild mushrooms as our side dish (they have 3 or 4 different mushroom preparations – they’re part of their “signature” sides). I ordered “Grilled Berkshire pork loin with sweet corn and Black Mission figs.” I couldn’t eat it all, so will enjoy the leftovers for lunch today. It was so succulent and moist, and I loved the combination with the figs, and probably a fig jus of some kind. I’d order it again in an instant.
They have an extensive dessert menu, and I was tempted, but decided just to try an order of their house-made ice cream. The waiter wanted us to order the sweet corn ice cream, but when he checked in the kitchen, he found out the pastry chef hadn’t made it yesterday, but had cognac and chocolate chip instead. Also two other chocolate flavors too. The cognac angle sounded wonderful. Almost as delicious as the ice cream was, what it was served in was almost as interesting: a triangular stand with 6 small cups, each mounded with the ice cream. It was served on a large plate with “Happy Birthday” drizzled in chocolate on the plate, and a single candle. Very understated (no singers, thank you) and subtle. All and all, a delightful dinner in every way. We will return, no question. Our dinner, including Dave’s two glasses of wine, my aperitif, all the food, was $150 not including tip.
Charlie Palmer at Bloomingdale’s
South Coast Plaza
3333 Bristol St.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 352-2525
