Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Nirvana Grille, Laguna Beach - 08.30.08



OK then… It's been a while. But on with the review.

Nirvana Grille - http://www.nirvanagrille.com/ August 30, 2008

I actually made reservations for Mozambique for tonight but changed to Nirvana Grill at the last minute and was very happy we did, (more on that later). The décor inside was very nice, clean lines and warm lighting, so the cover of the book looked good. Onto the food:Starter: Pommes Frites w/ Blue Cheese. Simple as it sounds, but these French fries were, as Larry David would say, "Pretty, pretty, pretty good." They were crisp on the outside and lots of flavor with garlic and blue cheese prominent.
Oops, forgot about – Wine: Angeline Pinot Noir, Russian River. – Not too bad, not too great. I guess it served its purpose.

Entrée #1 - Cioppino Fish Stew – This was excellent. Lots of delicious shrimp, mussels, fish and super scallops swimming in a tomato broth that was just spicy enough to make you feel it. Also large enough to take home for leftovers and an excellent lunch the next day.

Entrée #2 – Pistachio Crusted Chilean Sea Bass – We saw this on the menu and it became apparent that it was mine. The sea bass was tender and the pistachio crust gave it just enough texture to contrast with the softness of the meat. The yukon gold potatoes sat directly underneath the sea bass and one had to take a piece of both the fish and the starch to get the full effect. It was decadent. The dish was balanced out by asparagus spears that were simply sauteed.

Desert: Chocolate Bread Pudding w/Raspberry Compote. – Whoa this was rich. Excellent for two though. Also had a good port of which memory fails me. Our tab for two would have been around $120, but due to a minor problem they comped us quite a bit, actually much more than they certainly needed to and needless to say it was appreciated. There is no doubt that Nirvana Grill now jumps into the restaurant rotation and rightfully so.

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