ROCK’N FISH

A neighbor from the South Bay has made a comfortable home in our charming community. Settled upstairs (above Tommy Bahamas) in the notable Heisler building with views of the dazzling Pacific Ocean is ROCK’N FISH, a steak and seafood restaurant. Owners and high school chums Michael Zislis and Jim Donegan often conceived serving American fare and classic New Orleans cuisine to hungry patrons and with two other Southern California locations these mates have accomplished their goal opening their latest venture in beautiful Laguna Beach. Expect proprietors Michael or Jim to stop by your table for their nightly meet and greet to make sure everything is copacetic from service to food. Upon entering ROCK’N FISH a staircase beacons you up into a wonderfully designed restaurant where four popular Laguna Beach artists showcase their creative and whimsical custom-made workmanship. Adjacent to the main dining room is a great bar that boasts several flat screen televisions where friendly mixologists aid you in fulfilling your cravings for signature libations of all types. Rock’n Spirits sets the bar very high with an inventory of 47 tequilas, 29 different vodkas, 43 Scotch Whiskies to mention a handful. If you are a connoisseur of draught beers the 24 on tap will quench your brew thirst! For special private events the separate dining room with an extensive wine cellar accommodates fifty guests.

Chef Joseph Tripi, a 24 year veteran in the food industry, has teamed up with Newport Meat Company, Santa Monica Seafood and LA Specialty to dish up the best quality meats, freshest fish (which is shipped in daily from local purveyors) and finest produce. Unlike the competitors, ROCK’N FISH’s unique method of grilling the meat and seafood over 100% red oak wood makes a noticeable tasty difference. Foodies, you will not be disappointed!

My favorite item on the appetizer menu is the Signature Grilled Fresh Artichoke and the side of roasted garlic aioli…it is FANTASTIC and you can really taste the red oak grilled flavor difference! Where most restaurants boil the artichoke, Chef Joseph first steams then grills adding salt and pepper. I make a point to order the artichoke every time. Another choice starter is the light and Crispy Calamari with tarter sauce and horseradish cocktail sauce. Along with ten different appetizers you may also enjoy fresh seafood starters: Poke Martini, Colossal Shrimp or Dungeness Crab Cocktail and fresh shucked Oysters. Arthropod lovers will not want for fresh, well-prepared seafood at ROCK’N FISH.

For a delightful salad try the Blue Cheese Wedge. A huge chunk of cold and crispy iceberg lettuce arrived at my table slathered with a creamy mixture of Mine Shaft Blue Cheese dressing, sweet red onion slivers, thick crumbles of Nueske Applewood Bacon and candied walnuts. The salad is refreshing with an excellent balance of sweet walnuts and salty bacon.

Hubby had the Oak Grilled Chicken Sandwich and within several minutes devoured every morsel. With a facetious tone I asked him if he enjoyed his “sammie” and almost choked on a chunk of iceberg when I heard him say, “It’s better than mine!” (guys, my hubby is an outstanding home chef with very “high” standards!). The chicken breast is marinated for 24 hours in a special sauce giving it a great flavor then served hot on a freshly baked sesame seed bun with all the accoutrements. A “must try” on my next visit.

The “D.Z.” Burger will knock your socks off. Oak grilled Angus beef is cooked to order then topped with gooey melted Gruyere and Mine Shaft Blue Cheese, caramelize sweet onions, Applewood smoked bacon and garlic aioli on a grilled French roll. The burger arrived to our table long after the other entrées and although it was a tad bit salty we all decided this burger was well worth the wait and sodium bloat.

My carnivorous craving for the Aged New York Steak was appeased when my chow arrived with perfect grill marks and cooked to order medium-rare. The fare, along with my side of sautéed garlic spinach and coleslaw was simple yet enjoyable and my predatory craving indulged.

Unless you are on a serious low-fat and calorie restricting diet at all costs avoid the Seafood Jambalaya! A steaming hot dish piled high with fresh clams, shrimp, chunks of moist fish and spicy Andouillesausage in a Cajun cream sauce is served over your choice of rice or linguini. After one taste, I could feel my coronary vessels constricting but my tongued dance the boogie woogie when these flavors passed my lips…I highly recommend this dish! Heck, order it as a first course and share it with your dinner group that way you may all share in the calories!

As the waitress meandered towards my table the slight pang I felt deep within my gut slightly intensified, therefore, when she handed me the dessert menu I considered tossing it on the floor…glad I didn’t! After all, how could I turn down a sweet confection from ROCK’N FISH since all my other meals from this dining establishment have been pretty dang good? Repeated flashbacks of the intense savor of Sticky Toffee Pudding, a steamed - dark brick of delectable moistness enhanced with a caramelized butterscotch-like flavor and toffee sauce, keep firing off in my brain. Alas, I would love to thank the Queen Mum herself for sharing this glorious sweet pudding with us yanks!

My experience with other cuisine from the ROCK’N FISH menu left me feeling very satisfied since they were very tasty, well prepared and fresh. I have dined at ROCK’N FISH on several occasions and although the food is very good, more than once the service was careless with cocktails taking too long to arrive to my table, dirty dishes and empty plates hanging around a tad bit too long and one evening my dining partner’s entree arrived long after I was done eating mine. I am hoping before summer with the huge crowds of tourists arriving in town the service will improve. All-in-all, I am glad ROCK’N FISH decided to grace Laguna Beach with its presence and I know we will enjoy a splendid relationship together!

Cheers!

Open Daily 11:30 until close
Great $Price$ Point

Wonderful Wine, Beer & Spirit Selections

TRUE FOOD KITCHEN

Those who know me are aware of my many passions in life: food, wine, fitness-exercise and alternative healing (to name a handful). Therefore, I was pretty dang excited when I learned a new restaurant was to open in nearby Newport Beach that would focus on serving fresh, some organic, sustainable, low-fat and healthy dishes implementing Dr. Andrew Weil’s Anti-Inflammatory Food Pyramid diet with all meals created and approved for optimum health by Dr. Weil himself. Bring on the healthy vittles baby, bring ‘em on!

As a foodie and fitness expert I have often fantasized (yes, periodically I have food related fantasies!) about dining at a trendy spot where delectable, well prepared food is served, with a lovely ambiance pleasing to the eyes, great cocktails and various wines flowed. In addition to all of my standards, an extra benefit is that the food served is equally as healthy for my body. That being said, welcome to Orange County Mr. Fox and Dr. Andrew Weil…both of you have satisfied my healthy culinary desires at True Food Kitchen in Newport Beach, a wonderful alternative to folks looking to eat healthier in 2011!
Sam Fox, a San Diego entrepreneur, knows restaurants learning the business while a student at the University of Arizona with a total of 29 restaurants under his belt and more rolling out on the horizon. In case you did not know, Dr. Andrew Weil is a well regarded author and Harvard Medical School trained physician. As a highly “respected alternative medicine guru” (with healing retreats around the country), he is an expert on several alternative modalities some of which include eating anti-inflammatory diets and implementing cooking methods to help maintain a healthy body and lifestyle. Dr. Weil and Mr. Fox have teamed up to design a healthy menu at True Food Kitchen that will satisfy just about every taste bud out there.

I have yet to enjoy a feast in the outdoor patio next to the “living wall” of green succulents, nor dine in the 800 bottle wine cellar, but I have sat at the juice bar (which offers freshly squeezed fruit and veggie juices and handmade libations) enjoying a light lunch and in the large dining room on more than one occasion. The various times I have been to True Food Kitchen there has always been a wait to get in – standing room only, so I suggest you arrive early or plan on waiting a bit since the restaurant is very popular and you will wait! For those who enjoy healthy sweet-dried fruits, light and lean protein with some crunchy greens, the “Chicken Chopped Salad” is right up your alley (it was up mine…hum, that just doesn’t sound right)! Diced fresh dates, cranberries, Marcona Spanish almonds, white meat chicken chunks, crisp salad greens, Manchego cheese and the ancient grain farro mixed with a refreshing champagne vinaigrette graced my plate. I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to order half a portion of the salad since they are so large (and a great value) and I needed to save room for an appetizer or two! My idea of a successful dish is when the chef designs and creates the food item to taste great as if the item was to stand alone…well, each ingredient blended in my chopped salad tasted wonderful by itself, from the tender chicken to the quality of the dried fruits. That, my friends, is a successful tasty salad.

Another salad which rocked my gustatory cells was the “Tuscan Kale Salad”. I am a huge fan of collard so I gladly ordered the mound of deep-green freshly chopped kale that was gently blended with fresh lemon, parmesan and bread crumbs accompanied with a side of the Italian high-protein farro grain. The farro had a slightly chewy texture and a nice nutty flavor but lacked an interesting presentation (my senses are easily stimulated visually). Although the grain was just plopped onto my side dish, it had a nice essence and each tiny grain was gladly gobbled up.

I have had the fortunate experience of tasting many items from True Food Kitchen:

· Edamame Dumplings
· Caramelized Onion Tart
· Today’s Raw Fish
· Tuscan Kale Salad
· Roasted Eggplant
· Panang Curry
· Miso Glazed Black Cod
· Organic Ricotta Ravioli
· Flourless Chocolate Cake
· Apple Cranberry Crumble; and
· Banana Chocolate Tart

With all of these dishes being very appetizing, it is pretty tough to choose my favorite. But alas, I suppose I must…therefore the “Miso Glazed Black Cod”, bok choy and Asian mushroom was very yummy with a lovely sweet/sour miso glaze on a thick cod fillet that was cooked to perfection, tender and moist.
I have yet to try the “Wild Ahi Sliders” with wasabi aioli, radish, avocado and cucumber. They look fabulous with a generous slice of seared ahi tuna and chunky avocado spread sandwiched between a golden wholesome mini bun…two per order. They are a must order on my next visit.

In all fairness I must mention the desserts, they are luscious! How can one expect worthy sweet treats from a “health food” restaurant? Guys, trust me when I tell ya that True Food Kitchen delivers the unexpected with their desserts. Out of the three I tasted, my favorite was the “Banana Chocolate Tart” with its mesquite flour crust and Brazil nuts giving the tart a sweet and smoky flavor. Never before had I ever heard of ‘mesquite flour’ much less taste it in a confection and it was worth every calorie(s) that accumulated on my chunky thighs!

Of course, I did not include all the libations that have crossed my sweet lips! How can one go wrong ordering the “Cucumber-Kumquat Skinny Margarita” (for goodness sakes, it’s a ‘skinny margarita’)? Hand mixed with Casa Noble Silver Organic Tequila, fresh lime, fresh mint and soda this cocktail had me craving for more! For those in need of a little therapy the “Retail Therapy” with Belvedere Vodka, Grand Marnier, fresh strawberry, basil and lemon will settle the most anxious of nerves. And for all of you whiskey drinkers out there, “Peace Maker” will chill you out for sure with the perfect blend of smooth whiskey, black tea, honey lemon syrup and Averna (Italian liqueur). In addition to the many fabulous hand mixed cocktails, TFK has a good beer and sake selection along with many wines by the glass from various regions around the world.

Folks, my point is…True Food Kitchen has very tasty, well prepared, fresh, low-fat dishes that would satisfy just about everyone from the strictest vegan to the hungriest carnivore (beef tacos are on the menu also) and my heart flutters with delight knowing that I can dine out guilt free without feeling overly stuffed having eaten too many unhealthy calories, processed foods and bad fats.

Cheers!


Open Daily
Great value and price point!