WELCOME: Handful of New Restaurants Join County Dining Scene

CHAT NOIR

655 Anton Blvd.

Costa Mesa

(714) 557-6647

Chat Noir opened last fall, in time to give us something

I've been there so many times that I get teased, so I no longer admit to how many meals have been shared with myriad friends.

We may have thought we had French bistros before, but the stylishness here is like the best of many Parisian bistros rolled into one.

It's really difficult to paint an adequate picture of Chat Noir with words.

There are the sexy touches of velvet throughout; untold yards of red velvet, and oaly slightly less brown velvet, was used to swath the passageways and lush chairs and couches tucked into intimate corners.

Red leather covers booths in the Right Bank dining rooms and the Moulin Rouge lounge adjoining the beautiful Left Bank patio is a sea of sexy red leather chairs where Orange County comes to take in the beauty of the bar and listen to the nightly music.

Musicians enjoy a full wall mural of America's greatest jazz artists as a backdrop. Like other Parisian-style brasserie paintings throughout the restaurant, the mural is the work of artist Clifford Bailey.

The menu takes a stroll through timeless bistro fare.

French onion soup, chilled seafood platters, either seared or mousse of foie gras, tartare of filet mignon or ahi, lobster bisque, basil-fed escargot, Beluga caviar on the high end and the addictive frites sprinkled with hand-harvested sea salt dot the appetizer section.

Entrees waltz out of the kitchen in the guise of crepes, cabernet short ribs, roasted duck, fresh fish, Alsatian pork tenderloin, moules (mussels in creamy chardonnay garlic sauce), prime steaks, rack of lamb and the requisite plat du jour selection of the chef.

Don't miss the thrill of sophisticated stroganoff made with filet mignon and chanterelle mushrooms.

Most of these dishes are on both lunch and dinner menus, with French sandwiches joining a few American favorites on the midday menu.

Entree salads are tres chic creations.

Plenty of wine is visible in the glass-fronted wine cellars-two of them.

Chat Noir did not need to acquire soul, it was born with it.

GORDON JAMES GRILL & BAR

110 N. El Camino Real

San Clemente

(949) 498-9100

Gordon James Grill is only a month old, a redo of the historic Ole Hanson building.

San Clemente is suddenly becoming a dining town and this bright and unpretentious restaurant and bar was crowded when we made an early-week drop-in to see it and taste the food.

As much as possible of the stucco and wood building has been preserved in its original form.

The integrity of this landmark was very important to the owners.

Walls are whitewashed, ceiling beams and supporting struts have been rescued from layers of plaster that hid them over the years. In doing the large lounge and bar, wood that matched the patina of the original framing was meticulously used.

In the basement, original lighting fixtures dating from 80 years ago were found and now light the entry, which also retains the original decorative tile floor.

The dining room has been fitted with a lot of comfortable booths and the kitchen is fully open and visible on two fronts-in the dining room and in the bar.

The bar itself is a very long affair topped with a massive slab of granite and we decided to sit there to try a few dishes.

The restaurant gets my vote for having one of the most interesting appetizers around: fried green beans.

The fresh string beans are dipped in a chile-intensive batter and quickly fried, placed in a paper cone and served with a creamy chipotle dipping sauce. Good with wine, even better with a beer.

The shrimp "martini" also is a fine affair. In a thick sauce, which has all the elements of a tasty gazpacho, shrimp galore mingle. It comes with a shot of peppered vodka on the side.

There's also tempura lobster, a combo of fried shrimp and calamari and marvelous crab cakes.

Salads wander from a classic cobb to romaine with stilton cheese and even crab or shrimp Louie.

Sandwiches such as the crab melt, chicken with roasted green chiles and a daily creative sandwich of some sort are interesting. Some pasta is offered.

Seafood, steaks, poultry, racks and roasts make up the backbone of the entrees. Mississippi sizzling catfish, prime rib, rack of pork and lime buttered prawns are entrees we are looking forward to trying.

Desserts can hold their own with any of the county's chicest places.

Food, wine, beer, live entertainment and friendly people are on tap at Gordon James Grill.

HUSH

858 S. Coast Highway

Laguna Beach

(949) 497-3616

Chuck Rock had one of the most serious wine collections around and he decided to invest in this restaurant to house it.

They've remade the old Mark's into a very attractive and bustling establishment.

The style is sleek and modern with a smallish bar area, a dining room featuring a fireplace and a really charming and large patio that boasts its own fireplace.

Smooth rock surfaces are used inside and out. The walk past the glass wine cellar that forms one wall of the dining room is quite impressive.

The wine list has everything from affordable boutique labels to decade-long verticals of wines such as Screaming Eagle. You can peruse those unbelievably expensive bottled treasures resting in their racks.

Hush's food is based on the use of fine ingredients. Presentations are impressive.

Appetizers go from affordable to sublime (caviar selections).

Hudson Valley foie gras mingles with lentils, sweetbreads are wonderful on their own and better with the caramelized salsify and baby artichokes on the plate, mint tabbouleh cushions a tower of ahi.

Macaroni and cheese becomes a sophisticated and rather amusing appetizer when highlighted with leek confit and a ribbon of truffle oil.

Curried New Zealand salmon on green tea noodles was one of the best dishes in recent memory.

Half a cornish game hen atop spaetzle and caraway cabbage becomes Jonathan's version of chicken and dumplings.

New York steak is presented with white polenta and stewed chanterelles. We're looking forward to eating in the bar one evening and having the grilled kielbasa tart and a porcini pizza.

Desserts, like the wine list, are above and beyond.

Banana Strudel, fried apple with cinnamon dumplings and homemade sorbets in exotic flavors keep things interesting to the end.

Tabu Grill

2892 S. Coast Highway

Laguna Beach

(949) 494-7743

It's colorful, exotic, energetic, exceedingly interesting and small.

With seating for perhaps 30, Tabu opened a few weeks ago and is the brainchild of Nancy Wilhelm and partners.

Gauguin-inspired colors and tropical accents are the backdrop for chef Jeff Platt's food.

He's a culinary school graduate and has worked with a highly regarded chef for three years.

I've not had a chance to try the food, but it's said to be based on prime grilled steaks and fresh seafood with Pacific Rim and Island influences.

Appetizers of steamed mussels with forbidden rice, grilled diver scallops with tangerine butter, caramelized pear and parmesan salad and mojito-granita shrimp cocktail sound intriguing.

Entrees listed include maple-cured pork chop, Kobe flat iron steak, shiitake-dusted yellowfin tuna and fried breast of stuffed chicken.

Desserts catching my eye are the fried plantain funnel cake and the pot de creme duet-one is coconut creme with grilled tropical fruit and the other espresso creme with vanilla crisps.

I had a chance to look at the wine list, too, and it's a one-pager just the right size for this restaurant.

Prominent winery names mingle with boutique labels and there are lots of them priced in the $28 to $50 range.

Tabu sounds like fun.