Columnist Muriel Stevens: St. Regis is a welcome day at the beach

Friday, Jan. 4, 2002 | 8:37 a.m.

Muriel Stevens' dining column appears Fridays. Her shopping and travel columns appear Friday. Reach her at 259-4080 or muriel@lasvegassun.com.

Beach towns are not usually known for fine dining, so when I decided to take a holiday vacation at the St. Regis Resort at Dana Point in California I turned to friends for suggestions.

Restaurateur Freddie Glusman, who owns the club-like Piero's on Convention Center Drive, is always a good source. He has a home in Newport Beach, Calif., owns the venerable Ritz restaurant at Fashion Island (the highest-grossing restaurant in Orange County, Calif.) and is privy to all sorts of insider info both here and in Newport.

So, why ask a meat-and-potatoes kind of guy about the kind of restaurants I like? Because Glusman knows food, even the kind he doesn't opt to order. Freddie goes to every restaurant he hears about. The "discussions" we sometimes have about restaurant food would make a good sitcom.

"You'll love this place," Freddie said. "It's in a little yellow house on the Island (Balboa peninsula) and is named Aubergine." A fine restaurant on Balboa Island? My, how things have changed since my previous visit to Newport Beach.

Saturday evening, the day after our arrival, we set out to find Aubergine. It had been many years since my husband and I had an apartment in Newport Beach. In those days I new every cove and corner, but that was 18 years ago. Would I remember how to access the Island? With instructions from Freddie and directions from the St. Regis concierge, my traveling companion and I made only one false turn before finding Aubergine.

There it was: a little yellow house on a formerly residential street that had been artistically turned into a restaurant. With a bit of imagination and creativity, owners Liza and Tim Goodell have created an inviting dining spot that seats about 60. Every inch of space has been utilized and beautified.

It is impossible to imagine that such glorious food could be turned out in the small kitchen, yet it is. The menu changes daily. Offered is a seven-course tasting menu ($105), a six-course vegetarian menu ($75) and five-course dinners that allow diners to choose from a variety of dishes for each course ($85). Just recently Aubergine opened on Sunday with a four-course menu priced at $39. Only the finest food products are used here. Chef Tim reaches near and far to purchase such wonderful foodstuffs as Humboldt Fog chevre (goat cheese), hand-harvested diver scallops, Bobo Farms partridge, New Zealand John Dory and more.

Our tasting consisted of more courses than good sense decreed, but the affable chef assured us he would not be offended if we didn't eat every bite. We covered much of the menu, since each of us received a different dish for each course. We shared, of course, so by dinner's end we had each tasted generous bites of 20 dishes, not including desserts.

Chef Tim kept his word to keep the portions small, only deviating when the presentation would have suffered. Among the many courses were: foie gras mousse with a house-made pear and ginger marmalade; Glidden Point oysters served on the half shell with lemon zest and topped with black pepper lemon sorbet (simply wonderful); Glidden Point oysters smoked on the half shell, with braised Savoy cabbage, fried cracklings and a truffle cream; Maine day-boat lobster atop succulent braised veal cheek with glazed cippolini onions and shoestring potatoes; Bobo Farms partridge breast with cubes of candied sweet potatoes and sauteed foie gras. We ate agnolotti filled with Kabocha squash (Japanese pumpkin) and sauced with brown butter and white truffles; tenderloin of venison and rabbit and foie gras pastilla.

We ended our splendid repast with a wave of desserts prepared by Pastry Chef Shelly Register. Just 24 years old, Register has the imagination and talent it takes to be a world-class pastry chef. With her delectable desserts she had us forgetting all of our good intentions. Vacherin Mont D'Or was a winning spin on the classic with a meringue vol-au-vent, hazelnut cream, Armangac-soaked prunes and a drizzle of chestnut honey.

We rejoiced with cranberry sherbet, dried cranberry confiture (preserves) and pistachio biscotti; chocolate mille feuille, espresso ice cream, chocolate cream and caramelized pastry; bruleed lemon curd tart with huckleberries and lemon curd ice cream. There was still more to come.

I had asked to meet the pastry chef. Shelly was standing at our table when what I thought was to be the last dessert was served. "Oh no," she said. "You're not finished yet. I've got a few more little knicknacks."

The "knicknacks" were straight-from-the-oven pumpkin doughnuts that came with an admonishment from Shelly to let them cool a bit before biting into the fragrant, yeasty delights. And finally, warm hazelnut financiers, buttery, tart-like cookies filled with frangipane. Such delicious knicknacks.

The food range was wide and wonderful. Chef Tim is fearless as he combines and cooks exotic delicacies with wild abandon. We were willing subjects, savoring every bite as we made our way through food paths paved with sublime food.

Aubergine offers one of the best vegetarian tastings I've seen: a veloute of roasted chestnuts and sunchokes; a salad of Kenter greens, baby beets and truffle braised pearl onions; kabocha-filled agnolotti with brown butter and Reggiano Parmigiana; roasted vegetable pithiviers, Chef Tim's version of the classic French pastry; Bravo Farms Special Reserve cheddar with apple fritters and an apple cider reduction; house-made gingerbread with black mountain huckleberries and lemon curd ice cream and mignardises -- tiny house-made sweets.

As we drove the distance from Aubergine, via the moonlit Pacific Coast Highway, to our hotel in Dana Point, we agreed that dinner at Aubergine was the perfect way to begin a vacation.

Aubergine's address: 508 29th St., Newport Beach. Reservation number: (949) 723-4150.

Troquet at South Coast Plaza: When I learned that Liza and Tim Goodell owned a bistro, Troquet, in South Coast Plaza where we planned to shop a few days later it was a given that we would lunch there. After dinner at Aubergine we expected the casual Troquet to be special in its own way and it was.

At lunch time this attractive small bistro is filled with natural light coming in through the outdoor patio. The patio serves as a separate entrance to the eatery and is useful for those coming to dine only, not shop.

Troquet offers similar, but slightly different menus at lunch and dinner. Sunday lunch begins at noon. Reservations are requested for this popular meal. Among Troquet's many signature dishes are a superior duck liver pate served with house-made pear and ginger marmalade (the thick marmalade was so good I requested and got the recipe); moules frites, Prince Edward mussels steamed with manilla clams, shallots, white wine and parsley served with a generous mound of French fries; a super version of macaroni and cheese made with three cheeses and topped with buttery bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese and tender veal liver with a crown of potatoes lyonnaise and caramelized cippolini onions.

The last time I had seen Lyonnaise potatoes prepared this way was at Leon de Lyon in Lyon, France. Troquet's Chef de Cuisine Jeff Armstrong's version was every bit as good. The New Zealand John Dory with cauliflower, mustard seed and date chutney was yet another lovely combination of flavors.

We watched as the dishes came out of the kitchen, each one so homespun and beautiful. We discreetly peeked at dishes being served to nearby tables. The braised short rib was a mouthwatering sight. The dessert list is long and appealing, but I'd had my eye on the black and white sundae with marshmallow cream, hot fudge and whipped cream ever since I'd seen it. My dining companion agreed. If we were only having one dessert, it would be the sundae. We lingered at Troquet much longer than we'd intended. We were so content we almost forgot we were at South Coast Plaza to shop.

Red Pearl Kitchen: Huntington Beach (412 Walnut Street) is the locale for the Goodell's newest restaurant, Red Pearl Kitchen, opening in two weeks. Freddie Glusman will partner this latest brainchild from Goodell and his wife, Liza.

Tim grew up with an Asian family and wanted to do his take on the kind of food he remembered. The restaurant features a big bar with funky drinks, daily specials, a variety of small plates, salads, dumplings, bowl food and noodles and large plates, all moderately priced. Prices for the large entree plates top out at $15.95. Good news for Las Vegans with summer retreats in Newport.

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