Posts in category Fast Food Maven

Chicago’s Potbelly Sandwich Shop to open first California locations in Orange County

May 10, 2017 Written by Paper Shredding

Potbelly Sandwich Shop of Chicago is coming to Souuthern California by the end of the year. They are known for their inexpensive toasted sandwiches. (Photo courtesy Potbelly)
Potbelly is known for offering a more upscale setting than Subway. (Photo by Matt Miller)
Potbelly is known for offering a more upscale setting than Subway. The first locations are coming to South Orange County. (Photo by Matt Miller)
A closer look at a Potbelly Sandwich Shop menu in Nebraska, the state’s only Potbelly. (Photo by Matt Miller)

Two years after teasing locals with its West Coast expansion plans, Chicago-based Potbelly Sandwich Shop said Orange County will be home to its first round of California restaurants.

Potbelly, known for its “neighborhood atmosphere” and toasted sandwiches made with hand-sliced deli meat, said this week it plans to open at least four restaurants in Southern California. Of those, at least three will be in south Orange County.

Yorba Linda businessman Sameer Bhatia is the first franchisee to sign an operating agreement for stores in California, the company said. The chain is targeting Southern California, the East Bay and Central Valley regions of the state.

Bhatia, who discovered Potbelly while working in New York, plans to open the first sandwich shop by the end of the year. He is scouting locations in Irvine, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach and Lake Forest.

Bhatia, a Planet Fitness franchisee, is also looking in the Walnut area. He will be opening a total of four stores over the next three years.

Potbelly was founded in 1977 in Chicago. It offers assembly-line service like Subway, but industry insiders say their sandwiches and dining room setting are much more upscale. The menu also features soups, salads, milkshakes and cookies.

Potbelly falls into the “quick service plus” category. These types of restaurants offer the food quality of fast-casual chains like Panera Bread but at lower fast-food prices. Sandwiches range in price from $5 to $8.

Chris Birkinshaw, senior director of domestic franchising for Potbelly, said customers can treat Potbelly restaurants like neighborhood hangouts. “We’re confident that Californians will quickly come to love our food, our people and our local vibe.”

When Potbelly arrives, it will be a latecomer to Orange County.

Over the last five years, non-California chains invading local malls and strip centers include Jersey Mike’s, Which Wich, Firehouse Subs, Jimmy John’s and Capriotti’s. Some have not performed well including Which Wich and Capriotti’s, which have closed locations in Orange County. A Which Wich in Orange closed in late April.

Potbellly trades on the Nasdaq under the ticker PBPB. Last week, the company reported first quarter revenue of $101.7 million, up 6 percent from the same quarter last year. However,
company-operated same store sales decreased 3.1 percent.

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Top Chef star Richard Blais opening fried chicken joint, The Crack Shack, in Costa Mesa

May 9, 2017 Written by Paper Shredding

Richard Blais is the chef behind The Crack Shack, a San Diego fried chicken phenom coming to Orange County later this year. (Photos courtesy The Crack Shack)
The Crack Shack pursues only the finest local ingredients for its playful menu. Sandwiches and salads range from $8 to $13, family-size portions of fried chicken are $15 (5 pieces) or $29 (10 pieces). (Courtesy The Crack Shack)
The Crack Shack’s Coop Deville sandwich. The $12.00 fried chicken sandwich comes with pickled Fresno chilies, lime mayo, Napa cabbage, on a brioche bun. The 5,580-square-foot restaurant is taking over a former Chase Bank located at 196 East 17th Street. (Courtesy Crack Shack)
The Crack Shack’s menu focuses on chicken and eggs. The deviled eggs are a popular side dish. (Courtesy Crack Shack)
The Crack Shack sells Chicken Oysters — a playful on New England oysters using the juicy morsels of backbone chicken meat. Cost: $9. (Courtesy The Crack Shack)
The Royale is one of The Crack Shack’s all-day breakfast items. The Royale is made with chicken sausage, an organic sunny side egg and smoked cheddar on a house-made English muffin. (Courtesy Crack Shack)
The Anti-Salad Power Bowl at The Crack Shack is one of a few “healthy” non fried chicken options on the menu. For $10, the bowl is topped with smoked chicken, a soft boiled egg, heritage grains, salsa, avocado, and arugula. (Courtesy Crack Shack)
Owners Mike Rosen and Chefs Richard Blais and Jon Sloan opened the first The Crack Shack in late 2015 in a metal shed next to their fine dining venue Juniper & Ivy. The fried chicken phenom is slated to open a restaurant in October 2017 in Costa Mesa. The restaurant, in a former Chase bank building, will be designed by San Diego-based Blue Motif.
The Crack Shack cooks with free range, non-GMO eggs and high-end organic ingredients. Mini biscuits are offered as a side. (Courtesy The Crack Shack)
The Senior Croque is often one of the most popular items on the menu in San Diego. It is made with crispy chicken, bacon, fried egg, cheddar, miso-maple butter and served on a brioche bun. (Courtesy Crack Shack)
The Crack Shack dipping sauces are: Baja Hot, Vadouvan Mustard , Cracksup, Buttermilk Ranch Kimchi BBG, and Sriracha 1000 Island. All our house-made except the Baja Hot. (Courtesy Crack Shack)
Richard Blais partnered with Mike Rosen to open Juniper & Ivy and The Crack Shack in San Diego. (Courtesy Crack Shack)
The Crack Shack’s side dish: Baja slaw. (Courtesy The Crack Shack)
The Crack Shack makes its own soft serve ice cream and toppings. Soft serve comes in a variety of flavors including S’mores, Mexican Hot Chocolate, Horchata, Dirty Chai and Chocolate Peppermint. (Courtesy Crack Shack)
Owners Mike Rosen and Chefs Richard Blais and Jon Sloan opened the first The Crack Shack in late 2015 in a metal shed next to their fine dining venue Juniper & Ivy. The fried chicken phenom is slated to open a restaurant in October 2017 in Costa Mesa. (Courtesy The Crack Shack)
The Crack Shack makes its own ice cream cookie sandwiches. Cookie, made in house, rotate among the following flavors: birthday cake, salted chocolate chip, blue cornmeal, cookies ‘n cream, and lemon coconut (Courtesy The Crack Shack)
The Crack Shack likes to use reclaimed materials. (Courtesy Crack Shack)
Costa Mesa Rendering: The restaurant is replacing an old Chase bank building on 17th Street, a culinary haven known for its indie restaurants. (Courtesy The Crack Shack)

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Look out Raising Cane’s, Bruxie, Rooster Republic, Two Birds and Chick-fil-A.

Celebrity chef Richard Blais of “Top Chef” fame is bringing his poultry-centric eatery, The Crack Shack, to Costa Mesa. The San Diego fried chicken sensation is yet another quick-service brand catering to a growing consumer appetite for all things chicken.

“It’s a guilty pleasure,” said Mike Rosen, who along with Blais, co-founded The Crack Shack in San Diego in 2015.

The fried chicken eatery is replacing a vacant Chase bank building on East 17th Street, a culinary haven known for its chef-driven restaurants. Rosen said the neighborhood — home to indie concepts such as Sidecar Doughnuts, Mendocino Farms and Greenleaf Gourmet Chopshop — is the perfect fit for the farm fresh chicken concept.

Crack Shack serves humanely raised poultry in an eco-friendly environment. It frys or grills Jidori chicken from Southern California and sources produce from local boutique farms.

“Everything is hyper local,” Rosen said in an exclusive interview with the Register.

From Finance to Fine Dining

When Rosen left a career in finance a few years ago, developing a fried chicken joint was not his goal.

The East Coast transplant grew up dining at some of the nicest restaurants in the Big Apple. His financial career brought him to San Diego several years ago, where he was co-principal and owner of The Rochester Funds.

While San Diego offers plenty of high-end restaurants and delicious dives, the food scene still didn’t live up to his New York standards.

“I really thought what we were missing was a fine dining restaurant that didn’t take itself too seriously,” he said.

Eventually, he burned out on bond trading. When he turned 50 a few years ago, Rosen’s oldest daughter challenged him to pursue his culinary dreams.

“She goaded me into this business,” he said.

He attended Le Cordon Bleu in London and soon after began looking for a partner to open a creative fine dining restaurant in San Diego.

He cold-called Blais, winner of “Top Chef: All Stars” and a frequent guest judge on Bravo’s award-winning competition show.

“Meeting Richard was serendipity,” he said.

Blais was living in Atlanta with his wife and two young children. He was ready for a change — and lured by the coastal climate and easy living of San Diego.

In March 2014, they opened Juniper & Ivy. They placed the modernist American restaurant in a century-old sawtooth warehouse on the outskirts of downtown’s Little Italy neighborhood.

It opened to critical praise and launched a rejuvenation of the soon-to-be-gentrified enclave.

From Shed to Chicken Shack

Soon after opening Juniper & Ivy, Rosen noticed a metal shed next to the restaurant attracting local photographers for wedding and fashion shoots.

As the edgy area erupted with activity, several would-be tenants approached him about converting the shack into a retail shop.

“Everyone had an idea of what the shed should be,” he said.

The business partners decided the open-air space would be perfect for a fast-casual restaurant.

With the better burger scene saturated, Rosen honed in on fried chicken.

“Every culture, Korean, Japanese, Persian — they have their own version of fried chicken. It’s a universal food,” he said.

He recalled during his travels “well dressed” executives eating fried chicken at airports.

But no one, he thought, was paying homage to the humble classic.

“Why not have chef-driven chicken and use the best ingredients possible?”

Soon after, The Crack Shack was born.

Like Juniper & Ivy, The Crack Shack pursues only the finest local ingredients for its playful menu. Sandwiches and salads range from $8 to $13, family-size trays of fried chicken are $15 (5 pieces) or $29 (10 pieces).

Side dishes include hot or cold chicken oysters (a riff on New England oysters using the juicy morsels of backbone meat), mini-buttery biscuits, deviled eggs and a hefty portion of french fries blanched and twice fried. An egg (fried or runny) can be found on nearly every dish, including the top selling Señor Croque, a brioche bun stuffed with crispy chicken, bacon, a fried egg, cheddar cheese and miso-maple butter.

The Crack Shack also serves salads, grilled chicken, a quinoa bowl, hummus and line-caught tuna.

Guilty Pleasure

The Crack Shack is entering Orange County at a time when fried chicken concepts are popping up in food halls and reimagined strip centers: Domestic sales for chicken joints have outpaced the venerable burger.

In 2015, fast-food chicken chains saw sales rise 8 percent, according to market research firm Technomic. By contrast, America’s top burger chains, saw sales grow by 3.3 percent.

Locally, restaurants are taking advantage.

Anaheim-based Bruxie recently scrapped its waffle sandwich focus to emphasize fried chicken plates. New food halls, McFadden Public Market in Santa Ana and TRADE in Irvine, both opened with fried chicken food stands — Rooster Republic and Two Birds.

With its local beer and craft cocktails, Rosen said The Crack Shack is attracting foodies of all ages — millennials, Generation X and Baby Boomers. “There’s something about fried chicken that transcends traditional demographics.”

Having captured lightning in a bottle, Rosen opened a second Crack Shack in February in Encinitas. Costa Mesa will be its third outlet, and first outside of their San Diego home base.

The 5,500-square-foot restaurant will sport an interior of reclaimed corrugated metal and Torrey Pine wood. It is slated to open in October.

Rosen said more locations in Southern California are possible, but not mandatory.

He’s scouting Pasadena, downtown Los Angeles, and Santa Monica — affluent communities that won’t question paying $10 for a fine-dining inspired fried chicken meal.

That’s why East 17th Street, where crowds gather daily to devour Sidecar’s $3 doughnuts, seemed like the perfect fit.

Like others, Rosen has fallen victim to Sidecar’s addictive doughnuts.

“Every time we go, we end up having far too many. They’re ridiculous.”

The Crack Shack will be at 196 E. 17th St.

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Angel Stadium Food: A guide to what’s new for the 2017 season

April 26, 2017 Written by Paper Shredding

The Pork Belly Poutine is a new dish at the SPUDS food stand. French fries are topped with gravy, crispy pork belly, shredded cheddar and green onion. Section 130 on Field Level. (Courtesy Legends)
The Churro Pop is a whimsical mashup treat that is new this year at the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf cart behind home plate, field level (Nancy Luna, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The wild blueberry funnel cake is topped with blueberry compote and sweet cream. The new dessert can be found at the Saint Archer Brewing Co. restaurant on the Club level. (Photo courtesy Legends)
The Red Velvet Brownie Ice Cream Sandwich looks like a Jenga tower. The sandwiches, filled with vanilla and chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, are stacked. The tower is drizzled with hot fudge and served with fresh whipped cream and Swissh meringue. (Photo by Kendall Lowery.)
Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf is serving seasonal doughnuts made by the Legends pastry chef. One is a fried soft doughnut filled with chocolate ganache. (Courtesy Legends)
Ballast Point Brewing Co. is a new branded food stand. It replaced Angel Wings. The menu is the same, but there’s more Ballast Point choices. (Nancy Luna, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The new whole pretzel at Saint Archer replaces the previous pretzel sticks. (Nancy Luna, Orange County Register/SCNG)
New Ballast Point beers available at the Ballast Point branded food stand. (Nancy Luna, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Poke by Oke Poke is new to Angel Stadium for the 2017 season. (Courtesy Legends)
New desserts found at the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf cart at Angel Stadium include this cinnamon roll doughnut made with brioche dough. (Photo by Nancy Luna, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The Pastrami Dawg is a new gourmet hot dog found at the two Crafty Dawgs food stands.
The Oke Poke burrito is sold at the new Oke Poke food stand at Angel Stadium. (Nancy Luna, Orange County Register/SCNG)
La Rotisserie: Legends is waiting for permits for this eatery, which will be slow roasting up to 56 chickens at once on two exhibition rotisseries. It is expected to open early summer in the Field level space previously occupied by the Oakley store in Section 114.
The Oke Poke nachos.
You can find these jelly stuffed doughnuts at the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf cart behind Home Plate on the field level. (Courtesy Legends)
The wild blueberry funnel cake is topped with blueberry compote and sweet cream. The new dessert can be found at the Saint Archer Brewing Co. restaurant on the Club level. (Photo by Kendall Lowery)
The Southern fried chicken sandwich is a new food item at the Ballast Point food stand. (Photo courtesy Legends)
The new Bud Patio has been refreshed. The stand serves nothing but canned beers. (Photo by Kendall Lowery)
The Short Rib Poutine is a new dish on the Saint Archer restaurant menu. (Courtesy Legends)
Another view of the pork belly poutine at Angel Stadium (Courtesy Legends)
New foods at Saint Archer. (Photo by Kendall Lowery)
Pork belly watermelon salad at Saint Archer Brewing Co. restaurant. (Photo by Kendall Lowery)
The sausage platter at the new Saint Archer restaurant features sausages by Marisa Foods and a housemade Merguez sausage. (Photo by Kendall Lowery)
New parfaits and an Oke Poke burrito at the Corner Market. (Photo by Kendall Lowery)
Outside of hot dogs, nachos are the next biggest sellers at Angel Stadium. (Legends Hospitality)

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Years ago, when I first started covering Angel Stadium eats, the ballpark was littered with chains. Carl’s Jr. Ruby’s Diner. Panda Express. Jack in the Box. Beach Pit BBQ.

Thankfully over the last few years, the stadium’s in-house culinary teams have made a noble effort to enhance the experience beyond frozen burgers, stale nachos and plain-Jane hot dogs. The culinary team doesn’t always hit a home run, but its batting average continues to climb every season as the offerings have gradually moved away from national chains.

Legends Hospitality, which took over during the 2014 baseball season, has touched nearly every kitchen — from concessions to premium dining.

Yes, chains still persist. But most of them are local hot spots such as Oggi’s, Chronic Tacos, Fresca’s Authentic Mexican Kitchen and Muscle Maker Grill. New this year is Oke Poke, which has locations in Brea and Lake Forest as well the Inland Empire.

As it enters its fourth season, Legends has definitely found its groove.

“We’ve brought a lot of restaurant quality foods to the concessions,” stadium general manager David Lippman said.

Lippman and I walked the stadium before a recent game to review the latest changes.

The most notable tweaks fans will notice: the addition of Coca-Cola beverages (yep, that means Pepsi is out), new whimsical desserts, the exit of three food stands by Panda Express and the rebranding — yet again — of the former Shock Top Brew Pub.

The Club level restaurant, fondly remembered by old-schoolers as the Knothole Club, is now called Saint Archer Brewing Co. Restaurant.

So without further adieu, here’s what caught my eye — and charmed my palate.

Saint Archer: This fun gastropub-style eatery with stunning views overlooking right field is one of the park’s best-kept secrets. Since it’s on the Club level, most Angels fans might think it’s closed to the general public. But, it is not.

And that’s the dirty little secret. Outside of the Diamond Club, which is only available to premium ticket holders, this is by far the best restaurant in the stadium.

Nearly everything on the menu is scratch made or sourced from quality purveyors — from the crazy good pimento cheese dip to charcuterie sausages.

This year, Executive Chef Robert Biebrich and pastry chef Ashley Aguinaga have revamped the old Shock Top menu with some heavy hitting savory and sweet dishes: carne asada nachos, a short rib poutine, a Jenga-looking ice cream sandwich tower, a fried chicken sandwich infused with Japanese flavors, a watermelon salad topped with crispy pork belly and a large hand-rolled pretzel as big as your head.

Though it is early in the season, the nachos have already become an instant hit. The dish uses tostada shells instead of tortilla chips. The 4-inch shells are topped with a spicy nacho cheese sauce that chef Biebrich calls a “Mexican bechamel.”

Another platter worth sharing is the short rib poutine, made with large hand-cut wedges of fried Kennebec potatoes. It’s a fry and meat lovers’ delight.

As for the craft beer offerings, given the new name, expect brews heavily favoring the San Diego brewer’s ale-centric beers. It’s unfortunate because craft beer lovers enjoy variety especially when the food is this good. It would be nice if guest taps could include award-winning Orange County breweries like Bottle Logic or Noble Ale Works. Instead, there’s a cider option, and two beers by Coors.

Reservations can be made through OpenTable five days prior to the first game of each home stand. The restaurant opens to Club level ticket holders two hours before the first pitch; general public entrance is allowed after the first pitch.

The Change Up Kitchen: This ambitious concept replaces Panda Express on the Terrace (Section 226) level. As the name suggests, the Legends-created food stand offers a new menu every homestand. For example, the second homestand, ending today April 27, features a Mediterranean menu of tri-tip kebabs, a falafel wrap and chicken shawarma.

The next two homestands in May showcase Mexican cuisine and slow-roasted meats. The latter menu, offered May 11-17, is called La Rotisserie. The spit-fired meats are meant to be a teaser to a new food stand coming this summer.

La Rotisserie: Legends is waiting for permits for this eatery, which will be slow roasting up to 56 chickens at once on two exhibition rotisseries. It is expected to open early summer in the Field level space previously occupied by the Oakley store in Section 114.

(Retail sidebar: I’ll digress a bit to note that Legends has taken over merchandising in the park. They’ve redesigned and expanded the home plate Team Store, which now includes custom made jerseys, a special Nike attire section and a line of new retro Angels socks from San Clemente-based Stance. Legends has also added a new retail shop on the View level, Section 419 across from the new Crafty Dawgs.)

Classic Hits: The aging “Grandstand” concessions have been rebranded as Classic Hits. The modern signage is refreshing and long overdue. The stands in the Field level (Sections 107 and 126) have added a Bacon & Bleu Burger topped with thick-cut bacon, caramelized onions and bleu cheese.

Sausages: Though Farmer John is still providing frankfurters for fans, the hot dog giant is no longer supplying sausages to the ballpark. Legends is now sourcing from Marisa Foods, a Long Beach supplier known for its high-quality bratwurst and Italian sausages. The links are found throughout the park, including Saint Archer restaurant and Classic Hits locations in sections 107, 126, 224, 209 and 412.

Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf: Pastry chef Aguinaga is the real deal. She honed her skills at Stonehill Tavern and is bringing some fine dining inspired treats to various parts of the stadium. At the Coffee Bean cart, she’s added a few Instagram-worthy pastries to go with the java selection: jelly stuffed doughnuts, a churro pop and a cinnamon roll doughnut. The lollipop-looking churro is crazy good. The whimsical treat is certain to sell out early. It is a chocolate stuffed round churro topped elegantly with creamy marshmallow and crunchy chocolate pearls. Naturally, it’s served on a stick. Order two because you won’t want to share.

Equally addicting is the cinnamon roll doughnhut made with airy brioche dough and topped with a light cream cheese icing. The Coffee Bean cart, which debuted last year, is behind home plate on the Field level.

SPUDS: A scalloped shaped bar, acting more like a barricade, has been removed from this potato-themed Field level (Section 130) food stand. The space in front of the counter is now roomier and more inviting. New on the menu this year: a pork belly poutine.
Ballast Point: One of San Diego’s biggest brewers has taken over the former Angel Wings space on the Terrace level, Section 207. Though the name is different, the menu remains the same with the addition of a Southern fried chicken sandwich. The tap list, of course, is now dominated by Ballast Point, whose parent company also owns Coors. Go here for the medal-winning Sculpin IPA.

The Corner Market: This healthy eats convenience-style store, with grab-and-go foods from Melissa’s Produce is back again this year with a few new selections: a Southwest BBQ chicken salad and a super food salad of kale, quinoa and roasted sweet potatoes. New grab-and-go parfaits can also be found here, as well as a poke burrito from Oke Poke. Location: Terrace Concourse, Section 222.

Crafty Dawgs: First introduced last year, this build-your-own hot dog stand on the field level (Section 127) has expanded to the View level. It replaces Panda Express in Section 420. New to each stand is a Pastrami Dawg, an all-beef Farmer John hot dog topped with shaved pastrami and sauerkraut. The View level stand also is offering build-your-own fries with toppings that include mac ‘n cheese, short rib chili, bacon, brisket and chopped pastrami.

Oke Poke: Jumping on the latest seafood craze, Legends has smartly partnered with local eatery Oke Poke. The chain is a familiar Southern California brand with locations in Brea and Lake Forest. The food stand, in the 3rd base food court, serves poke bowls and burritos. Along with four signature bowls (Firecracker, Crunchy Garlic, Okeechi, Bailey), Oke Poke has developed a poke nachos dish exclusive to Angel Stadium. Round tortilla chips are topped with a combination of Firecracker and Crunchy Garlic flavors.The fusion dish is a nice change of pace from the classic helmet nachos.

Tip: The Corner Market, as mentioned before, also sells the poke burrito.

Premium dining: The Diamond Club is now a buffet-only experience with more “live cooking” stations and several new dishes such as Chili Lime Chicken Wings, Kalbi Bao Bun and Steak Frites. Buffet price: $49.95

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Disney Resort’s Napa Rose opens doors early for new afternoon wine experience

April 25, 2017 Written by Paper Shredding

The $95 wine and food experience at Napa Rose includes tastings of fine cheeses and meats. (Courtesy Napa Rose)
Napa Rose is at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim. (Courtesy Napa Rose)
The $95 wine and food experience at Napa Rose includes tastings of fine cheeses and meats. (Courtesy Napa Rose)
Philippe Tosques is the general manager of Napa Rose, the award-winning restaurant at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. In this role, Philippe is responsible for managing the staff and operations at Napa Rose, providing one of the finest dining experiences in Southern California, including a remarkable wine list and weekly special menus. Tosques is a French restaurateur with more than 25 years of restaurant management experience. (Courtesy Napa Rose)
A recent pairing included the following wines: a Conde Valdemar Tempranillo (2011), a Stolpman Vineyards Estate Syrah (2014) , a Reinhold Haart Riesling (2006), a Castiglion Del Bosco Brunello di Montalcino (2011), and a 10-year Tawny Port from Douro Valley, Portugal. (Nancy Luna, Orange County Register)

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Do you love wine with dinner, but have trouble picking the perfect pairing for your meal?

Should the first course always start with a white wine?

Whether you’re a novice or a connoisseur of fine wines, Napa Rose is hoping to level the playing field for all wine lovers. The Disney Resort restaurant, known for its wine country cuisine, is offering its expertise with a new program dubbed Wine & Food Pairing Experience. The hour-long session is held every Saturday and Sunday from 2-3 p.m. It is hosted by wine experts from Napa Rose, one of the few restaurants in Orange County where all the servers have passed the Level 1 sommelier test. Four servers are Level 3 certified.

For $95, each person will sample five different exclusive restaurant wines, served with cheese and charcuterie. Each wine is expertly paired with meats and cheese. During the sampling, staff will introduce each wine and talk about its properties — appearance, viscosity, aroma and taste. The pairings will rotate and change every six to eight weeks. For example, over the next few weeks, guests will sample a Conde Valdemar Tempranillo (2011), a Stolpman Vineyards Estate Syrah (2014) , a Reinhold Haart Riesling (2006), a Castiglion Del Bosco Brunello di Montalcino (2011), and a 10-year Tawny Port from Douro Valley, Portgual.

Guests will learn what makes a good pairing while relaxing in the restaurant’s lounge before the restaurant opens for dinner. The experience will give guests a glimpse of how Napa Rose’s staff painstakingly selects wines for its coursed dinners.

“Much thought goes into the pairings until we find what clicks,” said Philippe Tosques, Napa Rose general manager.

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Posts in category Fast Food Maven

Chicago’s Potbelly Sandwich Shop to open first California locations in Orange County