Dining Review

Stephen Santacroce

Thanksgiving Day is one week from today, and I’m sure many readers have

already planned an elaborate feast celebrating this truly American

holiday.

It’s no wonder Thanksgiving centers around food, settlers in the East

found the winters in New England quite harsh, and the Pilgrims had plenty

to be thankful for in a bountiful harvest that would prevent them from

starving during the long, cold months ahead.

Now I’m sure none of us are worried about starving through the winter

(just ask the health club marketing people), but we have much to be

thankful for nevertheless. And while Thanksgiving is traditionally a

holiday celebrated at home, many of Newport-Mesa’s finer restaurants are

offering bountiful feasts for those of you who’d prefer to give thanks

without spending the entire day in a hot kitchen.

Thanksgiving is the most traveled day of the year, and hotel restaurants

lead the way in offering fancy fare for guests and their families.

Accents, at the Sutton Place Hotel (4500 MacArthur Blvd, Newport Beach

(949) 476-2001) is serving a Thanksgiving brunch ($35 per person)

featuring roast turkey with sage and chestnut stuffing carved at three

carving stations.

Whet your appetite by stopping at the seafood station, which will feature

a selection of smoked fish, oysters with caviar relish, cold shrimp with

roasted garlic mayonnaise, and Dungeness crab legs.

Pavilion, at the Four Seasons (690 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach

(949) 760-4920) is serving a five-course sit-down dinner ($49.50 per

person) starting at 11 a.m. A wild mushroom soup with sage and parsley

highlights traditional fall flavors as the first course, followed by an

endive salad or a root vegetable and seafood terrine.

Besides turkey, entree choices include John Dory filets, or New York

steak with a cabernet cranberry sauce. Warm pumpkin spice pudding adds a

nice twist to the traditional holiday desert list. Pavilion is reporting

that they’re almost completely booked, so call soon.

The Ritz (880 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach (949) 720-1800) has

also informed us that they are completely booked for their noon to 9 p.m.

Thanksgiving dinner, but you might want to call and ask about

cancellations if you want to sample their peppered grenadines of filet

mignon with cognac mustard sauce or prime rib chops of smoked pork with

lingonberries that are alternate selections to the obligatory stuffed

bird (they’ve got that, too).

Yankee Tavern, known year-round for its traditional American menu, is

staying true to form with a dinner ($20.95 per person) featuring turkey

with pecan stuffing, yams and cranberry relish. For an extra $4 you can

have prime rib instead of turkey, and all dinners come with a slice of

either pumpkin pie or apple pie a la mode.

Another restaurant known for its traditional menu, Five Crowns (3801 E.

Coast Highway, Corona del Mar (949) 760-0331), reports that Thanksgiving

is their busiest day of the year. It’s no surprise considering a menu

that includes butternut squash soup with pancetta and almonds as a

starter followed by entree choices that include their famous prime rib

($30.95), broiled salmon with dill caper butter ($26.95), roast duckling

with a compote of apples and prunes ($26.95) and, of course, roasted

turkey with chestnut stuffing ($23.95).

You can fill whatever space your stomach has left with pumpkin pie

($4.95), or an English trifle ($5.50), brandy-laced cake layered with

strawberries, custard and whipped cream. Although the French don’t

celebrate our Thanksgiving, luckily for us, no one told the staff at

Pinot Provence (686 Anton Blvd., Costa Mesa (714) 444-5900).

Joaquim Splichel’s Costa Mesa eatery is getting into the act with a

four-course dinner ($32 per person) that starts off with a tasty sounding

roasted vegetable soup infused with white truffle oil. Following that you

can choose a grilled fig and caramelized pear salad with baby watercress

or smoked salmon with corn blinis and caviar.

Entrees include rotisserie prime pork rack with caramelized cranberry

apples, or pan-seared filet mignon with fois gras and a port wine

reduction. Oh yes, they’re serving turkey with mushroom and cranberry

stuffing also.

West Coast Productions dynamic duo, Bistro 201 (3333 W Coast Highway,

Newport Beach (949) 631-1551) and Aysia 101 (2901 W. Coast Highway,

Newport Beach (949) 722-4128) are both serving buffets for $22.95

starting at noon.

Bistro 201 also will feature a sit-down dinner ($29.95 per person) from 1

to 7 p.m. Entrees include a vegetarian feast of individual pumpkins

stuffed with sweet and sour greens, wild rice, pine nuts and cranberries.

A stuffing of corn bread, sausage and mushrooms highlights Bistro’s

turkey entree.

Twin Palms (630 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach (949) 721-8288) is

serving up live jazz along with a $35 fixed price dinner from 1 to 8 p.m.

Entrees are on a first-name basis here including Tom Turkey served with

chestnut gravy and a warm cranberry compote, Angus Prime Rib with a

mushroom ragout, and Sterling Salmon seared and served with tarragon

butter.

Finally, for those of you who’d rather spend Thanksgiving at home but are

still struggling with the recipe for boiled water -- or maybe you just

want the day off or can’t pull Dad away from the football games --

several restaurants have just the ticket, full-course dinners you can

order in advance, pick up in the morning and have on the table in time

for halftime.

Pascal Epicure (1000 N. Bristol St., Newport Beach (949) 591-9041) will

feed six to eight people for $95 with a 16-pound free range turkey,

gravy, and apple, walnut and sausage stuffing. Sides can be purchased a

la carte, including grilled marinated squash ($6.50), or potatoes au

gratin ($3.50). Orders must be placed by noon on the 24th.

Pinot Provence is also offering a to-go menu, starting at $119 for six

people. You’ll get turkey with a chestnut stuffing, the aforementioned

fig and pear salad, green beans with smoked bacon, yam and Yukon gold

potato puree and pumpkin pie for desert.

You might even have enough leftovers for turkey sandwiches Nov. 26. Call

soon though, they won’t be taking orders after Friday.

It’s obvious from the choices above that most of us have a lot to be

thankful for. Before heading off to enjoy dinner with your family, why

not consider volunteering at one of the local shelters or soup kitchens.

There’s no better way to appreciate the bounty that has been bestowed

upon us than by helping out those less fortunate than ourselves. Most

shelters start their meals early, so you can give some time and still be

home to celebrate with the ones you love. * STEPHEN SANTACROCE’s dining

reviews appear every other Thursday.