Dining Review
Stephen Santacroce
About a year and a half ago, I reviewed Issay, the charming Italian
restaurant hidden on old Newport Boulevard owned by Michiko Soffer. Issay
was a wonderful restaurant enjoyed for its casual atmosphere and good
northern Italian cuisine by many locals in the know. Sadly, several
months after my review, a fire destroyed Issay, leaving many of us to
wonder if we would ever have the benefit of Michiko’s hospitality again.
Well, the wondering can stop; Michiko is back in business with a new
restaurant in Newport Beach that captures much of the charm of her old
restaurant and promises some new directions from the kitchen.
Nesai, which phonetically means “second generation” in Japanese (Issay
meant “first generation”) is on Riverside Avenue in Newport Beach, just
off West Coast Highway across from the post office. The building has been
home to several other restaurants, including local favorite the Stuft
Noodle, but Soffer has effortlessly added her personal touches, creating
an atmosphere with much of the charm of the original Issay. Entry to the
restaurant is through the bar area, which is really more of a waiting
room. It’s the one part of the restaurant that could use some work to
create a cozier lounge setting.
Past the bar are the two dining rooms, the first connecting through to
the larger back dining room perfect for larger gatherings. Art deco-style
ceiling fixtures illuminate the dark green table linens and sage
upholstery. Cream-colored walls are accented by hanging plants and a few
well-chosen pieces of artwork.
The cuisine at Issay was decidedly northern Italian. The chef, Paolo
Pestarino, was from Piedmont, and made the most of his native cooking.
Unfortunately (for Newport Beach, at least), Paolo moved on after Issay
closed and now runs his own restaurant, Paolo’s in Huntington Beach. To
replace Paolo, Soffer hired her sous-chef, George Angulo, and appointed
as head chef Hideo Matsuda. The result of the combination of
Japanese-born Matsuda and Italian Angulo is a menu strong on old
favorites (half the menu is comprised of Italian dishes from Issay’s
menu) with some decidedly Asian-influenced new choices.
Fans of the former restaurant won’t be disappointed by starters such
as the calamari arrabiata ($7), tender strips of squid delicately sauteed
in a spice marinara sauce. The squid is fork tender, never rubbery, and
the sauce will make you long for an extra basket of the fresh Italian
bread served at the table. You’ll want to save some of the bread, though,
for the equally delicious mussels and clams ($9) steamed in a white wine
sauce flavored with garlic and fresh herbs. I could easily make a meal
out of the plump, creamy mussels and tiny clams served in their savory
broth.
Other appetizers display Matsuda’s expertise with his native cuisine,
such as the morsels of freshwater eel ($8) seared in a Japanese-style
barbecue sauce and served atop dollops of creamy potato salad. The sea
bass appetizer ($7) truly exemplifies the chef’s touch with fresh fish;
the sea bass is sauteed to buttery perfection, and glazed delicately with
a miso and citrus sauce. Calamari also makes another appearance on the
appetizer menu, this time smoked ($7) slowly in-house and served with a
rich, homemade tartar sauce. I wouldn’t have thought that smoking
calamari could produce meat as tender as it is here. This is probably my
favorite item on the menu.
Michiko considers her customers family and is a fixture in the dining
room, stopping by tables to chat with her customers. She’s knowledgeable
about her menu and her wine list, and is happy to make recommendations
from either. Issay was known for having a great wine list, and luckily
about two-thirds of the collection was stored off site, spared from the
fire that destroyed the restaurant. Starting with this head start, Nesai
sports a wine list that would make owners of many well-established
restaurants envious. The wines, mostly from California, Italy and France,
are also reasonably priced. The corkage fee is $14 but is waived on
Tuesday nights as long as you bring your own stemware.
Good wines should complement good food, and there are some excellent
examples on the entree list to complement a fine pinot noir or
chardonnay.
A recently offered special featured a creamy risotto ($19) flavored
with earthy chunks of portabello mushrooms and large tiger prawns. Small
bay shrimp tucked among the tender rice grains and earthy mushrooms
kicked up the dish even more, resulting in a first-rate table pleaser.
Even my friend, Karen, who’s typically not a risotto fan, enjoyed the
dish.
The scallops ($18) were less successful. To be sure, the plump sea
scallops, each about the size of a marshmallow, were cooked just to the
point of tenderness and had a clean, ocean taste, but the accompanying
sauce of chopped tomato, mango and basil was surprisingly bland and left
me searching for more flavor.
Back on track is the Salmon Talley ($17), named after a close friend
of Soffer’s. A large salmon filet is seared to crispy skinned perfection,
while retaining a moist, melt-in-your-mouth flesh, and served with a
sauce of ginger, pineapple juice, soy and white wine. The ginger and
pineapple add delicate floral hints without too much sweetness, and the
soy imparts its own distinctive character, as well as some needed
saltiness.
Nesai is a restaurant that begs diners to linger after a good meal,
maybe over a rich espresso or heady glass of dessert wine. Sweets include
a deceptively rich coffee-flavored semi-fredo ($6), sort of a cross
between gelato and frozen custard, as well as the almost perfunctory
tiramisu ($6). Fans of Issay loved that restaurant as much for
Michiko Soffer’s charm and hospitality as they did for the food. Diners
at Nesai, whether Issay regulars or first-time customers, will find the
same charm, the same intimate atmosphere and some exciting new dishes to
complement reliable older ones. It’s a worthy replacement to a restaurant
that was on its way to becoming a standard. Nesai should prove that
Michiko’s success isn’t based on luck, but on dedication to good food and
content customers.
* Stephen Santacroce’s restaurant reviews appear every other Thursday.
Send him your comments at o7 sdsanta@oc-dining.comf7 .
What: Nesai
Where: 215 Riverside Ave., Newport Beach
When: 5 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, closed Monday
How Much: Moderately expensive
Phone: (949) 646-2333
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