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