Bayside does it the right way

Greer Wylder

Bayside Restaurant debuted four years ago with every ingredient for

success. It has experienced owners, high-quality and imaginative

cuisine and a location that’s impossible to beat, across from

Newport’s bay.

Everything in this restaurant enterprise has been well-conceived

and executed with superb attention to detail. This is a winning

restaurant recipe.

The Ghoukassian family, owners of Bayside, also claim Bistango. It

opened in 1987 and remains as one of Irvine’s top-rated restaurants.

The Ghoukassian family have a special flare for prime locations.

Bistango is in an office building’s atrium, with blue slate and glass

surroundings. It has inventive dishes and stands out as one of the

few that allows dancing and live entertainment. The Bistango in

Beverly Hills was the family’s first location. It closed in 1990.

Paul Gstrein was the original chef at Bistango. Now Bayside can

brag of this Austrian culinary master. His specialties are game

dishes, which is an unusual and exciting twist on your average

California bill of fare.

The dinner menu also offers venison loin medallions with a

Washington Granny Smith apple, fresh potato gnocchi and spiced wine

reduction ($29.50). For lunch, there’s medallion of venison loin and

foie gras with caramelized Granny Smith apple and spiced red wine

reduction, potato puree ($18.75).

Gstrein’s other signature dishes include the grilled fillet mignon

served with Madagascan pepper sauce, potato trio and in-season

vegetable ($31.75); rack of lamb served on mashed potatoes and young

green beans with a grain mustard sauce ($29.25); and the outstanding

wild mushroom-crusted, oven-roasted Alaskan halibut served with

potato puree and asparagus spears in a delicate Riesling sauce

($27.75).

Considering the competition on the menu, it comes as a surprise

that the best dish is considered to be the simple roasted chicken

breast. It’s served on wilted spinach, lemon sauce and soft polenta.

At dinner, it’s $19.50, and at lunch ($15.75). If your ordering the

most popular dinner, why not stay on track and go for the

best-selling dessert; warm chocolate souffle cake with hazelnut ice

cream and warm banana bread pudding with caramel sauce and banana

sorbet.

There are a daily menu options, though always a new four-course

prix fixe dinner. For $48, enjoy a compressed Maine lobster salad

with light wasabi dressing, sliced cucumber and crushed avocado and

grape tomato. The next course is a cast-iron-seared diver sea scallop

wrapped in smoked bacon with baby artichokes, roasted peppers, and

white balsamic vinaigrette. USDA prime flat-iron steak and shiitake

mushroom comes next and is served with a Yukon gold potato and spring

onion in a red wine reduction. And finally, delight in the warm

chocolate souffle cake with hazelnut ice cream. It is a delicious and

elegant bargain, and you get to enjoy the bay view beside you!

While both Bayside and Bistango Restaurants serve similar cuisine,

the decors and ambiences differ. Bayside’s interior takes advantage

of Newport’s temperate weather with an open-air design. It features

wrap-around windows and a large terrace for dining. But wait -- it’s

the Venetian designed “tower” bar and wine cellar that rightfully

steal the show, even from the bay view. The tower is a bit of

old-world charm, with real gondola oars supporting the ceiling’s

canopies. Then there’s a stunning circular bar and wine cellar with

bottles arranged in a contemporary glass and stainless steel

structure. Upcoming improvements include fresh canopies, new lighting

and adding more privacy to the tower room.

Bayside is a popular choice for wedding receptions and other

private parties. Its private “tower room” adjacent to the wine cellar

can seat up to 35 for lunch, dinner and cocktail parties; the terrace

can seat up to 60; and for larger receptions, the main dining room

can seat up to 120. For parties larger than 20, Bayside recommends

one of its three or four-course menus ranging from $25.75 to $32.75

for lunch, and $34.75 to $49.75 for dinner.

In addition to its excellent wine selection -- 45 wines by the

glass, and 500 bottles-Bayside boasts fair prices. Its motto is to

encourage guests to try wines, so it does not excessively increase

prices. Co-owner Marc Ghoukassian says that guests applaud their

formula, comparing with frustration same-bottle markups at other

restaurants. Weekly wine tastings are Thursdays from 5:30 to 7:30

p.m. Five wines can be sampled for $15 on the terrace, and the

selection changes every week. Seasonal prix fixe dinners highlighting

major wineries take place throughout the year.

In the bar and lounge, Bayside offers a Tapas Happy Hour from 5 to

7 p.m. daily. During happy hour, tapas are just $4.95. There are nine

selections, including: grilled lamb chop on potato puree with mustard

sauce; cast-iron-seared quail on scallion pancake; thinly sliced

bresaola (air-dried beef) carpaccio with arugula salad and parmesan;

and crab cake with roasted peppers and chipotle aioli.

Easy listening, jazz and lounge music plays daily, starting

between 6 and 6:30 p.m. At Sunday brunch, there’s a Brazilian and

Latin duo.

Lunch prices: soups and salads from $5.95 to $6.75; appetizers

from $9.75 to $11.75; main course salads from $10.75 to $13.95; main

courses from $12.75 to $18.75.

Dinner prices: starters, soups and salads from $7.75 to $15; main

courses from $19.50 to $31.75. All desserts are $7.50

Bayside is open for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through

Friday; Sunday brunch is from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. It’s open for dinner

from 5 p.m. daily.

The restaurant is at 900 Bayside Drive in Newport Beach. Call

(949) 721-1222 or visit https://www.baysiderestaurant.com.

* BEST BITES runs every Friday. Greer Wylder can be reached at

greerwylder@yahoo.com; at 330 W. Bay St., Costa Mesa, CA 92627; or by

fax at (949) 646-4170.