Southern hemisphere style in Costa Mesa

Greer Wylder

New Zealand’s near-perfect environment comes from strict pollution

controls, low population and limited industries. The agriculture is

pristine -- clean air, free-range verdant pastures and untainted

translucent waters.

Even its foreign minister, Phil Goff, opposed nuclear shipments

passing through the Pacific Ocean. Last year, he considered potential

weapons traveling from Japan to Britain an unnecessary risk,

insisting that shipments could not come within a 200-mile zone.

The climate produces some of the world’s cleanest foods, most

notably from Noel Turner, a world-renowned food purveyor of Turner

New Zealand fine foods. Now, there’s the first Turner’s New Zealand

Restaurant in Costa Mesa.

Turner’s comes from a family passionate about New Zealand’s

extraordinary natural resources -- for nearly 100 years, they’ve

earned their living from its fishing and farm cultures. In 1982, Noel

and his brother John pioneered the aquaculture industry. They

originated the processing and exporting of New Zealand green shell

mussels to the United States.

Turner’s vast collection of gourmet exports now includes beef,

venison, lamb, shellfish and fish. To top off the selection, classic

New Zealand desserts joined the repertoire including Pavlova, brandy

snaps and baskets.

Turner’s restaurant manager, Michael Villas, refers to him as a

crazy and enigmatic Kiwi and the ultimate gourmet. Turner’s standards

are high; he owns the processing plants to control quality -- from

pasture to plate. For the past 20 years, he’s exported his country’s

products to fine restaurants throughout the world and to connoisseurs

through mail-order catalogs.

Local restaurants serious about premium ingredients purchase

Turner’s foods, including Pascal’s and Bayside in Newport Beach and

Antonello’s in Costa Mesa. Turner chose Costa Mesa’s theater district

to open Turner’s New Zealand’s first concept restaurant, which

showcases all-natural, free-range, and hormone- and antibiotic-free

farmed seafood and meats.

Turner’s New Zealand Restaurant moved into the former Il Fornaio

Rosticceria location, behind the Westin South Coast Plaza Hotel. The

soaring 30-foot ceilings, arches, stylish expansive windows and wood

accents hide that it’s an oddly shaped, long and narrow building.

It’s exceptionally well-designed, only the chairs and tables needed

replacing.

High-quality foods are expertly prepared with a vast style of

culinary tastes. Cuisines represented include French, Mediterranean,

Japanese, Thai and Italian. Even Turner’s mother’s homemade recipe

for mint sauce or tomato relish shows up on the lamb sandwich served

at lunch

The dinner menu features exceptional appetizers -- mostly Asian

inspired. Of the 10 selections, favorites include Turner’s take on

salmon sushi, that’s fired-kissed, then served on sticky sushi rice

with citrus flavors from yuzu koshou and showered with lemon and salt

($12). The sashimi-style lobster is served with sizzling hot sesame

oil ($19) and mussels steamed in a lemon grass coconut broth. It is

finished with fresh cilantro and jalapenos ($12).

Lamb dishes are extraordinary. The rack of lamb -- aged at least

14 days -- is pan-seared and then oven-roasted. It’s accompanied by a

wild mushroom potato gratin, oven-dried potatoes and rosemary infused

demi-glace ($32). All beef entrees, including the 12-ounce filet

($36), the 16-ounce strip-loin ($32) and rib-eye ($32), are served

with whipped garlic potatoes and sauteed wild mushroom. Orders are

custom roasted to perfection. Turner’s venison is also aged at least

14 days. The rib chop is double-cut, with curried potatoes, sauteed

asparagus and finished with an orange Cognac demi-sauce ($38).

Seafood choices include oysters, calamari, mussels, lobster, king

salmon and orange roughy. Entrees choices include crispy-skin king

salmon served with sauteed leeks, fingerling saffron potatoes and a

citrus shallot confit ($26). Orange roughy is prepared three ways:

with ponzu sauce, served with beet-mashed potatoes, grilled baby bok

choy and enoki mushrooms ($25); Mediterranean-style, marinated in

herbs and citrus juices, with a fire-roasted tomato, red onion and

Kalamata olive ragout ($25); or blackened with stir-fried mushrooms,

peppers, red cabbage and crispy wontons ($24).

Turner’s eclectic fine wines are mostly from New Zealand,

California and France. Manager Michael Villas is also a sommelier who

can help with selections.

* Lunch prices: soups, from $8.99 to $9.99; appetizers, from $6.95

to $10.50; entree salads, from $8.50 to $13.95; sandwiches, from

$8.75 to $11.95; pasta, from $9.50 to $14.95; entrees, from $9.95 to

$17.95.

* Dinner prices: appetizers, from $9 to $19; beef entrees, from

$32 to $36; venison, from $28 to $38; lamb, from $27 to $32; veal,

from $24 to $29; fish, from $24 to $26; and shellfish, from $23 to

$31.

Turner’s New Zealand is open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Monday through Friday; and open for dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. daily.

It’s at 650 Anton Blvd. in Costa Mesa. (714) 668-0880

https://www.turnernewzealand. 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.