Grub is good at 59th & Lex

GREER WYLDER

Every great department store should offer an excellent cafe to refuel

and rest worn-out shoppers. Bloomingdale’s at Fashion Island has just

the place, the ever-popular 59th & Lex Cafe.

The indoor and patio cafe on the first floor of Bloomingdale’s has

a prime location.

Fashion Island’s two biggest events of the year happen outside the

Bloomingdale’s Courtyard -- the six-week Newport Beach Summer Concert

Series in July and an elaborate two-night Christmas tree lighting

ceremony in December.

Avid concert and tree-lighting attendees reserve tables at the

59th & Lex Cafe in advance for these events. Cafe manager Touraj

Beizai, a former sous chef for Wolfgang Puck, offers a prix fixe menu

for $45 during those events.

It’s a great meal with great seating.

59th & Lex Cafe is a chic casual restaurant catering to in-a-hurry

shoppers looking for fresh, good and light meals.

“Everything on the menu is designed to be prepared with ease,”

Beizai said. “Nothing is pre-made; it’s always fresh and made to

order.”

The cafe is convenient and accommodating for business lunches, and

mall employees receive discounts.

Beizai and Chef Juan Gutierrez, also a former chef for Wolfgang

Puck, decide the daily specials together.

The same menu is offered all day, and daily specials include two

fresh soups and three entrees.

Those daily specials can include split pea or cream of artichoke

soup ($4); a chicken quesadilla with cheddar cheese, guacamole and

Pico de gallo, served with Caesar salad or fries ($11.50); or a

grilled salmon salad served over greens, with Kalamata olives,

cucumbers and honey Dijon dressing ($12.75).

There’s also a shrimp stir-fry with Asian vegetables tossed with

linguine in an orange ginger sauce ($13.25).

The daily menu offers eight entree salads ($11.25 to $13); eight

sandwiches served on C’est Si Bon baguettes with a choice of fries,

Caesar salad, house salad or potato salad ($8 to $9.75); and low-carb

specialties, including grilled chicken breast with Dijon and tarragon

served over jambalaya vegetables ($12) and grilled filet of sole over

wilted spinach and mushroom, served with citrus ponzu sauce ($12.50).

The pasta choices include a penne caterina with sauteed eggplant,

mozzarella, spinach, marinara and optional grilled chicken ($11.50 to

$12), and a Mediterranean pasta with grilled chicken breast, tomato,

Kalamata olives, feta cheese, spinach, red onions, basil and garlic

olive oil sauce ($11.50).

There’s also some popular menu favorites, including the mango

chicken salad with baby greens, mango, walnuts, sun dried tomatoes,

julienne grilled chicken breast, and medallions of goat cheese and

mango dressing ($11.50); and a grilled chicken and poached pear salad

with fresh strawberries, grapes, Gorgonzola cheese, pistachio nuts

and wild berry vinaigrette ($11.50).

Some other choices are the Bloomie’s burger -- eight ounces of

ground sirloin with fresh herbs and spices ($8.75), plus your choice

of mushrooms, bacon or cheese (.50 each); and a grilled chicken

breast sandwich served on a baguette with sauteed onions, mushrooms

and melted Swiss ($9.75).

Bloomingdale’s signature frozen yogurt -- a transport from the 40

Carrots Cafe at Bloomingdale’s New York store -- is another

bestseller.

For 25 years, this low-fat frozen yogurt has had a loyal

following, and fans say the flavor can’t be matched by any other

frozen yogurt.

“It’s an East Coast thing,” Beizai said. “The frozen yogurt is

plain, not vanilla; it’s right in the middle of being sweet and

tart.”

Some customers order it plain or with melba sauce, walnut and

honey.

There’s also a nonfat flavor of the day. The frozen yogurt is also

available to go ($3.75).

Another distinctive feature is Bloomingdale’s brand of

fresh-roasted coffees, also for sale by the pound at the Home Store

and next to the cafe.

The reasonably priced coffees range in price from $7.75 to $9.25

per pound.

Fine teas are also available from Harney & Sons, packed in

sachets.

59th & Lex Cafe also offers a dine-in only kids menu with five

selections ($4.75 each).

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

greerwylder@yahoo.com; at 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626;

or by fax at (714) 966-4679.