An omakase adventure with Aunt Mildred

Terry’s Aunt Mildred is coming to town. She lives in D.C. and looks forward to her annual visit. Even at 82, she goes to the theater and concerts, belongs to a book club and still has an adventurous palate. She loves to eat out and knows good food, but she is kind of frugal and doesn’t indulge herself too often. Terry gets pleasure from pampering her favorite aunt and wants to take her some place both special and different. She had read about the omakase lunch at Bluefin and decided it was the perfect place to go. Killing two birds with one stone, she and Elle could review it at the same time.

After a beautiful drive along the coast on a perfect California day, we pull into a strip mall. However, Crystal Cove is to a strip mall as champagne is to Sprite. Lined with pale green olive trees, facing the blue Pacific and dotted with exclusive shops and restaurants, this is the new home of Chef Takashi Abe’s Bluefin.

The minimalist Japanese sensibility of the room is reflected in the décor. There is banquette seating along the length of one side of the room, and behind it is dark chocolate wood with no decoration of any kind except a narrow strip of mirror extending from end to end. The ocean theme is subtly carried out by the wave pattern in the dark blue carpet, the wave-like structure of the ceiling, and, most dramatically, by the waterfall cascading down the wall behind the sushi bar that extends along the other side of the room.

We had plenty of time to contemplate the décor because no one acknowledged our presence for what seemed like a very long time. There was no hostess at lunch, but eventually a waiter came over and said, “I’ll be with you in a minute.”

When we were finally seated, we decided to leave our meal in the hands of the chef, so we ordered the omakase lunch, which features six dishes of his choosing. We were asked if there was anything that we didn’t want to eat and responded that we preferred not to have red meat. Then we settled back to sip our green tea and await the surprises to follow.

The artful presentation of our appetizers was a visual delight. The four different hors d’oeuvres were each a different shape, color and texture. We asked our waiter, “What exactly are these lovely things?” Again he said “I’ll be back in a moment,” because he didn’t actually know. This happened with every course until the other waiter came over to explain what was in each dish.

The most humble was a cherry tomato stuffed with bits of scallop in a creamy sauce topped with a smidgen of cheese. Popped whole into the mouth, it was an explosion of flavors; the incredibly sweet tomato, the savory sauce and the succulent scallop.

Next came the halibut lumpia roll (similar to a small spring roll) with a surprise ingredient -- banana! The combination of tastes was unusual and delicious, but the fried exterior was quite greasy. The salmon pinwheel, a thin piece of salmon in its skin, was wrapped with a translucent band of lightly pickled daikon radish, contrasting richness with acidity. The fourth appetizer looked like a petit four with layers of snowy white king crab and bright orange smelt roe. The little package was held together with transparent seaweed and a skewer of celery and olive. It was almost too pretty to eat, but we did and were disappointed to find that it had an extremely unpleasant, gritty texture.

Our salad course was outstanding: raw bluefin tuna and lightly seared albacore in a cucumber bowl on a bed of greens with a nasturtium flower crown. The albacore was dressed in a creamy vegetable sauce, and beside it was the exquisite bluefin tuna. It is no wonder that they chose this fish to carry the restaurant’s name. The whole presentation was floating on a thin pool of tangy soy sauce dressing on one side of the plate and basil-infused oil on the other. These exquisitely nuanced layers of flavor married perfectly on the palate.

The hot entrée platter featured a thick filet of meltingly tender trout with a light crispy exterior set on a dollop of turnip puree. It was bathed in a delicate yet complex sauce flavored with a hint of monkfish liver (which tastes like slightly strong foie gras). At the other end of the plate was lonely piece of steamed salmon, like a wallflower at a dance. It was neither hot nor cold nor particularly flavorful. Perhaps it was there for its color. The dish was garnished with green beans and a baby turnip. Scattered on top of the trout were fine threads of fried filo and a finial of fried lotus root.

Another course awaited us, although we were starting to feel quite full. A simple plate of five varieties of plain sushi appeared next -- one piece each of yellowtail, bluefin tuna, salmon, shrimp and two of crunchy roll. All the fish seemed a little dry, as if it had been prepared earlier but it was a day with Santa Ana weather conditions. Whatever the reason, we were just not impressed with the sushi.

We enjoyed the silken mango pudding that was served for dessert. Chock full of fresh mango, topped with coconut cream and a few fresh berries, it proved a most satisfying finish. Overall it was a lovely meal, and Aunt Mildred was very pleased. The problem now is, where do we take her next year?

20051125imh5ognc(LA)20051125imh5ntnc(LA)20051125iqe5ncknDON LEACH / COASTLINE PILOT(LA)Bluefin, a Japanese restaurant at Crystal Cove, features scallop and lobster with seaweed sauce topped with a grilled chili. In the background is steamed king crab with celery root sauce.