RESTAURANT REVIEW:

The feeling of relaxation I experience whenever I visit Old Vine Café is palpable. The sensation begins before I even walk in the little café.

It is in a corner of the Camp, tucked away in the back of the eclectic shopping plaza. The pines and redwoods that provide both shade and seclusion are invitingly out of place for a strip mall.

A gigantic wind chime hangs on a branch on one of the pines, and on my most recent visit, the Santa Ana winds’ caresses provided melodic background music.

The seats outside share in the peacefulness and, though I usually eat out there, I chose to go inside this time, picking a spot where I could still see the outside.

The menus are the creation of Chef Mark McDonald, who, along with his brother, Brandon, own and run the restaurant. The selections are incredibly inventive, and I like that the menu gets rotated occasionally to bring out new dishes.

Even though the bistro has only been open a little more than a year, it has continually evolved and often for the better.

A good introduction to the café would be lunch. The menu is limited, but has some solid and interesting choices.

Panini sandwiches dominate the lunch menu, and I was attracted to the Reuben. It was the traditional sandwich with a few twists. The first obviously is the bread, not the usual rye or sourdough and the ciabatta is a much better choice.

The most unique choice was the Gruyere cheese. It is a much more mellow cheese than Swiss and bumps the sandwich up in class considerably.

Even the sauerkraut used is different. It wasn’t as tart as commercial sauerkraut and again improved the sandwich.

The biggest surprise, however, was the Russian dressing. The sweetness of the dressing is a big turnoff for me, but McDonald has added horseradish to it and made it addictive.

The sandwich was so good it didn’t need any sauce, but I found myself dipping into it anyway. If I had ordered the chips instead of the field greens I could have used those to dip as well.

Breakfast items are carefully thought out and McDonald’s creativity is allowed to shine.

The Mexican omelet has queso ranchero, salsa fresco and cilantro, making it one of my favorites.

A must-have at breakfast is anything off the sweet menu. Pumpkin pecan French toast, apple cinnamon crepe or cheese mousse crepe are definitely items that should be sampled.

My first couple of meals at Old Vine were limited to breakfast and lunch, but when I did do dinner, it was a definite treat. I was advised at one of my earlier meals that reservations, even during the week, are recommended.

I took the advice and looked forward to working my way to the best meal of the day.

The menu was by far the most varied of the three and while there are entrees on it, I went for the tasting menu.

There are three tasting menus that are offered, including a vegetarian one. The seasonal tasting menu is changed every three months.

I selected the original tasting menu and was quite impressed, even though at $65 it was not cheap. The wine that is served, however, makes it worth the price.

The first course was a sauteed sea scallop on a bed of leeks with a tarragon chardonnay sauce. The wine was a 2006 Roland Thevenin and Fils Chardonnay.

The second course was a handmade fettuccine pomodoro garnished with aged pecorino Romano cheese. The Italian wine that was served — a 2004 Viti di Luna Barbera — was an excellent choice.

The final course was a 4-ounce filet mignon with crispy fried onions and Bleu Des Basque Demi Cream Sauce. Again the Cabernet — a 2006 Gouguenheim — was great.

As I dined on the cheesecake with wild berry puree and sipped my port I wondered why it had taken me so long to eat dinner here, but some great meals should not be rushed.

OLD VINE CAFÉ

ADDRESS: 2937 Bristol St., Suite A-102, Costa Mesa

PHONE: (714) 545-1411

WEBSITE: oldvinecafe.com

CUISINE: Californian

SPECIALTY DISH: Sampling menu

ALCOHOL SERVED: wine, beer, sake

ENTRÉE PRICE RANGE: $9 to $65

FAMILY FRIENDLY: no

CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED: American Express, MasterCard and Visa

RATING: *** 1/2

JOHN REGER reviews local restaurants and may be contacted at Nolimepublishing@aol.com or P.O. Box 2984, Seal Beach, CA 90740.