RV: Old Vine Café
Tonight I had dinner with Tim and Brooke from work. The three of us decided that we would pick a restaurant each month and enjoy a good meal and each others company. Tonight’s choice was one I had seen some rumblings on local food blogs about the Old Vine Café located in “The Camp” in Costa Mesa.
Hidden away in this eco-friendly center is a gem of a restaurant. OVC used locally farm grown ingredients and customizes it’s menu based on seasonal availability.
I was not prepared for the experience. Taken by the experience, I forgot to take pictures of our opening dishes – so my apologies. But forget the pictures, just GO to the Old Vine Café!
FIRST COURSE
Crispy Blue: Certified Organic Greens, Crispy Proscuitto, Fried Onions & Maytag Blue Cheese Dressing
I’m not a big fan of Bleu Cheese, but the dressing wasn’t overwhelming and I enjoyed it. There were more exotic “greens” on the plate then your typical romaine and mesclun. The greens were crisp and surprisingly the crispy proscuitto wasn’t overly salty.
Tomatillo Shrimp Cocktail, with Julienned Jicama, Certified Organic Avocado, Diced Roma Tomatoes, Garnished with a Flour Tortilla Crisp
This was an interesting variation on Shrimp Cocktail. 4 decent sized shrimp “swam” in the sea of the tomatillo sauce, avocado and tomatoes. At first I thought the green sauce might have avocado pureed into it. I’m allergic to avocado. The shrimp tasted good, but felt the dish needed a little salt. The jicama pieces gave good texture against the sauce.
SECOND COURSE
Hand Made Ravioli stuffed with Fresh Lump Crab, Mascarpone Cheese & Sauteed in a Fresh Chive Cream Sauce, Garnished with Pecorino Romano Cheese.
This was one of my favorite dishes of the night. A handmade single, large ravioli with fresh crab that didn’t get lost in the sauce. The sauce was perfect. If no one was around, I would have licked the plate clean!
Hand Made Ravioli filled with Smoked Duck, Goat Cheese & Porcini Mushrooms Sauteed in Brown Butter with Sage
A good dish, but the duck was too smoky. So much smoke that I couldn’t tell it was duck, for all I knew it was chorizo.Â
Porcini Mushroom Mac & Cheese: Macaroni, Porcini Mushrooms and a blend of Artisan Cheeses
I love mac and cheese. There wasn’t alot of pieces of mushroom in the dish as I had thought, but the flavor of the mushrooms was in the cheese. Unfortunately, the cheese “broke” and separated, resulting in some gritiness. Tasted great though!
THIRD COURSE
Certified All Natural Pork Tenderloin Medallions, Fried Polenta Cake , Strawberry Peppercorn Sauce, Garnished with Fresh Strawberries
The pork tenderloin was cooked perfectly! Three medallions of perfect size with a wonderful, surprising sauce of Strawberry and peppercorn. So tender!
Petite Filet Mignon: Four Ounces of Niman All Natural Filet Mignon & Crispy Fried Onions with Bleu Des Basque Demi Cream Sauce
Perfectly cooked. Slicing into the filet it was just like butter. Putting it in my mouth, it melted! Again, bleu cheese isn’t my favorite, but the cream sauce was excellent!
Char Grilled Lamb Chops: Two All Natural Char Grilled Chops with Dried Blueberry Syrah Demi Glace, Garnished with Fried Leeks
We were still hungry and decided to order two more tasting plates. The lamb chops were cooked to medium rare and that’s exactly how it should be cooked. The Blueberry-Syrah sauce inspires me to experiment with different fruit based sauces. Â
Sauteed Sea Scallops: 3 Jumbo Scallops on a nest of Crispy Leeks finished with Tarragon Chardonnay Sauce
Tonight’s chef was on-mark all night long. The scallops were perfectly seared and the classic Tarragon Chardonnay sauce didn’t drown the flavor of the scallops.Â
LAST COURSE
“La Crema Fritta” Flash Fried Pastry Cream Veneto Style, Garnished with Chocolate Espresso Sauce
Tres Leche Chocolate Cakes
We closed the evening with a solid tasting cup of coffee and two wonderful desserts. The La Crema Fritta was a surprise. The “Fritta” was crisp on the outside and the insides, just warm and creamy. An eye-opener for sure!
 
My compliments to Chef Mark McDonald and his brother Brandon. The Brother’s McDonald deserve applause for a wonderful meal. Both of them had face presence in the dining room and very attentive to all the customers and timing the release of dishes.
The Old Vine Cafe is open for all three meals of the day and also offers wine and cheese tastings once a month. Take the time to find “The Camp” and enjoy a surprising, excellent meal. Hours later, I’m still enjoying the moment
Old Vine Café
2937 Bristol St. Suite A-102
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
714-545-1411
