SECOND HELPINGS : Gustav Anders Now Serving Up Excellent Food, Good Service
Last summer, I experienced mild disappointment at Gustav Anders, the La Jolla transplant that was expected to become one of Orange County’s best restaurants. Today, I’m happy to say that it has begun to realize its potential.
The sparse, rustic design makes for one of the area’s most striking dining rooms, and the outdoor patio is a pleasant place to have lunch. Maitre d’ Bill Magnuson (Gustav is his middle name) is a solicitous, able host, and he obviously has solved any problems with his staff. Service here, once spotty and indifferent, is now nearly perfect.
For the record:
12:00 a.m. March 16, 1990 FOR THE RECORD:
Los Angeles Times Friday March 16, 1990 Orange County Edition Calendar Part F Page 32 Column 6 Entertainment Desk 2 inches; 38 words Type of Material: Correction
In my March 2 column titled “Second Helpings,” I incorrectly reported that the breads and desserts served at Gustav Anders restaurant in South Coast Plaza Village were made by Piret’s of San Diego. Gustav Anders makes all its own breads and desserts, and I regret the error.
Ulf Strandberg (the Anders in the equation) is a creative and original chef, and he seems to have ironed out the inconsistencies as well. The same good breads such as Swedish limpa, Italian country white, brown crispbread and the world-class onion rolls still accompany all meals, and the menu still changes daily. But the food is more self-assured now, far more reliable. Apparently, Strandberg just needed time to settle in.
At lunchtime, the dining room is airy and elegant, usually full to the brim with a well-dressed, professionally proper crowd. Wonderful appetizers like house pickled herring (served with Vasterbotten cheese from the north of Sweden) and a puffy wild rice pancake with smoked salmon, golden caviar and creme fraiche are fine al fresco choices. Salads of minced parsley with sun-dried tomatoes, garlic and parmesan have irresistible lightness.
A wide variety of main dishes, French, Italian and Scandinavian-inspired, are available to tempt you, but I would go with Strandberg’s strong suit, the cooking of his native Sweden. His sugar-and-salt-cured salmon is sheer delight, with creamed, pearl-sized bits of steamed potato, speckled with fresh dill, that are a revelation. The good desserts, Swedish cakes and homemade ice creams, are by Piret’s of San Diego.
GUSTAV ANDERS
3610 S. Plaza Drive, South Coast Plaza Village, Santa Ana
(714) 668-1737
Open every day from 11:30 a.m. to midnight. All major credit cards accepted.
Eat your way across L.A.
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