Zeppa: Chock Full By Design
Newport Beach is already chockablock with new Italian restaurants, and judging from the looks of things, more are on the way. The latest and most sophisticated entrant is Zeppa, a designer restaurant for designer diners.
Zeppa, which means “chock-full” in Italian, has been just that for the two months that it has been open. The old Zeppa on Ocean Front Walk was a crowded, somewhat noisy place to dine, but certainly not in this league. Owner Mark Zigner couldn’t have anticipated the throngs or the decibels when he moved the restaurant to Fashion Island. On weekends the fashion set stands four deep at the 50-seat bar, shouting over the live jazz and struggling to be seen in the latest Paris threads. Tables are fully booked until well after 10, and the crowd doesn’t even begin to thin down until much later.
It could be the design. When was the last time you sank down into a magenta-colored velour banquette under a gold leaf dome by a Romanesque arch? The faux-marble floor and splashy open kitchen look right out of Met Home. As if that weren’t enough, Zigner has added something called Diva lights: wire lights from Milan that dangle over the tables like high-tech spiders.
But it’s probably the food. Chef Lou Manginelli likes to play with Italian recipes, infusing them with Oriental touches and putting a California face on them. I’d be tempted to say that Zeppa was not an Italian restaurant at all, were it not for the the fact that pastas are everywhere on this menu, along with other staples of the Italian kitchen.
In the madness of the crowd, the front desk lost our reservation on a Friday night. They informed us (with profuse apologies) that the dining room would be full for at least another hour but that we could be seated on the patio within minutes. Actually, this proved to be a blessing. We soon discovered that the Beamers outside were making less noise than the people inside.
We got lucky with the service, too. The kitchen, especially for such a busy restaurant, was lightning-quick that evening (although I’d found things somewhat slower at a previous lunch). It seemed that there were never more than five minutes between courses, and that our server, a real charmer, had constant help from a team of seasoned pros.
A few dishes at Zeppa may seem a little overboard, but by and large this is a first-rate menu with some wonderful food. The appetizers are so tantalizing that it’s hard to get to the other courses. Steamed Pacific mussels, the flavorful ones that are so much more delicate than New Zealand mussels, come in a fabulous tomato concasse that is thick with roasted garlic, green chiles, tarragon and pale green olive oil. It is the best dish the restaurant serves, bar none.
But the fun hardly stops there. One of the holdovers from the old Zeppa is terrific calamari fritti, an extremely crisp version cut up into tiny pieces. A lobster-flavored black pepper mayonnaise makes this dish even more special, but because the pieces cool quickly they must be consumed immediately. And grilled tiger prawns, a Manginelli signature, are another must, smoky from mesquite and crowned with opal basil and an eggplant ragout.
Pass on the bruschetta, a failed experiment--the bread is heated rather than grilled, the fontina cheese too greasy, and the combination of red pepper and garlic aioli ill-conceived. And I’d allow only a grudging nod to the carpaccio, the raw beef relatively short on flavor and further weakened by a watery texture. If you’re after something light, go for the grilled Japanese eggplant, a class act. The sweet, smoky-flavored eggplant is wrapped around smoked bufalo mozzarella and finished with a tomato pesto vinaigrette.
The pastas here are not particularly light, sometimes swimming in butter or very rich sauces. But even the heavier ones taste pretty good. A special of angel hair with grilled scallops and Chardonnay cream barely missed immortality, done in by an excess of butter. The lobster tortellini had too much butter and tarragon in the sauce, but the dish was rescued by the deliciously sweet bite of the tortellini themselves.
And then there are the pastas with no flaws at all. Penne with sausage. Tagliolini con gamberetto, thin pasta with spicy Thai shrimp and lemon grass. And cornetti tricolore, tri-color pasta with Gorgonzola, pine nuts and basil cream.
The menu lists relatively few entrees, most prepared on the mesquite grill that wafts appetizing smoke your way throughout a meal here. They come with baby vegetables, and the veal and lamb chops come with eggy, sweet onion souffles. It’s really quite a show.
Salmone alla griglia is a surprisingly good grilled salmon in a cinnamon-basil vinaigrette. The conceit of aromatic spices with mesquite grilling is inspired, and the salmon is cooked crisp without being dried out. The veal chop with garlic puree, leek straws and Cabernet essence is even better. This dish may sound precious, but I assure you, each component works like a charm. It’s a magnificent, lusty chop in a glorious, ruddy sauce.
Now for the negative stuff (you knew this couldn’t last): The wine list here is relatively weak, with a small selection of California, French and Italian wines that do not measure up to the food from this kitchen. And desserts, while competent, are anticlimactic. There are a humdrum cheesecake and a few predictable gelati, plus zucotto, a slightly dry, domed chocolate cake with a dried fruit and cheese filling. The only thing worth saving your appetite for is the creme brulee with blueberries.
Zeppa is moderately expensive. Appetizers are $4.50 to $8. Insalata are $5 to $8.25. Pasta are $10 to $21. Entrees are $17 to $22.
ZEPPA
327 Newport Center Drive, Fashion Island, Newport Beach
(714) 640-0600
Open for lunch daily 11 a.m. through 3 p.m., for dinner Sunday to Thursday 6 through 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 6 through 11 p.m.
All major cards accepted