DOING THE DISHES : It Was Tough Work, but Somebody Had to Sample the Delights of ’92 Menus

1992 was another dynamic, interesting year in the world of Orange County restaurants, with an emphasis on lower prices and far-flung ethnic specialties.

The 25 dishes I have chosen as my favorites from the past year reflect current trends--their average price is even lower than that of last year and little, other than roast chicken, scones, shoofly pie and sour cherry cobbler, would likely ever find its way onto a middle American family’s table.

Restaurants Pascal and Amici, two of the more authentic representatives of their genres, make the list for the second straight year. So does Thai Nakorn, Orange County’s best Thai restaurant.

Other dishes come from kitchens as diverse as those of Hungary, Armenia, the Caribbean, El Salvador and Indonesia, and, as were 1991’s, are mostly well under $10. Let’s face it, people, we are on a definite roll.

So, in no particular order, here they are:

1. Com tay cam.

Get ready for a mouthful of garlic and exotic flavors when you order this one-pot Vietnamese supper, one of the best rice dishes in the universe. Rice and whole cloves of garlic are baked in an iron pot, topped with little bits of steamed pork, cut-up Chinese sausage, whole shrimp and an entire bouquet of herbs. The rice sits on the bottom, and digging through the toppings is exactly like panning for gold.

Mekong, 8851 Westminster Ave., Garden Grove. (714) 894-4227. Com tay cam, $5.95.

2. Melanzane al formaggio di capra.

Eggplant and goat cheese is one of those magical food combinations that can only result from nature’s perfection. Il Fornaio’s version soars, thanks to firm slices of grilled eggplant, a soft, pungent cheese and the surprise addition of sweet marinated onions, capers and sun-dried tomatoes. It’s light, refreshing and the ideal way to begin a festive Italian dinner.

Il Fornaio Gastronomia Italiana, 18051 Von Karman Ave., Irvine. (714) 261-1444. Melanzane al formaggio di capra, $6.75.

3. Jerk chicken salad.

Alan Greeley is one of the most inventive and passionate chefs anywhere. One never quite knows what to expect from him. At the moment, his Golden Truffle restaurant has developed a Caribbean fetish, and this salad, a real hoot, defines the genre. We’re talking a sweet spicy chicken marinated in a quirky sauce that Greeley manufactures (and sells) himself, plus mesclun-type greens that practically melt away when you eat them.

The Golden Truffle, 1767 Newport Blvd., Newport Beach. (714) 645-9858. Jerk chicken salad, $7.95.

4. Mondongo.

No, I’m not referring to the cult movie starring Ken Norton and Susan George (that one was called “Mandingo” anyway), but rather to a Salvadorean soup with even more powerful cult potential. Mondongo is one of the world’s most compelling soups. It’s a thick stew of cow’s feet, stomach and starchy cassava root, enriched by a cafe au lait colored stock. Salvadoreans eat it with fresh, chopped onion and a spice mixture dominated by cumin seed and black pepper.

El Pupu Sodromo, 16650 Harbor Blvd., C-1, Fountain Valley. (714) 531-5963. Mondongo, $5.25.

5. Pot au feu Normande.

Pascal recently received a 28 (out of a possible 30) assessment for food in the Zagat Restaurant Guide, the highest such grade of any Orange County restaurant. Thank dishes such as this one for that. Pot au feu Normande (off the menu but available upon request), is a gentle nage (broth) of root vegetables brimming with delicacies: plump, grilled squab, islands of bone marrow and poached foie gras. This is dream French cooking, a list-maker anywhere.

Pascal, 1000 Bristol St., Newport Beach. (714) 752-0107. Pot au feu Normande, $21.95.

6. Paprikas csirke.

Paul Hortobagy’s New York City Bistro (formerly deli) is the only place in Orange County for authentic Hungarian dishes, and even here they appear only as specials. Saturday is the night for paprikas csirke, the authentic chicken paprikash. Hortobagy uses white meat instead of the traditional chicken quarters, because, as he says, “People in this culture don’t want to chew on chicken legs in a restaurant.” The ruddy sour cream sauce and feathery light parsley dumplings ( nockerli ), however, would make any Hungarian granny blush with pride.

New York City Bistro, 10964 Warner Ave., Fountain Valley. (714) 964-7400. Paprikas csirke, $5.95.

7. Lamb shank Alain Chapel.

This hearty supper dish is easily the best thing on young French chef Laurent Ferre’s good menu, peasant fare paying homage to his former mentor, the late, great Alain Chapel of Mionnay, France. It’s basically a daube, braised meat in a rich, tomato-based stock flavored with white wine and potted with carrot and potato. It practically falls apart upon eye contact.

The Pleasant Peasant, 4251 Martingale Way, Newport Beach. (714) 955-2755. Lamb shank Alain Chapel, $10.95.

8. Elk loin with wild berries.

Chef Leo Holczer is Swiss Italian and loves to serve wild game dishes at his eccentric restaurant, Aurora. His elk loin with wild berries is my favorite: tender, gamy slices of elk in a red wine sauce. Elk is perhaps the most delicate of all game meats. It’s dark and juicy, slightly more firm than calves liver and loaded with taste. This one is sauced with a very subtle apple and berry compote, served alongside spaetzle --eggy, bite-sized fried dumplings the Swiss eat with everything.

Aurora, 1341 S. Euclid St., Fullerton. (714) 738-0272. Elk loin with wild berries, $26.

9. Som tam.

Rumor has it that Pornvadee, a superb Thai restaurant run by two sisters, is on the block, about to be sold to a Chicago family. One can only hope that the new owners will keep the sister’s recipe for som tam, one of the world’s great savory dishes. The recipe calls for raw green papaya in fine shreds, vinegar, chili, dried shrimp, lime, crushed peanuts and tomato. Thais eat it incessantly, with pieces of raw cabbage.

Pornvadee, 2415 W. Lincoln Ave., Anaheim. (714) 761-4585. Som tam, $3.50.

10. Scone.

Several O.C. restaurants, notably McCharles House in Tustin, serve tea and scones, but the best scone I’ve ever tasted is featured in a coffee store, Brea’s Regency Roast. This is the perfect scone--round, crusty, buttery and tender inside, flecked throughout with tiny currants (which some purists disdain). But don’t give Regency Roast too much credit. You can buy these scones and more at a great local bakery, Beverly’s Best on nearby Brea Boulevard.

Regency Coffee Roast, 2500 E. Imperial Highway, Brea. (714) 256-9061. Scone, $1.50 (a bit less at the bakery).

11. Kuefteh.

Ararad is a storefront Armenian restaurant in a dreary strip mall, but the food they serve borders on the spectacular. Kuefteh is my permanent dinner entree choice in here, lightly fried minced beef and lamb with pine nuts, all wrapped up and lightly pan fried in a bulgur wheat crust. Shared among two or three, the dish makes a wonderful appetizer.

Ararad, 1827-A W. Katella Ave., Anaheim. (714) 778-5667. Kuefteh, $6.95.

12. Keftedes.

As long as we are on the subject of meatballs, how about this Greek masterpiece: meatballs fashioned from ground lamb and beef and mingled with chopped mint leaves and garlic. Cafe Plaka’s version are dredged lightly in flour and pan fried in ever so little olive oil, resulting in a dry outside and a juicy center, bursting with exotic perfumes.

Cafe Plaka, 18633 Brookhurst St., Fountain Valley. (714) 962-3937. Keftedes, $4.95.

13. Shoofly pie.

Maggie’s Cafe and Bakery is exactly like a truck stop you’d expect to find in Lancaster County, Pa.--otherwise known as Pennsylvania Dutch country. And this is surely the only place around for shoofly pie, a blackstrap molasses pie with a crumb topping, a crumbly crust and a thick whipped cream garnish. Served warm, the pie is sticky sweet and ridiculously rich; one of the great indigenous American desserts.

Maggie’s Cafe and Bakery, 9575 Valley View St., Cypress. (714) 527-1383. Shoofly pie, $2.10 per slice.

14. Bun gia cay.

What could be less middle America than a Vietnamese soup sych as bun gia cay, essentially pig’s trotters in a rich broth. The hoofs are mostly cartilage, but the broth--actually more of a thick gravy--is the purest distillation of flavor this side of a three-star kitchen in Paris. The Vietnamese top it with crumbled leaves of the beefsteak plant, a pungent flavor common to Japanese cooking.

Vien Dong, 9684 Westminster Ave., Garden Grove. (714) 539-4614. Bun gia cay, $3.95.

15. Mango corn soup.

If soups such as bun gia cay are too intense, how about the subtle, delicate flavors of mango corn soup, the prize creation at Laguna Beach’s Bombay Duck? Here is a thick, chunky potage, a vegetarian fantasy, where the subtle sweetness of the corn is actually muted by the exotic essence of the fruit. A small steaming bowlful can be amazingly refreshing and satisfying.

Bombay Duck, 231 Ocean Ave., Laguna Beach. (714) 497-7307. Mango corn soup, $3.75.

16. Roast chicken.

Chicks Natural prides itself on the exclusive use of fresh, hormone-free Foster Farms birds; it takes more than a good chicken to make a great roast chicken. This is actually a growing chain, where chickens are flame-broiled on roasting spits for up to two hours (to let the fat drip off). They come out tasting almost Mediterranean, thanks to an all-natural marinade infused with lemon juice, oregano and spices.

Chicks Natural, 30231 Golden Lantern, Laguna Niguel. (714) 363-0283. Whole roast chicken, $8.61.

17. Rendang.

Anaheim’s Restaurant Indonesia and the remarkable Sundanese cooking of chef Hetty Saphidin may have been my favorite discovery of 1992. Now the restaurant has moved to brand new digs, sharing a space with the nightclub Ozz in Buena Park and changing its name to Emerald Isle. Time will tell if the original standards will be maintained, but it is a safe bet that Saphidin’s rendang, chunks of beef stewed slowly in coconut milk, coriander and other spices, will continue to be one of the best dishes on the planet.

Emerald Isle, 6231 Manchester Blvd., Buena Park. (714) 522-1542. Rendang, $6.95.

18. Sour cherry cobbler.

Cafe Looma was another 1992 surprise, but most amazing were the terrific desserts of pastry chef Eric Lee. Lee overwhelms you with treats such as his raspberry Napoleon and ultra-light German chocolate cake, but the cobbler has to be his chef-d’oeuvre. Lee takes a sweet-tart cherry filling and tops it with a thick, sweet biscuit--none of those cloying streusel toppings, thank you--then finishes it off with a gob of hand-whipped cream.

Cafe Looma, 2900 Newport Blvd., Newport Beach. (714) 673-2900. Sour cherry cobbler, $4.50.

19. Kondosouvli.

Aristides Deslis is a fount of energy, prancing around his dining room like a latter-day Bacchus. When he stays in the kitchen, he is the best Greek chef around. Kondosouvli is pure, prime lamb glazed with mustard, mint and garlic, that is vertically broiled, crisply browned and then sliced off in flaps. The edges go crunch in the mouth; the centers are juicy.

Zorba’s, 580 Anton Blvd., A101, Costa Mesa. (714) 436-0141. Kondosouvli, $7.95.

20. Tortilla Espanola.

Tapas are bite-sized appetizers popular in Spain. Tapas Bar and Grill is the only local place to experience them as they are in Spain. I can’t say tortilla Espanola is even the best dish here, but because it is so vital a part of Spanish culture, it deserves a place of honor. A tortilla is actually an omelet, chock full of shredded potato, onion and garlic, eaten cold, in wedges. Chef John Kulla’s tastes exactly like one you’d encounter in Spain.

Tapas Bar and Grill, 4253 Martingale Way, Newport Beach. (714) 756-8194. Tortilla Espanola, $2.75.

21. Pasta e fagioli.

I’m nuts about Amici’s pasta e fagioli soup, a bowlful of which is a dead giveaway that proprietors Massimo Navaretta and Salvatore Cesareo are from the city of Naples. The soup, short pasta and Italian beans in a light broth, is claimed by Rome, but this version, a garlicky tomato soup with beans and pasta sort of added at the last minute, is the soul of Neapolitan cooking.

Amici, 3220 Park Center Drive, Costa Mesa. (714) 850-9399. Pasta e fagioli, $4.50.

22. Barbecued shrimp salad.

Anyone who wants to eat like the Thais do should rush over to Thai Nakorn for a barbecued shrimp salad, hot enough to blow the lid off a kettle. It’s a bed of greens topped with shrimp that are slowly smoked over burning embers, and the whole shebang is mixed up with onion, mint leaves and a surfeit of chili powder. Not, repeat, not, for the faint of heart.

Thai Nakorn, 8674 Stanton Ave., Buena Park, (714) 952-4954. Barbecued shrimp salad, $6.95.

23. Escargots.

Chef John Gray is only 25 and still learning. I’d like to be around when he finishes his education. Gray’s escargots are listed among the appetizers, but this is more of a main dish. His preparation is as beautiful as it is delicious. Nearly a dozen chewy, flavorful snails come astride roasted red peppers inside three filo pastry cornets, all drizzled with goat cheese and soaking up a pool of dark, rich wine sauce.

Ritz-Carlton Hotel, 33533 Ritz-Carlton Drive, Dana Point. (714) 240-2000. Escargots, $12.

24. Pizza ai funghi selvaggi.

The Romeo brothers are from southern Italy, but their best pizza is from the north of that country. Pizza ai funghi selvaggi, with wild mushrooms, has a thin, yeasty crust that turns bubbly around the edges, covered with a flurry of exotic fungi-chanterelles, porcini and shiitake. The pizza is finished with fontina cheese and a sprinkling of fresh thyme. Buonissimo!

Romeo Cucina, 249 Broadway, Laguna Beach. (714) 497-6627. Pizza ai funghi selvaggi, $9.95.

25. Sea bass Paul Bocuse.

Supposing they gave a feast, and nobody came. Our Top 25 ends on a downbeat this year, because chef Lap Huynh and his short-lived Le Gourmet Bistro are no longer with us. No one doubted Lap’s talents, but an out-of-the-way Irvine location did him in, in spite of a menu with prices that virtually gave the food away. Sea bass Paul Bocuse (named after one of France’s most famous chefs) is a whole fish coated with an ethereal lobster mousse, then baked in a bass-shaped pastry wrapper. The dish was a steal at $10.95, and you won’t see its like again at such a price.