Gossiping Gourmet: Ritz Prime Seafood does its name proud

The classic Ritz Restaurant in Fashion Island bit the dust last year after 37 years in business.

However, a brand new Ritz has emerged under the aegis of Grill Concepts, operator of the Daily Grill restaurants.

Located on the waterfront in Newport Beach, where the Charthouse used to be, is the Ritz Prime Seafood. The restaurant has had an extensive makeover, and in a word, it is gorgeous.

My dining companion and I sat next to the expansive wall of floor-to-ceiling windows that look out on the bay and the boats. The sun was sinking and the sky was pink and blue.

The restaurant is a mix of beautiful woods, porcelain tiles and cream-colored chairs and banquettes. Little lanterns sit on the tables.

To begin our meal, we ordered the Ritz Egg, a holdover and signature offering from the old Ritz. This was a scrambled egg, in the shell, dotted with smoked salmon and caviar. On the side were house-made potato chips. The dish was served with a generous shot of chilled vodka. Taste it and you will know why it was a signature offering.

We also found that the pork belly confit with plum mostarda was a real winner. The belly had a crispy skin and a big layer of fat that was soft and unctuous, and the pork layer was very tender. The dish came with tiny cubes of plum and was enhanced with a plum gastrique, which was the perfect foil to the rich belly. Chive oil and a caramelized plum completed this delicious appetizer.

Other appetizers include a jumbo prawn cocktail; PEI (Prince Edward Island) mussels with kaffir lime, coconut milk and shaved fennel; ahi tuna poke; braised short rib; and seared scallops or grilled oysters with smoky, brown sugar bourbon butter. Soup and salad choices include butter-poached lobster bisque with caviar, crème fresh and brioche croutons.

The dishes from the sea include Georges Bank sea scallops, red miso cod, Faroe Island salmon, ahi tuna, Block Island swordfish, grilled lobster with Burgundy truffles, and whole branzino. My dining companion chose the latter. It was a whole fish topped with a flavorful mixture of white raisins, pine nuts and onions, which added a lot to the mild fish.

My entrée was the lobster and squid ink pasta. The black pasta was plentiful, but it had only a small bit of juice or butter on the bottom. Something was needed to bring out the flavor of the pasta, and the small half shell of lobster was rather tough and chewy. However, but it did make a pretty picture sitting on top of the black pasta. We ordered roasted vegetables on the side, which were quite good and not overdone.

Although the restaurant is named Ritz Prime Seafood, it does offer a New York strip steak and filet mignon as well as Wagyu short ribs. The menu also has a heading called Sushi and Raw with rolls and crudos.

Guests can create their own Ritz Tower from the selection of fresh chilled seafood. Oyster lovers can order a dozen or a half-dozen, with shallot mignette and horseradish.

Cioppino is offered under the heading of Plates, which also includes Jidori chicken.

Three desserts are available, and our very nice waitress — the wait staff was friendly and conscientious — suggested the warm, sticky toffee pudding cake. The light but very choclatey dessert was topped with thin slices of fried bananas, ice cream and unsweetened whipped cream. It all rested in lovely toffee sauce.

I think this is going to be a very popular new dining and drinking spot.

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RITZ PRIME SEAFOOD

Location: 2801 W. Coast Hwy., Newport Beach

Hours: 5 to 10 p.m. Sundays through Wednesdays; 5 to 11 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays (Sunday brunch is 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and happy hour is 5 to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays)

Prices:

Appetizers: $12 to $26

Entrees: $34 to $64

Desserts: $10

Wine:

Bottles: $40 to $500

By the glass: $12 to $39

Corkage: $25

Information: (949) 720-1800