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The Crow Bar Makes 'Gastro Pub' Downright Appetizing
Review: With smart, casual setting and gourmet takes
on British and American comfort foods, it's no surprise
the Corona del Mar eatery is a hit.
By ELIZABETH EVANS
SPECIAL TO THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
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"England
and America are two countries separated by a common language."
So said British playwright George Bernard Shaw. I would
agree and add that in most cases, the English usage
is more poetic: "petrol" instead
of "gas," "boot"
rather than trunk," and one goes to the "chemist" not
the "drug store. "The list could go on, with
one glaring exception:"Gastro pub." Granted there
is no real American equivalent for these places where gourmet
casual food is served in an updated public house (pub).
But the name grates.
The Japanese have izakayas and the French their brasseries.
Here in America, such terms are more fungible, but the
foreign concepts and names can translate well.
Which brings me to The Crow Bar and Kitchen in Corona del
Mar. The tiny eatery, tucked along the Coast Highway, has
been feeding the hip and local since late last year. This
West Coast gastro pub has Oysters alum Scott Brandon in
the kitchen, and a smart casual setting.
The name is an homage to the classic gastro pubs –
if something less than 20 years old can be classic –
including The Eagle in London (said to be the original),
and The Spotted Pig in New York City. But as this is Coastal
Orange County where, it seems, the ebony-feathered scavengers
outnumber any real sea birds, the
crow gets a star turn.
Inside, stark black and white photos, graphic silhouettes
and even a couple of stuffed birds decorate the space,
but they can be easily ignored once you start catching
sight of the food coming out of the kitchen, and then dig
into the single-page, changes-with-the seasons menu.
Dinner is a crowded house. The folks seem young and savvy.
Tall chilled schooners of beer – there are several
dozen offered on tap – are even more popular than
cocktails.
Is this the first trendy bar I've been to where clever
cocktails shaken into martini glasses aren't the order
of the day? Possibly so; while a dirty martini is well
prepared, beer or wine is more appropriate with the food.
And in case you haven't guessed, this place is about the
food.
We start with Blue Crab Deviled Eggs ($9). Three to an
order, this is substantial finger food, with plenty of
the crustacean filling the pale yellow yolk. The eggs might
have been my favorite starter if not for the Serrano Ham-Wrapped
Dates ($9) a sort of tapas-meets-rumaki invention. The
chewy sweet dried fruit mixes and matches with the salty
crisp Spanish ham and warm creamy goat cheese filling.
Go ahead eat just one. Then ask for another order of three.
Brick-oven flat breads are better for larger parties to
share as an appetizer. The oblong pies are cleverly topped
with ingredients such as wild forest mushrooms and fennel
($13), or Serrano ham, quince paste, tetilla cheese and
rocket ($12), but we're smitten with the pancetta, caramelized onion, fig
jam and Gorgonzola topped crust ($12).
We also order Duck Fat Fries ($8) served with a pungent
truffle-infused aioli. These are more brown than golden
with a savory meaty aroma and taste. The potatoes aren't
cut as long as I would like, but I do like their heft and
the intoxicating scent that doesn't let down the taste
of these over-the-top spuds.
Larger "Plates" are a compendium of modernized
traditional dishes. These vary in size and complication,
from Scotch Quail Eggs ($9) to Steak Frites ($26).
I order the Organic Pork Schnitzel ($11). Once in Vienna,
I schlepped my family through back alleys and into a smoke-filled
room to eat the Austrian veal-based version of this dish.
Here, pork is pounded thin, coated in bread crumbs and
pan fried, and served with a herbaceous garlic apple sauce
and thick discs of shredded fried potatoes. Worth traveling
for.
Fra' Mani is the Berkeley-based salumi company run by meat
man extraordinaire Paul Bertolli, and it's where the pudgy
bangers (sausage) come from in the Bangers and Mash plate
($19). These moist and meaty sausages rest on Yukon gold
potatoes and fragrant melted leeks and are topped with a dark brown
sauce.
Ahi Nicoise Burger ($15) is a rare piece of fish on a soft
potato roll, with an olive-y aioli, roasted tomato, sliced
eggs, red onion, and sided with slender pan-fried green
beans. It's like the south of France in a bun; order a
glass of the Kite Rose ($8) and see if you can smell the
lavender.
For dessert, we're tempted by the Not Just a Ding Dong
($8), a first-rate play on the foil wrapped pastry of our
youth. Here, a hockey puck of glossy cream-filled chocolate cake and
ganache rests on a strip of foil, to fool the eye, but
not the palate. If the British had a comparable Nursery
pudding (their term for kiddy dessert) it might be Sticky Toffee Pudding ($8),
the dense dried fruit and brown sugar dessert, topped herewith
a scoop of mascarpone gelato.
At lunch, the room is less crowded, but with a somewhat
older crowd than at dinner – or maybe in this better
light I can make out details better. Not that age matters;
these people apparently have good taste.
I start with the house Clam Chowda ($11) a bowl crammed
full of in-shell clams, cubes of potatoes, carrots and
bacon. It looks less chowder and more like stir-fry, and
it comes to the table preceded by the heady scent of smoky
bacon. Although it's hidden beneath the chucks, the creamy broth shouldn't be missed.
Among the salads, there are takes on the Caesar, and on
the Wedge – Ice Cube Salad is squared chunks of lettuce
topped with Pt. Reyes Blue cheese ($9.50) – and then
there's The Bistro Salad ($9.50). This combination often
found in the Beaujolais region of France is nicely done
here: a bed of curly endive is lightly coated with tangy
sherry vinaigrette and liberally tossed with crisp bits
of bacon. On top there is a tiny poached quail egg. I typically
like a more substantial yolk running its warm, sunny goodness
into this mix, but the quail egg is so delicate and lovely
I can't begrudge its existence here.
Come to think of it, I can't even begrudge the name "gastro
pub." After all, a rose by any other name still smells
good.
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 -----------------------------------TRIPLE
THREAT: HouseMade Meatball Sliders with spicy tomato sauce,
basil and smoked mozzarella is a crowd pleaser at The Crow
Bar and Kitchen. The Corona del Mar gastropub, formerly
Garlic Jo's, has an urban feel with its brick walls and
espresso wood furniture.
CINDY YAMANAKA, The Orange County Register
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THE CROW BAR AND KITCHEN
Rating:4 stars
Where: 2325 E Coast Hwy,
Corona del Mar
Cost range:$40 per person
Corkage fee:$20
Phone: (949) 675-0070
Elizabeth recommends:
To start: Serrano ham
wrapped dates
Entree: Ahi Nicoise Burger
Finale:House-made "Ding
Dong"
Wine:Lorinon Tempranillo
($15 for a half carafe) |
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