Old Vine Cafe Restaurant Review

Tonight we had dinner at the Old Vine Cafe in Costa Mesa. It has been somewhere we have been meaning to try for some time but just now got around to it.

The setting is unassuming, tuck away in back corner of The Camp shopping center.  The menu’s are presented fastened to a small canvas paintinga and the decor is modern electric. The items are set up up in what seems to be becoming a popular style of smaller tapas style portions. Almost all the items on the menu had an intriguing quality to them, unique combinations of flavors that you don’t see everyday. In addition to the standard menu we were also presented with 4 fixed prix menu options that all included wine parings, starting at a $40 3-course meal and going up to a $65 four-course meal. After much deliberation we decided on one of the 4 course seasonal tasting menus and two salads that we would share.

The first course to come out was a Butternut Squash & Leek Bisque garnished with Fried Leeks. This also included a wine pairing of Abbazia malvasia Rose, from Italy. As a side note they were very generous with the wine portions and actually poured separate glasses for Megan and I, giving us what I believed to be double the allotted amount.  The soup was velvety and brought forth a note of holiday ambiance. The wine was sweet and light and complimented the savory soup very nicely.

Along with the soup we also enjoyed a Crispy Blue salad, featuring organic greens, crispy prosciutto, fried onions & Maytag blue cheese dressing. The salad was lightly dressed, as we would have hoped with a rich dressing such as blue cheese.

Next we had a Caprese of Mozarella Buratta, with Flash Fried Arugula, Grape Tomatoes & a Citrus Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil. We have had several fantastic Buratta salads as of late and this one did not disappoint. I did think it could have used a touch of acidity and it was it a little on the oily side, but nevertheless delicious.

Getting into the substantial dishes now, we had an All Natural Loch Duart Salmon Filet, on a bed of Creamy Herb Polenta, with a Crimini Mushroom Nero D’ Avola Sauce. This came paired with a 2006 Mistral Nero D’ Avola from Sicily. This was easily the best polenta we have had. The salmon was cooked perfectly and that earthy mushroom sauce worked well in trying together the salmon and polenta.

The main course was a  hand Made White Ricotta & White Truffle Raviolo with a Slow Roasted Maple Leaf Duck Ragu & Aged Pecorino. This dish came paired with a 2007 Casanova Rosso, from Sicily. This was the best wine of the evening and the Raviolo was rich and delicious.  We appreciated the presentation of dish, making the raviolo the focus and the duck ragu the compliment. It is so often we see the protein take center stage, it was refreshing to see a delicious ravilio be the star.

For desert we enjoyed a Dark Chocolate Lava Cake with a hint of Espresso. This came with the final wine pairing of the evening a Non Vintage Old Codger Tawny from Australia. The wine was sharp and helped cut through the sweetness of the cake. This might have been the best chocolate soufflé we have had which is saying a lot. It was severed with some dried fig, apricot and fresh whipped cream. The soufflé itself was not too sweet and cooked to perfection with a soft cakey exterior and liquid molten interior.

Before we left we enjoyed a cup of tea and some house made pistachio biscotti. The fresh biscotti was delightful and we order a small bag to enjoy on the ride home.

All and all it was very satisfying meal, we will defiantly be going back. Each dish was carefully thought out and successfully executed. The wine parings enhanced each dish and were a steal considering the price and generosity of the pour (in our case almost two full glasses). It is sad it took us some long to give the Old Vine Cafe a try, but now that we have we will be back very soon.