This was my second visit. The first was really good as well, so much so that I recall thinking that it should not be as good as it was. But… it was. Only did 3 dishes that visit but they were all 100% immaculate, in particular a piece of raw tuna so divine that it was seasoned with essentially steak seasoning and could easily have been mistaken for a fine piece of beef, particularly in the dim dining room environs. I am told the chef here is getting some accolades and rightfully so. The restaurant also supports a very large garden nearby in the Anaheim community where many of the ingredients originate. I support this fully, and the ingredients have been excellent. It is very much a farm/sea to table menu, with a very strong focus on ingredient quality.
This visit upped the ante considerably, and I am now full on fanboi. The waitress starts off with, “The kitchen spent two weeks preparing the charcuterie tray, would you care for one?” Well yes Hillary, that’s the kind of stuff I hear Anthony Bourdain listen to while dining in some posh french bistro in Beaune, so yes, please humor me. The rillettes were sophisticated with beautiful seasoning and were incredibly buttery. The chicken terrine on pain grille, absurd, so comforting and so well seasoned and herbed. The pate on toast, seriously, OFF THE CHART. The silken texture, beautiful seasoning, unctuous richness, touch of smoke; best pate ever. Get there now and order this while you have the chance. We also had a delectable soft-shell blue crab appetizer. Well, the table did, a buddy and I got all wrapped up in the charcuterie, caveman style. I am told the blue crab was great. Told the server I love blue crab offal, they should make a sauce of it. I thought Marche Moderne did a fantastic charcuterie, and they do, but this was taken to another place. Really exceptional.
Went with the chefs tasting menu, in fact almost every one at the table did. You can find it here Menu - Restaurant | THE RANCH . This is always a good thing, it ingratiates the kitchen. The tuna dish in mediterraean style was excellent. Well proportioned with the tapenade and never a dull bite, just beautiful. Then a crispy skin grouper on heirloom tomato (first spring harvest from garden) coulis. Wonderful flavor and ridiculously well seasoned. I like steak and I thought this was great, but this was a perfect example of the sum is greater than the parts. They had scorched these ramps and put them atop the steak with this perfect mushroom jus, it was a complete joy at every bite. I don’t order steak, ever. But here, I would do it every time. The dessert from the menu sounds pretty tame, but this was a plate right out of modernist cuisine; little dabs of sauces and micro herbs everywhere. I never order dessert, but this one was fun and a total triumph.
For being in a completely random building, a new one by the way, in the middle of Anaheim, there is some stunning stuff going on. The service is also very good with knowledgeable and motivated wait staff. I recall a very good server from the first visit, and this time around Hillary was a consummate professional. In fact, she is in law school and had applied for a part-time administrative job. When they saw her resume and fine dining experience, they asked she take a staff job. It was well deserved. She was palpably excited by our feedback and we had a great time dining with her.
Along with Playground 2.0, this might be the best restaurant in Orange County. You heard it here. ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}