I just got back last night and it’s great to be in civilization again!
Thanks again for all of the suggestions and input. We had one really great meal at Vaca, one downright awful meal at Playground, and a somewhat indifferent meal at Kitakata.
In order of our dining schedule, I’ll begin with Playground. I’m sorry to say that this was the most obnoxiously pretentious and incompetently overreaching restaurant I’ve visited in recent memory; from the hopelessly trendy and disjointed menu itself (fried chicken, dosas, spaghetti and meatballs, ramen???) to the service, prices and the preparation. I knew what we were in for when the server explained the “concept” of the kitchen - no alterations or substitutions because they want to showcase the chef’s vision… puh-lease! What the hell kind of substitutions does one make for such conceptual dishes as fried chicken, a pork chop (literally swimming in maple syrup) and roasted brussel sprouts anyway!? Every single dish that was served was absolutely awful. There were no menu choices that complimented one another in any way. Flavors were completely off and some dishes were just flat out disasters, like their extremely bland ramen with soggy Cantonese style noodles in a salty tasteless broth. I’ve had better from a fifty cent package off a convenience store shelf. I’m also convinced that their so-called flatbread with charred eggplant dip, za’atar, pine nuts, etc. was a packaged hummus they bought from Whole Foods. It was literally grocery store crackers and dip. What a joke. There was a short stack of dosas which were not dosas at all. They were as thick as pancakes and drenched in the leftover maple syrup from the pork chop, I’d guess. They were sickeningly sweet and without any semblance of Indian flavor at all. I can’t fathom what the people in the kitchen were thinking when they came up with most of these amateurish plates. The dosas were like second-rate IHOP and clearly belonged on the dessert menu; though it wouldn’t have helped much. We also ordered some kind of Asian style shrimp dish, possibly with lemongrass. I can’t even remember anything else about the order except that the shrimp were way overcooked and 100% flavorless. This was basically on par with a shopping mall food court Thai counter. Desserts were so memorable that I couldn’t even tell you what we ate. I think someone ordered a passion fruit panna cotta or something. It was consistent if nothing else - it sucked as much as every other dish we ordered. The one saving grace was my old fashioned, which was well balanced. I enjoyed a couple of their other house cocktails which were passed around the table. The service seemed to match the proficiency of the kitchen quite nicely. Our waitress was unfamiliar with the menu and ingredients. I asked a different server about several ingredients from the cocktail list and he couldn’t answer either. I had to then suggest that he check with the bartender and fill me in. He finally did… in passing, from across the room. He couldn’t be bothered to return to our table to address me directly and it was not a busy night. We were seated at 5pm so the dining room was mostly empty. 0/5 - very happy we didn’t foot the bill.
After dinner we went to some bar a few blocks over that used to be called Sparrow. I forget the current name. Everyone ordered cocktails and nobody seemed to enjoy them. I returned two and then moved on to wine. Suffice to say, I wouldn’t return.
The next night was Vaca which was excellent! We ordered about a dozen tapas and every one was terrific. I wanted to try everything on the menu. The charcuterie and cheeses were especially tempting. Cocktails were fantastic as well. One person in our group ordered the duck paella, which was good but not outstanding. Based on earlier comments, I opted not to waste any appetite on it, which was all the better. This is a place that stands out on it’s own merits and not just for Orange County. I’d be just as enthusiastic about our meal if it were transplanted to SF or LA. We’ll be back every time we visit!
Ramen at Kitakata the final day was just okay. The noodles were a tad soft for my liking and I found the broth a bit too salty. I ordered the chashu with corn, sprouts, egg, seaweed and spicy green onion. It was fine but not something I’d get excited about. To be fair, I much prefer a richer and more flavorful Hakata style bowl, so perhaps it can be chalked up to personal ramen preference. I wouldn’t rush back anytime soon although I did appreciate the Kiyoshi Saito art on the walls.
Batting average of 0.333 - not great, but Vaca really knocked it out of the park and made up for the two strikes. It’s a beacon of light in the vapid drabness of suburbia and I look forward to returning on all subsequent visits. I only wish we’d booked a table both nights and skipped the cheap novelty of Playground!