Feed Your Inner Carnivore
Newport Beach Restaurant Week is the perfect time to feed your inner carnivore as many of the participating restaurants offer up meaty selections on their menus. From steaks to burgers, there’s more than enough meat for every day of the two-week event, and then some!
Cucina Alessa, situated along a quiet stretch of PCH, is one of Newport Beach’s favorite Italian restaurants. During Restaurant Week, they’re inviting meat aficionados to sink their teeth into Tagliata di Manzo Grilled Filet, a grilled filet steak served sliced, and topped with a fresh herb dressing. The meat is moist, tender, juicy, and accompanied by a simple, refreshingly light arugula salad.
Old school fine dining is alive and well at 21 Oceanfront, where you can enjoy the beautiful view of the ocean and Newport Beach pier. You’ll delight in the Prime Flat Iron Steak Frites, a meat and potato lover’s dream. The steak is prepared at your perfect temperature with a rich and robust Cabernet glaze, and served with a bundle of crispy French fries.
This Austin, Texas, burger and beer eatery opened its first California location at Fashion Island last summer, and Food & Wine magazine has deemed it “One of the best burgers in America.” Hopdoddy’s menu features a host of all-natural beef burgers, and during Restaurant Week, this means a huge variety of burger choices. Meat lovers have several options including Terlingua Burger, an Angus beef patty topped with chile con carne, Tillamook cheddar, Corn Fritos, and Sassy Sauce; as well as K-Town Belly, a Korean-inspired grass-fed beef burger topped with kimchi and gochujang, a Korean red pepper sauce.
Woody’s Wharf started in 1965 as a watering hole for weary fishermen to gather for a bite and exchange fishing tales. You can enjoy the Rib Eye while sitting at a table along the waterfront with unique views of Newport Bay. The surf and turf entrée includes hand-carved rib eye with sauteed shrimp, all topped with a Parmesan crème sauce. Fluffy mashed potatoes and butter charred Brussels sprouts accompany the surf-n-turf plate, all finished with a balsamic reduction.
It’s hard to miss Malarky’s Irish Pub driving down Newport Boulevard. Malarky’s debuted in 1977 and has seen a few changes in its time, but after hours, its bar has always been a local hotspot to hang out and grab a drink. Dinner during Restaurant Week includes Surf and Turf, which offers a cooked-to-order 10-ounce New York Strip Steak served with your choice of swordfish, or 6-ounce lobster tail. A fluffy baked potato, and steamed vegetables are accompaniments.
Dory Deli is a traditional deli with a modern twist that sits steps away from Newport Beach Pier, on the Newport Beach Boardwalk. Hankering for an over-the-top meaty sandwich? Look no further than the Rocky Balboa Sandwich. The ultimate sandwich indulgence is served on a sub roll jam packed with sliced steak, caramelized onions, peppers and house-made cheese sauce
The gastropub located within Whole Food Market in Fashion Island has the answer to your comfort food needs. The Smoked Meatball is a satisfying, savory giant meatball smothered in a tangy BBQ sauce and topped with gooey Havarti cheese. Wash the meatball down with one of Back Bay Tavern’s many draft beers.
The reincarnation of Hans Prager’s beloved Ritz now sits in the former Chart House space on West Coast Highway. Their Restaurant Week menu offers up American Wagyu Short Ribs, which slow braise for three hours with aromatics, veal stock and red wine. The braising liquid then reduces to create a rich demi-glace that is served alongside the silky smooth Yukon gold mashed potatoes the short rib sits on, along with cipollini onions.
Jacques and Olga de Quillien have run this quaint little French bistro off Newport Boulevard for 18 years, yet the restaurant still remains somewhat of a hidden gem. They are offering the most interesting meat dish for Restaurant Week, Venaison en Daube. This aromatic stew is packed with chunks of venison, marinated in Cote du Rhone red wine, and cooked with lardons for even bolder flavors. The result is a tender braised stew served with sautéed mushrooms, steamed fingerling potatoes, or mashed potatoes.
At The Island Hotel’s Oak Grill, Executive Chef Marc Johnson presents Grilled Pork Chop as an entrée. The succulent pork chop is first brined, then braised before Johnson plates with a beautiful demi glace of smoked cherries, Madeira wine, whole grain mustard and a touch of horseradish. Crispy pork belly risotto is a rich side, enveloped with mascarpone and Parmesan, resulting in a creamy decadent finish.
