enoSTEAK Dine Feature

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DINE | enoSTEAK

The new enoSTEAK at the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, serves up all-natural meats and locally sourced produce.- By Micaela Myers | Photos by Bob Hodson
The area has a new steakhouse, and it’s not your typical steakhouse by any stretch of the imagination. Located inside the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, enoSTEAK opened this spring and features fresh, organic or all-natural ingredients sourced from within 150 miles of the resort. The majority of the herbs are gathered from the resort’s organic garden, and prime beef comes from Niman Ranch, a farm producing all-natural meats by raising livestock traditionally, humanely and sustainably. An in-house butcher creates customized cuts. The chicken is also all-natural Jidori chicken, and the fish is sustainable and either farm-raised or pole/troll caught. Cheeses, charcuterie and a large selection of fine wines are additional highlights of the restaurant.

The intimate setting seats only 36 patrons. A fireplace offers fireside dining, and the room’s focal point is the tall glass wine room in the center. Start off with appetizers such as the asparagus and Gioia Cheese burrata mozzarella, or a board of smoked and cured meat along with Cowgirl Creamery Cheese. Entrées include items like the signature grilled prime bone-in New York Steak, grilled prime rib-eye, grass-fed beef tenderloin, grilled halibut, leg of lamb burger and house grinded Angus burger. Once guests pick their choice of meat or seafood, they then pick a signature compound butter such as black summer truffle, roasted heirloom tomato, tarragon béarnaise sauce or 30i enoSTEAK butter to enhance their dish. Of course, no entrée would be complete without a delicious side. The rich fiscalini and summer truffle mac and cheese, and petit Basque cheese and chive sour cream Yukon potatoes are two favorites. Additional sides include smoked almond and duck fat sautéed five grain rice, and sautéed wild mushrooms and spring petit peas.

The menu changes frequently to adjust for the seasonality of items, and the dessert menu is no exception, rotating as frequently as every two weeks. We sampled the phenomenal warm cherry cobbler accompanied by toasted almond ice cream—perfectly prepared cherries served in a small cast-iron dish and topped with miniature biscuits. The bourbon pecan tart with Jack Daniel’s ice cream and whipped vanilla sauce is a must for pecan lovers.

Under the direction of Executive Chef Andres Jimenez, enoSTEAK is quickly gaining a local following for its quality ingredients expertly prepared and served in an elegant setting by an attentive staff. LBM

 

enoSteak at the Ritz-Carlton

One Ritz-Carlton Dr., Dana Point;

949-240-2000; ritzcarlton.com/lagunaenoSTEAK.

Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 6 to 10 p.m.

Price: $28 – $55 (entrées)

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