Eatery develops a fashionable following

Greer Wylder

With nearly 30 restaurants to choose from at Fashion Island, there’s

no shortage of dining choices. Yet up until now, there wasn’t a

sophisticated indoor-outdoor restaurant quite like Cafe R&D.;

The newest restaurant experiment from the Houston’s chain serves

many purposes. The cafe, named for research and development, offers

fast-paced lunches for shoppers and the business crowd, and it’s

ideal for pre- or after-movie diners and for leisurely cocktails. The

light, bright, open-air restaurant has European street cafe charms

and serves a streamlined menu of classic sandwiches, entree salads

and a few desserts. Wines by the glass, specialty cocktails, espresso

drinks and fresh-squeezed juices are available.

In its prime location adjacent to Neiman Marcus, no expense was

spared in Cafe R&D;’s design. It features terrazzo flooring, a staple

of 1950s and 1960s tract homes that’s making a comeback. This

terrazzo features shades of green, colorful, scattered broken glass

or marble chips surrounded by cement.

To create an indoor-outdoor setting, garage-like retractable doors

were installed with an art nouveau curved style. The doors were

inspired by the sinuous entrances to the Paris subway system. Warm

honey tones are featured in the vertical-grained Douglas Fir ceiling,

stainless steel covers the backsplash of the bar and white oak was

chosen for the counter-type bar and bistro tables. The back wall

features a rotating selection of young contemporary artists.

Cafe R&D;’s exhibition kitchen is unlike any other, surrounded by

glass and screens and automatic sliding doors.

“It’s an extension of our open air, display idea,” says concept

manager Brian Biel. “We even open all the windows to the kitchen, so

that people can walk up to the windows and watch meals being

prepared.”

The kitchen features a top-of-the-line French Rotisol Rotisserie,

for roasting organic whole chickens. The centerpiece equipment slowly

cooks, caramelizing chicken to perfection.

Cafe R&D;’s menu won’t stagnate, since it constantly tests new

ideas. Since it opened two months ago, dishes have already changed.

For now, it offers an excellent, thinly-sliced prime rib sandwich au

jus on rustic toast ($15); a hero sandwich with plenty of prime rib,

ham, roast turkey and Monterrey Jack cheese with spicy mustard ($14);

and a “Reubenesque” sandwich with corned beef, baby Swiss cheese on

toasted corn rye, served with an oil and vinegar-based coleslaw

($14). Their signature side dishes include a heap of hand-cut French

fries ($1.50) and a new take on classic deviled eggs, with fresh

tarragon and whipped yolks ($1.50).

Entree salads vary from a chopped Asian chicken salad with diced

cucumber, mango, fresh mint and noodles ($13) to a six-ounce filet

mignon salad with heirloom tomatoes and horseradish cream ($18).

Other salads include a pan-seared Mediterranean tuna salad with

avocado, cucumber, potatoes, beets, tomato and goat cheese ($17) and

a spinach and chicken salad with julienne apple, bacon, cashews and

chopped egg ($12).

The children’s menu includes a choice of cheeseburger, grilled

cheese, pasta or peanut butter and jelly with banana. The meals come

with French fries and scoop of gelato ($5).

Desserts include freshly-made gelato in chocolate, vanilla and a

special flavor daily ($4 for a double scoop to $8 for an extravaganza

of four scoops) and a three-layer carrot cake with toasted walnuts

and mascarpone icing ($8).

* BEST BITES runs every Friday. Greer Wylder can be reached at

[email protected]; at 330 W. Bay St., Costa Mesa, CA 92627; or by

fax at (949) 646-4170.