THE GOSSIPING GOURMET: Bellying up to the bar

With dining out becoming more and more of a luxury nowadays, we are always on the lookout for less expensive ways to enjoy Laguna’s most expensive restaurants. We all want to eat high off the hog but pay only chicken feed. Sometimes, the solution involves bellying up to the bar. One of the most pleasurable and delicious experiences we have had in this category is at Hush.

Some people joke about the fact that the noisiest restaurant in Laguna is called Hush. On the Monday evening we went, however, it wasn’t very busy. We had a lovely, quiet dinner and the full attention of Mike, our genial and helpful bartender and waiter.

The restaurant has a particularly attractive bar area with a contemporary design, chocolate-brown wood, glass accents, one long communal table, comfortable bar chairs and a large booth at the rear that can be curtained off for small private groups.

Since we were last at Hush, the chef has changed. The new executive chef, Ashley Ewart, has worked at the Montage, French 75 and for four years in the kitchen at Hush, mostly as their sous-chef. Surprisingly, she is only 24 but definitely has a bold palate and a deft touch. She seems to be focused on flavors rather than fussiness.

We ordered a glass of wine and told Mike we would like to have dinner. With that, he flourished crisp white linen napkins and placed them on the bar before us as tablecloths. Our intention was to order from the special bar menu but were surprised to find that you can also get anything you want from the regular dinner menu as well (although you can’t do the reverse and order from the bar menu in the dining room). As we were discussing our choices and nibbling on warm ciabatta rolls, Mike volunteered his own favorites and a few from the “To Start” section of the dinner menu.

We went with his recommendations and began with the Maryland crab cake. This is a real New Orleans style crab cake with lots of heat, demonstrating that Ewart is not afraid of assertive flavors. The ample portion was one large golden-crusted patty with a rich, tongue tingling blend of tastes. It came with an especially good remoulade sauce with lots of garlic and tart lemony flavor. Although the very delicious crab cake didn’t really need any sauce, it was even better with it. A tiny handful of dressed field greens sat on top of two taro root chips, rounding out the plate.

Newest on the menu is the grilled pizza. The very thin, blistered crust had a nice smoky taste and was simply topped with sliced, fresh tomatoes, shredded basil, creamy smooth California goat cheese from Laura Chenel and fabulous, tender pancetta. Balancing notes of crispy, creamy and salty with the freshness of tomato and basil, it made a combination that was compelling.

We were tempted by the grilled “Loch Duart” salmon salad with romaine, Kalamata olives, cremini mushrooms, red bell peppers and shaved red onion in lemon vinaigrette but were persuaded to try the grilled romaine salad instead. Mike didn’t actually have to twist our arms because we love grilled romaine. However, this dish was our least favorite, which is not to say it wasn’t good, but not on a par with our other selections. In this case, the romaine didn’t have enough smoky, grilled flavor, while the cumin, cilantro dressing was a bit too bland. Redeeming the dish were some wonderful deep-fried shallots that created lovely bursts of sweetness on the palate. Also on the plate was a square of very good, pungent Spanish Cabrales blue cheese.

Battered calamari, which has become a staple of our dining-out diet (as it seems to appear on almost every menu these days, no matter what the ethnicity or style of the restaurant), is something we can rarely resist, although we did try this evening. However, when we ordered the assorted vegetable tempura, our intrepid advisor suggested that if we wanted something fried, “…why not have the calamari?” Whatever resistance we had attempted to muster, crumbled immediately.

The lightly battered golden-brown seafood arrived on a platter with three dipping sauces. Our favorite was the luscious marinara, with lots of garlic and just little heat. This light red sauce is made from fresh tomatoes, onions and shallots, which are partially blended to create creaminess while still retaining some texture.

It had a perfect balance between sweetness and acidity and was one of the best tomato sauces that we have tasted in a long time. When we finished that one, we went on to taste the others. There was a nice, subtle mustard mayonnaise sauce and a delicate, silky lemon caper mayonnaise.

After we finished our meal, Ewart came out to chat since it wasn’t a particularly busy night in the restaurant. We told her we were writing an article and wanted to know her vision for the restaurant. This talented but modest young woman said she is striving for a more casual style with less pretentiousness. For the bar menu, she has designed a range of selections from pizza and cheeseburgers to prime filet mignon sandwiches and truffled macaroni and cheese. The overall style can be described as contemporary American but with an eye to keeping up with the current trends. Right now that means comfort food, larger portions and good value.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Hush Bar

WHERE: 858 South Coast Hwy.

WHEN: 5:30 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday; 5 p.m. to midnight Thursday through Saturday

PRICES: $10 – $22

WINE: $10 – $30 by the glass

INFO: (949) 497-3616

ELLE HARROW AND TERRY MARKOWITZ owned a la Carte for 20 years and can be reached at [email protected].