Decided to drive down to Newport for the day, wound up browsing the shops at Fashion Island, and…read morethen wound up having lunch at Great Maple, one of the better, sit-down restaurants at the center. It's a bright and airy venue, with thick, clubby stools at the bar and a dual, indoor/outdoor dining area that's just right for the coastal California locale. We arrived near the end of the lunch rush, so we were quickly seated by the friendly Hostess, though there were still plenty of folks eating, and a lively buzz was still thrumming through the room. It was just the right energy for a Saturday lunch.
Our server, Darren, was a hoot, with a slight shimmy to his step and personality for days -- sometimes that can be a bit much, but in this case his charisma added a much appreciated charm to the meal. While we didn't imbibe at this sitting, they do have a full bar with a nice selection of cocktails suitable for brunch or dinner, and it's easy to imagine whiling away quite a few hours here at another opportunity. The menu offers a number of clever twists on brunch and lunch mainstays, especially house-made doughnuts and a few Benedicts that push all the buttons of "well, this is something appealingly different." That said, we were just tad boring today as diners, ordering a Burger and the house BLT.
We may have made some ordinary-sounding decisions, but Great Maple's versions of these favorites were far from ordinary at all. The burger is made with high quality beef that has just the right amount of fat to make it juicy while retaining the integrity of the flavor of the meat. Cheese, veggies and a fresh brioche bun rounded out the presentation, as did a perfectly achieved pink medium rare. This was a very good, very satisfying burger served with crispy, shoestring fries that really hit the spot.
The BLT is built on Levain sourdough that is thick-cut and lightly toasted, and holds up nicely against the moisture in the tomatoes and bright, leafy lettuce. Aioli had a noticeable but mild, and very enjoyable, garlic accent that played really well with everything, walking the line between "spread" and "dressing," and becoming a meaningful component of the sandwich rather than being just an adornment. But the star of the sandwich was the smoky bacon, cut thick enough to retain a pleasing chew while also boasting the kind of char and crisp that make for the most enjoyable bacon on a sandwich. Really, this was a terrific BLT, far above what you normally get, and, as I said before, not anywhere near as ordinary as you may think.
So, a very good lunch at Great Maple, and very good reason to plan another visit very soon. Kudos to everyone.