Eat in Newport

The restaurants in Newport Beach have great food, some with a bay or ocean view, but that is not my criteria here. The restaurant must have a certain ambience with, at least, one great signature item on the menu that keeps me coming back.

I refer my favorites: Bluewater Grill, Dolce, Il Faro, Ruby's and Sabatino's.

Quick Tips:

Wanna Smoke? Along with wonderful, just off the boat Italian creations, Dolce offers alfresco dining and a bar out on its covered, enclosed patio with a huge warming fire. Its technically okay to smoke on their "outside" patio.

With this and its rich european atmosphere, cigar smokers, especially, love it here.

Best Way To Get Around:

Taxis aren't that expensive as everything is close to each other, the ocean, the bay and the restaurants grouped around them.

If you have a car, there is valet parking at Bluewater Grill and Dolce, metered beach parking at Il Faro and Ruby's, and free parking at Sabatino's.

This restaurant is small, but is like two restaurants, one indoor and one outdoor. The decor in both is very tasteful, very european with a bar in each. The indoor is very nice but the upscale garden theme of the patio, where you initially walk in, is hard to resist. It is covered tastefully and is warmed by a large firepit in the middle of the patio. The firepit serves to also rid the room of smoke.

Yes, I said smoke. Its a good or a bad thing, depending on how you feel about smoking during your meal. If you sit outside, you are free to smoke during your meal because, technically, you are dining in the restaurant's outdoor area. Needless to say, this restaurant is very popular with Europeans and cigar smokers.

Oh, and the food - its wonderful. There is a real chef in the kitchen, so if you want something, and its not on the menu, just ask for it.

Lastly, this is one of my favorite restaurants because they have souffle - and they are good here. And, not just chocolate, they always have one other flavor as well. Yum!

There are Ruby's everywhere out here, but if one is visiting they must go to the one at the end of the Balboa Pier (not to be confused with the Newport Pier).

There you are, as close as you can get to the ocean, right on top of it, actually. So you have your tourist view and stuff that everyone likes - burgers, fries and shakes.

My favorite is the turkey burger with everything on it. By everything, I mean bacon, blue cheese, onion rings, avocado strips, lettuce and dressing. They've got all that stuff here, plus more.

This is a nice fish restaurant with both indoor and outdoor seating and a cozy bar. But, I hate fish, so why am I recommending it?

I love the salad with blue cheese dressing and the sourdough bread they serve here.

The sourdough bread is brought out hot. It's soft and it's the best! Their blue cheese dressing is supreme; I don't know if they make their own dressing, but it is perfect.

Oh, and from what I understand, the fish at this place is pretty good, too. In fact, the fish people I know are all in love the clam chowder, actually coming back regularly for it because they crave more.

It's not on the menu, but they make it the best here. Chicken Marsala at Il Faro beats any other restaurant. They pound the chicken until its soft and spread thin. Then its delicately sauteed, staying soft and moist. The sauce has never been outdone, I think because they use a lot more of the Marsala sweet wine in their sauce than the others.

Besides this, they have, generally and consistently, great food! When you are seated, you are given thick bread slices and oil with garlic and herbs in it. On top of my bread, I spoon a heaping amount of the garlic chunks. Oh, its so good, my mouth is watering.

The waiters here boast accents right out of Italy and it has that little shop converted into a small restaurant look that makes it feel very authentic. There are both tables and half-booths or you can sit outside on the little patio you passed on your way in.

This is one of my favorites, can you tell?

Ambience, ambience, ambience. This restaurant's got it. Opening in the morning and not closing again until after dinner, this restaurant will remind you of a relaxing european cafe - complete with alfresco dining.

In the evening they turn on the heat lamps for those outside tables. There is no view, even though it is right there on the bay, but it doesn't matter. You are looking at a quaint little boatyard office area while being served by aproned waitresses.

The food matches the restaurant in relaxed formality. Try the ravioli. Its served on a bed of Marinara sauce with Alfredo sauce on top - perfect. If just a sandwich is all you want, they have sandwiches made from their homemade sausage, which is why locals call this place The Sausage Company. You may choose from many different varieties, most lowfat, and they put it on an italian roll with sauteed peppers and onions. Yum!

Oh, and the background music there is Sinatra, always Sinatra.