Old Vine Cafe: No Pruning Necessary

After dining for brunch and dinner, I now think it is fair to write a post and claim Old Vine Cafe to be one of my favorite restaurants. There are very few chefs whom I look up to and idolize… of those in Orange County, Chef Jason Elder of Mr. G’s Bistro, and Chef Mark Mcdonald of Old Vine Cafe. Hence, why I love his restaurant.

Old Vine Cafe has been around for 8+ years at “The Camp” in Costa Mesa.Chef Mark has brought his southern-Italian training to Orange County to serve fine, top quality, above-average food in a non-overwhelming way. My non-foodie sister- thinking it would be way too sophisticated for her basic taste palette- fell in love with OVC, just like me! Breakfast and dinner- both amazing (I have yet to come for lunch!)

Everything I have tried has been amazing, and it never ceases to amaze me how fresh, homemade and flavorful each dish has been. Favorites? All of it. I’ll highlight some.

Brunch :

Fresh Berry Crepe – Non-sugarholics rejoice! This is a light, refreshing, non-savory option that is the perfect balance of carbs, fruit, and creamy-goodness. The crepe itself is much thicker than any other crepe I have had, and the ricotta cheese mousse is the perfect moist-contrast.
BBQ Omelet – You should know that I am NOT an egg person by any means. The only eggs I will eat are scrambled at breakfast time, in small quantities. When I saw BBQ pork for breakfast, I knew I had to try it- even if it was going to be accompanied by eggs. This was probably the best pulled pork I have ever had.
“Open Faced” – One bite and it was overwhelmingly apparent why this is one of their most popular dishes. Homemade biscuit (1 of the 2 best biscuits ever to hit my mouth), chicken sausage, scrambled eggs, chipotle gravy, and queso fresco… If you are not already drooling, you must have no tastebuds.
Rabbit Mole – My first rabbit-endeavor. Not the protein of my choice, but the mole was awesome.

Dinner :

Homemade Focaccia – My favorite type of bread, and this is honestly the best I have ever had. I will never be able to look at another piece of focaccia bread the same way. Chef Mark uses 4 types of flour to make this carb-y goodness.
Baby Spinach Salad – I get salads everywhere I go, but this has also been the best, ever. Something about the way the dried fruit, the goat cheese, the macrona almonds, and the honey balsamic vinaigrette dressing just really set this salad apart from others.
Indonesian Curry Shrimp – Think of green curry from a Thai restaurant. Very similar, but much lighter.
Polenta Pomodoro – I have had polenta a few times lately, and I am starting to really like it when it is prepared right. I was a little reluctant to get it here because it comes in a cube (versus mashed), but WOW…. My sister and I both agreed that this was one of the best things we had ever ate.