Dining and Ambiance. Often we go out for lunch or dinner for much more than just something to eat. What do we really want?  Time to be with family or friends. Intimacy.  Moments together without distractions just to talk, to share thoughts and feelings. To lose oneself for a moment in the deep pools of a loved one’s eyes.

We choose a special place to dine, a place with ambiance; a place that is conducive to intimacy where we can nurture ourselves with delicious cuisine and share our lives with special people who dine with us. This ritual is essential to the human experience. Dining is the poetry of life.

Those looking for a place that offers both excellent food and poetry and magic, Charlie Palmers at South Coast Plaza is the top choice.

The warm ambiance of the dining room is especially inviting. Unique modern candlelight chandeliers, suspended from high ceilings, warm textured walls, inviting leather booths and chair designs; chic floor length tablecloths and soft cloth napkins mix modern with the warmth of tradition in a timeless zone of dining and conversation.

Enchanting culinary selections inspire conversation.  A selection of appetizers and small plates complimented with an interesting array of wine and drinks are an invitation to taste and explore. 

Relish the Blue Cheese Stuffed Dates with a taste of wine or indulge in Classic Oysters with either or both cocktail sauce or Apple Cider Mignonette.

For a culinary combination of traditional and modern, chose the Butternut Squash Ravioli, a delightful menu combination of squash and pasta with Sage Brown Butter, Balsamic and House Made Ricotta.

Deeper into dinner, I selected the Filet Mignon saturated in red wine jus, accompanied by an elegant gratin cheese potato. My dining partner ordered the Thyme Roasted Wild Striped Bass, with Brussels sprouts and celery root, in pinot noir jus.  The garlic sautéed spinach we shared complimented both of our entrees.

The other enticing selections – Rare Seared Ahi Tuna, Caramelized Sonoma Chicken and New Zealand Venison will just have to wait for when we return.

Divine dessert choices again all vied for our attention but our selection of the Honey-Crisp Apple Crumble, with ice cream and cranberry caramel encapsulated the evening’s fare in a lovely balance.

Charlie Palmer is ideal for Orange County Performing Arts Center patrons who want to complete an evening at the theater with dinner and conversation or for hors d’oeuvres and drinks.  The bar is half priced  for Happy Hour from 4-7 pm and from 10 pm to closing daily.

Also, for New Year’s, Charlie Palmer’s offers a special 7 Course Chef’s Tasting Menu for $105 and Wine Supplement for $65 that includes a Champagne Toast.

 Both restaurant concept and cuisine belong to Chef Charlie Palmer, a frequent guest on NBC’s Today Show and is author four cookbooks. His flagship restaurant in New York, Aureole at the strategic mid-city address, One Bryant Park, is a world renown-dining haven that translates well in our restaurant location here at Orange County’s South Coast Plaza.