Eat (and drink) your greens at this new Costa Mesa restaurant
In Southern California, verde is a word that might not need translation, but it’s Spanish for the word “green” and also the name of a new restaurant concept from partners Koire Rogers and Anthony Laborin. The name, like the restaurant, is multilayered, and Laborin said a few things led the business partners to land on it.
“We are on the corner of Mesa Verde and Irvine, and we wanted to pay homage to the area specifically,” said Laborin. “We are also big wine guys, and in terms of wine, verde is a reference to the style of wine. It means new wine; it means young, fresh, vibrant. We wanted to make sure that was incorporated into the name as well.”
Verde officially opened on Nov. 15 at 2675 Irvine Ave., Suite D1 in Costa Mesa within the Ranch at Newport Bay shopping center on the East Side. The venue is two stories, with the upper level dedicated to dining with 70 seats and fern-colored walls.
Rogers and Laborin both spent time working at the Farmhouse at Roger’s Gardens under the direction of chef/owner Rich Mead, and they have continued their commitment to sustainability and seasonally sourced ingredients at Verde. Executive chef Paula Balderrama, who previously worked at Orange County restaurants Pizzeria Mozza, Folks Pizzeria and Puesto, has created a vegetable-focused menu that is casual yet elegant.
“At Verde, we’re honoring California’s incredible seasonal produce by letting each ingredient speak for itself,” Balderrama said in a statement.
A dish of broccolini is charred enough to be crispy but still bright green and tender, dressed simply in mustard grain and sherry and studded with confit garlic. Roasted pickled carrots are sweet and only slightly soft, maintaining their crunch. The carrots are dressed in a creamy verde sauce with hints of cumin and finished with their own tops, which have been fried into a tasty, spindly garnish. Salads are full of seasonal veggies like the fall gem lettuce filled with delicate squash and dressed in chartreuse green goddess dressing. The fall verde curry is a vegetarian green curry, filled with hearty potato, mushroom, squash, broccolini and carrots spiced with ginger.
There is meat too, but green remains the theme. The rib-eye cap is served in an anchovy herb butter, and the salmon is served with romesco, sweet peppers and corn in verde oil. Even the cheeseburger, served with confit onions and house pickles on a potato bun gets verde sauce. For the seafood stew, Balderrama abandons the expected spicy red broth for an herbaceous white wine sauce tinted green and bright with dill.
“When Paula came on board, we gave her our ideas and then she did her own thing and the seafood stew is a good example — that is her dish and it is an incredible dish,” said Laborin. “It also has a sentimental value for her because it is dish that her and her dad shared. There is a lot of love in that dish.”
The bar program, under Laborin’s direction, features a wine list of Old World and local wines, and of course, vinho verde, Portugal’s green wine known for its acidity, effervescence and lower alcohol level.
“Stylistically, that is young wine, very fresh and meant to be consumed early,” said Laborin.
Green is present in the cocktail menu too, in ingredients like spiced pear, dill and green chartreuse.
Downstairs, Bar Verde has a different vibe, dark and moody with armchairs and booths upholstered in hunter green leather and a gallery wall of interesting artwork.
“It is really homey because most of the pieces here are either from my house or Koire’s house,” said Laborin. “His aunt and uncle donated some pieces too, so it is every much a home away from home for us.”
Besides wine and cocktails, Bar Verde will feature elevated bar bites in the 40-seat lounge. A 16-person banquet table is available for large parties.
Laborin said he envisions the bar space being used by diners in tandem with the restaurant.
“Some people will start down here and get a little cheese and charcuterie before they head upstairs, and then I have seen people finish upstairs and come down for a drink,” said Laborin. “I am hoping that is what constantly happens because I really do think it is special to experience both spaces.”
Verde will be open for lunch and dinner Monday through Sunday from11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Bar Verde will be open Tuesday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to midnight. Laborin said he hopes people will come and be surprised.
“I want people to come in expecting one thing but leave with a fresh take on a new dining experience,” Laborin said.
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