Wolfgang Puck Bistro
3333 Bristol Street
Macy’s South Coast Plaza
Costa Mesa, California 92626
(714) 556-0611
wolfgangpuck.com

Ordered:
Wild Mushroom Bruschetta
Roasted Ruby Beet and Goat Cheese Salad
Tandoori-style Chicken
Bacon-wrapped Meatloaf
L’ Estandon Rosé
Bex Riesling

Review:
First, I’d like to apologize for the dark pictures. This stop was completely on the fly, and I did not have my digital camera on me.

Wandered into Wolfgang Puck Bistro a few Mondays ago while on an excursion at the South Coast Plaza. I had never eaten there before it closed for renovations (too young and no money), but was curious to see what the modern makeover looked like. I strolled in about an hour before closing. Several tables on one side of the restaurant were occupied. For some reason, they sat me on the other side of the place behind a wall… ha. But it was nice.

Here was where I sat.

Interior 1:

Here was where everyone else sat.

Interior 2:

There were several cool wine racks in the dining room, tucked away from the direct light of the windows. The wine list was limited, so I wasn’t sure if these bottles were mainly for show. If they were, it was a nice decorative touch. If they weren’t, it was an efficient use of space.

Wine rack:

The new place was very contemporary. Lots of angles, clean lines, whites, and woods. There were several large pictures of Wolfgang Puck on the walls. I wondered what it was like to be so famous that you could just hang photos of yourself up in a restaurant and call it art.

First came a basket of House Bread – essentially pieces of parmesan herb crackers. One piece was stale, the other fine.

House Bread:

Next was wine. We ordered a glass of Rosé and a glass of Bex Riesling. Our waiter recommended the Bex as his favorite.

L’ Estandon Rosé and Bex Riesling:

When we ordered wine, we still had no idea what to eat. In retrospect, I should have picked something more citrusy for my Tandoori-Style Chicken. The Rosé was fine, but definitely lacked a level of depth which left me unsatisfied. Like the Bex Reisling, it tasted flat and a bit washed out. At $7 dollars a glass, the wines were a decent deal.

We got the Wild Mushroom Bruschetta as an appetizer. It was not my choice, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Wild Mushroom Bruschetta (Sautéed Mushrooms, Parmesan, Mozzarella, Toasted Baguette):

he dish only consisted of 3 pieces of bruschetta. It was a pretty simple appetizer. I enjoyed the chunky slices of mushroom and the mozzarella cheese, which melted perfectly and was not rubbery at all. Tasty morsels, but were they worth $2 dollars a slice? I made a mental note to steal this idea for my next get-together. $5.95

The Tandoori-Style Chicken arrived, and the portion was BIG! 2 to 3 meals easily!

Tandoori-Style Chicken (Griddled Glatbread, Cucumber-Mint Raita):

The dark photo may lead you to believe that this chicken was burned, but it was definitely not. Of course, I didn’t think it was cooked in a tandoori oven (more like a rotisserie), but it certainly bared resemblance to the traditional Punjabi dish. Very moist and tangy, caked with a good amount of chili powder, cumin, tumeric, and lime.

I enjoyed the butter lettuce and chopped onions. The raita tasted fine, but was quite watery. $14.95

Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf (Mashed Potatoes, Port Wine Sauce, Crispy Onion Strings):

The Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf was probably our least favorite dish. It was not bad, but – as is often with meatloaf – we should have made it at home and not ordered it in a restaurant. Meatloaf is usually not one of those things that can be perfected one serving at a time, so of course ours came in a patty. Tons of mashed potatoes and the port wine sauce was good, though. Still, we wouldn’t order it again. $14.95

I will come here again in another couple months when they revamp the menu to include several signature WP favorites. Food is good to fair, service is friendly from servers and bus people alike. Our waiter was still in training and never took our order for the Roasted Ruby Beet & Goat Cheese Salad. But by the time we realized this, we were too full to care.

Rating:
7 out of 10 spoonfuls

Value:
$$