Tonight, I was in the mood for some casual dining, and the perfect restaurants for just that are gastropubs. Gastropubs are bars with unique food and complex drinks. It feels like gastropubs really put a lot of thought and care into developing their menu items.
I checked out a tavern restaurant in Newport Beach called the SideDoor first and had their Pear Sour and some small bites. The Pear Sour was a fruity spin on a whiskey sour, but made with pear brandy instead. I always appreciate whenever sours are topped with foamed egg whites.
For food, I chose the lamb empanadas and the Stilton potato chips. The empanadas were really flaky and delicate, with a mild, comforting flavor. They went well with the Stilton potato chips, which had more of a strong, but not overpowering, blue cheese flavor.
Next up was a place called Dublin 4 Gastropub in Mission Viejo. I loved the waiter – he shook my hand and had an Irish accent! It seemed that the Irish coffee was the restaurant's signature cocktail, so I decided to order that, even though I don't even like coffee. I ended up being really happy with my pick though. It was warm and comforting, with homemade whipped cream on top.
The last dish of the night was the Wild White Shrimp, served with thyme polenta and paprika butter. I was already so full by this point, but I enjoyed this dish nonetheless. The shrimp was perfectly cooked and the polenta was flavorful and creamy, and a perfect compliment to the shrimp.
