Just off the 5 at an innovative little shopping complex called Kaleidoscope is a dynamic eatery called Riptide Sushi! But Riptide is much more than your run-of-the-mill sushi joint.
What makes them so unique?
Try a suave underwater décor that integrates all the best in modern multimedia, nightly Teppan Grill shows, and a custom Harley built by none other than the world famous crew at OC Choppers. Combine that with award winning food and primo libations not available anywhere else and what you have is not a restaurant, but a destination!
Chow NCOIC had the pleasure of stopping by Riptide this week as a part of our celebration of OC Restaurant Week which runs through tomorrow night.
True to their form, Riptide presents a unique aberration of the common three course prix fixe menu in which an adult beverage including beer, wine, or a premium martini usurp the standard dessert option offered by most other Restaurant Week participants.
Our crew of two was seated in a quiet section near the rear of the house at a high-backed booth that afforded a lot of privacy and also a great view of the Chopper and of large monitors that were playing an eclectic mix of music videos spanning the last 40 odd years of popular music. To our left was a waterwall etched with Riptide’s brand that really aided the continuity of the underwater motif.
We were presented at first with their regular menu which almost had us swayed, but we were here for restaurant week and had to stick to our guns. That meant that first up was their ingenious cocktail course. Now you could go for a draft beer or house wine but let’s be honest here a cocktail just gives you more bang for your buck! Being limited to the selections available on the “martinis” section of their cocktail menu we decided on a Pineapple Cosmo and a Blue Lagoon.
The Pineapple Cosmo totally delivered and was just what you were hoping for in a cosmo with the added and I must admit refreshing addition of pineapple. The drink overall was very true to form and the addition of the pineapple did not serve to over sweeten it as might suspect it would.
The other cocktail we sampled was the Blue Lagoon, a sweetly stiff combination of Three Olives Citron, Hypnotiq, pineapple juice, and an ambiguous ingredient called “Tropical Island Blue” that proved sexier than Brooke Shields in the movie of the same name. Our only regret was that our drink lacked the Hypnotiq Rock Candy Stir Stick that was promised on the menu.
The food more than made up for this excusable omission though. Our choices for appetizers were the Bacon-Wrapped Prawns and the Fire-Roasted Artichoke.
The prawns were a bit on the small side and honestly were more of a big shrimp than the true prawn that we are used to getting at other establishments that serve a similar iteration of this dish. The flavors absolutely made up for what they lacked in size though. Each of our 6 “prawns” were wrapped in thick slices of well-cooked, crunchy bacon that was dusted with a spicy seasoning. In the center sat a ball of sticky rice and the plate was drizzled with a Dijon honey mustard. The combination of these two items really helped to tone down the heat factor and left a pleasing peppery flavor with a hint of sweetness as ones overall take away from the dish. Neither of us, in all our experience as foodies have ever thought to pair white sticky rice with honey Dijon mustard before but we shouldn’t have been so surprised to find out that rice paired well with yet another condiment. We strongly recommend you try this combo at home even if you are not able to make it in to Riptide.
The fire-roasted artichoke is also deserving of its time in the spotlight. Though Riptide is composed of many elements that lead to it being such a great place to eat, one thing is abundantly clear. For a sushi restaurant someone in the kitchen sure knows how to roast them an artichoke. Ours was done perfectly (not too soft or too rubbery) and had an excellent flavor bursting from thick “meaty” petals. Three dipping sauces including melted butter, a wonderfully tangy aioli, and a mayo that smacked of citrus helped us make short work of this masterfully served artichoke.
After these amazing appetizers, we had high hopes for our entrée course and we were anything but disappointed when they came. For myself I had chosen the a 10oz filet mignon covered in crispy panko crumbs, a generous amount of bacon bits, and crumbled bleu cheese that is served with grilled broccolini.
The above dish may sound an odd one to encounter at a place with sushi in the name but that just goes to show you that Riptide’s offerings are much more than you would expect. Normally such a diverse menu can negatively impact a restaurants operations and ultimately the overall food quality but Riptide somehow, pulls it off all the while making it look easy.
My dining companion opted on the Hawaiian Ahi for her main meal, and I am sad to report that it was only when our plates arrived that I realized I had made a terrible choice in ordering my mouthwatering BACON TOPPED slab of filet mignon. Had I known the Ahi would have been so out-of-this-world it definitely would’ve been choice as well.
What graced her plate was one of the most supremely seasoned and elegantly cooked pieces of Ahi I have tasted in some time. The wasabi soy aioli really set the whole dish off and it was complemented nicely by expertly done asparagus spears that were thick, crisp, and provided amazing flavor.
The whole meal was truly over and above our expectations. There were certainly no ‘to-go’ bags accompanying us home from this trip.
OC Restaurant Week runs through tomorrow March 7th. Riptide will be open tomorrow from 11am for breakfast until 11pm for you late nighters! They also have a $15 prix fixe lunch menu that you can take advantage of in addition to the $40 prix fixe dinner menu. If you can’t make it for restaurant week make plans to get to Riptide Sushi soon because you really have no idea what you’re missing if you don
OC Restaurant Week – Riptide Sushi Menu
OC Restaurant Week Homepage
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