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Not our usual neighborhood- but when a trip to the outlets turns out to be a bust, we make up for it with an early-in-the-week date night. We got to see Dana Harbor with the Christmas decorations and lights and boy what a treat. We chose Gemmell’s because of the decor and French-based menu. The restaurant was rather empty for being prime dinner time. It took a couple of minutes to get seated and overall I would say service was leisurely. We didn’t care we were enjoying the evening. The steak was good, but meaculpa ordered medium. I believe in no steak beyond medium rare, but for some reason, I messed up today. The sauce was really tasty and the softened peppercorns gave a good bite. Wine, creme brule, smoked salmon, and espresso are all good, but the runaway star was the Chicken Elizabeth that Wifey ordered. The chicken was super tender and what made French cuisine was the sauces. Enjoyed ourselves and gave into the moment.
We needed a spot to meet that was about halfway between Long Beach and San Diego. Dana Point is always nice, and I picked Gemmell's based on some of the comments. WOW... The outside of the restaurant isn't very impressive, but the meal was fantastic. I started with the escargots - the menu says it best - "Farm raised Helix snails, sautéed with garlic, shallots, mushrooms and diced ham, in a rich burgundy sauce". Outstanding - the snails were tasty, and the burgundy sauce with the finely diced pieces of ham, mushrooms, garlic, and shallots was amazing. It will be hard to go back to plain butter escargots after this. My wife had the Chef Byron's smoked salmon appetizer - lots of thinly-sliced salmon with capers, lemon, and toast points. I had a bite and it was very tasty. The toast points were very light and airy - almost like biting into foam. My sister and I also shared the pate canard - also with toast points and aspic. Delicious! For our salad course, I had the wilted spinach - baby spinach leaves in a flambeed bacon dressing. WOW - we all agreed that I won that round. The spinach and dressing was rich and flavorful. My wife had the lobster bisque and said it was the best she had tasted. I tasted it and agreed that it was truly rich and full of lobster flavor. My sister passed on the salad/soup course - saving room for dessert later. For our main courses, I had the scallops. From the menu - "Eastern Sea Scallops sautéed in Garlic champagne butter sauce, vegetables and rice". The garlic champagne butter sauce perfectly accented the scallops, and the rice gave a break to the richness of the scallops and sauce. My wife had the chicken crepe (chicken and mushrooms sauteed and wrapped in a crepe) and I think I will have that next time - it had a great flavor and texture. The crepe texture with the chicken and mushroom pieces was a perfect mix. My sister had the "Chicken Elizabeth" - from the menu - "Fresh Tender chicken breast sautéed with artichoke hearts, garlic and gulf shrimp, In a citrus chardonnay sauce vegetables and rice". Another winner. Finally, for dessert, my wife had the Creme Brulee - served in a large ramekin with artistically arranged strawberries and blueberries. Again, she raved about the flavor. I had the blueberry tart, and my sister had the Meyer lemon tart - both were delicious and not too heavy. Prices were quite reasonable (actually lower than we would have expected for the quality of the food and the presentation). We are already planning on coming back. Even though it is an hour's drive from our home in San Diego, it is definitely worth the trip. This may be one of the best French restaurants in Southern California.
We were meeting family halfway between San Diego and Marina Del Rey and this place looked good. I got Sand Dabs with vegetables, my wife got Cappelini alla Checca and the family shared the Calamari Steak. Everything was delicious and the portions are generous. The server was very friendly and helpful. There is a huge parking lot so parking is not an issue. The prices are typical for this quality of restaurant in this area.
This is a true gem. It’s a small, family business. The food is absolutely amazing. The service is normally super, but on the rare occasion, it can be slow when too busy. Julian is a mainstay and at times a one man show; having been there for years; offering wonderful libations and service. Normally, it is pretty mellow and not a problem. The ambiance is special. I love it. GenXer’s, Millennials and Boomers alike will feel as if they stepped back to the 80’s. A hip, “happening” place it is not. Everything else about it obviates any need for scene!
I had a lovely dinner there with family while I was visiting in Laguna Niguel. The restaurant still had their Christmas lights & decor up which made it very cozy & festive. My Chicken Picatta was divine as were the other menu items my group ordered. I am devastated that this restaurant will be demolished with the new development.