I wasn’t sure what I’d find when my friend Austin of The Hungry Dogg blog asked me along to dinner one night at Silver Trumpet. Truth is, I had only recently heard about its existence but not much else other than it was in Costa Mesa. After visiting the website, I was quite impressed with Chef Robert Biebrich’s resume and was looking forward to dining here.
The restaurant is decorated with various musical instruments throughout the inside dining room. An outdoor patio is also available overlooking a lake.
After perusing the menu and a table-side visit from Chef Robert, we decided to leave our meal in his hands which ended up being a Four Course Tasting Menu ($55) of various menu items. I have listed the a la carte prices of the dishes for your reference.
Amuse bouche of fennel and leek soup with popcorn garnish was a nice start to the meal. The creamy soup was tasty but I couldn’t detect any fennel or leek flavors. The popcorn added a textural component to its rich silkiness giving it a whimsical touch if you will.
Our first course of Sauteed Sea Scallop ($27) is to-die-for. I love scallops and when cooked to perfection like this is makes me weak at the knees. Perfectly seared on the outside and tender on the inside, a cauliflower puree (cream), crispy house-cured pancetta and cipollini onion accompanied.
The minute I put our next course of Local Halibut ($24) in my mouth I knew Chef was a super-star. I’ve been trying to stay away from halibut of late because 99% of the time it’s not cooked right. Basted in herbs with a puree of Weiser Farms Nantes carrots — delicious even though I don’t like cooked carrots — marinated artichokes and roasted trumpet mushrooms, the fish was not the least bit dry and well seasoned. I was blown away at how spot-on this dish was.
Iberico Ham ($25) was a special treat of the evening. The restaurant had just gotten it in and it was available to offer to us. The black pig meat had a strong meaty flavor and only a little bit of salt was used to season it allowing its natural taste to shine. I’d only had cured Iberico ham before so this was definitely a huge treat. You can also enjoy it as an appetizer for $16, but of course, when you’re lucky to visit on an evening when it is available.
I wasn’t sure I’d like Short Rib Bourgoignon ($24) because everyone seems to be putting it on the menu and I felt it was really over-played. However, I should’ve had more faith in Chef from the dishes we’d already enjoyed. The meat was fork tender and decadent. Potato puree, lardon, root vegetables and a horseradish gremolata paired well together.
I would’ve been happy to have stopped here since my stomach was really full but we had to try something from the dessert menu and Hedgehog ($9) was just the thing to stave your chocolate cravings. This was basically a huge chocolate truffle with liquid caramel and malt and a chocolate lover’s dream!
Artisanal cheese plate ($14) was more my thing and although I couldn’t tell you which cheese Chef presented us with, I can say it was the ideal way to complete the meal. The fig jam was addictive and I would’ve liked a jar of it for my breakfast in the morning, but on the cheese, it was heavenly!
Silver Trumpet surprised and impressed me. They also offer complimentary parking for up to 3 hours in the self-parking adjacent to the restaurant. This is truly a hidden gem in every sense of the word!
Silver Trumpet
at The Wyndham Hotel
3350 Avenue of the Arts
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Tel: 714-442-8591
That’s a meal right up my alley!! I’ll have to put it on my CA list! Thanks!