Searching for THE BEST beef stroganoff in OC

I love beef stroganoff. There’s nothing better than luscious egg noodles coated with a rich tangy beefy sauce to bring comfort to my belly. Moms and grandmas make it all over the country, but it was certainly no easy feat trying to locate the best stroganoff in Orange County. In fact, it wasn’t easy finding it on many restaurant menus, let alone the best ones.

After months of searching, I’m afraid to say, I’ve eaten some pretty awful beef stroganoffs and have only come up with a few I feel I can put into this post. For me, it has everything to do with the sauce which has to possess some form of tartness (traditionally from sour cream) on my palate.

Quinn’s Old Towne Grill — this restaurant has kept the beef stroganoff on its menu for as long as the restaurant’s been in business. The one here is authentic, with mushrooms and sour cream, but was a tad under-seasoned for my salty palate. However, I commend its efforts in keeping with tradition.

Nieuport 17 — in terms of authenticity, this beef stroganoff wins hands down. Chef Greg Moro invited me into the kitchen to watch him create this masterpiece using traditional ingredients such as sour cream, mushrooms, and egg noodles. It is seasoned to perfection and topped with a sprinkling of finely chopped chives. Isn’t it crazy that the two most traditional beef stroganoffs are located in Tustin and only several blocks from each other?

Old Vine Cafe — Chef Mark MacDonald’s version is very tasty, though, not traditional. Shiitake mushrooms add another meaty dimension to this delicious offering and the sprinkling of grated cheese, a lovely salty component.

Savannah Chop House — Chef Chris Tzorin’s not-so-traditional version, possesses a beautiful tartness from grain mustard. The amount of acidity is perfect on my palate and teases with just the right amount of mouth puckering tartness on the tongue.

That’s it for now. If any of you have other suggestions, please let me know and I’ll continue my search and post another piece sometime down the road.