Recess Room

Sunday. September 17, 2017


The Recess Room in Fountain Valley has been written up in several magazines so it was time to give it a try. www.therecessroom.com .  They were busy at 5:30 on a Sunday night.  Like most new foodie places it was noisy. Large bar area and plenty of dining tables. Used to be a Coco's restaurant. Good wait staff.

I ordered a cocktail because that list was far more intriguing than the wine list. They also had a very good beer list.  Corkage is $15 .  I had a "Smoke and Mirrors" libation.  Whiskey, maple syrup, angostura, pecan bitters and a stick of cinnamon for decoration.  They brought out the drink mixture in a mason jar filled with smoke.  Shook the heck out of it and then poured it into a large old fashioned glass with a very large ice cube. Set the glass on a mirror. Hence the name. Gimmicky but the drink was good and I would order it again.

A beet salad was excellent. Red and gold beets, sultana goat cheese, pistachio powder and a sherry agave vinaigrette. Dressing really made the dish. I would order this again.

Next was Spanish octopus, sous vide for 18 hours. Chorizo, potatoes and candied kumquats. Flavors were there but the octopus was dry. I have had better but also worse but I would not order this dish again.

A fried chicken sandwich , brioche bun, cole slaw, white BBQ sauce.  Chicken was battered, thin, dry and no flavor.  The winner on this dish was the beer battered French fries, They were excellent.

A dish called "Veal Dumplings" was next - not what I was expecting. Small round raviolis, with a tomato sauce, marsala wine, garlic, shallots and crème fraiche.  I think the marsala gave this dish an off putting flavor. Something just didn't seem right.   A couple of pieces of vey tired looking bread, maybe masquerading as garlic bread did nothing to help this dish. This is on the never again list.

I mentioned to the waiter that the Playground in Santa Ana was a favorite of mine. He indicated that the owners of the Recess Room were trying to be similar. But they have a long way to go. Local Fountain Valley boys, wish them the best but.   I will go back and try a few more dishes that I was intrigued by.  Lets hope that I have a better experience.