Irvine, CA

Nouveau French

$30 to $50

Our rating: 2 forks

This David Wilhelm restaurant has managed to replicate the successful formula of the Laguna Beach original and bring it to the burbs. Start with a Kir Royale and enjoy French classics served with American Portions. The best dining advice here is to split portions. Try the Duck two ways, the Fois Gras appetizer, and any of the house made soups. Very good selection of wines. Nice space with good acoustics. The main bar lounge is large and and always busy. Now five locations in Southern California including Laguna Beach, Irvine, Burbank, Century City, and Newport Beach. *My favorite location is the original in Laguna Beach. Great bar. If you visit make sure you check out the Lost World “monkey” ceiling paintings.

French 75

13290 Jamboree Rd. Irvine, CA 92602 Irvine Marketplace, just north of the 5 FWY 714-573-7600

Average Cost Per Person, excluding drinks: $30 to $50

Bar dining, Table seating, Private room, Reservations, Open Every Day, Credit cards, Bar, Exceptional wine list, Snappy Casual, Non-smoking

Lunch: Mon-Fri 5 pm to 9 pm

Dinner: Mon

Tue-Thu 5 pm to 10 pm

Fri 5 pm to 11 pm

Sat 4 pm to 11 pm

Sun 4 pm to 9 pm

What To Order: Happy hour drink and dinner specials

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Royal Oak, MI

Italian

$20 to $30

Our rating: 4 forks

Sometimes you just luck out and dine with the right people at the right time at the right place with the right server. Tonight it all came to together a wonderful spot in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. A suburb of Detroit. What could have been an ordinary Italian meal turned out to be a extraordinary experience. Apps included perfectly done flash fried calamari with zesty marinara sauce and a dish of bruschetta with fresh tomatoes and fresh buffalo mozzarella. The later was served on fresh, hearty hand cut toast with a touch of olive oil, basil and garlic. A tasty white wine flight completed the first courses.

By now we already appreciated the professionalism and guidance of our waiter Brad, but he kicked up the service throughout the rest of the meal with intuitiveness and guidance seldom experienced by me. Let me explain. A friend and I were discussing the idea of one of us getting the lamb chops with basil pesto risotto, creamy basil sauce and marinated oranges and the other getting the chili rubbed Ahi tuna with basmati rice and arugula salad. Almost forgetting to order salads, we decided to order family style and choose the arugula salads with Laura Chanel chevre and an order of the green beans with a salad of mixed greens. Our waiter Brad surprised us with stealthily serving small plates of each salad to each diner. Additionally, he produced plates with equal portions of lamb chops and ahi on each.

Featuring a great wine list with a selection of half bottles, and varieties by the glass, D'amato's is a great space with great food and wonderful service. Enjoy!

Alternate spellings: Damatos D’amatos

D'Amato's Restaurant

222 S Sherman Dr Royal Oak, MI 48067 Near 11 Mile and Washington (248)584-7400

Average Cost Per Person, excluding drinks: $20 to $30

Table seating, Patio, Reservations, Credit cards, Exceptional wine list, Snappy Casual, Smoking, Entertainment, Catering

Dinner: Mon-Wed 5 pm to 10 pm

Dinner: Thu-Sat 5 pm to 11 pm

Dinner: Sun 4 pm to 9 pm

What To Order: Featured wine flights - a great value

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