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Today is: Tuesday, December 03, 2024 |
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Balboa Bay Club & Resort Review
On the Bluffs and Beaches of the California coast lies a resort of stunning natural beauty and relaxed luxury. Like an intimate Mediterranean Italian Village, Balboa
Bay Club sprawls over 132-room which is a reminiscent resort of an Italian villa.
Many attractions are only a short distance away, offering surfing, sunning and swimming, is just across the street. Nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the Newport Beach, yet their guests have at their fingertips the most advanced modern conveniences and cutting edge technologies. Their attention to the most minute
detail and their warm, discreet service all evoke the gentility and glamour of
the golden age of Hollywood. This is the essence of Balboa Bay
Club - elegance, understatement, complete serenity.
Ideally located, this luxurious Hotel with its exotic, spacious gardens and long
private beach provides the perfect setting for both business and pleasure.
Offering comfortable accommodation and quality services, this property
is an ideal place for a pleasant and enjoyable vacation.
Rooms and suites are appointed with natural wood finishes paired to rattan furniture, showcasing white plantation shutters, tropical patterned drapes and contemporary
art depicting the beach lifestyle. Marble and granite bathrooms with sunken tubs, magnifying make-up mirrors and picture-window sized beveled glass mirrors
are also an impressive addition. Comfortable beds with crisp white
duvets filled with down and soft throw pillows lure guests to sleep.
Guest Rooms average over 500 square feet and offer alfresco patios with chaise lounges and feature resort, bluff, courtyard, Bay Shore or bay front views. These rooms are available with double or king beds and are located throughout the property.
Suites are located on the second and third floors and offer Bay Shore, courtyard and bay front views and feature comfortable areas for relaxing, separate sleeping quarters and oversized bathrooms. The one bedroom Honeymoon Suite on the second floor offers romantic bay views and a spacious patio perfect for breakfast overlooking the water. The John Wayne Governor’s Suite has an optional adjoining bedroom totaling over 2000 square feet. The Reagan Presidential Suite features a television perched above the Jacuzzi tub for two, oversized walk-in closet, a four-poster bed and a separate patio overlooking the bay off of the master bedroom. The main room includes a grand piano, a dual fireplace and a dining room, all with unmatched
bay views. A second bedroom features a spacious bathroom and there is an
optional adjoining third bedroom for a total of nearly 3,400 square feet.
Spacious guest rooms are well appointed with:
• Remote control color televisions
• Lodgenet satellite television
• Imported personal care amenities including cleansing bars, shampoos/conditioners and soothing hydrating lotion
• Plush cotton robes
• Telephones with in-room voice mail/data ports; high-speed Internet connection
• Digital clock radios
• Refrigerators stocked with refreshments of your choice
• In room safes
• Magnifying make-up mirrors
• Coffee maker with Starbucks coffee and selection of teas
• Hair dryers
• Iron/Ironing boards
• Many with private outdoor patios furnished with comfortable lounge chairs
Room Types:
Standard - Partial bay or bluff view
Courtyard - tropical courtyard views
Bay front - Panoramic bay front view and location
The First Cabin restaurant is the chic destination to dine in Newport Beach. The casually elegant restaurant showcases views of the yacht-filled harbor. Alfresco seating, cozy banquettes and an adjoining bar fashioned in rich mahogany complete
the experience. The waterfront dining room, open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner, highlights innovative California cuisine with a continental flair by Executive Chef Josef Lageder, who hails from Austria. In addition, an
extensive wine list offers the perfect complement to any repast.
Long Island Ice Tea
Famous Mai Tai
An experience at The First Cabin is nothing short of stunning, with talented Executive Chef Josef Lageder’s culinary talents delighting the eyes, nose, and palate. Delicate creations based lonely around a “fusion” theme take seafood to new heights, weaving ingredients together in subtle harmonies. With an emphasis on freshness, the menu is constantly changing, although certain themes thoughtful pairings, light and healthy preparations, and careful attention to detail remain constant.
An intimate and welcoming atmosphere, composed of bold forms, clean lines,
and gentle color, offers a hint of understated elegance; the perfect
stage for Chef Jacob Davis’cuisine to shine.
Stunning. Delicate. Exquisite. I could go on, but then I’d be gushing, and the tastes
and flavors at The First Cabin are something you should really experience for
yourself. The restaurant, a bold and exciting space in the heart of Newport
Beach, has been serving excellent seafood and steaks, although it was a
recent change that triggered my enthusiasm.
My date and I visited The First Cabin on a Saturday and Chef Davis offered to prepare a tasting of several dishes. We eagerly agreed, and were pleased to learn that he eventually plans to introduce tasting menus on a regular basis at The First Cabin.
Seared Sea Scallops Wrapped in Prosciutto
We ordered an aperitif in anticipation of Chef Davis’ meal, then, sipping on a glass
of Martin Ray “Marriage” Chardonnay from Russian River Valley, sat back to
enjoy our surroundings. The dining room was refreshingly intimate, with
curved lines and a modern look that was both sleek and comfortable
with an amazing view to the Marina.
Soft colors swept through the room; while bursts of teal and gold, framed textures on the walls, and colored lights projected onto white-paneled ceilings offered a lively
and playful touch. While we chose to sit inside, the outside patio looked equally inviting, especially the two lush corner booths under the patio’s awning.
The arrival of the first course marked a turning point in our evening, when we went from simply enjoying ourselves to being stunned. The Seared Sea Scallops Wrapped in Prosciutto offered a truly royal commencement of our meal: a plump, commanding scallop sat atop a throne of Sauteed Spoon Leaf Spinach, on a Balsamic Vinaigrette Reduction. The first bite sent us into a world of heightened sensuality, the meat was superb giving way to buttery scallop, both bursting with not only flavors but texture. The Vinaigrette sauce offered the faintest hint of spice and succulence. We
eagerly relished each understatedly complex and savory bite, realizing there
was no turning back this would prove to be an astonishing meal.
Seared Ahi Yellow Fin Tuna
Next, the Seared Ahi Yellow Fin Tuna presented a delicate flavor, accompanied by Lemon Grass scented Hass Avocadoes, Baby Frisee and Seaweed Salad. The thin slivers of Tuna were arranged so carefully on the plate that the dish could have hung on the wall as work of modern art. Each bite seemed refreshing and pure, especially
in contrast to the decadent Seaweed Salad. The brilliance of the dish was the integration, which somehow allowed each ingredient to remain distinct. A bite
of the Tuna was precise offered two simultaneous flavors rather than
melding as one. It was an intentional dichotomy one that intrigued
me long after the dish was taken away.
Black Pearl Caviar
Belgian Endive Salad
The next and final appetizer was the amazing Petrovic Black Pearl Caviar with
all the traditional garnishes and toast points. A wonderful and light choice
that I certainly loved and would return for more, amazing!
Chef Davis sent us a very light and fresh salad the Belgian Endive, with California Citrus Fruit, Roasted Pecans And Creamy Maytag Club Cheese. A great and
light salad that was perfect one to start our selection of entrees.
Broiled Maine Lobster
Our first entrée the Friday and Saturday Night Special Steamed of Broiled Maine Lobster which was impressive even before we took a bite. The colorful dish featured bright pink delicious Lobster accompanied by a side that I order; the Sauteed Whole Cremini Mushrooms. It was a perfect example of the varied influences that seemed
to seep into Chef Davis’s cuisine, combining European and Asian ingredients as
well as modern and classic technique. The Lobster was perfectly tender, along
with the mushrooms, offered a wonderfully complex, almost meaty flavor that
left me wanting more. The mushrooms were juicy and nutty, and the garlic
herb emulsion creamy and bright. The dish was both delicate and rich, subtly combining flavors and tastes so that no one element seemed overpowering.
Crusted Halibut with Crab and vegetables
As if sensing the complexity of the last dish, Chef Davis sent out a soothing, refreshing counterpart: Crusted Halibut with Crab and vegetables, also my guest choice for
side dish was the Steamed Broccoli with Hollandaise Sauce. The dish was
immensely fragrant with aromas of crab. Fragrance was followed by delicateness.
The fish itself was firm with a sweet mild taste that seemed defined by the bold
sweet essence of crabs. Together, the dish tasted wholesome but light, with a mysterious complexity that was at once familiar and exotic.
As our plates were cleared, hints of tastes from our meal still lingered, and I relished the tingling sensation on my tongue. Chef Davis sent out an intermezzo to clear our palates, a melon-ball scoop of house made into an ice cream, bursting with spice
and vanilla and tantalizing our palates with the promise of dessert.
Mango Crème Brulee
Chef Jacob Davis
The dessert itself was a masterpiece; although simply titled Mango Crème Brulee, it was quite intricate. A harmless-looking form of glistening crème brulee sat on the plate, hiding a treasure of delicate flavor inside. A bite was rich with flavors but not heavy or burdensome, a theme that had carried itself throughout our entire meal.
Sunday Champagne Brunch
We left The First Cabin with smiles on our faces, feeling like we had just experienced a delightful surprise. While we had expected a good meal, there was something
about our dining experience that we could not have anticipated. It was just a
detail not the quality, or the service, or the ambiance but some combination
of the Chef Davis enthusiasm; the well thought out intricacies of each dish;
and the lightness and delicateness not only of each element, but of
the combination of elements on the plate.
Sunday Champagne Brunch
Somewhat elusive, it was this that had instilled us with a sense of wonderment,
each dish calling for our full attention so that we explored and delighted in its
subtle complexity. In an increasingly populated sea of restaurants, it is
sometimes the little things that set one apart from the rest. The First
Cabin, we discovered, has emerged from this sea with distinction.
For map and location click Here!
For more information please visit their website at www.balboabayclub.com
Article by: Mary Adams
Photos by: Chris Marx
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