Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/205467
IRVINE: A MIXOLOGIST'S GAME PLAN recipes by Ryan McGraw, Bar Manager, Marché Moderne, Costa Mesa, CA CAPITAL SEAFOOD AT THE IRVINE SPECTRUM Allan Tea and his brother James have brought Cantonese cuisine into the 21st century with Capital Seafood, the glamorousyet-cool dining spot in the bustling Irvine Spectrum. The Spectrum is almost a city itself, with 130 venues: specialty shops, restaurants, movie theatres, a giant Ferris wheel and a carousel. What makes Capital stand out is its Hong Kong–trained chefs and fresh seafood flown in from all over the world. While Allan and James grew up in their parents' family restaurant business, they made Capital their own, experimenting with dim sum and other Asian dishes that bring a new era to their menu. "I love to experiment with food and drink," Capital Seafood co-owner Allan Tea explains Tea, also a home with a live Alaskan king crab. chef, who just returned from a whirlwind dining research trip in New York. "I managed to go to 30 restaurants in seven days." GAME PLAN: Create a signature cocktail to fit the Cantonese-style cuisine. GOAL: Add unique Asian ingredient. RESULTS: The Lychee Martini fits the bill. "We work closely with our distributor partners," admits Tea, who worked with Mindy Pantus Unverferth from American Wine & Spirits to create the Purity Lychee Martin. "Purity has character and flavor, texture and a round mouth feel," he points out. "This is just what we want for the house cocktail: the Purity Lychee Martini." Ryan McGraw Nopales Desert Rose ◗ 2 oz. Purity Vodka ◗ ½ oz. agave nectar ◗ ½ cactus pear (pealed) ◗ ½ Key lime ◗ Tajin salt (zesty, slightly spicy salt) ◗ In a shaker muddle the cactus pear with the agave nectar and Key lime. Add Purity Vodka and ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a Martini glass rimmed with Tajin salt. (Caution: Prickly pear cactus can still have small spines even though they look clean. Also, the inside pulp contains small black seeds that are rock hard and can cause chipped teeth. Sometimes double straining is necessary!) The Purity Lychee Martini ◗ 2 oz. Purity Vodka ◗ 1½ oz. fresh lychee juice ◗ Splash of simple syrup ◗ Shake well and serve in a Martini glass. Garnish with a lychee skewer. 56 / the tasting panel / november 2013 TP1113_034-65.indd 56 10/24/13 9:19 AM