Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/65124
ON-PREMISE PATTER Breaking Free from the Chains CRUSH WINE BAR AND BRÜ GRILL BREATHE VIBRANCY INTO THE O.C. by Rich Manning / photos by Leigh Castelli A Brü Grill and Market's cocktails are made with unique spirits such as Death's Door Gin and Old Potrero Whiskey. t first glance, it would appear that Lake Forest, CA eateries Crush Wine Bar and Restaurant and Brü Grill & Market have zero commonality. The former offers wine tasting and fine dining in an elegant setting; the latter is a neighborhood gastropub with a distinctly casual vibe. Yet despite their disparate appearances, both venues share a common goal: to breathe a measure of culinary liveliness into a South Orange County bedroom community whose hilly land- scape has long been dotted with a mosaic of chain restaurants beset with unexcit- ing food and wine programs. It is a bold and noble shared endgame—one that is borne from different inspirations. For Crush's owner and Executive Chef, Albert Constandine, the traditionally pre- pared haute cuisine his venue serves up fills a need that used to be satiated only beyond city borders. "We want our guests to feel like they don't have to go twenty, thirty minutes from here to enjoy the kind of cuisine we offer," he explains. Crush's adherence to classic culi- nary ideals seamlessly translates into their wine program in which legendary producers such as Caymus and Rodney Strong fill their well-stocked shelves and tasting area. Conversely, Brü's envelope-pushing culinary scheme, in which seasonality and progressive flavor combinations are touted, 84 / the tasting panel / may 2012 comes from a decidedly brasher origin. "There's no question that we want our food to shake the community out of their comfort zone a little bit," says Brü's Executive Chef Joseph Gotti. "Fortunately for us, most of our customers have been receptive to what we're trying to do." Their bar program follows suit with this philosophy; local craft beers, boutique wines and singular spirits like Brü Grill and Market's Executive Chef Joseph Gotti oversees a menu designed to get the com- munity to push beyond the familiar trappings of chain restaurants. Crush Wine Bar & Restaurant owner/Executive Chef Albert Constandine brings the kind of haute dining experience that did not exist in Lake Forest. Death's Door Gin and Old Potrero Whiskey rule the day. Ultimately, these differing mindsets have enabled Crush and Brü to infuse a sleepy suburban community with dining options that are not built around a selfsame corporate-driven presence. They may not share a common concept, but there's no question they both strive to achieve a greater gastronomic good.