Red O - Newport Beach, CA

Red O in Newport Beach has only been open for a few months.  Located at Fashion Island is the perfect setting for this trendy restaurant.

Although Red O is “Mexican Cuisine by Rick Bayless” of Frontera Grill, Topolobampo and Top Chef Masters fame, other than the menu Rick has little do to with the menu.  He has no ownership interest in the restaurant.  In fact, Red O is owned by Mike Dobson and Rick Teasta, founders and owners of EZ Lube.

Walking into Red O is little walking into an episode of the Housewives of Orange County.  There are Bentleys and Ferraris in the valet area, and more plastic surgery patients than could be found at a plastic surgeons convention.

The reception area is rather small, with Mexican tiled floors and bottles of tequila adorning the walls, each with its own little cubby hole.

Complimentary Chamgpagne

Although I had a reservation at 9:00 PM they were running rather late.  Offerings of a complimentary glass of champagne for were gladly accepted.

Once my table was ready, you must almost bull rush your way through the bar area packed with cougars and millionaires.  It’s like watching an episode of Marlin Perkins Wild Kingdom if the episode featured homosapiens.

There are two parts to the dining area, the larger main dining room which is rather loud and energetic and a smaller dining room which is quieter and more conservatively decorated.

After being seated and presented with menus, it took a while for our server to arrive.  She was apologetic as the restaurant was packed.  A complimentary appetizer was offered due to our being seated much later than our reservation time.

Chips & Salsa

Chips and two types of salsas were presented.  The red salsa was reminiscent of ancho chiles, while the green salsa had the acidic notes of tomatillos.  Although good, the salsas were muted in flavor and lacking in salt.

Amuse Bouche

An amuse bouche of jicama, mangoes and pineapples was presented.  Sweet, acidic and starchy the small bit did little to whet my appetite.

Guacamole Tasting

The Tasting of Guacamole ($14) consists of four small samplings of classic, pomegranate-walnut, yuzu and macha guacamoles.  The classic included large chunks of guacamole and was a decent rendition but lacking in salt.  I did not care for the pomegranate-walnut as it was too sweet for my taste.  The yuzu also included shishito peppers and was rather acidic and somewhat sour.  The macha includes arbol chiles and peanuts, but there was little heat from the arbols and the peanuts added a heaviness and could have used some acid to brighten up the flavors.

Chicken Tortilla soup

The Tortilla Soup ($9) was a huge disappointment.  Although presentation is fantastic as you are presented with a bowl that includes tortilla strips, avocado and sour cream while the servers pours the soup into the bowl the taste was just off.  Although the menu indicates that the soup is tomato based, it is very dark in color and tasted like French Onion soup and was riddled with carmelized onions.  It was a fusion soup gone wrong.

Lamb Mole Negro

The Lamb Mole Negro ($29) consists of two double cut lamb chops which are rather thick atop a black mole that was very sweet for my taste.  The lamb was expertly cooked but since I am not a fan of sweet things in savory dishes this was not my favorite.

Tinga Poblana

The Tinga Poblana ($25) contains very tender pieces of pork shoulder and pork belly which has been slowly braised.  It is adorned with a smoky and slightly spicy chipotle sauce, which was very flavorful.  Unfortunately the amount of sauce was negligible and the pork was somewhat bland on its own.  Although there were fried garlic chips, the dish could have used another textural component as everything was sort of soft and mushy.

Cotija Mashed Potatoes

The Cotija Mashed Potatoes ($6) was soft and creamy.  The cotija added little punches of salt.  A definite winner.

Street Corn

The Mexican Street Corn ($7) was a deconstructed version of the usual corn smothered in mayo with cheese and chile.  The corn was grilled on the cob and then sliced off.  The corn milk added a touch of sweetness.  This dish was not too spicy, and the crema was sort of lost flavorwise.  This was a very good dish however.

Tres Leches

The Tres Leches Cake ($10) is a glammed up version of the Mexican classic.  Adorned with caramel and a semi-freddo type concoction nestled between two pieces of cake sprinkled with pomegranates and overflowing with milk this is a pretty substantial dessert.

Service was almost non-existent but was pleasant when we were actually helped.

After receiving our appetizer, nobody came by to check on us.  Empty dishes sat on the table for the better of 25 minutes, while hardly any employees came into the dining room.  The ones that did were setting up for the next day’s service.

After dishes were finally cleared, our server was nowhere to be found.  Another server did notice that we had been sitting there for quite some time with nothing in front of us after our appetizer dishes had been cleared.  She asked us if we wanted to see the dessert menu, but we informed her that we had not received our entrees yet.  After an uncomfortable silence she said that she would check on our food, as well as our server.

My dinner experience at Red O was quite disappointing.  I was really looking forward to dining here as I have been a fan of Rick Bayless for many years.  Unfortunately, service was very poor and the food was mediocre and rather bland.  I was expecting big, bold flavors but the food did not deliver.  I have heard the same thing from several people.  Despite all its misgivings it appears that Red O will continue to flourish thanks to it Housewives of Orange County atmosphere.