Content area
Full Text
EXECUTIVE DINING
This column has been beamed to you from the Big Apple. We are here again, doing some nostalgic things, saying hello to a few restaurateurs and chefs and just enjoying the energy of it all.
It's been three years since I had a peek at the restaurant scene in Manhattan. This time, I've been concentrating on smaller, but wellrespected restaurants, rather than the highticket places. I'll share my experiences with you after I get home.
Before we left Southern California, we were in serious need of a break from dress-up dining. A suggestion from Business Journal Publisher Richard Reisman was perfectly timed.
He mentioned the casual aspects of Trabuco Oaks Steakhouse, which was all it took for us to get together for a few hours of down-home relaxation and good food, not to mention serious cocktails.
Trabuco Oaks Steakhouse is a legendary out-of-the-way place where pretension does not exist. It opened in 1968 as a snack bar to serve campers at O'Neill Regional Park and residents of Trabuco Canyon.
The snack bar evolved into a restaurant that served very straightforward food for dinner. When Steve Nordek bought the restaurant years ago, he really got serious about putting out a good meal at a decent price.
And, since he liked wine, he paid plenty of attention to putting together a wine list that matches the meat entrees for...