Pinot Provence for special occasion dates

The Patina group of restaurants are known for their excellence in food and service and Pinot Provence is no exception.  If you're thinking of a stay-cation or a weekend hideaway, you might consider this Costa Mesa restaurant which is located on the ground floor of the Westin South Coast Plaza Hotel. Want a personal vacation away from the humdrum life? Take time to meditate on high class cuisine.

Dress in a tux; get on your best cocktail dress even if it is a second-hand hand-beaded find. Pinot Provence can provide the perfect setting for an escape to inner and outer elegance.

While the menu selection seems small it does feature seasonal ingredients and everything is prepared exceptionally well.

For a starter, try the Pinot Caesar ($9). It's one of the best Caesar salads around. Here they use a real high-quality anchovy.  It's amazing how much that changes the salad and so sad that it's seldom done. The lettuce is crisp and while the overall effect is tangy and salty, you can balance this out with the main dish. If you're still a bit squimish about eating a whole fish, you can easily remove it or decide just how much is enough since the sliver of fish is set on top.

Lovers of duck will want to order the pan-roasted duck breast ($29). You have to love fat because this perfectly roasted piece of meat comes in a roll with about a quarter inch of fat uniformly layered around it. The skin is crisp and the chestnut fondue compliments the savory flavors of the duck nicely.  A slightly sweet asparagus and apricot chutney round out the dish. We'd like to try pan-roasting sometime, but could we come up with something this spectacular? Doubtful.

You also can't go wrong with the roasted Lock Duart salmon ($27).  The salmon is almost magical with a very crispy skin over a delicately roasted filet--moist, flaky and delicious.  The salmon square is complimented with cauliflower purée, caramelized cauliflower, marcona almonds, golden raisins, vadouvan curry giving each bite a fantastic variety of flavors. Who knew that cauliflower could taste so good?

Of course, you must save room for dessert. The classic crème brulée ($9) is silkiness under the crisp layer of golden burnt sugar, topped with the most exquisite blackberries and blueberries. They must hand pick those berries because each one was perfect.

If you're looking for something to more refreshing try the sorbets ($6): one scoop each of pear, mango and lychee.  They might look blandly beige, but forget about the subtle colors. The taste is anything but boring. All the flavors are good but the best is lychee.

We went on a Sunday night, making reservations, but you might not need to as the room wasn't particularly crowded the night we went. Perhaps the brunch, where many of the same items appear, is more popular on Sundays. Take time a vacation to elegance.