Gemmell's Awards

Gemmell's Restaurant Review:

Chef-owner Byron Gemmell is a rather underrated restaurateur in South Orange County. His French-based nouvelle cuisine is light and flavorful; his recipes use less butterfat without sacrificing any richness of texture, though sensitive palates are likely to find the fare here a bit heavy on the salt and spices. Nevertheless, this lovely Dana Point Harbor restaurant provides a pleasant dining experience and draws an upscale crowd. While the menu changes seasonally and there are different specials every day, guests can usually expect to find an appetizer of house-smoked wild salmon or pâté de canard, and mains such as roast duck in a dark rum and banana liqueur sauce, oven-roasted rack of lamb and fresh seafood. The French-centric dessert menu is highlighted by a trio of soufflés, and the wine list has plenty of French labels listed, although more than half of the selections are of the domestic variety. At lunch, offerings have more of a contemporary California feel. There's also a reasonable business lunch menu for local power players.