90 Pacifica Restaurant & Wine Bar

90 Pacifica Restaurant & Wine Bar Restaurant Review:

This restaurant’s somewhat obscure location can be tricky to find even for Irvine residents --- it’s situated one mile west of the Irvine Spectrum in a DoubleTree, just off a seldom-used stretch of the 133 Freeway. Still, it’s worth discovering, as its array of contemporary cuisine gives the expected conventions of a chain hotel restaurant a nice nudge. Start the meal with a wild blue lump crab cake or a stack of ahi poke with blackened seaweed. The Niçoise salad with blackened seared ahi, haricots vert, grilled tomatoes and basil vinaigrette does a good job of highlighting the restaurant's commitment to fresh ingredients and balanced flavors. Mains run from hotel-friendly burgers and sandwiches to slightly elevated fare like roasted seared salmon with dried fruit quinoa and pea purée and grilled flat-iron steak with roasted garlic jus. Desserts are highlighted by the blueberry basil crème brûlée. Business types flock to 90 Pacifica for a pre-meeting breakfast or power lunch, or cozy up to the bar for a post-meeting cocktail or a selection from the surprisingly good wine list.