|
|
La
Habra
RESTAURANTS
Cat & the Custard Cup / 2.5*
800 E WHITTIER BLVD, LA HABRA; 562/992-6496 OR 310/694-3812
A steadfast player on the north Orange County dining scene for decades,
Cat & the Custard Cup excels in an admittedly restaurant-lean territory.
Though the place looks and feels like the cozy British country tavern
that its name evokes, the bill of fare here is strictly modern Cal-continental.
But despite its curious choice of name, the setting is relaxed, the serviceis
able, and the cuisine is generally quite good. Starters and salads, such
as the baby greens with red onions, sweet peppers, pecans, and goat cheese
crouton, are appropriately tempting. Fish, meat, and poultry entrees are
simply prepared, then dressed with jazzy sauces and partnered with creative
side dishes. Broiled scallops rest on a crisp potato nest with pecans,
red peppers, chives, and a drizzle of limed brown butter. Crisp roast
duckling has a brandy-port wine-red currant sauce; grilled culotte steak
is accented by port, blue cheese, and four kinds of peppercorns.
Pan-roasted duck breast with a plum-pomegranate sauce is sided with wasabi-spiked
mashed potatoes. An unusually canny selection of wines by the glass adds
appeal. Rustic wood flooring, high brick walls, and a fireplace lounge
create an inviting atmosphere. $$; AE, MC, V; no
checks; dinner every day; full bar; reservations recommended; south of
the Whittier offHwy 57; between N Harbor Blvd and N Euclid St.
|