🇺🇸 Irvine Food｜Birthday Week Review: 3 Affordable Fine-Dining Spots

My birthday week was all about eating! Here’s my take on three carefully chosen restaurants: 1️⃣ Sushi K’s Bistro — Costa Mesa 💲 $220 for two We both agreed this was totally worth it. We chose the $100/person omakase — not overly filling, but satisfying. The sushi was excellent, especially the eel and sweet shrimp. The matcha ice cream at the end was a highlight! The couple next to us had the $150 menu with abalone — looked amazing. One downside: We went on a Friday night — super busy. Our chef served two couples at once, so there were long waits between courses. But the chef made up for it by gifting us two extra scallops after hearing I wanted to try them ❤️ 2️⃣ Marche Moderne — Newport Beach 💲 $200 for two An old-money French spot with high expectations. The bone marrow was incredible — crispy, rich, with a delicious secret sauce. Scallops were also good with creative seasoning. But two dishes were disappointing: New Zealand oysters (server-recommended) were tiny and not fresh — felt like they were pushing old stock 😬 Duck pasta was overly sour with odd combos like chicken leg and cured meat — not Chinese-tummy-friendly. Left feeling a bit let down. 3️⃣ Yuzu Japanese Sushi Bar 💲 $180 for two The “Beauty Roll” uses crab stick instead of rice — basically zero calories 😂 Scallop & uni roll had a weird sour seasoning I didn’t get. But the Truffle Tuna California Roll — SO GOOD!!! Crispy truffle chips + seared tuna = perfection 🍣 Wagyu sushi came with a smoky dome — very Instagrammable. Skip the squid legs — sour and not tasty. Felt a bit overpriced since rolls are the main event here — not ideal if you’re a carb lover like me. #Foodie #NoCompromiseMeals #Irvine #IrvineEats #NewportBeach #CostaMesa #California 🎉🍣