Eddie V's Prime Seafood — Restaurant in Newport Beach

This is quite possibly the finest dining experience of my life. Which is saying a lot. I have eaten at Club 33. I have eaten at Hell's Kitchen. I have enjoyed fine dining in Europe...

I was looking for a nice place to bring my wife for date night, and saw plenty of good reviews from multiple sites, so I decided to try Wildfish. It helped that it is part of Darden, and she loves Seasons 52. It was a surprise for her, meaning I wouldn't tell her where were going. As we arrived she was very dismissive, as she said, "We're going to Wildfish?!" in the same way as if we pulled up to McDonalds. Maybe a little understandable due to it's location, next to an Islands, Chipotle, and Panera, rather than a higher rent part of Newport Beach.

So we are seated, everyone is incredibly polite and attentive, addressed us at every encounter as Mr [Lastname] or Mrs [Lastname]. Our waiter Manuel was very knowledgeable about the offerings and was always there when we needed something, but not constantly hovering or coming up to ask how everything is just as you take a bite.

So for the food...

We started with appetizers, the Crispy Salt and Pepper Shrimp and the Saint Andre Cheese. In my opinion both were to die for. The shrimp are a little on the spicy side for those who are concerned with such things, but I loved it. The cheese was amazing.

Second course, I had the Lobster Bisque, which was presented with lobster in a very hot bowl, then the bisque is poured from a copper pot into the bowl. I really appreciate this, as the soup did not go immediately cold. Decadent perfection. My wife got the Iceberg BLT Salad which they chopped for her. The BLT comes with Maytag Bleu Cheese, her second favourite bleu, and when I saw that on the menu, that was a deciding factor in the selection of this restaurant.

Main course, I had the Hong Kong style Chilean Sea Bass, it was light and flakey, perfectly prepared with a soy/miso broth. My wife enjoyed the Georges Bank Scallops with citrus. I preferred mine and she preferred hers, but in all honesty both were excellent. We did order a side, but it really wasn't necessary, for the record it was the Truffled Mac & Cheese, it was good, but did not add to the experience. It was a little out of place for our entreés, maybe some advice Manuel could've offered.

For desert, I had the Pineapple Foster flambé which is raved about and she had the Panna Cotta. OH MY GOD I thought we had died and gone to Heaven. Both were spectacular. The Panna Cotta was simply divine, sweet then salty in the end. I ended up bringing half of mine home and my sons' girlfriends devoured it before the boys could get a bite.

As for the ambiance, I was a little taken back at how loud it was inside, I realise that is the architectural design of restaurants now. I so much more enjoyed when restaurants had high backs and walls, but for some reason the open floorplan is the way to go. We were seated next to the wine walk-in, as far from the bar as possible, and still it was quite loud. I would honestly prefer if the bar were partitioned off completely and the happy hour party contained, if they even really need a bar... This is true of Seasons 52 as well... I realise alcohol is a big money maker, but would prefer it not infringe on the fine dining atmosphere.

We cannot wait to return, next time I am looking forward to the...

Last night we had an amazing dinner at Eddie V's! Here's the run down...

The vibe is elegant, yet exciting... the waiters are dressed in a way that makes you feel like you're fancy, but not "stuffy". The lighting and decor are perfect for date night or birthday dinners! Our Waiter was Doug... he gave us an overview of the menu, told us his favorites and described the dishes really well. He came to check on us, but didn't bombard us which was appreciated.

Our first set of drinks: The Hope Diamond and Perfect Patron Margarita Both were very good! The Hope Diamond wasn't too sweet and was oh so pretty! The margarita was quite good.. we usually try everyone's margaritas to compare to our favorite (Cha Cha's) and this one came pretty close!

Appetizers: Kung Pao Calamari and the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake Man oh man! These were delicious! We could have just ordered these and been done... We had to force ourselves to stop eating so that we could save room for dinner. 100% recommend these! The calamari was cooked perfectly, and the sauce was so tasty! Not spicy, but there was a nice kick to it, it was served on a bed of crunchy noodles, which were also good when you ate them with the veggies... it was so good! The crab cake... WOW! We've tried our fair share of crab cakes, and let me tell you... this was by far, the BEST! It wasn't compressed like others we have tried... this was perfectly cooked and had delightful crab lumps... SOOO GOOOOOD!!!

2nd set of drinks: Smoked Old Fashioned and the 24 Karat The old fashioned was smoked table side... I got a video but didn't get the first part, I wasn't quick enough lol it was tasty! We liked the smokey flavor! My 24 Karat was pretty good too, I liked it more than the hope diamond, it had more layers of flavor.

Entrees: Bone in Rib Eye and Three Georges Bank Scallops Side (family style) Crispy Brussels Sprouts The Ribeye was absolutely amazing... cooked to perfection... juicy and a perfect sear! SO GOOD!! Since we were already getting full, Matt ate about 1/2 of it, so I will be putting the rest in his breakfast for the week (check out my profile for my YouTube channel to see how I use our date night left overs and videos from our date nights!) My scallops were very good... the sear was just right and 6 was just right, I wouldn't have been able to eat more than that! Now for the brussels sprouts... those were disappointing. The flavor was good, but because of the sauce, the sprouts weren't crispy, so it was the only fail for us.

Dessert: Banana Foster The experience of the was the best part! I did get that on video since I was ready for it :) There is a strong banana flavor, and it was good, it was just really heavy! The flame added a nice crust with a smokey flavor, which I enjoyed, I would recommend it, but only if you are ok with a heavy, dense dessert.

Thanks to Doug for his great service and to Eddie V's for a...

I loved Eddie V’s in PS and was excited to try it in Newport. Unfortunately, it wasn’t close to the same experience. The food was wonderful but the management could and should work on training some of their staff better (especially the bartender that worked last night behind the bar).

They were running behind so we had 25 minutes to wait -and we decided to get a drink at the bar. The male bartender working (on Christmas Eve ) was so disengaged and rude. He made no eye contact and ignored us for over 20 minutes. I tried to ask the other female behind the bar if we could order drinks and she said she would get back to us after she finished making drinks for another customer. Finally after many attempts and 25 minutes later, we ordered drinks, which never arrived by the time we got seated. We let our server know we were waiting on the drinks - which he brought us another 10 minutes later. That bartender set the tone for the evening and could have made the night such a different experience. He should not be working in this type of fast paced, expensive establishment where clients expect more.

He seemed miserable. He was so rude to everyone. Even the couple sitting at the table behind us in the bar complained about his rushed lack of service and attention. It was busy because it was Christmas Eve, and maybe they were understaffed but a smile, eye contact and not ignoring the guests goes a long way. It really was unbelievable. Had one of the owners been there watching the type of service the clients were receiving, they would have been so disappointed.

I also found it off putting, that they kept storing chairs right next to our table (since we were in a booth in the corner). If they didn’t need as many chairs for the clients at a table near us, they would bring them over right next to our table and stack them there. It just felt like a classless experience. Not what you would expect from this type of restaurant where you spend good money and hope for the evening to be amazing. Our server Nate was good. I do think it’s nice when a server can read the table and not interrupt every few minutes to clear away plates and interrupt a conversation to ask you to hand him your fork and knife. I am sure he wanted to turn over the table quickly even though we had only been there for less than 45 minutes at this point. It felt rushed and the experience was truly disappointing. I definitely will never go back. So many amazing restaurants in Newport Beach - I would rather spend my money...