09/30/09

Great place for dates & taking your friends/parents out

by Miss Amy

I love taking my boyfriend & parents to 230 Forest after walking alongside the beach and window shopping on Forest St. This is definitely a place to share with family and friends. Plus, they have enough flat screen TVs with sports games on; enough to keep the guys entertained & not at all distracting for everyone else to enjoy their meal.

The menu is made up of seafood & poultry, all of which is incorporated into classic American favorites such as baby back ribs, mac & cheese, grilled fish, steak & even beef stroganoff. Food to try:

Swordfish with crab meat - This was a chef's special & had a medley of corn, tomatoes, garlic & crab meat on top of the swordfish. No corn from a can from this place, it had the vibrant crunch of fresh corn!

Gorgonzola Mac & Cheese - Not on the menu, this is a side dish on one of the entrees. It's small enough to share with another person & adds to any meal. They added a little spice to the cheese & topped it with breadcrumbs for extra oomph.

Hoisin Duck Eggrolls - Appetizer. Great to split for 2-3 people & savory enough to satisfy ravenous guests. Especially since they put sliced hot baguettes & olive spread as soon as you're seated.

Baby Back Pork Ribs - Order the full, it's only $3 more than the half & you're sure to have perfect late-night leftovers. Amazingly paired with shoestring onion rings & mashed potatoes.

Molten Chocolate Bread Pudding - Save room for this coma-inducing dessert. This is a single large slice of bread pudding, soaked in the sweetness of caramel & cocoa. Walk a few times around the block after this one.

• Pros: Fresh seafood, uncomplicated & heightened style on favorites
• Cons: Parking can be limited on Forest St.

05/28/07

good food, wont make you bankrupt

by highhighhigh

the food was very good. i had the salmon salad .Made a reservation for later so i managed too find a parking pretty quickly. they offer steaks. my friend had a steak which was average. i would definetely stick with the fish which is their speciality i think. Liked the atmosphere. my salmon salad came with a fully cooked salmon which was very tasty. dont live too close to laguna but ill definetely be back sometime

03/10/07

230 Forest Sub par review

by cdfaires

We arrived at 7:45pm for an 8pm reservation and were seated promptly at a bit past 8pm. The wait staff was average at best. Our waiter was rushed and didn't seem to notice when our drinks were empty. I ordered the Filet which was ordered Medium Well and was served rare. The food was re-presented and a bit over-cooked, more like Well Done. About half-way through dinner their seemed to be an odor that would periodically waft through the restaurant which smelled distinctly of sewage. It really ruined any possibility of wanting desert or to finish our delayed meal while I watched my wife eat her dinner in abscence of mine. When time to depart the waiter was prompt to bring the bill then he stood by the hostess stand chatting while the bill sat on the table for 10 minutes waiting to be run. I would say all in all the atmosphere of the restaurant and the patrons are the best part. As for the restaurant itself, it seems to be that they are the only game in town and can get away the low quality of food preparation and service. The sewage smell is a real problem, I would think twice next time before going to this restaurant again.

Sleek and dynamic Cal cuisine draws sophisticates, not surfers, just a block from the beach.

by Contributor

In Short
A chatty crowd drinks cocktails and dines on Cal-Asian cuisine at street-side patio tables and an outdoor-indoor bar that disappears into the restaurant through floor-to-ceiling windows. The sleek setup offers patio patrons and passers-by views of the narrow dining area and long open kitchen. Popular menu picks include prosciutto-wrapped shrimp, a tomato-and-mozzarella stack drizzled with pesto, wild mushroom ravioli with sage butter and arugula and New York steak with toasted garlic haricots verts.

09/26/06

I loved it for the New York feel

by essc2006

Being from the East Coast I loved the New York feel- Elbow to Elbow you chatted with your fellow diners and low and behold they were from Upstate NY as well, we shared a few bottles and gushed over the delightful food and delish martinis -yes people we mixed and it was a WONDERFULL night- it was my b-day and my husband did awesome- he knows a good spot! if your uptight and prefer to be seen and not touched and the typical uppity OC type- skip this place and move on and save it for those of us that relish fine food, good drinks and the wonderful hospitality 230 offers- try making reservations and arriving on time, works wonders.

• Pros: Fantastic food and menu service superb
• Cons: parking is on the street so arrive early- please dont whine! it annoys people

05/19/06

Do Lunch

by wpeters

I went with a friend for lunch, midweek. Tip: we got to this popular joint early--say 11:45--and had our choice of seats. A half an hour later the place was jammed. Food as advertised, hip, Cal stuff, thoughtful and carefully done. I had the crabcakes (crisp and good, but get to Maryland before you die and taste the real stuff) and a good seafood salad. Service (if I can name names, Kim) was welcoming, skilled, and attentive.

• Pros: Service, Food

02/15/06

Awesome restaurant

by jostarusc

My boyfriend took me here for Valentine's Day (he knew I'd been dying to try it forever!) We both absolutely loved this restaurant. The staff was very friendly even though it was a little bit of a hectic night. Had one of their 230 Martinis, which was great, and we were sooo impressed with the food. The proscuitto wrapped shrimp was to die for, and we loved the swordfish and filet for entrees. We had a molten chocolate cake for dessert, which was a little bit uninventive, but still delicious. I highly recommend this restaurant!

• Pros: Food!, Atmosphere, Service

01/03/06

The Regular

by uclaboy

Ok, I've been to 230 many times, I don't consider my self a regular but I do go there enough times that I have become acquaintances with many of the servers...while I was there a couple of weeks ago right before Christmas I happened to arrive before they "Started Serving". I brought my own bottle of wine (which I usually do) and was ignored without any acknowledgement from the hostess or the bartender (an older gentleman) who looked over our way and never bothered to come over to me and my guest...I had no idea that you did not serve between curtain hoursI know that in this business we try and please our guest for them to return as often as possible, this was an awful display of professionalism and management not taking charge of a bad situation is shameful

• Pros: Atmospheare
• Cons: Communication, Acknowledgement

01/20/03

Excellent Food - Nice Atmosphere

by skilmer

We went (a party of two) on a January Saturday and arrived at 7:30. The wait was two hours which tells you this is a popular place. We were able to sit in the bar area which is sort of "communal seating" style which was fun. We had the following two appetizers: Ahi Tartare, the pork tenderloin. Both were excellent. We spilt a 1/2 order of baby back ribs which were also excellent. The place has a great crowd and feels pretty urban. The only drawback is that the cocktail waitress that was running the tables in the bar was very bitter and tough. She apologized at the end of the night because she could tell she wasn't having the desired effect of making us feel out of place. We recommend the place but reservations are probably a good idea. This is definitely a top restaruant for Orange County.

• Pros: Nice patio, Nice Design, Good Food