THIS YEAR FIVE CROWNS in Corona del Mar celebrates 50 years as a premiere southern California dining destination. As a part of the celebration, Corporate Executive Chef and Vice-President, Ryan Wilson has a few exciting menu updates planned.
Why a new Five Crowns menu?
With the new menu and beverage program we’re celebrating our fifty-year heritage and offering a window into the next fifty years.
What’s different from before?
The most immediately obvious change is the size and scope of the menu. We’ve tripled the number of selections by paying homage to the classics while adding a wider range of starters, main dishes and family-style options.
All things to all people?
I wouldn’t say that. We’re listening to our guests. As a result we’re making changes not just to the menu but also in other ways that respect the tastes and desires of our loyal customers as well as our newer guests like those who have come to know us through our SideDoor gastropub. With the new menu, you can now break out of the expected course structure of fine dining and create your own experience.
Can you give us some menu specifics?
Our menu will maintain its seasonality with an emphasis on the local. Executive Chef Steve Kling, Chef de Cuisine David Moldovan and I have had a great time working together to come up with some dishes our guests have really been enjoying.
Some examples: a Cook’s Pig Ranch Pork Chop with roasted toybox peppers, grilled corn and pureed peach; a delicious California White Sea Bass; hand-cut fettuccine with pesto, baby heirloom, tomatoes and Parmigiano. The Prime Skirt Steak pairs nicely with some of the lighter summer vegetables. A starter might be our refreshing tomato and watermelon gazpacho or the seasonal stone fruit and squash salad.
What about Prime Rib and the other classics you mentioned?
Of course, the finest prime rib remains at the core of the menu.
We’re excited to bring back a true classic, Beefsteak Neptune, created fifty years ago by my great-grandfather, Lawrence Frank. It’s a filet mignon topped with crab and Béarnaise sauce accompanied by asparagus and mashed potatoes.
We also have another great old school 1960’s dish, the Drunkard’s Fish – two fillets of petrale sole with lump crab meat sandwiched in between and lightly dressed with lobster Newberg sauce. And we’re once again offering the longtime Five Crowns favorite, the Pride of the Crowns Salad (the original recipe!).
Our readers can easily get more menu details by visiting the Five Crowns website. While I’m at it, I’d also encourage them to check the restaurant’s Facebook page often for updates on the many food and beverage related events as well as the great specials we regularly run.
There’s a new beverage program too?
Yes. Our Wine Maven, Rob Vermeeren, has come up with an original concept that invites those who share his passion for wine to get involved through a new guest curated portion of the wine list. Let us know your favorite wines and we’ll include them in special “Inspired By” section of the list.
And don’t forget Amber Billiard who leads our bar where we’re serving excellent versions of all the traditional cocktails along with some truly imaginative and fun drinks. We have tremendous relationships with a wide range of beverage purveyors and enjoy bringing what they have to offer to the attention of our guests. There’s always something new to try.
How do the co-workers feel about what’s going on at Five Crowns and its 50th anniversary?
We’re very excited and I’ve really only touched on a little of what’s already happening. I encourage all our guests to visit Five Crowns to see what our excitement is all about.
You know, being able to enjoy fifty years of success in the restaurant business is an incredible achievement in itself, but having a chance to lend our energy and creativity to help ensure we’ll be around for a long time to come makes this milestone even more meaningful to all of us.
Five Crowns
3801 East Coast Hwy, Corona del Mar, CA 92625
