230 Forest

As soon as I walked into 230 Forrest I felt a little bit as if this place was far too cool for me. Located in the beautiful little town of Laguna Beach, on a street that contains galleries and other trendy restaurants, this place outdoes them all by not even giving itself a real name. When we were first served bread and water I was slightly suspicious because they have given me my water in what I would refer to as a small flute, which meant that I would be seeing a lot of the service tonight.

While so many contemporary places seem concerned with being green, 230 had gone the other way and served their bread in a superfluous brown paper bag.

We ordered a half carafe of white wine and I was happy to show my ID to get it. I was less happy though when I tasted it and found it very similar to the two dollar Trader Joe’s bottle that I had drank the night before. This was not a great first impression, but I had high hopes as we ordered an appetizer of Hoisin Duck and Brie spring rolls.

The dish was served very well on a long thin plate and garnished with an interesting side salad. As I took my first bite I felt that this dish provided a very nice textural contrast of the smooth brie and the crunchy fried shell. The slaw filling provided a nice crunch and rounded out the flavor. The sweet chili dipping sauce also provided a nice kick for those who prefer more spice to their food. For the main course I ordered short rib ravioli, knowing full well that I was in for what I’ll call contemporary portions.

When the dish arrived it was well plated, but to my expectations, looked more like an appetizer portion than a full main dish. The plate looked like it could have come straight out of a restaurant scene in American Psycho and I was a bit nervous playing following Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman, but I bravely forged ahead. The ravioli had a nice full flavor and was topped with some shredded cured meats to provided nice salty taste. The most unexpected texture though was the crunch provided by the crisped lettuce on top of the pasta. I don’t know how the lettuce was prepared that way, but it was certainly an interesting addition. It was quite a hip place and the actual dishes were very good. Just don’t go here expecting to eat your fill of only an entrée.