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The Gossiping Gourmet: Five Crowns still holds the throne

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The Five Crowns is one of the grand old dames of fine dining in Orange County, having opened in 1965 as part of the Lawry’s chain. But it has an even more colorful history.

The structure was built in 1936 as a replica of Ye Olde Bell, England’s oldest Inn, on land that was purchased at a bargain price because Corona del Mar was almost completely undeveloped. The site served as a bed and breakfast catering to movie stars of the ‘40s and was rumored to have become a place of prostitution and illegal gambling in the ‘50s.

Today, the surroundings still look and feel like an old English inn.

It is in the hands of executive chef Steve Kling and chef de cuisine David Moldovan. They recently introduced an expanded menu with some tasty new additions as well as old classics. Of course, prime rib and steaks are still their signature offerings, but my dining companion and I wanted to try the new dishes.

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Our very pleasant waitress helped us decide on the fried artichoke hearts as one of our starters. We agreed with her rave review after tasting the almost creamy-smooth hearts, which were enclosed in a thin, crisp crust with no trace of oiliness. Enhancing the flavor was a small bowl of garlic aioli for dipping and fried parsley mixed with just a sprinkling of Parmigiano topping it all.

I am a big fan of pork rillettes, so I was pleased to see that rillettes were featured here, but with duck. The chopped duck was salted and slowly cooked in fat until it was very tender, then shredded and cooled in some of the fat. It was served in a small glass container along with nicely toasted slices of baguette.

The menu says that the dish contains brandy, but it was not discernable. In fact, the rillettes were a bit bland and oversalted. They needed more seasoning.

Listed in the Crown Classics section of the menu is the potato and horseradish crusted salmon. A perfectly cooked, juicy salmon filet was topped with a delicious potato pancake. The fish rested in a tasty mustard cream sauce. Very fresh slightly al dente haricot verts came on the side.

I find that pork is often overcooked and tough in many restaurants, but the Beeler’s pork tomahawk chop was an excellent big, thick, juicy, slightly pink, on-the-bone hunk of meat. It was served with cannelloni beans mixed with chopped-up broccoli rapini and garnished with blood orange slices.

We couldn’t resist a side of the famous creamed spinach to accompany our meal. The spinach is the star, with just the right amount of rich cream sauce. The secret ingredients were teeny bits of pork, which I couldn’t recognize but later noticed on the menu in tiny type.

If you are familiar with Los Angeles and love ice cream, then you may know about CC Brown’s hot fudge sundaes. The original ice cream parlor closed years ago, but a new one opened in 2004, and in 2007, Lawry’s bought the franchise.

Of course, we had to have one for dessert. It was as good as I remembered. The vanilla ice cream was really creamy and lush-tasting, while the fudge sauce was the best ever, with a deep chocolate flavor. Whipped cream and nuts completed this decadent dessert. The fudge sauce can be purchased at the restaurant.

The apple galette was less successful. The crust was a bit doughy and undercooked, and the ice cream was icy. That sundae is a hard act to follow.

The food at Five Crowns is always reliably good. It is a meat eater’s paradise, but the rest of the menu is also high quality. Outdoor dining is available when the weather is good.

TERRY MARKOWITZ was in the gourmet food and catering business for 20 years. She can be reached for comments or questions at m_markowitz@cox.net.

Five Crowns

Where: 3801 East Coast Hwy., Corona Del Mar

When: 5 to 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays; 5 to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays

Prices:

Appetizers: $8 to $13

Small plates: $15 to $21

Entrees: $18 to $55

Desserts: $7 to $12

Wine:

Bottles: $40 to $875

By the glass: $10 to $65

Corkage: $20

Information: (949) 760-0331 or lawrysonline.com

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