CdM

Huntington Beach (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG) 3. CdM The bar inside the long-running A Restaurant has forever been one of the hottest cocktail scenes in Newport Beach, so when the owners opened an even swankier restaurant and lounge

before. This might sound odd for a restaurant with steakhouse roots, but pay very close attention to the vegetables. 2325 E. Coast Highway, Corona del Mar, 949-287-6600, cdmrestaurant.com A bartender mixes a drink at the new CdM restaurant in Corona del

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carbon copy of the menu at CdM, the company’s other restaurant in Corona del Mar. That’s not a complaint, but it is important to know. Given the name a . . .

An elegant, silver-haired couple walks up to the hostess at CdM in Corona del Mar and requests a table for two. “What name is the reservation under?” the hostess gently asks.  They tell her they don’t have a reservation, and she informs them that

don’t know what happens after that. I’m shown to a booth far removed from the door, so I don’t get to see how either of these stories plays out.  CdM is a scene. It is a gorgeous new bar and restaurant (from the team behind A Restaurant) outfitted in the

Pierce me. Photo by Edwin Goei If director McG hired Central Casting to fill the dining room of CdM, his new restaurant, with extras who resembled stereotypical Newport Beach-types, the result would be exactly what I saw the night of my visit. At

CdM is going to be a worthy sequel to A. Parker House rolls ready to be pulled apart and spread with Buerre de Baratte and A5 tallow. Photo by Edwin Goei Other than executive chef Jonathan Blackford, the only thing CdM has in common with A is an

and freshwater eel at Hana re in Costa Mesa, before the ban. (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG) 2. Lemon meringue cheesecake at CdM Lemon meringue pie layered onto a cheesecake. This might be the greatest mash-up since the

chocolate peanut butter cup. Dessert of the year. Don’t forget to make a reservation. 2325 E. Coast Highway, Corona del Mar, 949-287-6600, cdmrestaurant.com The Lemon Meringue Cheesecake at CdM in Corona del Mar (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County

: Yes Inside dining: No Dining at the bar: No Tables sanitized: Yes Chairs sanitized: Yes Seating properly distanced: Yes Touchless menus: No CdM, Corona del Mar COVID Comfort Rating: C  (July 2020) Temperature checks at door: No Masks enforced for

and a fine dining menu. (File photo by Paul Rodriguez) 47. CdM (New for 2019) Leather lounge chairs and plush velvet banquettes create a comfy country club vibe for artisanal cocktails and modern American tavern food — raw oysters, fried ham, mushrooms

the oven with whipped beef tallow. Must order: Pork (two ways) and beans. 2325 E. Coast Highway, Corona del Mar, 949-287-6600, cdmrestaurant.com A bartender mixes a drink at the new CdM restaurant in Corona del Mar. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange

. We didn’t laugh with her. We left without eating. When I dined at CdM in Corona del Mar, it appeared on the surface that the restaurant had made all the right adjustments: staff properly masked, tables set up outside and distanced, charming twinkle