THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Infusion Restaurant & Martini Bar

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Infusion Restaurant & Martini Bar Restaurant Review:

Sleepy suburban Ladera Ranch is lucky to have this lively restaurant and bar in its neighborhood. Singles and couples meet up nightly to sip on strong hand-shaken cocktails and to nosh on chef and proprietor Lonnie Shepard's "infusion" cuisine. His wife, Claire, runs the front of the house with style as guests crowd the cosmopolitan bar, sit in the main dining room or relax at the chef's counter---a long bar where you can talk to the chefs and watch them work in the exhibition kitchen. Although the customers seem perfectly happy here, we were disappointed by chef Shepard's food, which seems like a throwback to the '90s. The tempura green beans are too crispy, and the sweet Thai chili dipping sauce just doesn't add anything. The restaurant's signature dish---grilled prawns, filet mignon and a lobster tail literally hanging from a silver hook---comes with three so-so sauces: lemon-infused beurre blanc, Cabernet demi-glace and a roasted red pepper sauce. The desserts, some of which are served in martini glasses, are rather good and inventive, such as the tiramisu with generous chunks of crispy cookies, espresso-infused cream and a chocolate ganache sauce.