Paul Martin's American Grill Awards

Paul Martin's American Grill Restaurant Review:

Paul Fleming and Brian Bennett’s Orange County incarnation of their popular El Segundo venue is a hip, quasi-retro space that minimizes the intrusion of the Irvine Spectrum while embracing the city’s status as a major player in the SoCal business scene. Its bright interior, casual outdoor patio and amiable service also add a communal layer to the ambience. This latter aspect is further developed through the restaurant's devotion to locally sourced ingredients and humanely raised meats, which are used to create dishes that blend comfort with the contemporary. After you start your evening off with a glass of wine or a seasonally inspired cocktail at the bar, gravitate to your table and order up some lightly fried salt-and-pepper shrimp with pesto aïoli, a bowl of classic French onion soup or the seasonal mesquite-grilled artichoke. Mains such as hoisin-marinated double-cut pork chop with Brussels sprouts and the juicy brick chicken with mashed potatoes are examples of the finely crafted yet homespun offerings that populate the menu. For dessert, a slice of the flavorful six-layer chocolate cake is an indulgent treat.