Tangata Restaurant Bowers Museum Patina Restaurant Group Brian Kiepler Tangata Restaurant Tangata Restaurant

Tangata Restaurant Menu

Bowers Museum
2002 N. Main St. (20th St.)
Santa Ana, CA 92706
Map
Daytime dining from Patina Restaurant Group in a museum courtyard.
Openings: Lunch Tues.-Sat., Brunch Sun.

Features

Tangata Restaurant, Santa Ana, CA


Tangata Restaurant Restaurant Review:


This outpost in the courtyard of Bowers Museum represents a most welcome foray into daytime dining. The patio lends a Spanish vibe, with views of white stucco walls, red brick roofs and hanging purple bougainvillea. Inside, the reimagined modern space is cheerful and bright, with bursts of red emanating from the ceiling and the furniture evoking contemporary flash that nicely contrasts with Bowers' typical historically-themed exhibits. Executive chef Brian Kiepler oversees a compact, eclectic seasonal menu of well-composed dishes designed to play off the ambience and, on occasion, the rotating exhibits. Pair a cocktail or a glass of artisan bottled water with an intriguing starter such as the seared albacore tostada with avocado, seaweed and citrus dressing. Those looking for a traditional lunchtime nosh can indulge in a thoughtfully prepared salad or between-bread options like the burger with Emmental and white cheddar cheese. Entrées such as the rigatoni with puttanesca sauce are also solid midday options. Desserts feature delights like the ice cream sundae with brown butter cornbread crumble and the coconut and passion fruit panna cotta. While the wine list is very short, the by-the-glass selections are rather good and mostly from California and Oregon.