Newport Beach Restaurant week was a good opportunity to enjoy this restaurant for one last time and at a great price. They offered a $20 prix-fixe lunch which is a bargain for this place. The service was EXCELLENT and the decor and ambiance did not disappoint. It is like going into an old Hollywood joint. However, with the impending closure, they didn't bother taking down the Christmas decorations which was a bit distracting.
I had a bad experience about 10 years ago at the Ritz and hadn't been back. The Newport Beach Restaurant week was an opportunity for them to redeem themselves in my eyes and close on a high note. The service and atmosphere certainly met and exceeded my expectations. Unfortunately, for me, the food was a bit disappointing as it did not match their upscale service and atmosphere.
From the prix-fixe menu, I started with their signature Caesar salad which was probably my favorite of the 3 courses. It was nicely dressed with plenty of shaved parmesan cheese and the lettuce was fresh and crisp even though I don't think they used romaine. For the entree, I had the scampi provencale which had good flavor and was nicely seasoned, but the quality of the shrimp was less than I would have expected for the Ritz. They were meaty but small-to-medium in size with a bed of linguine to help fill you up. Their best trio dessert sample was the citrus cheesecake.
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| Shrimp Provencale |
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| Ritz Trio Dessert Sampler |
Overall, the lunch was generally good especially at their special prix-fixe price of $20 for all 3 courses. However, I would have expected more from the Ritz on the food which was a little bit above mediocre. I believe the Ritz has survived over the last few years on reputation and legacy dining from their loyal and local customers. I would have been more disappointed if I had paid their normal menu price for the dishes that were served.
FOOD 3 stars
SERVICE 5 stars
AMBIANCE 4 stars
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