Orange County Register

I’ve heard about Lawry’s prime rib for years, but I’ve never actually eaten at Lawry’s in Beverly Hills or Five Crowns in Corona del Mar. Long story short: I’ve been missing out.

And thank the heavens for Newport Beach Restaurant Week, because I got the meal of beefy goodness for decent $35, though I added a $14, 4 oz. lobster tail to my menu because if you’re gonna go, you should go big. (Note that Restaurant Week is officially over, but Five Crowns extended its menu until Jan. 29).

While I splurged on the lobster, Fiancee Nadia went for the $20, three glass wine pairing to go along with her chicken. Needless to say, I got full and she got tipsy.

Fare at Five Crowns is pretty familiar to most and if it’s not, well, it ain’t hard to break down. First, what makes this restaurant better than most is its impeccable service.

The servers refilled the bread and water, and were courteous every step of the way, which is something I can’t say about some of the restaurants I’ve been to since I’ve started blogging.

Now, to the food! For the money, you can order a choice of soup or salad, one of many entrees including prime rib, duck, chicken and salmon, and one of three desserts. Click here for the menu.

Nadia and I both ordered the lobster bisque (regular price $8), a hearty, tomato-based soup with the taste of lobster, but no bits to be found. What put a twist on this starter were the tasty pieces of sun-dried tomato that garnished the soup.

My Five Crowns cut of prime rib (regular price $37) was savory comfort food. The crust was perfectly seasoned and the au jus was salty goodness, but the star of this plate really was the whipped horseradish. I could just eat spoonfuls of this spicy cream all day. The plate came with a side of average creamed spinach (I actually prefer the stuff at Boston Market) and Yorkshire Pudding, a tasty popover like bread that was crispy on the outside and nearly custardy on the inside.

Nadia’s succulent Shelton Farms free-range chicken (regular price $26) came on a bed of mashed potatoes with some roasted veggies on the side. The skin was slightly crisp and the chicken’s juice bubbled out of the meat when you touched it. The serving was enough that she took home nearly half for lunch the next day.

We also had desserts, which I didn’t take photos of because, well, it’s kind of weird taking pictures of your food when your at Five Crowns. People tend to stare. She had the creme brulee and I had a chocolate truffle tart. Neither was anything special but both were very, very tasty. If I could afford it, I’d eat here much more often than once a year, and I’ll definitely be back once Newport Beach Restaurant Week rolls around again.

Five Crowns
3801 E. Coast Hwy
Newport Beach
949-760-0331

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