Having the opportunity to preview Prime Cut Café's new prix fixe dinner menu, the deal looked almost too good to be true: a three-course dinner for $20.

However, with each course, it became increasingly apparent that this may be the best dinner deal in Orange County. From the fresh salads to the indulgent desserts, the food rocked. The public will be able to enjoy this menu starting Monday, April 30th.

As my guest and I walked into the restaurant, we were greeted warmly and promptly seated. The prix fixe menu had many enticing options to try, but we chose to order the Marinated Roasted Beet and Avocado Salad and the Deviled Eggs.

 

 

The fresh salad went great with the richer, more savory starter: the deviled eggs. They were sprinkled with crispy bits of bacon and had a hint of spice, making every creamy bite enjoyable.

 

 

 

 

For the entrée portion, we got the Chicken Burgundy, which was thin slices of sautéed chicken breast in a richly flavored Burgundy mushroom sauce. The tender chicken was also plated on a bed of whipped potatoes, which were airier than regular mashed potatoes.

 

 

 

We also got the Shortrib Pasta, which consisted of fettuccine with a ragout sauce made of the slow-cooked shortrib juices. There were thin slices of roasted garlic sprinkled throughout the dish, which added a really nice flavor.

 

 

 

For dessert, we ordered the crème brûlée, a vanilla bean custard with a turbinado sugar shell. It was delicious with great vanilla flavor, but a bit on the looser side as far as the custard went. A bit of water may have gotten into the ramekin at the time of baking, preventing the custard from fully setting. I would definitely still order it again, and it would probably come out well-set the next time.

 

 

The homemade carrot cake had great texture, with a sweet whipped cream cheese frosting. The moistness probably came from the unique ingredient, the pineapple, that goes into the cake batter. That, along with the coconut which added more texture, were not detectable as individual ingredients. Instead, they lent themselves to the complex overall texture of the cake, along with the walnuts.

 

After getting a preview taste of the new prix fixe menu, my first visit to Prime Cut Café will not be my last. To experience these or any of the other items on the new menu, available Monday through Thursday, check out the restaurant's website at http://primecutcafe.com/.