Cafe R&D & Gelato Paradiso in NB (reviews--longish)

Well, my husband wanted to have a nice dinner at Roy's, but I was in the mood for a sandwich at Houston's. Unfortunately, at 5:50 there was already a 45 minute wait. We don't do "waits".

Then I remembered Cafe R&D (related to Houston's someone mentioned). So, much to my husband's chagrin, we headed to R&D in Fashion Island (next to Tutto Mare) to satisfy my craving for a sandwich. The restaurant is small but with a nice, contemporary decor and opens up to the "mall".

I ordered the French Dip Sandwich, which is made with roasted prime rib. Wow, it was like "budda". There was no chewing, it melted in my mouth! The french fries were fabulous--like Josie's without the truffle oil. (I took an order home--will bake them and add truffle oil tonight!) The coleslaw was the best I have ever had. The cabbage was maximally fresh and was tossed in a sweet/sour mustard vinaigrette with a few poppy seeds. I sure wish I had that recipe.

The service was great--my waitress took back the sandwich when she saw it was not medium-rare and said "no, this is not right". The bartender mixed a special martini for me--he was great!

This place is "all about the food". It is not a place for a date, or a place to linger IMO. I would feel comfortable eating here alone.

Next time I would forego the martinis ($10) and beer (tap $6) because our bill for a sandwich and a burger came to $75 with tax/tip.

We then headed over to Gelato Paradiso for dessert (921 Avocado Ave, NB). Wow, great gelato--highly recommended! The lemoncello was my fav, but the cherry and the chocolate-hazlenut were wonderful too.

All in all, a great night out for Mr & Mrs Funwithfood.

[isabella79]

Have you ever been to Il Gelato Caffe' close to the pier? I go for a walk down at the beach and then I stop for gelato. It's the best. The owners and crew are all Italian. They are friendly and have also paninis, lasagna, all sorts of coffe drinks. It's crazy. All the locals are raving about this place. My husband and I love it. You can tell it's all homemade healthy Italian food. It's a coffe house/gelateria/pasticceria/paninoteca hangout place. Everyone says their lasagna is the best in the OC and there are many Italians that hang out until late. They are open till 1.00 am. They serve wine and beer, too.

On the rare occasion I go into OC, Gelato Paradiso in Fashion Island is one of most favorite dessert spots. Choc Hazlenut is my love!

how much was the prime rib french dip sandwich?

$15. (Fries w/sand are $1.50, as is the coleslaw.)

P.S. They serve a few selections of Gelato Paradiso at R&D.

Hounds strapped for cash may wish to consider the hand cut fresh roast prime rib on French roll with a side for $9 in the Atrium Court close by & washed down with a bottle of red (recently, some nice Italian wines 1/2 off) from Beverages next door (ask for 2 plastic glasses but bring your own corkscrew).
Cost for 2 ~$25-30 depending on the wine. Or for a lighter repast, split the large sandwich, cost ~$15-20 including wine & tax.
If you're in dire financial straits, Beverages has a 2.5-buck-chuck-taste-alike, knocking the cost down to ~$22 for 2, or $12.50 including tax if you split the sandwich.

[brekkie_fan]

FYI - they also have a Gelato Paradiso outlet at Fashion Island in their food court.....but I always end up at Corona del Mar to get my gelato (and Sprinkles too!)