Christina's Cucina

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Home » Non Sequitur » Newport Beach Girls’ Day Out & Dining at Bluewater Grill

Newport Beach Girls’ Day Out & Dining at Bluewater Grill

December 8th, 2015 | 50 Comments

Bluewater Grill in Newport Beach is a top-notch seafood restaurant located on the water for a very New England style dining experience here in Southern California!

Newport Beach Marina

Have you ever been to Newport Beach?

*SPONSORED POST – Thank you to Visit Newport Beach for sponsoring today’s post and inspiring me to visit, and to Bluewater Grill for the wonderful lunch.

I have, but yesterday’s visit made me realize how much it reminds me of New England. It’s an inexpensive alternative to getting my “east coast fix” for atmosphere and food, with the bonus of beautiful winter weather and some palm trees! Instead of a five hour plane trip, it’s not even an hour’s drive from Los Angeles (okay, depending on traffic).

My friend, Cynthia, from What a Girl Eats and I needed some down time, and headed to Newport Beach for a girls’ day out. We arrived in less than an hour and wandered by the marina in the gorgeous December weather, admiring boats and yachts in the marina, before our heading to our lunch reservation.

Boats in Newport Beach, California

Bluewater Grill has been voted “best seafood in Orange County”. If the experience at my first visit to the Catalina Island location (a week prior) was any indication of what to expect at the Newport Beach restaurant, I could easily understand why they were voted #1.

Bluewater-Grill-collage

The restaurant and its location is one of the main reasons we felt as though we were on the opposite coast yesterday. Take a look–where would you guess this was taken if you didn’t know?

Bluewater Grill in Newport Beach, CA

The Bluewater grill even has a dock, so you can take your boat to the restaurant, in true east coast style or, as it’s called in OC, dock and dine. We sat on the patio and the setting couldn’t have been better. Courtney, our server took our drink and appetizer orders, and we already knew that we were going to have a great day!

Bluewater Grill in Newport Beach, CaliforniaMy Captain’s Mai Tai was perfect, not too sweet, as they can sometimes be. Cynthia requested a Pomegranate Martini, one of my favorite cocktails, and it too, did not disappoint. We checked out the Bloody Mary bar, as diners receive a basic Bloody Mary, but then are invited to the bar to add all the additions the way they like it!. I love this idea. (FYI: Bluewater offers a vegetarian and gluten-free menu.)

I’d never had oysters, but they looked so fresh, I just had to try them, and hey, I’m an oyster fan! We also had clams, but the pièce de résistance was the Ponzu Sashimi Sea Scallops on the half shell with wasabe aioli and wakame salad! It was a fantastic appetizer. I also can’t say enough about the care that was taken in the presentation–look at this!

Sashimi sea scallops at Bluewater Grill

In the photo above, you can see a cup of the Lobster Bisque, which was hot and especially tasty with the soft and crusty sourdough bread. Honestly, Cynthia and I were in foodie heaven by this point and there was still more to come! With the view from our table, maybe it wasn’t just foodie heaven.

As we watched the boats, we were reminded of the famous Newport Beach Boat Parade. It’s the longest running boat parade in the country, and it’s running December 16th through the 20th (that’s next week)!

Next, we had small portions of calamari, fish and chips and crab cake; I wouldn’t be able to decide which one I liked most, if I was a judge. All were made with such fresh seafood, it made each dish spectacular.
Seafood at Bluewater GrillRuth, the manager, was lovely; she and Courtney came to check on how we we were enjoying our food. It was obvious that they cared about their customers, as they did the same with the guests around us.

Next came a piping hot bowl of glorious cioppino! Need I say more?

Cioppino at Bluewater Grill

I was afraid my Italian taste buds may have said this dish wasn’t up to snuff, but even they were delighted!

We were able to meet Chef Chris Veratudela before our meal and Cynthia took the opportunity to ask him what his favorite dishes were. Among them was the Miso Glazed Black Cod, which Courtney had suggested, and Ruth raved about, so we had to give it a try. It was served on a bed of Blue Lake beans and shitake mushrooms. If you can imagine this fish dish tasting even better than it looks, that’s how it was: fabulous.

Miso glazed black cod at Bluewater Grill The cod was flaky, fresh and perfectly cooked, and the glaze wasn’t overpowering at all. The green beans and mushrooms were a unique and tasty base for the fish which we devoured, despite all we’d eaten! Everyone liked it on Instagram, too!   We were enticed into trying the mud pie, as it was homemade, as most everything is at Bluewater Grill. The coffee ice cream was a wonderful (and not too sweet) end to a delectable meal.

Mud Pie at Bluewater Grill in Newport Beach, CA We ran into Chef Chris as we were leaving and asked for a photo. We don’t really care about celebrities; Cynthia and I are more interested and impressed with people who know how to cook! Bluewater Grill Newport Beach, California We were so close to the beach, we stopped by the pier before heading home. Sometimes you just have to feel the sand in between your toes, get up close and personal with a seagull and listen to the waves. It’s good for your soul; it doesn’t hurt to bring a friend, either. Newport Beach Pier, California You can see Catalina Island in the distance, in the photo below. 

Visit Newport Beach, CACheck out the DEALS AND SPECIAL OFFERS for Newport Beach, including deals on dining, hotels, drinks and even whale watching!  The NEWPORT BEACH RESTAURANT & DINING OPTIONS page features something for all taste buds, from fine dining to casual fare. Cynthia and I are elated to be able to offer a chance win a $50 gift card to visit the original Bluewater Grill in Newport Beach yourself (there are also six other locations).

Visit Newport Beach, CA

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Country, My Rants & Recommendations, Non Sequitur, Uncategorized, USA · Bluewater Grill, California, Fish, New England, Newport Beach, Orange County, Review, Reviews, seafood, seafood restaurant, Southern California, tourism, Travel

Reader Interactions

50 Responses

  1. Fairmont Newport Beach: Casual Luxury in Orange County, California says:
    April 18, 2016 at 6:21 am

    […] What a Girl Eats, and I were heading to the Women In Travel Summit which was being held in Irvine (Newport Beach‘s nextdoor neighbor.) When I noticed how close the Fairmont was to the venue, I didn’t […]

    Reply
  2. Weekly Wanderings #10 – Bryce Canyon - Misadventures with Andi says:
    March 25, 2016 at 12:22 pm

    […] and Cynthia had previously enjoyed a meal at Bluewater Grill in Newport Beach and after our meal in Tustin I can see why they raved about it […]

    Reply
  3. Catalina Island, The Perfect (Birthday) Getaway in Southern California with a Free Trip from Catalina Express and a Stay at The Avalon Hotel says:
    December 23, 2015 at 12:43 am

    […] After our experience at Bluewater Grill in Avalon, my friend Cynthia and I had the opportunity to dine at the Newport Beach location, which you can read about HERE.  […]

    Reply
  4. Soe says:
    December 13, 2015 at 9:13 pm

    I actually live near Newport Beach haha. You make me want to check this place out asap :)

    Reply
    • Christina says:
      December 13, 2015 at 11:45 pm

      You have no excuse not to, then, Soe! :)

      Reply
  5. Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious says:
    December 13, 2015 at 5:22 pm

    I never thought about it being like New England but that makes sense! Now I want to visit Newport Beach! I’m thinking this coming weekend.

    Reply
    • Christina says:
      December 13, 2015 at 8:23 pm

      Sounds good, Dorothy! Be sure to check out the boat parade!

      Reply
« Older Comments

Trackbacks

  1. Fairmont Newport Beach: Casual Luxury in Orange County, California says:
    April 18, 2016 at 6:21 am

    […] What a Girl Eats, and I were heading to the Women In Travel Summit which was being held in Irvine (Newport Beach‘s nextdoor neighbor.) When I noticed how close the Fairmont was to the venue, I didn’t […]

    Reply
  2. Weekly Wanderings #10 – Bryce Canyon - Misadventures with Andi says:
    March 25, 2016 at 12:22 pm

    […] and Cynthia had previously enjoyed a meal at Bluewater Grill in Newport Beach and after our meal in Tustin I can see why they raved about it […]

    Reply
  3. Catalina Island, The Perfect (Birthday) Getaway in Southern California with a Free Trip from Catalina Express and a Stay at The Avalon Hotel says:
    December 23, 2015 at 12:43 am

    […] After our experience at Bluewater Grill in Avalon, my friend Cynthia and I had the opportunity to dine at the Newport Beach location, which you can read about HERE.  […]

    Reply

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Meet Christina

A Scottish Italian cook living in Los Angeles, Christina is usually cooking, baking or (cr)eating something scrumptious. When she isn't in the kitchen, she loves to travel, near and far, as long as good food is involved. Christina is on a mission to save authentic Italian dishes from extinction, and is constantly promoting Scottish (and British) food as some of the best cuisine the world has to offer—one steak pie and sticky toffee pudding at a time.



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