Scott’s

We went for Valentine’s Day and happy we got reservations. We didn’t realize it was a prefixed menu of $ 95 per person. They should have told us when we made reservations. We did inform them we were also bringing a child. When we got there, we were told they did not have a child’s menu available but thank goodness they worked with us and my daughter was able to get a salad, chicken tenders with crispy fried potatoes and fruit at a decent price. My husband had oysters and then the filet mignon with scalloped potatoes and haricot vert. The scalloped potatoes were so good. I had the prawns with Cajun aioli and then for the main entrée I had the lobster tail. It was just okay. It seems like it needed some acidity. For dessert I had the chocolate cake and my husband had the beignets. Again, that was just okay. Ambience was nice if you were seated in the restaurant. We were seated at the enclosed patio and we didn’t appreciate the wobbly table. Service was okay. All in all, I felt that the price was too high for what we got. I’ve had other prefixed dinners with wine that was more amazing than this at a lower price. And my husband and I were still hungry after our meal.

From their website:
Scott’s Restaurant & Bar
is officially closed
We are sad to say goodbye, yet our hearts are filled with gratitude for the 26 wonderful years we’ve had with you, serving Orange County award winning seafood. On behalf of General Manager Robert Redaelli and Executive Chef Michael Doctulero and the entire Scott’s family, we wish you a Happy New Year filled with joy, health and prosperity, and amazing cuisine. We will miss you’d
So sad, this was a great place.

My favorite spot. Calamari is a great apptizer. The sauce is so good. Ahi tuna entrée is delicious.

Welp, I came here and wanted to come before they are close on ½/​16. I called a few days ago and heard the chef is going to do a Prix Fixe menu on their last day. Unfortunately, that is not a good day for me to go so today was the day I took everyone in my family to have lunch here. After dining here today, I so wished I came earlier and took advantage of OC Restaurant Week or Costa Mesa Restaurant week specials but I just could NOT make it out.
Though the food is on the pricier side, I could tell you it’s not to be missed if you always wanted to try it like me. I couldn’t make it out for dinner, so lunch it was today.
Got to try the:
Fish & Chips: $ 17. 3 large pieces of seabass, skin on wedge fries, and a side slaw. Light, airy and crispy. Fish was firm and fresh. Probably one of the best I’ve had in years.
Tuna Melt: Tuna on large piece of brioche with skin on wedge fries. The ratio of bread and tuna was too much. The guajillo-​ginger aioli tasted like sriracha aioli… It was good, but I would pass.
Kids Mac and Cheese: Corkscrew type noodles served in a small dish. It’s bigger than a side but almost like a shallow bowl. It’s quite good, on the buttery side. I think it’s just a bigger version and pricier version of the side.
Kids burger: This was kind of odd. I do have to say, taste wise, it was really good. But what we got on the plate was two brioche buns with two small patties. No lettuce??? No tomatoes??? Came with ketchup and fries. WTF? So of course when you close the bun, it’s like the number 8 got engulfed in the number 0. You will have excess bread. Why they don’t serve it on two smaller slider buns is beyond me.
So kids menu is really like an after thought .
I can’t say the service was great either. There were 2 hostess running around. When we stepped in, there was no one in the front for 1 minute but luckily we sat down even without a reservation.
Water took some time to refill. There were only 2 bussers.
Amazingly, there was only 1 waitress. She took EVERYONE’s order! I mean, everyone in the whole restaurant! So it was insane because service was spotty but it wasn’t too bad. I just wished we got more water along the way because the fries were salty.
I do have to give props to the hostess with the blond hair. She constantly will check on us if everything was okay and doing triple duty helping out serving the food. I’m sure having the restaurant closing in a little more than a week had something to do with the service here. Otherwise, running the whole front end with 6 people is quite insane.
I’ve pointed out my experience here. Even though lunch wasn’t perfect and a few hiccups, the food is tasty.
Water Grill is set to take over this location. Read about it here:

Sux this place will be closing next month but I still think I owe them a review for the great time I had here. Went to Scotts for company holiday party. I’m not a huge seafood person but I been more open minded as of late so I got the mahi mahi. For real the best fish I’ve ever had. Service at the bar was excellent and fairly quick, considering there was only one person working and the volume of drinks being ordered. Had an old fashion and Jameson mule both were excellent. Nice layout, friendly staff, and great service. Only drawback is if your not a valet parking type of person then you may have to park down the street and walk there. Other then that an overall excellent experience!

Large menu. yummi seafood… wine list. alot of seating… large bar area… cool place. fresh food…

Came the other day for a private party and I must say, the venue, the service and the food were all on point. The blackened chicken Ceasar salad was amazing! It was a rather huge portion, spicy, and the chicken was oh so juicy! Valet is only $ 4, and located right across from south coast plaza. The restaurant was charming, classy and intimate… I’ll definitely be back!

This place had pretty good food, but amazing customer service. I would highly recommend this place for the customer service and the appetizers. The scenery isn’t bad at all either, but it reminds me of a cottage.

+ Friendly efficient staff
+ Delicious food
+ Great selection
+ Plenty of seating
+ Live music on some days
— Valet parking only (parking attendant was somewhat rude)
I decided to try Scott’s to celebrate my gf’s birthday. It was recommended by a friend and overall I was very impressed. The food was delicious and the wait staff was very friendly and attended to all our needs.
Even though I would have loved to try my favorite seafood dish (Chilean Sea Bass), I wanted to try one of Scott’s favorites which was the Pacific Swordfish. I was concerned that it would be tough, but it was great. It came topped with some Maine lobster as well My gf had the Prime Ribeye Steak, which of course I tried. Great stuff. I highly recommend both dishes. In fact, even the reheated leftover steak on following day was just as good!
We also had the New England Clam Chowder (one of the best I’ve had) and the Beef Carpaccio. A little pricey for such a small amount, but hey… that’s the price you pay for some fancy raw meat. :P
Personally I really hate places which have mandatory valet parking. Why? So you can provide jobs for people? At least give us the option to park on our own since many of us do not like strangers driving our cars. I politely asked if I could park myself and the attendant said no. I offered to pay the $ 4 valet charge as well if I could park. He rudely told me to leave and park in the underground deck. Fine by me. Free parking. If it wasn’t for my gf’s birthday, I would have immediately left and you would have lost a customer for life. I will immediately leave any establishment with mandatory valet parking/won’t let me self park.
Fortunately for Scott’s, the food and service was great. I’ll likely park at the nearby South Coast Plaza Mall and walk across the street if I were to dine here again.

Had an awesome dinner. After a horrible loss in my ice hockey league I was in need of a better ending to my weekend.
We picked Scott’s due to their great Unilocal ratings. We didn’t have reservations but we’re still seated immediately. Nice ambience as you walk, a fountain, lights in the trees and the décor inside.
The wood fired shrimp & kale were delightful. I’m not a super fan of oysters but the fresh Minter Sweet oysters were terrific. My filet was cooked to perfection, the snapper was good and the mushrooms and truffle macaroni & cheese were great compliments.
The overall meal and service was a great experience. Our waiter, Peter, kept checking on us and made sure our drinks were filled. A nice touch was that he individually labeled each of our leftovers containers.

Bae took me here last night. What a fun and yummy dinner we had.
First things first — Henny and Coke. Strong. Henny with a splash of coke in a wide short glass. Just what we like.
We started out with a couple Oysters and the Wood Fired Shrimp Appetizer. Love the presentation and taste. Excellent.
I had the whole Red Snapper and he the Filet. Sides were Mushrooms and Mac n Cheese.
Snapper– Excellent! Get this! I had him debone it in the kitchen and told him he could keep the head back there too so that’s why my photo is not what looks like a whole fish.
Butterflied filet was great. Mushrooms were yummy! And the Mac N Cheese. It was velveeta with some white cheddar added for fancy factor. I swear. I love velveeta so this was all good for me.
Ambiance is great. We were staying at the Westin South Coast Plaza so a two minute walk led us here. They do have Valet parking for like $ 5.
Our waiter was great. Kind, informative and attentive.
Definitely a good business casual date night restaurant. Like I wore flip flops and had my hair in a messy pony but our bill could feed a family of 8 for a month… Get it? But That’s just how Bae and I do things.

I have had great experiences every time at Scott’s (all for dinner); because all of my visits have been for work, cost wasn’t as big a factor. This is not a cheap restaurant but mostly is worth it. The service is friendly and the place does feel more upscale than usual for me. The interior décor is modern, simple and appealing. I don’t really like that you have to valet park only but contributes to the more upscale atmosphere.
Their calamari is one of the best that I’ve ever had — not too oily and lightly breaded. I usually have some type of fish and the sole and chilean sea bass have both been excellent; the fish is cooked very well. The main courses are not huge portions but they are enough, especially if you sample some appetizers. I have also liked the fish tacos, Brussel sprouts, spinach and mac & cheese. For dessert, you must have the cheesecake stuffed beignets (Strawberries, sliced almonds, caramel). They are soft and fluffy and always warm.
I would highly recommend and can’t wait to return!

Food and service here are both top notch. Parking is valet only, for $ 4. My bf made a reservation for us on a Friday night at 7:30 and the restaurant wasn’t full at all. They mentioned that they get packed before showtimes at the Segerstrom Center. You are able to order half bottles of wine, so we went with a nice Chardonnay. Every dish we ordered was fantastic.
Scott’s Calamari: Very lightly breaded and seemingly sautéed in a delicate sauce. The pieces of calamari were so tender. This dish is not to be missed.
Pacific Swordfish: This was a nice cut of swordfish served over potatoes and topped with asparagus, lobster chunks and a light serving of a creamy sauce. I was in heaven!
Cioppino: A hefty serving of shrimp, calamari, lobster and seasonal fish in a tomato broth with a crostini.
In addition to these dishes we ordered a side of Sauteed Mushrooms which included shitake, portobello and button mushrooms. They were very meaty and a great accompaniment. For dessert they brought me complimentary Cheesecake Stuffed Beignets for my birthday. This was one of the best desserts I have had in a long time. The cheesecake inside was nice and soft, the beignets were fluffy and it was accompanied by a raspberry sauce drizzled on the plate. For seafood and an upscale ambiance to celebrate a special occasion, Scott’s is the spot.

Great service, attentive waiters/​busboys.
Food:
Sushi platter-​5/​5
Oyster: 5/​5, so fresh, so good.
SeaBass: 3.5÷5, was a bit salty, and instead of sushi rice, could’ve been subbed for something else. maybe risotto? Too plain with sushi rice and I’ve had more savory sea bass before. Kind of disappointed.
Cheesecake stuffed beignets: 4/​5, maybe because I’m not a fan of cheesecake, but that wasn’t the problem. Maybe a bit more strawberries with chocolate drizzle will solve the problem. Anyways, was still a good dessert.
This was an Ok steakhouse out of all the steakhouses I’ve been to. Would I recommend? Sure, why not: P

Today we had the opportunity to try 5 of the happy hour menu items, which they call, «Small Bites». We had the flatbread, artichoke, sliders, fish tacos & cheese fondue. Two of us split all of these dishes and we were filled to the brim! We even took home leftovers of the flatbread.
My two favorite dishes were the sliders and the fish tacos. The sliders are made with Akaushi, which is a Japanese wagyu breed of cattle. Both the sliders and fish tacos had just the right amount of sauces & flavoring to them. Highly recommended! The other 3 dishes were average.
Happy hour is from 3−6pm Mon — Fri. and all items are half off during that time. Certain drinks are also half-​off (see photo I posted). We were fortunate to have our meal comped, but even if we hadn’t, all of that would’ve added up to approx $ 50, including 3 glasses of wine, if you come during happy hour. Now that’s a deal! The happy hour is only located in the bar or lounge area.
I’ve come to Scott’s before for work-​related events, where they offered buffet style lunches, but I never really thought much of this place until tonight. Tonight really made me a FAN! The food is outstanding. The customer service was equally remarkable and attentive.
Please note that they only offer valet parking (or at least that’s what they were offering tonight) which is $ 4.
Give Scott’s a try!

Its Date Night! Once in awhile, we appreciate the the finer things in life. Why couldn’t we call this, Ryan’s! OK, it probably wouldn’t sound great, but change the formula and you’d get a killer restaurant. If I were to open a restaurant, it would be just like this. Welcome to Scott’s in Costa Mesa.
Located on the northeast corner of Bristol and Anton Blvd., you will find the elegant Scott’s Restaurant & Bar. It is located right across South Coast Plaza and located near the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Valet Parking is $ 4. I do agree to some aspect with other Unilocalers. Why charge $ 4?! They literally park just in front of the restaurant when there are plenty of spaces. There may not even be a performance going on, but you are eating at a fancy restaurant. Do beware if you do park across the street.
As you walk to the entrance, its as almost you are getting ready for your own wedding. There is a small water fountain with the water pouring like a smooth waterfall that can cut your hand. I do hope they can upgrade it and make it bigger. Potentially add some colorful lights. As we walked to the front entrance, two well suited male staff employees open the door for us. Oooh… almost does sound like we are at a wedding. We were waiting for my girlfriend’s best friend to come, but decided to go ahead and sit down. We were seated in a booth in the main dining area. There is a indoor private dining area with an outside view. I am not sure if the windows open, but if it did, it would be a nice outdoor feeling inside.
Our waiter/​host of the evening was Peter. Very attentive to our table and accommodating especially when our friend was not yet arrived in. Peter did offer us complimentary water. He mentioned about Scott’s Restaurant proactive involvement to the CA State Water Conservation Program. You are offered complimentary Sparking Water or you can get bottled water. I believe it was Voss Water. I am not sure if it was free or you are able to purchase. We decided to get some sparking water. Of course, we always love free bread! Peter gave us bread and butter.
The menu is very simple, Its a one pager. It covers everything from salads to their special section of **STEAKS**. I don’t have a detailed prices of what my girlfriend and her best friend bought. Let’s just say, I was too focused on ME! However, she did get a dish that was served off the menu. She got her favorite: Halibut, couscous, and quinoa with a side of Lemon Butter Sauce. Her friend got a Half Roasted Chicken. As for me, I got the Embarcadero Salad ($ 28) with a side of Macademia Nut Spinach (Unknown cost).
The wait for the food was about 15 – 20 minutes. The staff brought out the food in elegant fashion. My dish was quite simple, but exotic at the same time. The Embarcadero is a salad with shrimp, scallops, and ahi tartar. The lettuce were two to three long pieces of lettuce with some special dressing with complimented more of the seafood than the greens. I loved the scallops, but I did enjoy more of the shrimp that were grilled and had herbs on it. Moving on to the additional side dish. I’ve had spinach, but not Macadamia Nut Spinach. The Macadamia Nuts were unbelievable. I am not sure if it was roasted or just pan fried. With the spinach, I gobbled it all up. I am not even sure if I offered it at all. **YIKES**
Peter took care of us and our meal. It was definitely enjoyable. If were planning to catch a performance nearby, we would definitely consider coming back here as it is one of the top 3 places to dine before a show. I love how classy this place is and definitely coming back for Part 2. Now, do you think Ryan’s could be the next potential restaurant?! Of course, I do, but if you have a name is not mine, you could argue your name is better.
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Scott’s was the perfect place for a leisurely bubbly-​infused lunch before a recent performance at the Segerstrom.
Despite knowing about the location for practically forever, this was my first visit. To describe it in one word, outstanding. If you want a few more words, please keep reading. ;)
From the crisp white tablecloths and sparkling glassware to the attentive yet not intrusive service, it was a memorable experience.
Contemplating the menu over a couple of glasses of sparkling rose, we chose:
Calamari — this was the best preparation I have ever tasted. Lightly dusted rather than breaded, and graced with lemon, garlic shallots & butter. Hint — use some of your delicious sourdough bread for the remaining garlic butter — you’re welcome.
Our entrees were both perfection on plates:
Seared Ahi — this was amazing. A generous portion that was enhanced with a soy glaze and wasabi cream, this was served with macadamia nut spinach and sushi rice. I cherished every bite.
Grilled Mahi Mahi — served with a chia-​miso sauce over zucchini spaghetti this was simple and delicious.
If mac n cheese is on the menu I have to have it, so:
Truffle mac n cheese — We tried so, so hard to finish all of this because it was so, so good (and I am VERY picky about my mac n cheese) but the portion was huge!
And… since there is always, always room for dessert:
Cheesecake stuffed beignets — this was both beautiful and delicious, topped with powdered sugar and served with fresh strawberries, sliced almonds and caramel sauce.
I don’t know who Scott is, but he has won a place in my heart.

WELCOME TO OC RESTAURANT WEEK 2015!
The best part of OC Restaurant week is being able to try upscale restaurants at a more «affordable» price. Of course it can mean portions smaller to a «tasting» size, but at least you can say you’ve been, and have tasted the food.
Each year my friend Linda and I try to pick a restaurant near work, and a place that we’ve never been together. This year’s pick was Scott’s, located across the street from South Coast Plaza, and we came here on a Wednesday afternoon.
We arrived at 11:30 and pulled up to the mandatory valet, which was $ 4. We walked inside and had a choice of practically anywhere in the restaurant, so we chose to sit in a booth near the window.
Larry was our server, and we decided to go off the OC Restaurant Week $ 25 lunch menu (the purpose of coming to lunch), and he suggested we order different things so we could try different items. (Great suggestion!)
Linda wanted the oysters on the half shell (not part of OCRW) and got 2 of them at $ 3.95 each. She really liked them, and said the sauces were wonderful.
For starters Linda ordered the Peruvian Ceviche, while I had the Short Rib Ravioli. These 2 dishes could not be any more different.
— Her ceviche was a generous serving of white fish in a citrus marinade. Very refreshing, served with a side of mango.
— My ravioli were 3 generous pieces filled with tender braised beef in a nice tomato-​broth sauce, which beckoned to be sopped up with bread.
For our entrees we both ordered fish. She had the Sole, and I had the Fish and Chips, and like the starters, different in its own right.
— Linda’s grilled sole was moist and tender, but even with the caper sauce, lacked flavor. It was served with 3 white potatoes and sauteed green beans. Simple, but a bit underwhelming after having the flavorful ceviche.
— My 3 pieces of fish and chips was fried in a tempura batter, served nice and crispy. I wasn’t sure what type of fish (I think it was tilapia?) but it was tender and piping hot inside, and not greasy at all. This entrée was served with crispy potato wedges, and cole slaw.
We were pressed for time, so we didn’t linger for dessert. The price for the OC Restaurant Week lunch came to $ 25 per person, which is quite a deal. HOWEVER, the sticker shock came when we saw the prices for the soft drink!
My diet coke (no refill offered) came to $ 4. A bit pricey, but that’s not the sticker shock. Linda’s «Republic of Tea» brand of bottled, unsweetened iced tea came to $ 7– yes, SEVEN dollars for bottled iced tea! Holy cow.
The service was very good, but not exceptional. Our plates were cleared in a timely manner, but we were not checked on during lunch.
The food was good, and priced well for a 2 course lunch. I was going to give this place 4 stars, but after the sticker shock on drinks, its down to 3 ½ (rounded up to) 4 stars. I’m still shock the 2 soft drinks came to $ 11, while my meal was $ 25.
So lunch for 2, with soft drinks came to $ 63 before tip.

Came here for dinner after taking in a performance nearby. I hadn’t been here since they remodeled and dropped «seafood» from their name, and I must say, it looks very nice – much more upscale. My friends had made a reservation so we were shown to our table right away.
I started things off with a pom basil cocktail, which was delicious. I had a hard time deciding, but ultimately settled on the grilled salmon. When I got it, I was pretty disappointed: the fish was a little too seared on the outside and a little too raw on the inside, the accompanying gnocchi pieces were also charred on the outside and kind of gluey on the inside. The vegetables were seasoned well but felt a little too oily. For the prices they’re charging this dish should’ve been PERFECT. The desserts were da bomb, though: crème brûlée (sliced, not in cup) was silky smooth and delicious, and the meyer lemon soufflee was perfection, accompanied by raspberry sorbet with graham cracker crumbs.
Service overall was kind of meh – out waitress was perfectly competent but we didn’t really get the warm and fuzzies from her. Just A-​OK. I guess since they do steady business from the performing arts center crowd they’re not really hurting for business, but if I’m not getting invited to dine with generous friends, I’d never come back.
STEPH JUDGEMENT: For what you pay, it should be better.

Boyfriend chose Scott’s off my list of bookmarked restaurants when his buddy suggested he and his girlfriend and we go out for a pre-​holiday dinner. See, he’s getting smart when it comes to where to take me ( Unilocal will guide you, young buck).
However, I’m starting to get wary of restaurants in the Fashion Island part of Newport Beach. There always seems to be a lot of hype and the delivery never lives up. (Ahem, Lark Creek)…either way, we arrived at shiny, white-​tableclothed Scott’s without a reservation last Friday at 7:30pm and had no problem getting a table.
After an initial snafu with the first server — she was reassigned to a large group, I guess? We ended up with the obvious newbie server who was immediately weeded with five other tables. Nice enough guy, but at a restaurant that commands these prices don’t make me ask for a steak knife with my ribeye, damn it. Makes me cranky.
We ordered the calamari, which was delicious, our companions ordered a sushi roll (*facepalm* WHY)…something I would never do at a place that doesn’t specialize in it. It was expectedly mediocre.
I placated the boyfriend when he begged me to order the Chilean Sea bass so that we could share surf and turf when he ordered a ribeye. It was good, not incredible, but good. The server claimed it had some special marinade which I caught none of.
Boyfriend’s ribeye was delicious (and HE placated ME by ordering it fromage style with blue cheese)…the topping made the steak. It was also perfectly cooked.
Our companions mirrored our order, so I can’t comment on other food.
So why the three stars, you ask? Service was really off. I feel like we had to ask for EVERYTHING. Even the hostess who initially walked us to a dirty table. Just no.
Also, $ 15 for a glass of Sonoma Cutrer Chardonnay? Really? That’s an insane, and borderline offensive mark-​up on a $ 30 bottle of wine.
Finally, the check $ 280 without tip may not sound bad for four people, however, for the price I expected SO much more.
I doubt we’ll be back. Nothing about it stood out enough to spend $ 70/pp…when dining in southern OC it’ll be Ivory from here on out.