Celebrating Summer with Bistango

We dined as a guest of Bistango

Photo courtesy of Bistango

For those working in or near the business section of Irvine, Bistango has long been a highly regarded destination for both lunch and dinner. Located in the gorgeous Atrium building on Von Karman, the popular restaurant has been serving up fine American fare with an extensive list of wines, beers as well as both classic and craft cocktails and is a mainstay of the area especially for the business crowd.

Recently, Bistango built out their outdoor terrace transforming it into a relaxing beautiful garden oasis and they are now hosting Summer Block Parties there weekly Wednesday through Friday evenings. These block parties feature made to order small plate dishes prepared at the grill with fresh ingredients that change based on availability as well as craft beers, featured wines by the glass and sangria.

The last time I was in Bistango’s garden was for a fundraiser for THE Breast Cancer Awareness foundation in June and it was a wonderful evening so I was excited to be invited to grab a friend and attend their media tasting of some of the small plates from their Summer Block Party menu.

So what was on the menu?

Creamy hummus with Kalamata olive, feta, chili oil, with house made pita triangles

A refreshing Peruvian ceviche with pickled sliced red onion, cilantro, lime juice, habanero, butter lettuce and sweet potato chips

Spicy Ahi poke with sesame, soy and wonton chips

Juicy lamb sliders with goat cheese, arugula and luscious brandied balsamic cherries on brioche

Souvlaki Greek marinated beef kabobs with tzatziki, tomato, cucumber and basmati rice

And my personal favorite the grilled fish tacos, with shredded lettuce, red onion, cilantro, Anaheim chili, tomato salsa, Agro dolce on corn tortilla

These dishes are ideal for sharing after work with friends as a pre-dinner appetizer and are satisfying enough to create an entire informal dinner out of. The small plate prices range from about $6 to $12 making it a fun and affordable evening out. The Summer Block Parties will continue through September 26 and possibly into October weather permitting.

Bistango is located at 19100 Von Karman Avenue in Irvine.

Dana Wilde grew up playing “sous chef” for her father as he churned out one amazing meal after the next for family and friends. She inherited her father’s life long passion for cooking and has spent the past two decades studying, reading, practicing, experimenting, and creating in the kitchen. Together, she and her sister, Shan are Simply Wilde, a small boutique catering business focusing on in-home entertaining.

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