Playground 2.0

If you’ve been to Playground in Santa Ana and loved it, do yourself a favor and take the next step, give Playground 2.0 (which is literally just a few steps away) a try. The pre fix themed dinner seats 17 around a counter top that overlooks the kitchen and prep area. Chef Jason Quinn is the mastermind behind this culinary experience . It’s obvious that he and his team are extremely passionate about what they do and how they do it. Their energy and excitement is contagious. These creative and personable chefs are literally on-stage performing their art in front of you. What makes this experience unique though, is the interaction between the chefs and guests during the meal. Depending on your level of interest, they will engage you as much as they sense you want to be engaged.  If you are curious and want to know what goes into each dish and the thought behind it, they will gladly share with you their ideas, processes, inspiration and expertise on each element of every dish.

We went on a night when the theme was the “Trust” Dinner Party. You don’t know what you will be served that night but you have to trust the chefs to serve you a meal that will not disappoint. The “Trust” dinner is definitely for the very non-picky eater, as the menu can greatly vary on this particular night. Every three people around the counter share each dish that comes out. This way you only have a few bites of each of the 15 courses (yes 15 courses!!).

 

Our night started off with a melt in your mouth goose liver pate served with a sweet & tangy fruit compote topped with a crunchy nut topping. The vehicle into your mouth for this combination were these insane brioche buns that came straight out of the oven bursting with steam as you broke into them.

 

As we noshed on this first delicious course, I watched one of the chefs brush a creamy white sauce on large leaves of butter lettuce. I wondered what he was up to.

 

Ok he was creating the most delicious duck lettuce wraps I’ve ever had. These succulent, moist, flavor/texture balanced, duck lettuce wraps were soooo tasty!