A new Cajun/Creole restaurant has opened in Santa Ana near the Costa Mesa border–an area that developers would like for you to refer as South Coast Metro.
Ritter's Steam Kettle Cooking is the brainchild of a chef actually named Ritter, who honed his craft at Oyster Bar in The Palace Station in Vegas. This location at 1421 West MacArthur Boulevard Unit G, Santa Ana, is actually one of two in OC. The other is at The Strand in Huntington Beach, which has yet to open.
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But what is “steam kettle cooking” you ask? Here it is as it's described on their website:
Steam Kettle Cooking is a unique way of preparing foods. We cook your entrée right in front of you in jacketed steam kettles, these kettles cook the food evenly and fast without over cooking, due to the temperature and surface area of the individual kettles. Each dish can be customized to the liking of each guest. We give you a spicy level of one to ten and even hotter if one so desires. Our food is mostly Cajun Creole Style with some regional flare. Our most popular dish is the Pan Roast a tomato cream based dish with special spices, trinity (green peppers, onions, and celery) and served with several choices of seafood, chicken, and even andouille sausage; topped off with jasmine rice.
Also on the menu: fried alligator and étouffée.
Meanwhile, Pat'a Chou, which opened in the center a little over two years ago, is all but a distant memory.
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Before becoming an award-winning restaurant critic for OC Weekly in 2007, Edwin Goei went by the alias “elmomonster” on his blog Monster Munching, in which he once wrote a whole review in haiku.