The Corner in Huntington Beach is best known for their inventive cocktails but the food ain't no second fiddle. Each dish has the same attention to detail, unique ingredients and presentation prescision as the lauded drinks. And the menu has a mixed billing of old favorites and new experiments.
One of the newer appetizers is the slow roasted spaghetti squash: comfort food redux. It makes good use of mizithra cheese and a basil-walnut pesto to remind you of overly-filling trips to the Spaghetti Factory. Hot flakes of spaghetti squash arranged in a bird's nest formation warm the dish and make it perfect for our finally-brisk Southern California winter.
And like any food or drink you order at the Corner, there are unexpected plot twists. Dried cherries take on a raisin-like role—less tart than expected and some natural sweetness to an otherwise savory dish. A generous portion of walnuts balance out the squishy spaghetti squash and serve as nutty speed bumps, reminding eaters to chew the meal. Because without them, you might be tempted to inhale the whole damn thing.
And here's where I'm going to use a couple dirty words: it's gluten-free, vegetarian and for all intents and purposes, healthy. But not to worry friends: that's what the cocktails are for. Might we suggest the Clockwork Orange Fashioned as the perfect corrective?
When not running the OCWeekly.com and OC Weekly’s social media sites, Taylor “Hellcat” Hamby can be found partying like it’s 1899.