Itriya Cafe Opens At Diamond Jamboree

Categories: Now Open
homepage_main.jpg
itriyacafe.com

The long-awaited curiosity of a concept that merges Italian spaghetti with Korean ssam (loosely translated to "things wrapped in lettuce and sesame leaf") opened last week and from a quick perusal of the menu, the restaurant isn't kidding around: they are, indeed offering a menu of spaghetti (with traditional Italian flavors and ones that incorporates Korean black bean, Cajun and other variants) and a (thankfully) separate menu of ssam.

Not only that, they've got spaghetti soup and something else that I hadn't anticipated or heard of before: a Taconini, a foodstuff that Itriya Cafe holds a trademark on.

What is a Taconini? It is a "signature menu item that combines the flavors of a Taco and is grilled and layerd like a Panini. In the Taconini bread, it is layered with cheese, cucumber, Itriya Cafe slaw, red & yellow bell peppers and Taconini sauce."

Check out the rest of the menu HERE.

As I've reported before Itriya Cafe is the brainchild of Howard Gordon and fiancee Jennifer Lee. Gordon is a former executive at The Cheesecake Factory; Lee is fashion designer who has a boutique at Crystal Cove Promenade. They already have plans for expansion into the LA area and at least three more locations elsewhere in the next few years. Will this latest Korean-based mash up be as successful as a certain Twittering taco truck that began the trend? Who knows? But I'm more than curious to try it.

Itriya Cafe, 2740 Alton Pkwy, Irvine, (949) 955-2080; itriyacafe.com.

Follow Stick a Fork In It on Twitter @ocweeklyfood or on Facebook!

Like this Story?

Sign up for the Dining Newsletter: The week's top local food news and events, plus interviews with chefs and restaurant owners, dining tips, and a peek at our print review.

Privacy Policy
Sign up for free stuff, news info & more!

Tools

Browse Voice Nation
  • Voice Places

    Voice Places

    Discover restaurants, nightlife, travel, shopping...

  • VOICE Daily Deals

    VOICE Daily Deals

    Get 50 to 90% off every day on restaurants, movies, massages...

  • Best Of

    Best Of...

    More than 10,000 of the BEST things to eat, drink, and experience

  • My Voice Nation

    My Voice Nation

    Join the Village Voice community and get exclusive deals and info

  • Happy Hour

    Happy Hour

    Your local Happy Hour guide at your fingertips

or

Log in or Sign up

Social Connect:

Use your favorite account to access My Voice Nation.


Use your My Voice Nation account to log in:





Forgot password?
or

Sign Up or Log in

Social Connect:

Sign up for My Voice Nation with your preferred network.


Sign up for a My Voice Nation account:



Privacy policy