Orange County Register, CA
March 10 2006
Eateries slathering on the style
Zov’s Bistro in Tustin caps a $2 million makeover this Sunday, and
other established restaurants are also responding to trendy new
competitors.
By NANCY LUNA
The Orange County Register
As one of Orange County’s beloved chefs, Zov Karamardian has shared
saucepans with Emeril Lagasse and Julia Child. Her decadent pastries
are considered among the best in the nation.
And she’s currently penning a second book on breakfast and brunch
recipes.
Yet, despite her longtime success, the chef-proprietor of Zov’s
Bistro in Tustin continues to reinvent her brand as she and other
long-standing eateries face more swanky restaurants planting roots in
the county. Her latest counterattack involves a $2 million remodel of
her 19-year-old bistro, which is celebrating a grand reopening
Sunday.
Karamardian will also open a second Zov’s Bistro next year to
introduce her famous Middle Eastern- and European-influenced dishes
to a new batch of foodies.
“It’s very competitive now. And you have to be on top of your game,”
Karamardian said of the bistro’s expansion and makeover. “You have to
keep the buzz going.”
Other prominent eateries are feeling the pressure to spruce up as
well. Antonello Ristorante in Santa Ana and the White House in
Anaheim are adding wine lockers, private dining and banquet rooms,
sound systems and ornate furnishings to keep diners from straying.
“People like to have a place where the experience won’t disappoint.
The food is no longer enough,” said Karamardian, 61.
The bistro’s overhaul includes adding a “Z” (for Zov’s) cocktail bar,
a private banquet room wired for corporate presentations and a stone
outdoor fireplace.
A $400,000 patio improvement features a perma-nent, classier-looking
enclosure to replace the white party tent the bistro used for years.
The final touches: Sliding glass doors and windows were installed
last week in the patio, the bistro’s main seating area. Three months
ago, Karamardian started serving dinner on Monday nights, normally
her only night of rest.
“You can’t give guests an opportunity to find a new favorite,” she
said.
And, in a nod to newer establishments that offer nightly
entertainment such as piano bars, Karamardian also hired a guitarist
to serenade diners on Monday nights.
Rich Hollander, a restaurant consultant at Texas-based Buxton, said
mainstay establishments need to invest more money in makeovers
because trendier eateries are raising the stakes – from elegant local
steakhouses such as Mastro’s and Fleming’s to David Wilhelm’s flashy
French-inspired bistros.
“If I’m a high-end customer, I’m going to the new guy to impress
someone,” said Hollander. “But, then, I’m going to go back to my
local place, and if it is improved, I’ll continue to go back.”
But if older establishments fall behind the eight ball, proprietors
may face empty tables, he said.
At Zov’s, for example, diners began asking for cocktails, but the
bistro served only wine and beer.
“A lot of people weren’t coming here because we didn’t have hard
liquor,” Karamardian said.
She quickly took care of that by building a granite-topped bar last
year. With lunch martinis being some of the most popular orders, the
bar addition has already paid for itself and spawned other upgrades:
replacing wrought-iron chairs with European woven chairs at $200
apiece and adding ceiling fans with stylish blades that resemble palm
leaves.
Sunday’s party, which benefits two local charities, caps the bistro’s
makeover.
It’s all triggered Karamardian to set her sights on opening a second
restaurant in Orange County to introduce her signature dishes: lentil
soup, Moroccan salmon and fruit tarts made with Tahitian vanilla
cream.
The added exposure should sustain long-term growth for Zov’s, where
sales increase about 8 percent a year, said her son, Armen, the
bistro’s general manager.
“We don’t rest on our laurels,” Armen said. “There’s so many
restaurants in Orange County. We feel the time has come where you
can’t expect the guest to find you. We have to find them.”
Last year about 37 percent of fine-dining establishments were
expected to spend a larger proportion of their budgets on remodeling,
according the National Restaurant Association.
On average, table-service restaurants spend about $2.9million on
remodels, association spokeswoman Annika Stensson said.
In addition, fine-dining establishments often spend more money on
“atmospheric details” such as original art, unusual light fixtures,
and solid wood tables and chairs to get the right ambiance, the trade
group said.
That would be true for Antonello Ristorante and the White House.
A fixture at South Coast Plaza Village since it opened in 1979,
Antonello recently converted an upstairs storage room into a
European-themed private room called the Levendi Room.
The room, sponsored by a Napa Valley winery by the same name, seats
up to 14 and is flanked by climate-controlled mahogany wine lockers,
hardwood furnishings, antique light fixtures, Italian art and stone
walls.
Wine lockers, a luxurious “at home” touch where frequent diners stash
their personal wine collections, cost up to $1,500 to $6,000 to rent.
The fee is based on the minimum requirement to buy two cases from the
restaurant’s wine list, said general manager Thad Foret.
In the restaurant’s main dining room, antique-replica chandeliers,
costing $500 each, were recently installed. Foret is also having gray
walls painted over with a cozier, buttery yellow. New chairs are also
on the way.
The centerpiece of a $200,000 remodel at the White House in Anaheim
is the Caterina Ballroom, an enclosed outdoor gazebo that can support
private parties of up to 150 people.
Owner Bruno Serrato said the private ballroom, which opened in
November, has already boosted sales by 30 percent. The restaurant
also primped inside by replacing aging chairs and tables and
installing crystal chandeliers.
While eateries need to redecorate often, Foret said changes must be
subtle. He said he has no intention of turning his traditional
Italian bistro into a haven of marble and granite furnishings –
common decorative details found at newer competitors.
“They are real glitzy and beautiful, and I don’t want to knock that,”
he said. “What we try to have is old-world charm. We’re not straying
from what’s made us successful.”
Zov’s Bistro
Executive chef: Zov Karamardian
History: Karamardian emigrated to the U.S. at age 15 after living
with her Armenian family in various regions of the Middle East.
Karamardian started the bistro in 1987 as an outlet for her catering
business, which she ran out of her Irvine home. Without a “dime to
her name,” Karamardian gleaned $200,000 in seed money from relatives
to start Zov’s Bistro. Later she opened a bakery and cafe behind the
bistro as demand peaked for takeout of her tarts and pastries.
Now: Karamardian is considered one of the county’s top chefs, having
earned many culinary awards over the years. She plans to open a
second bistro next year in the county. On Sunday, Zov’s will
celebrate a $2 million makeover with a fundraiser benefiting the
Joyful Child Foundation and Hoag Women’s Health Services.
Event: The gala is from 4 to 7 p.m. Tickets are $100. For more
information, call (714) 838-8855 or (562) 491-1000.
Location: 17440 E. 17 St., Tustin.
Web site: