The Quiet Woman

You walk past the bougainvillea and into a room that feels like old-money California — warm brick, candlelight, and a wine list that matches the room's confidence without trying too hard. This is not a list that's chasing trends. It knows what it is: a classic California program built to drink well with a ribeye.

The list runs 150 to 250 bottles and leans hard into California, which is the right call for a steakhouse of this pedigree sitting ten minutes from Newport Beach. You've got the heavy hitters — Ridge Monte Bello, Stag's Leap, Jordan, Duckhorn — names that belong on a list like this and hold up under scrutiny. The Chardonnay side earns its keep with Sonoma-Cutrer Russian River Ranches and Cakebread, both reliable and well-matched to the bisque and the Caesar. What's missing is any real adventurousness — no Rhône, no Central Coast outliers, no reason to feel surprised. Wine Spectator has handed them an Award of Excellence every year since 2015, and you can see why: it's a competent, well-curated California program that does exactly what it promises.

Twelve to twenty pours by the glass, landing between $12 and $18, which is reasonable for this zip code. The range covers the bases — a Chardonnay, a Cab, probably a Merlot — without offering much to get excited about. It's a list built for the guest who wants a glass of something decent with dinner, not one designed to make you linger over the menu.