Review of a Business Lunch at The Daily Grill (Humus Trio and Blackened Ahi Tuna Salad)

Review of a Business Lunch at The Daily Grill (Humus Trio and Blackened Ahi Tuna Salad)

Today, I had a business lunch and had to choose somewhere quick and near the office. Based on prior experience, The Daily Grill in Irvine (Off Jamboree / Dupont)  is always quick and provides high-end fare. 

[caption id="attachment_43" align="alignleft" width="287" caption="Daily Grill"][/caption]

 As expected, we were seated within 5 minutes of arrival and the staff was professional and prompt.

I ordered the "Humus Trio Appetizer" and the "Blackened Ahi Tuna Salad".  The  appetizer consisted of a Kalamata olive flavored humus,  standard chickpeas humus and a roasted red pepper humus. The accompaniments included 6 triangles of pita, sliced cucumber and radishes for the folks attempting to watch their weight or gluten intake.  My first impression is that all three humus' had a rich and creamy texture, yet

[caption id="attachment_40" align="alignright" width="300" caption="The Daily Grill Humus Trio"][/caption]

maintained a solid density. They sat on the plate like scoops of ice cream.

The Kalamata style humus had a purple hue and visible pieces of Kalamata olives speckled in the humus. It had a gentle smell of Kalamata and chickpea and a creamy mouth feel. The taste was a balanced savory of Kalamata and cream of the chickpea puree. The flavor was good, but I would not eat more than a couple bites of this one as it grows old after the fourth bite.

The Red Pepper Humus used roasted red peppers that provided a slightly sweet and smokey flavor and smell. as it was well-integrated into the body of the humus.The taste of the red pepper humus was actually intensified after I swallowed the humus.

The Standard Humus was well-flavored with mediterranean seasoning and reminded me of an old girlfriend you go to visit after a series of dates with strangers.

My main complaint,  not enough of the Pita on the plate. We ended having too much humus and not enough pita, a shame.  On my scale of 1-5, I gave it a 3. The score of 3 means I would order it again, but not sure if I would rush to call my  friends telling them that they have to try it.

The Blacked Ahi Salad was actually one of the better Ahi Salads that I have tried in a long time. The salad itself was a combination of mixed greens (a very good balance of sweet and pungent), carrots, red peppers, green beans and artichokes. I also noticed that there were Almond shaving in the salad, a nice touch. The dressing was an Asian Style Ginger dressing with a very pleasant flavor. For my preference, there was a little too much dressing on the salad.

  The star of the salad was of course the Seared Ahi Tuna. The sliced Ahi was seasoned with a generous dusting of paprika and lightly seared. The execution of the Ahi searing was near perfection with just a slight browning around the slices, leaving the flesh moist and naturally

[caption id="attachment_41" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="The Daily Grill's Blackened Ahi Tuna Salad (Lunch Menu)"][/caption]

 segmented along the muscle segments. This was a very well done salad, balancing the size of the salad components to create a pleasant mouth feel and easy to consume. This second part is important for a business lunch, as you need the ability to speak quickly and swallow your food even quicker.

My main complaint of my experience today is that the  restaurant did not have the calories and nutritional information for the Ahi Tuna salad. I was provided a nutritional guide, but it did not include the lunch specials. I requested this information from the waiter, who did his best to work with the kitchen crew to calculate the calories. Unfortunately I had to leave before they could figure out the calorie count. I left my email with the Manager, who promised to email me with the calorie count. It is now 9:50 and have not heard back.  I will post tomorrow with an update if this was resolved.

UPDATE: 04/13 2:10 pm - I received an email back from the daily grill with the nutritional information. Although, I wish I would have read this before ordering, I am very pleased and feel appreciated that I received the calorie count. Base on how my email was elevated through the Daily Grill, it is obvious that they took this matter seriously. Thank you Daily Grill Management!

Overall good business lunch location with great food choices. Very fresh ingredients, professional staff and good ambience.