[Irvine] [American] Gulliver's

Gulliver's
18482 MacArthur Blvd
Irvine, CA 92612
(949) 833-8411
http://www.gulliversrestaurant.com

We saw Gulliver's a while back when we dined at El Torito in the same lot, and wanted to come back to try their famous prime rib. So when I saw the $40 for $20 Gulliver's deal on Groupon, I bought it right away. I tried to make reservation twice on the day that we wanted to go, and both times the restaurant was fully booked. Finally I made the reservation a week ahead of time, and was able to get a table for 2 on a Saturday night.



I love the Medieval decor and how the waitresses dress in wench outfit. I almost want to work there so I can wear the sexy outfit and show my bosom. haha....



Bread

The bread was delicious, especially the cheese bread sticks.


Gulliver’s Pear Martini ($10.50)
Absolut Pear Vodka, Chambord & Pineapple Juice

Dr. P ordered a Gulliver's Pear Martini for me. It was a sweet martini, and pretty strong.


Joel Gott Cabernet Sauvignon, California ($11.50)

He ordered a glass of Carbernet Sauvignon to go with our steak dinner.


Escargot ($12.95)
Baked under a flakey puffed pastry crust in a butter garlic mushroom sauce

We thought about ordering a salad to split as a healthy appetizer. Then I thought we can eat salad anywhere, even at home. But at home, I would NEVER make escargot. So let's do escargot when we get the chance. I love how Gulliver's make their escargot with puffed pastry crust on top.



Under the pastry crust, there was a big meaty piece of escargot in garlicky buttery sauce. It smelt heavenly, and tasted even better.



Best way to enjoy the dish is to place escargot with sauce on the puffy pastry crust, and eat it in one big bite. Yum!


Aged Charbroiled Rib Eye ($29.95)
A center cut from our prime rib! Served with port wine mushroom sauce

Dr. P ordered Aged Charbroiled Rib Eye. The steak was cooked perfectly. Very soft and tender. But the charbroiled smoky flavor was really strong on the outside layer of the steak. The wine mushroom sauce was also very strong tasting, and a bit on the salty side. We thought the rib eye was ok good when we had it in the restaurant. But the leftover next day tasted sooooooo good for some reason. Even after heating up the steak in microwave, it was still very soft and tender. The creamed spinach and twice baked potato were also very good.


Prime Ribs of Beef - Gulliver's Prime Cut ($29.95)
The Pride of the House! A generous portion, fit for a king. Served with Gulliver’s famous creamed corn, spinach, Creamed horseradish, au jus, and Yorkshire pudding.

The must have dish at Gulliver's is their prime ribs. I ordered Gulliver's Prime Cut, and it was HUGE! The prime rib was one of the best I've ever had, even better than Lawry's in my opinion. I especially love the meat near the outer layer. It was the most flavorful part. We couldn't even finish half of the prime rib. I was really looking forward to have the leftover prime rib the next day. However, the leftover wasn't good at all. The meat tasted too meaty. It just had a very strong "meat" taste, if you know what I am talking about. I don't know if it was because I overcooked it a bit in the microwave or what. Maybe because it was lacking the jus and horseradish. It was just not good at all. I was planning to really enjoy chewing the bones, but even that tasted kinda gross. I think next time I'll try my best to finish the prime ribs at the restaurant because it tasted 100 times better there.


Creamed Corn

The best side dish ever, Gulliver's Creamed Corn. We both finished our plate right away. Our waitress offered "refill". She told us that she would give us more when we finish so can take home home. So nice of her.


Coffee ($3.25)

A cup of coffee to go with dessert.


English Trifle ($6.95)
Layered sponge cake, Bavarian cream, raspberries, strawberries, whipped cream and Sherry wine

English Trifle was sweet, and tasted like it was soaked in alcohol. I love it! haha.... It tasted like a different version of tiramisu. Very moist cake, and very yummy.



What a great dinner! We really like the food, the service, and this restaurant. As we were leaving, we were talking about what a great first visit we had at Gulliver's. A man (owner or manager?) in the front heard us, and gave us a tour of the restaurant since it was our first time there. There was a really nice bar area with a few tables. They also have a big back room where people can have private party at. We thought it was very nice of him to give us the tour and more info about the restaurant. We will definitely be back again.

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