The Gossiping Gourmet: The Boathouse will float your boat

It’s new, it’s hip and it’s hard to find, but the Boathouse Collective is well worth the effort.

Located in an industrial area of Costa Mesa, the building was once the home of the Ditmar-Donaldson Co., which handcrafted wooden ships. While many restaurants are paying big bucks for designers to give the places that industrial look, this is the real thing.

Founder Clayton Pierson is an artist and visionary. He rebuilt the space using reclaimed materials and vintage objects. A 3,000-square-foot outdoor patio area is covered with white sails, and a large attractive herb garden grows in planter boxes at the rear.

Inside are cement floors, a high open ceiling decorated with colorful surfboards, art on the walls, a long bar and long communal tables. Other seating, including low, comfortable leather chairs with low tables, can be found near the bandstand at the rear.

The chef, Mathieu Royer, gained his culinary chops at Pizza Ortica, Hinoki and the Bird and Morimoto, as well as learning the art of sushi from Gen Misoguchi.

As my companion and I perused the menu, our waiter brought over a basket of enormous, house-made tortillas and a big bowl of bean dip. The dip was good with a hint of heat. I only wish that the tortillas were served warm, or at least room temperature. Try not to fill up on those.

We placed our order not realizing that things come out when they are ready, so we began our meal with roasted, sliced, fingerling potatoes. The potatoes themselves had lots of flavor, which was enhanced when dipped in the creamy sauce served with them. The sauce was a nice blend of spiciness and tartness.

We enjoyed the chicken katsu, with the pieces of breast meat cut up and fried in a panko crust. The chicken was moist and the crust crunchy, and the dish wasn’t the least bit greasy. On the side were a mustard sauce and a sweet sauce for dipping. The sweet sauce was especially good with the chicken. A little salad of shredded cabbage was the finishing touch.

Another favorite was the short ribs — pieces of sliced meat served with chimichuri sauce, again with just a little kick of heat. Romaine leaves and minced, sweet hot chilies came on the side, and the meat and chilies could be rolled up in the lettuce like a sandwich.

In fact, all of our dishes were really good. The pork belly was a big thick slab that had been cooked to perfection so that it was tender and juicy and sinfully fat. It just needed a bit of salt. Here the meat was served with a light lemon grass dashi broth. The only flaw was the mochi on the side. It was so dense, tough and gluey that I didn’t recognize it, and it was not edible.

Last but not least were grilled scallops with a nice brown crust and juicy interior. They were accompanied by small, sweet, tender clams in a lemon grass broth and served with roasted corn kernels, shishito peppers and a garnish of misuba, an Asian herb.

Our desert choice was an exceptional panna cotta. The rich, creamy base was topped with a delicious caramel sauce, and little crunchy circles were scattered around the top. They looked like marshmallows but had a crispy texture and didn’t taste like marshmallows. They were really good.

The Boathouse Collective is a great new spot that combines good food with art and music in a casual, fun atmosphere. What could be bad?

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IF YOU GO

WHAT: The Boathouse Collective (949) 646-3176 theboathousecollective.com

WHERE: 1640 Pomona Ave., Costa Mesa

WHEN: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, Lunch; 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday; Happy Hour: 3 to 6 p.m.

Dinner: 5 to 10 p.m.

Sunday Brunch: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

PRICES:

Appetizers: $4-$13

Entrées: $8-$18

Desserts: $6

WINE:

Bottles: $32-$60

By the glass: $8-$15

Corkage Fee: $10