Whimsical decor, impeccable service, expansive wine list, and modern California cuisine in the heart of Newport Beach: Fable and Spirit restaurant is a good restaurant that is on its way to being great. 

Ambiance

As you might imagine, with a name like Fable and Spirit, the ambiance is whimsical and inviting. The dining room itself is decked out in a bold shade of marine teal, there are golden accents throughout, and the walls have splashes of Baroque wallpaper. 

The dining room is well laid out for the space’s size. Diners seeking a quiet, romantic lunch or dinner will appreciate the private booths, and those who like to be “in the midst” of things will enjoy the free-standing tables with plush chairs. On warm days, the semi-covered patio seating looks like an excellent option for al fresco dining. If the weather turns chilly, there are ample heat lamps to stave off the cool ocean air.

We just want to note one aspect of the decor that our fellow wine lovers may find concerning: the restaurant has a large display of wine stored on shelves, right side up, on display with no temperature control, and occasionally in direct sunlight. We hope these are only display bottles and never given to the customers. Certainly a nice touch, but not great for the wine. 

5-Star Service

Before we dive into the food and wine, we want to recognize the 5-star service that our waiter, Gary, provided. We dined at Fable and Spirit on Easter, and as you can imagine, the restaurant was bustling. We’re unsure if the restaurant was short-staffed and they needed Gary to be everywhere at once or if he is just that good of a server. He had tables inside the restaurant, in the bar area, and outside, and still managed to provide excellent service. While juggling everything, he even talked about the wines, answered our questions, and gave great descriptions. 

The Dining Experience

The Coyle family, proprietors of Fable and Spirit, may have roots in Ireland and give a nod to those with the Corned Beef Hash, but this menu is all about modern California cuisine. 

When we are trying a new restaurant, we like to course out our meal so that we can try a few different things. Champagne is the perfect Easter wine, so we selected starters that pair well with the bubbles. Half bottles are a great way to go if you’re looking for two glasses, plus an extra splash each, and there was a bottle of Louis Morette Grand Reserve Champagne on the list that was calling our name. 

The Starters

Hamachi with radish, cucumber, toy box tomatoes, jalapenos, mango gelee, olive oil, lemon snow

The hamachi presentation is very lovely – lots of colors and lots of textures on the plate. Overall, this is a good dish, but that ‘good’ comes with a caveat. As we mentioned, the presentation was excellent, but the fish itself was just average. The pieces weren’t exactly chewy, but they could have been more tender. The waiter suggested trying a combination of all the tastes together – so, basically, mixing the sweeter mango gelee with the more savory/citrusy olive oil snow and the veggies. Some diners might find that this approach drowns out the natural fish flavor that so many love.

If you try this dish, we recommend trying the mango gelee and olive oil lemon snow separately before combining. 

House-Smoked Salmon with sweet toasted anise bread, citrus-infused red onions, dill creme fraiche, everything bagel spice, hard-boiled egg, and crispy capers.

As you can see in the pictures, the house-smoked salmon is served on one whole slice of bread, with the accompaniment on top, rather than a charcuterie-style presentation that have you add your own medley of accompaniments. We loved this dish, and the way the chefs presented it as a complete dish. The salmon was lightly smoked so that you could taste each and every flavor on the plate. 

Both the hamachi and the salmon went well with the champagne’s crisp citrus and gentle red fruit notes.

Large Plates

Corned Beef Hash with sweet potato, pickled cabbage, poached egg, tarragon, grainy mustard 

Let’s talk about the Corned Beef Hash. “CBH” is supposed to be a simple, straightforward, and satisfying dish, right? Well, Fable and Spirit has a, well, let’s just call it a “unique” approach. For starters, a traditional corned beef hash is made with potatoes. Fable and Spirit replaces the potatoes with sweet potatoes, which, for our tastes, is already a misstep because you’re introducing a sweet element to a rustic, savory dish. 

Things just get more confusing from there. Gone are the onions. In place of them, we have pickled cabbage. Rather than topping the corned beef with a fried egg, it’s drowning in a demi-glace. You know, the kind of sauce that normally accompanies a short rib. The demi-glace made it almost impossible to decipher the other flavors. 

The bright spot was the wine. We paired the corned beef hash with Château d’Arsac, ‘le kid,’ Margaux 2018, a Bordeaux blend.

Fable Burger topped with pork belly, caramelized online, tomato, and dijon, served with truffle fries

The Fable Burger is absolutely amazing. The addition of the succulent pork belly took this burger to the next level. A total 5-star hit of the meal. We love a good Cabernet Franc, and the Tenuta Luisa Isonzo del Friuli 2019 was just the wine this burger needed.

Dessert

Callebaut Chocolate Budino with vanilla bean cremoux, bruleed banana, and hazelnut streusel 

The Chocolate Budino is a chocolate lover’s dream. The bruleed banana was perfectly caramelized on the outside, and the sweet and crunchy hazelnut streusel made each bite magical. This dessert was quite rich, and we decided to temper things down just a bit with a relaxing digestivo in the form of the Quinta do Vallado, a 20 yr tawny port, and the Dublin 4 Irish Coffee, which wasn’t necessarily the greatest pairing, but was delicious, and came with a dollop of hand-made whipped cream. 

Wine List & Corkage Policy

The wine list at Fable and Spirit is diverse and eclectic. There are a lot of choices here, and whomever curated this list did an excellent job of sourcing bottles for every budget, and palate and from regions around the globe.

You will find prestige brands like Opus One and Continuum, next to “New California” winemakers like Matthiason, Ryme, and Scar of the Sea, and newcomers like RAEN, one of our favorites, next to cool-kids-brand Las Jaras.  

Stylistically, there is no shortage of options. Napa Valley Cabs, white and red Burgundies, acidic Silician whites, and Austrian and German Rieslings. The restaurant even offers Pet Nats (Pétillant-Naturel-style sparkling), skin contact, orange wine, and chillable reds. See what we mean. They have something for everyone.

If you still decide that you want to bring your own bottle from home to enjoy in the restaurant, Fable & Spirit’s corkage fee is $35 per bottle, with a 2 bottle limit per table.

Final Thoughts

Fable and Spirit has a lot of pluses and a few minuses. Overall, this is a good restaurant with nice decor, amazing service, and a great wine list. The plating is colorful and very visually appealing. Lovely for serious foodies and those who want some eye-catching content for their social media accounts.

With a few tweaks to the food, maybe that means simplifying a dish like the corned beef hash, Fable and Spirit could turn good into great.