The Bronze Quail Restaurant & Bar is now open at the Hotel Fullerton, in the space formerly occupied by Journeyman’s Food + Drink. Executive Chef Mark Piepkorn offers an a la carte menu focusing on progressive American dishes, highlighting seasonal bounty, as well as incredible culinary technique with modern applications. The restaurant, which serves dinner Tuesday through Saturday, boasts a lively bar and also presents an adventurous 6-course Chef’s Tasting Menu, with optional wine pairings.
BRONZE + QUAIL
Bronze, an earth element associated with humility, sturdiness and being grounded, is seen throughout the menu in familiar and approachable dishes, executed with new and exciting detours. Chef Piepkorn’s progressive American dishes combine classical and modern techniques, contrasting flavors and seasonal ingredients in interesting and unusual ways.
“The Quail is our State Bird here in California,” commented Chef Piepkorn, who is familiar with Fullerton, having served as an opening chef for the Pickled Monk. “The combination of the two words best represents who we are as California-inspired and focused with a humility and sturdiness in what we offer. It’s something that resonates with our entire team, and we hope it does the same with our guests, as we continue to build on what Journeyman’s began.”
KITCHEN
The Bronze Quail offers a full a la carte menu in the main dining room, as well as on the patio and in the bar. Dishes representative of Chef Piepkorn’s menu include Winter Vegetable Casserole with assorted winter vegetables, black garlic panisse, piquillo pepper rouille; a savory Lava Cake with smoked alligator, jus, cauliflower and gooseberry; Bronze Quail with a seasonal stuffing, carrots three ways, and barley porridge croquette; and an 8-ounce Vintage Beef Ribeye with beef fat confit Yukon potato trifle, crispy potato, compressed fennel and a bordelaise sauce.
BAR
The Bronze Quail’s bar program is helmed by Bar Director Steven Hayden, who gained attention for his innovative cocktails at Journeyman’s.
“We want to emphasize our rich bar program at Bronze Quail and give our loyal guests who’ve been with us since the very beginning of Journeyman’s, an opportunity to see us more frequently to enjoy our imaginative à la carte dishes and highly creative beverages,” commented Hayden, who was part of the opening team at Journeyman’s. “My focus has been on creating innovative scratch-made cocktails and mocktails that follow the same culinary philosophy as our kitchen. I want to highlight our thoughtfully crafted drinks, house-made bitters, liqueurs and hand-carved ice.”
Hayden currently offers more than 30 signature drinks on his menu. The beverages include a selection of Aperitifs with low ABV, served with house citrus tonic; more intricate “Shaken Not Stirred” cocktails that highlight Hayden’s creativity, as well as takes on classic cocktails; Spirit Forward drinks that feature house-made bitters and are served over hand-carved ice or straight up; and nearly a dozen Old Fashioned variations, served with the appropriate citrus peels and house-made bitters.
His menu also features a thoughtful selection of Craft Mocktails, created for guests who wish to abstain from alcohol or who just want to partake in a refreshing non-alcoholic beverage. Hayden makes a Faux Gin from scratch to utilize in a few of his mocktails to create cocktail-inspired beverages with universal appeal.
“I am always inspired by the dishes coming out of our kitchen and they give way to modernist-style cocktails are always evolving,” explained Hayden, who works with sustainability in mind, utilizing everything from leftover berries used for infusions to make alcoholic gelato, to using the pulp from juiced pineapples to make basil-salted pineapple chips for a tiki drink. “Recently, I created a Mezcal-Tomato cocktail featuring a clarified cocktail aspic, smoked chicken heart, eucalyptus-avocado-tomato liqueur granita, house-made cilantro-lime amaro meringue that was dehydrated, and garnished with mini chilies and coriander flowers from my back yard. It was a cocktail meant to be eaten with a spoon.”
After spending nearly a decade developing his skills as bartender and server at various restaurants, Hayden returned to his hometown of Fullerton looking for something new and exciting. Fate took him to Citizen Kitchen at the Hotel Fullerton. There, he deepened his understanding of craft cocktails, gastronomy and global, contemporary cooking. Working side-by-side with Chef Geerson opened his mind and allowed a deep passion to form. After two years of learning, growing and creating, Hayden stepped into the role of Bar Director at Journeyman’s and Citizen Kitchen.
“It’s hard to classify the style and vibe at Bronze Quail – the only limitations we have to creating and progressing are the ones set by ourselves,” continued Hayden. “We want to deliver a rich culinary experience. The goal is to have guests trust us and what we’re doing here, so that it gets them excited to try new things and partake in the adventure we set to create.”
ABOUT BRONZE QUAIL
Bronze Quail is located at the Hotel Fullerton (1500 S. Raymond Avenue in Fullerton). It is open for service Tuesday through Thursday from 5:30 – 10:30 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 5:30 – 11:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.thebronzequail.com.
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