Irenia Part 1 - The decor + the art exhibit, "Maiden Voyage" by Patricia Ybanez

I'd recently read about Irenia and was excited to know that it was written up favorably by the late LA Times food critic, Jonathan Gold.

Since we were staying overnight at my brother in law's pad for the evening, Irenia was the perfect spot in keeping with my birthday crawl theme...

which was to frequent restaurants that were currently at the forefront of what is known as the Filipino Food Movement in which Filipino cuisine is finally being appreciated and getting the mainstream recognition it deserves.  The food isn't necessarily traditional. The flavors may be but the chefs' preparations may utilize non-traditional techniques (to Filipinos).  I was happy to we were able to try this OC hotspot that was turning Filipino food inside and out.

Irenia is named after the chef's Ryan Garlito's lola (grandmother) shown below.   Irenia is a Spanish name and an old school name at that.  She is wearing a terno, a butterfly sleeves formal dress.



I love that they incorparated family photos in their decor. The restaurant is quite spacious. There are two seating areas. One side has the bar and larger tables.

You can partially see the kitchen through this small window.

The bar had the de rigeur neon sign...in this case, just the name of the restaurant instead of some so-called witty saying.

The other seating area had booths and single two tops. This was where they had a rotating exhibit.  I wanted to sit here because there was more light but also because I was intrigued by the artwork.

Here is the placard with the xxhibit info. Pamela Ybanez is a Filipina American artist who not only paints but also does textile arts.  I was interested in her art because she put a spin on Filipino American historical reference in her multilayered painting which included stencils of the islands,  Manila Galleons and the stilted homes of  Manila Village in Lousiana which was the first Filipino settlement in the bayous of Louisiana. Filipinos, who were recruited as navigators and slaves on board the galleons jumped ship to escape the brutality of their Spanish masters. They ended up in parts of Mexico such a the port cities of Veracruz and Acapulco as well as across the bay and in Louisiana.

Gallery/restaurant wall:

"Tsunami"

"Galleon"

"Blue Sea"

"Green Sea"

"Alexandria III"

"1565" (refers to the beginning of the Spanish colonial period)

This was called "Barong Hoop" which was an embroiderin hoop which features stretched pina (pineapple fiber) with cutwork, hand embroidery and pearl buttons

Lots to see here and such amazing and detailed work by a talented Filipina American artists. I had inquired out of curiosity the prices of her paintings. They started off at $2,000 each!


More information about Pamela Ybanez:
www.pamelaybanez.com
Here is the Santa Ana art gallery that sponsored her:
ericabroussard.com/pamela-ybanez

Next up - The FOOD