Date Night in Laguna Beach

There’s always fantastic food and entertainment to be found in Laguna Beach! After a long week, my husband and I headed out for a date night in Laguna. We drove down the canyon right at twilight and watched the last glow of the sun drip back behind the hills. The drive into Laguna Beach never gets old for this Southern California girl. Tonight we decided to see the award-winning show ‘Chapter Two,’ at Laguna Playhouse but beforehand, we headed to the Lumberyard  for dinner and drinks.  The Lumberyard opened its doors in 2008, after a complete remodel. It is named after the original company occupying the site, The Laguna Lumber Company, which was the longest running company in Laguna Beach, and in business from 1910 to 1985. Owner, Cary Redfearn wanted to stay true to the original integrity of the 1912 building so he left the office of Joe Jahraus, owner of The Laguna Lumber Company, intact as part of the restaurant. Inside no detail has been left to chance with custom booths, a horseshoe-shaped bar, artisan woodwork throughout, and a beautiful 12,000-piece mesquite wood floor entrance. The only thing that upstages the elegant décor is the food.

We began our date, as is our tradition, with drinks and a toast. I chose the Ri Mist and the Mister went with the Margarita. We toasted to a quiet night out, free from the worries of kids and work. Next we enjoyed the zucchini planks, a Lumberyard signature dish. The zucchini is presented like a Lincoln log tower and topped with parmesan. Each plank is thinly sliced and covered in panko crumbs and fried. These planks are absolutely perfect with a crispy outer layer and a hot tender inside with an aioli sauce for dipping. We had to stop ourselves from over eating this tasty appetizer so we could leave room for the main course.

Before opening Lumberyard, Cary owned the beloved Oysters in Corona Del Mar, famous for their fresh fish. The executive chef from Oysters, Armando Ortega, went with Cary to the Lumberyard, as well as  some of his famous dishes. With this knowledge how could we pass up an opportunity to try them? So I chose the pan seared Pacific Sea Bass and the Mister, the cedar-planked mahogany King Salmon.

The Sea Bass is served over whipped truffled potatoes with edamame and corn ragout,  wild mushrooms, tomatoes and a beurre blanc. The Sea Bass is a staff favorite and I can taste why! This was a deeply flavorful dish made with the simplest of ingredients and the perfect blend of texture and seasoning that brought out rich, bold flavors. The vegetables are a twist on the American favorite succotash, but replacing the lima beans for edamame and making a combination that was absolutely delicious.

The cedar King Salmon was recommended by Cary himself after he heard how much my husband loves salmon. It is covered in a soy-mustard glaze and served with applewood smoked bacon and Yukon gold potatoes. The cedar flavored penetrated the salmon without drying out the fish. It was sweet without being overwhelming.

After dinner we couldn’t pass up the opportunity for dessert. In fact, Lumberyard is running a special right now if you are going to see a play at The Laguna Playhouse. When you purchase two entrees, you receive a FREE dessert! We did not hesitate to jump on that special. Normally we lean towards a chocolate dessert, but tonight we went with the Cherry Ciabatta Bread Pudding and we were very happy we did. Topped with vanilla ice cream this was heaven in a dish and I had to fight the Mister for every bite.

With our bellies satisfied we stepped outside into the crisp air and took the short walk down to the Playhouse to see ‘Chapter Two,’ Neil Simon’s most autobiographical play. It is the story of a divorcee and a recently widowed novelist finding their second chance at love and happiness. It’s a smart, dialogue-heavy play that keeps you on your toes as you watch the story unfold. Each character is dealing with their own personal loneliness that at times is painful to see, but Simon peppers the dialog with witty quips making you laugh your way to hoping that these lonely lovers succeed.

As the Mister and I walked out of the Playhouse hand-in-hand, we smiled, feeling refueled by a fun date night in Laguna.

LumberyardRestaurant 

384 Forest Avenue

949.715.3900

Like them on Facebook 

LagunaPlayhouse 

606 Laguna Canyon Road

949.497.2787

Chapter Two playing now thru February 3^rd

Like them on Facebook 

By Anne-Marie S.

A well-deserved Mom night out at Asada Laguna

Laguna Beach has welcomed several new restaurants over the last few months. One of the new kids on the block is Asada Laguna. Located along Pacific Coast Hwy (PCH), opposite of the Wyland Gallery, Asada is the ideal spot to grab a quick drink with chips and salsa or stay awhile and settle in for a full meal.

I took one of my friends who is a mom and was in need of a night out. Between the two of us we have nine kids (her six and I three), so you can imagine she and I needed a night without the worries and stress of children and home life. We started with the traditional chips and salsa, but Asada’s salsa is something special. It is a homemade fire-roasted salsa that is served warm! I had not had a warm salsa quite like this before and it was delicious. We also ordered a fresh guacamole that is made to order. The chips, salsa and guacamole were so good, that we had to stop ourselves from filling up before our main dishes.

And, in my opinion, no Mexican food meal can be consumed without a Margarita! I chose the popular Cadillac Margarita and my friend, the pomegranate Margarita. Both were excellent and a perfect way to start our night out!

After lots of gabbing, we finally decided on our entrée’s. I chose the Blackened Halibut Tacos. These are served in warm flour tortillas, roasted poblano sauce topped with crunchy cabbage, pico de gallo and served with homemade black beans and cilantro rice.

Insider Hint: The guacamole appetizer was such a generous portion, that I added some to the tacos. It was perfect complement to the light halibut.

My friend chose the Carne Asada meal. This is one of the most popular items on the Asada menu and no wonder why! It is made with USDA prime steak that is agave marinated, served with roasted scallions, sour cream, guacamole, cilantro rice and homemade black beans. My friend loved that there was extra sauce to add to the carne asada. The meat had the right amount of kick that keeps you coming back for more, but doesn’t light your mouth on fire. The meal came with a side of fire-roasted jalapenos that I just had to steal a bite of. These can be ordered as an appetizer and are filled with cream cheese and wrapped in crispy bacon. Honestly, these little packages were my favorite part of the meal!

We finished the meal off with the Buttered Crepes. They were sweet and served with fresh whipped cream and caramel.

When we left, we realized how nice it was to enjoy great conversation, a beautiful sunset, a view of the Pacific and great food, all in the peace of Laguna Beach. It was the perfect Mom’s night out.

Asada Laguna

480 S Coast Hwy

Laguna Beach, CA 92651

(949) 715-5533

Hours:

Sunday - Monday 11:00am to 10:00pm

Tuesday - Saturday 11:00am to 1:00am

Happy Hour Monday – Friday 3pm to 6pm

By Anne-Marie S.

The stars are shining in South Laguna

I’ve been eager to visit Starfish Laguna ever since it opened this past June. Finally this week I was able to drop in for a visit. Local restaurateur Nancy Wilhelm, whose restaurant, Tabu Grill, remains as popular as ever, recently opened her new “AmerAsian” fusion concept, Starfish, in the Aliso Creek Shopping Center across from Montage Laguna Beach. The new restaurant is completely different than Tabu, yet has that distinct Nancy Wilhelm flair. When you walk through the front doors you are instantly transformed into another world. One of rich dark corridors, amber glowing candles and Asian-inspired art. Part lounge with a large horseshoe bar and part restaurant with indoor and patio dining, the cuisine at Starfish features summer rolls, pho, udon noodles, Bhutanese rice, wok sauté, ribs, and other American renditions of classic Asian cuisine.

The menu at Starfish was created as a pick-and-choose-as-you-go menu. It is also purposefully made for sharing, so I was glad I brought my foodie friend along to enjoy the meal with me. There is no wrong or right order in which to make your selections, so we jumped around the menu as hunger led us.

When we arrived, we were starving and started off the meal with the Lemongrass skewers off of the Street Satay section of the menu. The idea of ‘Street Satay’ originated in Indonesia, and are meat skewers grilled over charcoal (These were suggested by several of our Facebook and Twitter followers). The Lemongrass skewers are made with tender filet mignon and marinated in lemongrass. The skewers were hearty, yet not an overwhelming way to start the meal.

Spicy Lemongrass Marinated Filet Mignon

We followed the Street Satays with an item from the Opium Bites section of the menu, which are similar to appetizers. Our first choice was the Saigon Spring Rolls, stuffed with tiger prawns, vermicelli rice noodles, grilled asparagus, mint, Thai basil, cilantro, carrot, cucumber and bean sprouts. These rolls were out of this world fantastic, like a virtual herb garden in your mouth. A tip for when you order these…be sure to drag your roll completely through the roasted peanut hoisin dipping sauce to add a punch of spice.

Saigon Spring Rolls

Next we jumped to the Bamboo Forest section of the menu, which are vegetarian dishes (Though if you wish to add a meat protein or tofu, you can at an additional cost.) At the recommendation of our server we chose the Wild Mushroom Garlic Noodles. This was the kind of noodle dish I gravitate toward. It was filled with veggies, including mushrooms and tomatoes and topped with fresh chives and sprouts. It was filling without giving you that overstuffed feeling.

Wild Mushroom Garlic Noodle made with shiitake, shimeji, king mushrooms, vine ripened tomato, yellow chives and sweet basil.

After the noodles, we jumped back to the Opium Bites to try the Mauna Kai Ahi Poké. Again Starfish did not disappoint with the freshness and flavors of this dish.

Mauna Kai Ahi Poké made with yellow fin tuna, ripened avocado, tobiko caviar, scallions, pine nuts, truffle oil, taro chips and micro shiso.

Throughout our meal we enjoyed two of Starfish's wildly popular cocktails, The Starfish Cooler and the Imperial Garden. What makes both of these drinks unique are the fresh muddled herbs, vegetables and fruit. There was no question that our entire meal at Starfish was worthy of a return visit, but these cocktails alone made me want to clear my calendar and head back for Happy Hour.

Starfish Cooler: Hangar One Mandarin Vodka, muddled kumquat and mint, yuzu with a splash of soda and float of Thatcher’s Blood Orange liqueur. Imperial Garden: Hendricks Gin, muddled cucumber, basil, mint, and coriander, yuzu, and a soda water float.

For me, no meal is complete until you have dessert. So we ordered the profiteroles. These are exactly what you would expect from traditional profiteroles, except with extra chocolate on the side!

With a diverse menu that is perfect for sharing and a setting that is rich, you'll find a rich dining experience at Starfish Laguna.

Starfish Laguna 

30832 S Pacific Coast Hwy. Laguna Beach, CA

949.715.9200 (reservations)

949.715.8205 (carryout orders)

Hours:

Bar open at 4pm Daily and Dinner at 5pm

Open Until Midnight Friday and Saturday

by Anne-Marie S.