Wrapping up Restaurant Week With a Visit to Bodega Laguna

 Bodega Laguna

400 South Coast Highway

Laguna Beach, CA 92651

I did it. This was the finish line for my quest to eat at seven restaurants in seven days to celebrate OC Restaurant Week. My criteria was that I'd eat at a restaurant I had never eaten at before, which was easy to achieve since there were over 170 places to choose from for restaurant week. It was a rare Saturday off for me, and since my good friend Daren hooked us up with parking, we did not mind finishing my restaurant week quest in Laguna Beach at Bodega Laguna. 

Opened late in 2022, Bodega Laguna occupies the space formerly home to Tommy Bahama and, before that, the Jolly Roger. When it opened two years ago, it was known as Laguna Fish Company, but it was rebranded in October 2023 as Bodega Laguna. They are part of the ZA Restaurant Group, which also operates Skyloft, Rumari, and Mozambique in this picturesque seaside town.  

We arrived just before noon on a Saturday. This was before the touristy season, but they had a steady stream of customers during our stay. Back in the days when this was the Laguna Fish Company, this was an order at the counter, and then the food was brought to your table establishment. That was scrapped when they turned it into Bodega Laguna. We were seated in the restaurant's bar area, which made us think of the Central Perk coffeehouse on Friends. About six couches spread throughout the space, with bar seating and a few tables making up the rest of the front portion of the restaurant. 

The all-day menu here is good-sized, and even though they ditched the seafood name last year, their menu still has plenty of seafood to choose from, although with a Mexican semblance to it. There's also plenty of everyone's traditional Mexican favorites as well. Since this restaurant is on prime real estate across the street from the beach, it's no surprise that menu prices are on the high side at Bodega Laguna. Entrees range between $23 to $73 for a platter with steak, pork, chicken, and everything else needed to make you and a few friends some tacos. 

Happy hour is from 3 pm to 5 pm every day of the week, except holidays and holiday weekends. They also feature brunch on weekends from 10 to 1pm, which Katie took advantage of because she was not feeling the $25 OC Restaurant Week options I would be having. So, let's see if my hot streak with the restaurants I've been eating at all week will continue. 

Any Mexican restaurant worth its salt will begin each meal with at least one basket of Chips and Salsa. I was really a fan of both of these. The chips felt like they were freshly fried, light, and crispy. They came with a small side of red salsa with just the right amount of chunk. I did wish it had a bit more heat, but it was good nonetheless. They did refill the salsa and chips without us asking. 

My first item on the $25 restaurant week menu was this Chicken Tortilla Soup. Usually, I would get Caesar salad or street corn, but it was a chilly day when we were here, so I went with the soup. The soup comprised roasted corn, black beans, cilantro, poblanos, queso fresco, avocado, tortilla strips, and some cubed chicken. The flavor was good, but they were slightly stingy with some ingredients, like the avocado, chicken, and queso fresco. Only three pieces of chicken and one tiny slice of avocado were in the bowl. 

Katie almost always enjoys trying Breakfast Burritos ($19) whenever we go out on weekends. This one might have been the most colorful one we've encountered in a long time. The tortilla was filled with scrambled eggs, fingerling potatoes, chorizo, queso Oaxaca, pico de gallo, and avocado. Katie loved this burrito, calling it one of the best she's had all year. She loved that it was balanced and layered just right, so each bite combined a little bit of everything. The green salsa was delicious, with just enough heat to hang out in the background. If the burrito had been grilled on the flattop for a minute or two, or if they had not skimped on the avocado, this burrito would have been even better. 

With the Restaurant Week menu, I had the choice of four entrees; a veggie burrito, three tacos, chicken enchiladas, and what I eventually ended up with Carnitas. This was a good-sized plate of slow-braised pork. There were a couple of bites where the pork was a little dry, but for the most part, the pork was tender, flavored well, and a pleasure to eat. This came with cilantro-lime rice, black beans, flour tortillas, and the same excellent green salsa that accompanied Katie's burrito. The beans were delicious, and I'm not much of a rice guy, but this rice was nicely done and blew away everyone's favorite rice from Chipotle. Katie ordered the Small Guacamole ($3.50)  to supplement the lack of avocado in her burrito. It had an excellent chunky feel, and the flavor from the onion, garlic, cotija cheese, and pepitas made this a great addition to the tacos I made with my carnitas. 

With my Restaurant Week menu, we were supposed to get only one dessert, but our server, Juan, was generous enough to bring one out for Katie. The Churro Sundae came in a waffle bowl with soft serve vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce, and a churro sticking out of the top. The waffle and ice cream were fine, but the churro was excellent. It's funny that they don't even have churros on their online dessert menu, so ordering this sundae is the only way to try them. The Traditional Flan was topped with some strawberries and a tiny amount of caramel sauce. It was rather drab, and I let Katie eat most of it. 

Based on this visit, Bodega Laguna is a good Mexican restaurant. With a few tweaks to what we consumed this afternoon, it could eventually become one of the better Mexican spots in Laguna Beach. Right now, I feel they are only chasing Coyote Grill, La Sirena Grill, and Rasta Taco, two of which are fast-casual restaurants. Service was outstanding on this early afternoon, as our server, Juan, took great care of us during our stay. Prices are steep in this neck of the woods, but take advantage of their happy hour or wait for OC Restaurant Week to roll around again. Bodega Laguna helped make me seven for seven during my week-long sojourn to experience Restaurant Week. Not a clunker in the bunch. We'll see if that streak continues next March. 

Out of five birds (because the Northern California city Bodega Bay was the setting for the Hitchcock film "The Birds."), five being best to zero being worst, Bodega Laguna gets 3 birds. 

For more information about Bodega Laguna, head to their website by clicking here: https://bodegalaguna.com/

A Howling Good Time at Coyote Grill in Laguna Beach

 Coyote Grill

31621 Coast Highway

Laguna Beach, CA 92651

It's always nice when people come back to visit after they have moved across the country, even if they have to bring their spouse. That was the case for us when we got a surprise text from our good friend Sandy, who was visiting California from Kentucky, where she moved four years ago to be closer to her grandson and my forever friend Clay. Unfortunately, for her and us, she was not traveling alone but brought her much-maligned husband Kenton along for the trip. 

Sandy is such a treasure that we all put up with her husband Kenton. He's not a bad guy, he's just different. Kenton is most known for falling off ladders, having diabetes, writing long-winded holiday letters that are very hard to get through, and getting hurt while doing routine chores. He loves to take our good-natured ribbing with a smile and is deeply devoted to Sandy, even moving across the country without hesitation. Of course, that was easy for him since he had no friends here. Kidding Kenton, well, sort of.  

Enough about Kenton, let's get back to what you are all here for, a restaurant review. When Sandy had texted, she suggested that we meet at Coyote Grill in Laguna Beach. This was perfect for two reasons. I did not have to scour my usual online resources to find a spot, and two, I actually had this place already on my restaurant wishlist of places I wanted to visit. Katie's parents had mentioned it when Katie and I first started dating, and in those 13 years, I had failed to visit until now.

Coyote Grill has been around since 1989, and has been featured in numerous media outlets, like the  TV shows; Rachel Ray's $40 a Day, and the Top Ten Beach Snacks which was on Travel Channel. They won the OC Register's best bloody mary contest and were named as having the best burrito and margarita by the people at Laguna Beach Magazine. 

Located right above Table Rock Beach in South Laguna, Coyote Grill calls its food Baja-style Mexican cuisine. A quick check of the menu bears this out. Tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and other Mexican specialties are offered, along with a good-looking burger for the three of you that are not fans of Mexican food. We were seated on the back patio, where you can just see the ocean over the rooftops of the beachfront homes standing guard over the beach. Let's take a look at the food that we all used to distract us while Kenton rambled on and on about some nonsense none of us cared about. 

First up was the Chips and Salsa that we were presented with once we sat down. The tortilla chips were a little ho-hum, but I was a fan of the salsa. It had a decent chunkiness to it but could have been spiced up just a tad more. We were also presented with escabeche, which consisted of some slightly spicy pickled carrots and onions. I haven't seen this for a while in Mexican restaurants, and it's always nice to encounter it.  

At Coyote Grill they have two versions of guacamole. They have their traditional version and then they have this Guacamole Especial ($8.75). The difference between the two was that this version added diced tomatoes, cilantro, and onion to the blended avocado. This was fine, but way too much tomato was included here, which distracted from the solidly seasoned guacamole. 

Kenton must have hypnotized Katie or something because they both selected the same entree this evening, the Pollo Borracho ($19.75), which marked the first time in his 85-year-old life that someone wanted to be just like him. This drunken chicken dish was pretty good-sized. Half a chicken served with rice and beans and your choice of tortillas. I knew Katie had no chance of finishing this when it was placed in front of her, so I got to partake in a few bites. I thought the breast meat was kind of dry, but the thigh and leg were way more tender and flavorful. To be honest, though, I'm never really a big fan of chicken in restaurants, because it tends to be overcooked a good majority of the time

Sandy, the much better half of our out-of-state friends, opted to get the Beef Tostada ($15.50), which looked to me as if it was misnamed and instead should have been more rightly called a taco salad instead. This crisped tortilla bowl was filled with shredded beef, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, olives, black beans, green onions, and a dollop of both guacamole and sour cream. From what I could tell, Sandy enjoyed her meal, although, like Katie, she did not finish this either. 

When I'm eating in a Mexican restaurant for the first time, I always veer towards their Carnitas Plate ($19.50) as a benchmark to see if a spot is good or not. Based on this plate, I'd say that Coyote Grill definitely has some upside. The roasted pork came out exactly the way I like it. Tender, with some lean pieces, and a little fat on other forkfuls. The pork was flavored well, and even though I had planned to only eat half and take the rest home, I finished it all. The refried beans were okay, but their rice was better, and I'm not usually a fan of rice. I was very pleased with my dinner. 

We had ordered this Jalapeno Bacon Wrapped Shrimp ($16) for an appetizer, but we had to ask for it numerous times, and it finally came out well into our entrees. These rather large shrimp were wrapped with crisp jalapeno bacon and then topped with a delicious chipotle cream sauce. I loved the combo of the shrimp with the slightly spicy jalapeno bacon. They paired this with a pineapple chutney salsa, which helped cut the richness a bit. They ended up comping this because it came out so late, which was very nice. I really just think our server was just trying to limit the number of times that he had to interact with Kenton. A smart move for sure. 

Not that we needed it by this point, but we finished things off with some Churros ($5). These came drizzled with some chocolate syrup and a spoonful of whipped cream. Not too bad at a dollar apiece, but they could have been made a tad sweeter with a little more sugar and cinnamon on them. 

I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised with our visit to Coyote Grill. I did not have the highest of expectations going in, because I expected this to be more of a tourist trap spot with its nice view and happy hour crowd. It turned out that the food was pretty good, with the carnitas, jalapeno bacon shrimp, and the churros as highlights. Yes, prices are a bit high, but portion sizes are pretty strong and you definitely have to consider the area where they are located. Even with the shrimp appetizer snafu, the service was solid, and our server took excellent care of us. Not an easy feat, especially when Kenton is involved. 

Out of five roadrunners, (because you can never hear about a coyote and not think of a roadrunner, especially if grew up watching Looney Tunes), five being best to zero being worst, Coyote Grill gets 3.5 roadrunners. 

For more information about Coyote Grill, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.coyotegrill.tv/

No Cliffhanger About the Food at the Cliff Restaurant

 The Cliff Restaurant and Bar

577 South Coast Highway

Laguna Beach, CA 92651

With some exceptions, I have come to a conclusion about restaurants that have spectacular views. Unfortunately, most are not very good when it comes to the food that they serve. They think they can just get by because people like to eat while taking in the breathtaking scenery. In OC, we have a couple of these restaurants; Orange County Mining Company, Las Brisas, Orange Hill Restaurant, Wind and Sea Restaurant, and Harpoon Henery's, to name a few off the top of my head. 

My aunt and uncle had wanted to meet up with us for lunch, and they had requested that I pick somewhere with a nice view. I racked my brain trying to come up with some places that are known for their view, but also places that I had never been, so I could take the opportunity to write a review. Finally, I sent them three or four places I had found, and they selected The Cliff Restaurant in Laguna to try. 

With the help of my good friend Darin, who runs one of the many parking lots in the city, parking was a breeze on this particular Sunday at noon. The Cliff is notorious for its long waits for tables, especially on days when the weather is beautiful in this seaside community. So I joined the waitlist on Yelp at just the right time to have our table ready at noon. We were called to the hostess stand at noon but were not seated until twenty minutes later, which was still way better than waiting in front of the restaurant for two hours, which is what they were quoting as the time to be seated.  

The dining area is a multi-level patio with plenty of blue umbrellas to shield you from the elements as you eat. The view was as advertised. Magnificent and stunning are words that come to mind. I must not be the only one to think so, as everyone's instinct when seated here is to whip out their phones and snap many pictures. The setting brought to mind what I'd expect it feels like to dine along the Agean Sea in the Greek Islands, even though I've never had that pleasure. 

The lunch menu at the Cliff is a one-page affair divided into starters, salads, burgers, sandwiches, seafood specialties, and Mexican-style items. Prices for mains range between $16 and $33, while appetizers will set you back at around $16. We were all hungry, so we made our selections rather quickly as we caught up on each other's goings-on. Let's see if The Cliff is just a pretty spot to eat or does the food match this exquisite view.

Jenny starts things off with the Soup of the Day ($6), which on Sundays is Lobster Bisque. They also have clam chowder every day, but it wasn't ready when we visited. Jenny reports that this bisque was okay but not as rich as others she has had, and there were no little bits of lobster running through it. However, the chowder gets a lot more love online, so that might be the way to go if you are in the mood for soup. 

Cutting down on my writing time, three of my family members got the Fish and Shrimp Combo ($20). This fried combo consisted of three rather large shrimp, three pieces of cod, and a pile of fries. A good-sized plate, but unfortunately, the fish did not win many rave reviews from these three. They felt the breading on the fish was not as crunchy as they would have liked, and the fish underneath refused to give up that pop of flavor that would have compensated for that. The shrimp still had the breading issue but was way more flavorful and was their clear favorite. The fries were fine but unremarkable. 

My aunt bucked the trend from the rest of her immediate family by selecting this Baja Burrito ($16). This burrito uses tempura Mahi Mahi as its base, adding shredded cabbage, pico de Gallo, white cheddar cheese, and chipotle aioli to fill the slightly grilled tortilla. Not the best seafood burrito my aunt has consumed, but passable. 

Even though we were feet away from the ocean, Katie and I veered away from seafood at The Cliff, as she went with the Crispy Fried Chicken Sandwich ($16). Everyone is doing a fried chicken sandwich these days, and The Cliff adds pickles and a spicy ranch to theirs. Katie liked the chicken, which was tender and juicy, but this needed way more of the spicy ranch to make it better. 

Last but not least, I finally ordered the Prime Rib Dip ($21) after much deliberation. I probably should have gone with my first option. Unfortunately, this was not an excellent prime rib sandwich. The bread was hard, and the meat tasted less like prime rib and more like that dried beef that you get at the supermarket in the jar. The meat was more than likely leftovers from the evening before. Thank god there was au jus to dunk this in; otherwise, it would have been pretty hard to choke it down. That and the only other saving grace was the horseradish, which provided the only flavor I detected while eating this. The fries were okay and probably the star of this plate. Not a good sign when frozen fries are the best part of your meal. 

Sadly, The Cliff Restaurant's food could not compete with its spectacular view. At best, the food is average, and as with my prime rib sandwich, way worse than that. The food took a while to make its way from the kitchen, so maybe they were short-staffed or just having a bad day. I thought the price point was more than fair, especially considering this neighborhood. Our server was fine but might have been stretched too thin, another sign of the labor shortage hitting the restaurant industry. 

Out of five thunderbolts (because the largest cliff in the world is Mount Thor on Baffin Island in Canada, and it's named after the Norse god of thunder), five being best to zero being worst, The Cliff Restaurant gets 2 thunderbolts. 

For more information about The Cliff Restaurant, head to their website here: https://www.thecliffrestaurant.com/

Another Jewel in the Crown of a Local Restaurateur?

Sapphire Cellar. Craft. Cook

1200 South Coast Highway Suite 101

Laguna Beach, CA 92651

The juggernaut that is Russ Bendel and his merry band of partners has been on quite a roll lately. When Russ left Flemings eight years ago to take over ownership of Vine Restaurant in San Clemente, I don't think even he and his partners expected the great success that they've had. In those ensuing eight years they have opened four critically acclaimed restaurants, all in different cities. The aforementioned Vine in San Clemente, Ironwood in Laguna Hills, not far from Russ's childhood home, Olea in Newport Beach, and their latest acquisition, Sapphire in Laguna Beach. 

Sapphire stands on the site of the old Pottery Shack, at the corner of PCH and Brooks Street. The Pottery Shack was a mainstay in this beach town from 1937 until it closed in 2004. After two years of renovations, the site was made into a mixed-use retail space, with specialty shops, restaurants, and offices inhabiting the place. A year later Sapphire Laguna Restaurant and Pantry joined the collective. When that restaurant was put up for sale in March of last year, Russ and his team jumped at the chance to be able to share their cuisine with the people of Laguna Beach. 

Each of the four restaurants has some overlap of menu items, but tweaks seem to be made to keep each restaurant from becoming a carbon copy of the others. Sapphire is the only one to offer brunch, so I was instantly intrigued. It also just so happened that in my latest issue of Orange Coast Magazine they got a glowing review for not only their dinner menu but their brunch as well. Pushing me even farther out my front door was the fact that my good friend runs one of the car lots in Laguna, so the hassle of finding parking on a weekend was not going to be a problem. I quickly made a reservation. 

The brunch menu at Sapphire is available Saturday and Sunday from 10 to 2:30pm. There's around fifteen offerings that range in price from $16 to $42 for a filet mignon and eggs. Even though I didn't have to pay for parking, I could not justify paying close to fifty dollars on my first meal of the day. I did narrow down my choices to a couple things before arriving but left it to how I was feeling in the moment to make my decision as to what I'd be having. Let's see if Russ and his team members have another hit on their hands at Sapphire. 

Sapphire runs a pantry, off to the right of their entrance, where they offer grab and go breakfast and lunch items, along with some more substantial offerings, like their delicious-sounding egg sandwich, breakfast burritos, a burger, and a chicken sandwich. I'm not sure if they allow you to order from the pantry menu while sitting in the dining area, but our server was gracious enough to get us some pastries to start off with this morning. We went with the Chocolate Croissant ($3.95) and the Cinnamon Pull-Apart ($3.95). Of the two, I liked the chocolate croissant better. It was filled with plenty of pieces of chocolate and the outer croissant was made the right way. The cinnamon pull apart was fine, but a little bland in parts and needed more than the drizzle of icing that was placed on top. Both could have been boosted with the option of having them heated. Still, a good way to get some sweetness in with your first meal of the day. 

Even after nearly 12 years of being together with Katie, I am still sometimes shocked by her choices when we are out to eat. On this morning she went with the Smoked Salmon and Blue Crab Omelette ($27), mostly because this was the most keto-friendly offering here at Sapphire. This well-crafted omelet was topped with a dollop of garlic formage blanc cheese and chives to go along with the plentiful fresh salmon and flaky blue crab inside. She felt this was one of the lightest and most delicate omelets that she's ever had. She was a little worried about the textures working well together here, but her worries subsided after her first bite. Each item worked well with each other to showcase the other. She was also a fan of the fingerling potatoes and heirloom vegetable hash, which is an upgrade from the breakfast potatoes you get just about everywhere else. The menu did not say anything about getting a salad, but the farm fresh greens with a splash of dressing were appreciated and helped round out the plate. 

Maybe one of the most eye-catching breakfast plates I've seen in a long while, this Kurobuta Pork Belly Benedict ($22), also might have been one of the tastiest. Sapphire's riff on a benedict uses one of my favorite proteins, pork belly layered on top of sturdy rosemary focaccia with a perfectly poached egg placed on top with a champagne bearnaise sauce which I could easily drink by the glass. The richness of this dish kept me satisfied well past dinner. The pork belly was flavorful and not as fatty as others I've had, while the poached egg when pierced released the rich yolk that tied everything together wonderfully. Like Katie, I was a fan of the farmer's market hash and fingerling potatoes, which were lighter than other potatoes you are accustomed to at other breakfast places. 

The hits just keep on coming for this four-unit restaurant group, and brunch is a new dimension where they excel, not unexpectantly. Even though their restaurants differ from each other in some ways, it's nice to see the creativity that adding brunch to their repertoire has brought here at Sapphire. I feel Sapphire is the type of brunch spot that begs to be your go-to spot for special occasion brunches. Nearly thirty dollars for an omelet, no matter how good it is, is not in the budget for a lot of us, but once in a while for food this fine, it seems to justify the cost. Service was predictably warm and friendly, and management seemed very active in making sure their guests were happy with everything. I'm looking forward to where Russ and his team will land next and seeing how long their winning streak will keep on rolling. Probably way longer than any that his beloved Philadelphia Eagles will have in the upcoming NFL season. Sorry Russ, could not resist.   

Out of five cups of tea, (because the world's largest sapphire, the Star of Adam was found in Sri Lanka six years ago, a nation which ranks fourth in the production of tea on the planet), five being best to zero being worst, Sapphire Cellar. Craft. Cook gets 3.5 cups of tea. 

For more information about Sapphire Cellar. Craft. Cook, head to their website here: https://www.sapphirelagunabeach.com/

Heading to South of Nick's for Breakfast

 South of Nick's

540 South Coast Highway

Laguna Beach, CA 92651

Every time I cross into the city limits of Laguna Beach, a vacation vibe instantly washes over me. Of course, being this close to the ocean could be a major reason for this, but it could also be all the summers that we spent here growing up. We'd stay at my uncle's house for a week, hang out at the beach, walk around the shops downtown, and ride our bikes down the big hills. 

Fast forward more decades than I care to mention, Katie and I are going a little stir crazy being cooped up at home. We decided to take advantage of a slightly overcast weekend day, and some free parking that my fantastic friend Darren had offered us. It's good to know people in high places. 

We stretched our legs a bit by walking the downtown area, where they have blocked off a portion of Forest Avenue to vehicle traffic and filled the street with tables and chairs to help the struggling local restaurants. They did a great job of maintaining social distancing, but none of the restaurants we walked by really struck our fancy on this particular late morning. That's when I remembered from my Instagram feed that South of Nick's had recently started serving breakfast. Sounding good to both of us, we walked the nearly two blocks at a very brisk pace to satisfy our hunger pains.  

I'm a little ashamed to say that this was my first visit to South of Nick's. I have heard such great things about their food, seen plenty of it on their aforementioned Instagram feed, but have yet to make it to this location, or their other location in San Clemente. We had been to this address before when it was House of Big Fish and Ice Cold Beer, which incredibly was over seven years ago, which does not seem possible. 

We were seated on the patio overlooking busy PCH, and if you sit just upright enough in your chair you can just spy the ocean across the street. I was also focusing on the breakfast menu because I was a bit hungry. The one-page menu at South of Nick's is not going to dazzle you with its wide-ranging variety. There's six regular breakfast options and four south of the border selections to choose from. Prices range between $10 to $19 per entree, which in this high rent district is not totally out of whack. Let's see if this breakfast can compete with the wonderful view we had on this fine Saturday morning. 

Let's start off with Katie's first meal of the day, the very traditional California Omelet ($14). This omelet was filled with bacon and cheese, with avocado slices placed on top with a dollop of sour cream. Katie really liked the fluffiness of the egg and felt that the provided salsa and sour cream went well with the bacon and cheese filling. Due to Katie doing the whole keto thing, she was unable to enjoy her fresh-cut fruit or sourdough toast, which was a bonus for me, as I ate it happily to round out my upcoming meal. 

Not surprisingly, I went with one of the Mexican inspired breakfast dishes at South of Nick's, the Omar's Skillet ($15). I'm not sure who Omar is, but he enjoys two eggs, chorizo, poblano peppers, hash browns, jack cheese, black beans, onion, sour cream, avocado, and pico de gallo in his breakfast skillets. I thought this was just okay. I had wished that the chorizo was going to shine more here, but the eggs and black beans really overwhelmed the rest of the ingredients. I'll definitely veer towards either the chilaquiles or the breakfast burrito next time I visit for breakfast. 

Be advised that breakfast is only served at South of Nick's on weekends. With the food that we've had at Nick's on previous visits and the excellent things we've heard about South of Nick's, I expected a little bit more from the breakfast here. It was not awful or even bad, but I just expected the food to pop a bit more and be a little more memorable. Still, the service was wonderful and the view couldn't be beaten. This trip back to Laguna for those vacation vibes and is just what the doctor ordered. 

Out of five phone chargers, (because the most common item left behind in hotel rooms is the phone charger, and Laguna Beach boasts the most beachfront lodging accommodations in the entire state), five being best to zero being worst, South of Nick's gets 3 phone chargers. 

For more information about South of Nick's, head to their website here: http://nicksrestaurants.com/

Getting a Little Dizzy on My Birthday

Dizz's As-Is

2794 South Coast Highway

Laguna Beach, CA 92651

Way too many things have been postponed from March til now. At first, I was pretty excited to be staying home. You might think that since we eat out so often that I love being out amongst the people and staying out until all hours. I like it in doses, and of course, I love to try restaurants, but I find myself just wanting to head home to relax, watch tv, and get a jump on heading to dreamland after a big meal. Yes, I suppose I'm getting old.

As with many during this pandemic, I had my birthday recently, just as the restrictions on restaurants were being lifted. We waited a week until Katie was a little more comfortable eating at a restaurant in a confined space. Even though we have both been working away from home during these crazy times, we, for the most part, have stayed in only going to get takeout or drive through somewhere. We only recently have made a few trips to see family and friends, with social distancing protocols of course.

Part of the reason I picked Dizz's As Is for my birthday dinner on this early Sunday evening was because of the safety measures that I knew they were following. Masks had to be worn to enter the restaurant and when you were walking about the space. Servers would be wearing masks and gloves, and they were spacing tables six feet apart. In the dining room we sat in, they easily could have squeezed in another four tables. The extra space felt wonderful, as being sat on top of people is one of my biggest pet peeves in restaurants. 

Dizz's has been around since 1977 and has been run by the Pitz family all of that time, making this the longest-running establishment with the same ownership in all of Laguna. The unusual name of this restaurant was coined when Owner and Founder Marcel Pitz bought the place alongside busy Pacific Coast Highway from a couple that could best be described as dizzy from all the self-prescribed happy pills they had taken over the years. The as-is portion of the name was added when the Pitz family grew an affection for the mismatched dishes that were left behind by the couple.

The menu seems to go along with the old fashioned vibe of the place. The food here could best be described as classic European, with stalwarts like escargot, stroganoff, and cornish game hen offered. Options that you don't seem to find at many places these days. Appetizers run between $6 to $15, ala carte options for the lighter eaters among us go for $20 on average, and entrees range between $24 to $46 for their surf and turf option. Both Katie and I zeroed in on what we were going to be having on our return to dine-in service. Let's see how it all turned out for us.

Right after we were seated we were given this complimentary Duck Pate and a shot of Vermouth. I guess this is their version of chips and salsa. A very nice touch. The vermouth was to be used as a palette cleanser. The pate was very earthy and had a tinge of smokiness to it. It spread with a little effort on the provided butter bread. This was fine, but I'm not the type to order pate on a regular basis, but I did enjoy the opportunity to have it gratis.

None of the appetizers really were in Katie's wheelhouse, except for the Garlic Bread ($6). The quartet of sliced bread was topped with garlic butter and parmesan cheese. This was fine but did not blow me away. There was very little garlic on here and a little more cheese would have been appreciated.

Both of our entrees came with either a soup or salad. I went with my usual Caesar Salad to start. This was a fair version. The dressing had a definite anchovy undertone which I liked, but the salad could have benefitted from a little more of it added. It was nice to have a salad that did not come out of a bag, like the ones I've had during our quarantine time. The fresh greens made a big difference. I don't recall what the soup of the day was, but Katie tried their French Onion Soup (a $5 upcharge) instead. This soup had a rich onion flavor to it. There was just a little bit of cheese topping this. I admit to missing the thick layer of Gruyere that blankets most versions I have had. Katie ended up liking this version a lot because it was lighter than most.

Katie was captivated by the Chicken Du Jour, which just happened to be Chicken Cordon Bleu ($25) this evening. This chicken breast was butterflied and filled with cheese and prosciutto, then served with a brown sauce covering it. Again, this was not as heavy as the fried versions I have had. The chicken was remarkably tender, but the bite I got from Katie only had chicken. Selfish. She was a pretty big fan of this plate.

I've been let down quite a few times when I 've ordered veal out recently, but this Veal Marsala ($32) helped restore my faith in veal a bit. The veal was incredibly tender and came with plenty of mushrooms and a sauce made up of marsala wine and a touch of cream. The parmesan was a nice surprise and went well with the veal. Both the vegetables and rice were just okay on their own but made better when I used them as a vehicle to sop up the extra marsala sauce.

The seven-item dessert menu was intriguing, but we went with our standard Creme Brulee ($9) as our grand finale this evening. Topped with some raspberries, the crystalized sugar crust was easily one of the most sturdy we have encountered. After a couple of taps of the spoon, it gave way to a custard base that was creamy but lacked the sweetness I was looking for. It was fine, but we should have gone with the chocolate rum mousse or the Belgian chocolate sundae. Next time.

Dizz's As-Is had a few highlights for us on this visit. Both our entrees were well executed, but the rest of the meal was on the average side. It was nice getting back out and doing some normal things for a change. The menu here, like the decor, seems a little dated, which I do not mean in a bad way. We need places like this to help us remember where we came from culinarily, and to help us realize that kale and quinoa are not essential ingredients. Even with the reduced numbers in the dining room, service was a little sporadic on this evening. Our server was MIA for some stretches of our meal, and the people that were nearest to us had not even gotten their food by the time we left, and they were here before us. Glad we could make it out for a birthday dinner.

Out of five binoculars, (because David Bushnell, who founded an optics company that brought binoculars to the average person at a reasonable price, made his home in Laguna Beach), five being best to zero being worst, Dizz's As Is gets 3 binoculars.

For more information about Dizz's As Is, head to their website here: https://dizzsasis.com/

Slow Start, Great Food at Oliver's Osteria

Oliver's Osteria

853 Laguna Canyon Road

Laguna Beach, CA 92651

I'm usually overly polite when I am out in public and dealing with people that are on the clock. It's probably my 30 plus years in the grocery business and seeing how awful a lot of people can be that is the reason for this. I do have my limit though. My politeness goes away when I'm hungry and I feel like I'm not being treated right. This was the way I felt at the start of our evening at Oliver's Osteria in Laguna Beach.

Let's start at the beginning. Oliver's opened in late October of 2018. There is no Oliver here, it's actually the name of Chef and Owner Erik De Marchi's son, who just happened to be born on the same day this restaurant opened. Talk about doing double duty. Chef De Marchi was born and raised in Italy, graduated from culinary school, moved to LA in 2002, and worked at the well known and respected Angelini Osteria in the Fairfax area of Los Angeles.

Oliver's is the culmination of all of his hard work. It's his first restaurant, and although it's not located in the heart of downtown Laguna, it's gotten some very positive press. Three stars and a glowing review from Orange Coast Magazine, numerous mentions in the OC Register, including Restaurant Critic Brad A. Johnson exclaiming that this is the best Italian restaurant to open in OC in many years. Oliver's gets 4 and a half stars on Yelp with close to 200 reviews and many OC based food journalists that I look up to and admire have cited Oliver's Osteria as the best Italian they have had outside of Italy. Big time praise indeed.

That brings us to our visit. We were going to be dining with our good friends Tom and Daniele, who had tried Oliver's food at the Taste of Laguna a few months ago, and were very eager to try this place. Anticipating a busy restaurant on a Friday evening, I made reservations for 8pm. We arrived five minutes prior to our time and were told that our table would be available in 15 minutes, which is not such a big deal, as it gave us time to catch up, and there's never any shortage of conversation between the four of us.

Around half-past 8 we inquired about our table and were told that our table would be ready soon, and they offered us each a glass of champagne. Nice touch, but I was getting hungry. As 8:50 rolled around we started to think about bolting for one of the other nearby Laguna restaurants. I imposed a 9pm cutoff time, but we were sat at a very small table right at the front entrance of the restaurant right before my arbitrary deadline time, which was an hour past our reservation time. My stomach was doing summersaults by this time.

This table was clearly meant for 2 people only, as both Tom and I were a big obstacle for the staff to get around each time one of them had to get by this high traffic area. Within five minutes we were on the move again to a much more comfortable table on the patio in the front of the restaurant. Truth be told, I was kind of over Oliver's by this time, thinking that no restaurant could be worth all of this hassle and wondering how I was going to write a fair and impartial review about the food we were going to have here. That was until I tasted the food here.

To make up for the long delay and switching tables they made us a Charcutturie Platter for the four of us to share. I did not see this on any of their menus, so I'm not really sure this is offered on a regular basis at Oliver's. This helped smooth things over in my mind, as it was a nice gesture and an even better charcuterie board. I really enjoyed all the meats  It was a little light on the cheeses, but the blue cheese was a favorite.

Instead of just a boring bread basket, at Oliver's you get this elongated plate with homemade Foccacia and a little bowl of diced tomatoes to start out with. A kind of build your own bruschetta. Truth be told, I'm not really a big fan of chopped tomatoes so I let the three of them share this. They all remarked how fresh the tomatoes were and were marinated nicely. I did try the bread, which I found to be light and spongy.

Entree time and Tom was very excited about trying one of their dinner specials, the Spaghetti Scoglio ($32). This seafood-centric dish had a whole cavalcade of seafood in it; mussels, calamari rings, clams, and I believe lobster pieces. Tom was as exuberant as I've ever seen him with this meal, and I've enjoyed many meals with him over the years. The seafood was fresh, they did not try to do too much with it, and the pasta, which I spied some black squid pasta included here was some of the best he has had outside of Italy. Very high praise from Tom, who definitely knows good food when he has it.

I was a little surprised that Katie went with the Strozzapreti Alla Norcini ($28) on this evening. She was sure glad she did. This utilized the hand-rolled twist pasta and included ground sausage, a black truffle for richness, and a touch of cream to the sauce. A very balanced dish, it hit high notes of richness, without being too overbearing. Katie cleared her plate rather quickly, as she exclaimed that this was the best pasta dish she has consumed in a very long time.

This Ravioli Burro Salvia ($24) did what I thought would be impossible. It kept our good friend Daniele quiet for almost five minutes straight. A new personal best, and some much-needed relief to her dear husband, Tom I'm sure. All kidding aside, this spinach and ricotta ravioli was nicely executed and finished off with a very nice butter sage sauce. Daniele, who practices portion control when we eat out, was having a hard time stopping herself from eating all of this. Another winning entree for our table. 

I was hoping that the winning streak would continue with my pick on this late evening, the Lasagna Classico ($26). It did. This was one of the lightest, but best lasagnas I have had. It had both a bechamel sauce and a meat ragu, which is always a great combo. I was a little skeptical that this was going to fill me up, but it did. Not like any Americanized lasagna I have had. This made me very excited to come back and try more of their menu very soon.

Truth be told, I'm not really a big fan of Italian desserts, but everyone else wanted to give them a try. We settled on Tiramisu ($12) and the Semifreddo Zabaione ($12). The tiramisu was a little too heavy on the coffee flavor for my tastes, but the others really seemed to like it. I'm just weird and am not a fan of tiramisu normally. The zabaione was better, as it seemed kind of like a scoop of french vanilla ice cream, but not as sweet and not as structured. It was fine, but I'd probably skip this next time we visited Oliver's.

This is my new favorite authentic Italian restaurant in OC. Even with the hour wait with a reservation, the switching of the tables, and the desserts that were not too much to my liking, I eagerly look forward to coming back to Oliver's to experience more of their authentic Italian cuisine. Be advised that the menu is seasonal, so it does change every so often, but based on this visit, I don't think you will have trouble finding something delicious to consume at Oliver's. Our server Marco had the difficult task of serving four very hungry people who were not in the best of moods when we sat down, but he did a wonderful job of making us converts. Prices are a tad on the high side, but I'd argue that you are paying for heightened Italian food, which is always worth it in the end. It's also worth the minor hiccups that we experienced from the front of the house staff.

Out of five Ferrari's, (because Chef De Marchi is from Imola, Italy, which used to host the San Marino Grand Prix, and that car brand won the race more than any other), five being best to zero being worst, Oliver's Osteria gets 4 Ferrari's.

For more information about Oliver's Osteria, head to their website here: https://oliversosteria.com/