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

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LagunaPlayhouse 

606 Laguna Canyon Road

949.497.2787

Chapter Two playing now thru February 3^rd

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By Anne-Marie S.

Culinary Tours in Laguna Beach

Get a taste of Laguna Beach’s history paired with the town’s delectable delights, on a tour with Flavors of Laguna. 
Recently I had the opportunity to go on one of the wildly popular Flavors of Laguna tours.  We started off the 2.5 hour tour at a local favorite, La Sirena Grill. Here we sampled fresh homemade salsa, guacamole, chips and chicken taquitos. All the ingredients at La Sirena are organic and you are guaranteed that every dish is made FRESH to order because there is no room for a freezer at this walk-up eatery.  The freshness lingered down to the very last lingering morsel of salsa and guacamole. From La Sirena Grill, we took a short walk up Park Avenue where we learned about the historic Cope Family home built in the early 1900s. It is still owned by the Cope family and is the only home in Laguna that is still on its original foundation. Walking a bit further up the hill, we stopped at the St. Francis by the Sea cathedral. At only 1,008 square feet this is the second smallest cathedral in the world. The cathedral was built from the rubble of the devastating 1930 earthquake in Long Beach. Most of the building materials came from salvaged wood and supplies from buildings and churches. The cathedral is open for services every Sunday.

The next stop was a stroll down Forest Avenue, Laguna’s main street. We learned that Forest Avenue received its name after the city made a declaration that in order to obtain a building permit on that street, one had to also plant a tree. This rule was made after the hillsides had been stripped of trees for their lumber to build the growing town. Today you will find a wide variety of trees lining Forest Avenue…eucalyptus, fichus, birch and many more. About halfway up Forest Avenue, we stopped in at Sundried Tomato, another local’s favorite. Here we sampled the Sundried Tomato Bisque, the house specialty. The creamy soup is not your typical tomato bisque. It’s layered with rich flavors that both satisfy and soothe the body and soul…a true comfort food.

Following Sundried Tomato, we stopped at the Lumberyard Shops, also on Forest Avenue. The Lumberyard Shops are on the grounds of what was the longest running company in Laguna Beach, The Laguna Lumber Company (they still hold that record, open from 1910 to 1985).  In the 1970s, after the Lumber Company was relocated to the canyon, the structures were converted into the retail and restaurant space that you see today. Also located on those grounds is the Lumberyard Restaurant which opened its doors in 2008. They stayed true to the original integrity of the 1912 building, leaving 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 sampled a vegetable frittata that was paired with a crisp and dry Torrontes white wine. The frittata was full of flavor and yet still light with the white wine being a nice compliment.  It would make a perfect lunch treat on a hot summer day.

Next we made our way over to Ocean Avenue where we stopped at Ocean AvenueBrewery & Restaurant, the only microbrewery in Laguna Beach. Here they handcraft their own beers focusing on Pale Ales, Malty Amber Ales, German Style Weissbiers, Chocolate Porters and Black Stouts. For an additional $3, we were able to sample the Pale Ale, the Weissbier and the Chocolate Porter. All three had bold aromatic flavors that I certainly wouldn’t mind having a full pint of. The brewery offers indoor bar and table seating as well as outdoor patio seating. The casual atmosphere and traditional American dishes makes Ocean Brewery an ideal spot for post beach dining.

After finishing our beer tasting at Ocean Brewery we made a stop at the number one photographed spot in all of Orange County, the historic lifeguard tower at Main Beach. Built in 1926 as the offices for the Union Gas Station across the street, the tower was eventually abandoned after the filling station went out of business. In 1929 the city decided to move the tower over to the beach side of PCH and made it the official headquarters for the Laguna Beach lifeguards. With the crystal blue water and white sand as a backdrop, the historic lifeguard tower screams out to be photographed. 

Our two final stops on the tour were to grab a slice at The Pizza Lounge and to try a cup of gelato from Gelato Paradiso. The Pizza Lounge is located literally steps away from Main Beach on PCH. You can order pizza by the slice and either eat in the restaurant or on one of their outdoor couches, or better yet, you can have your pizza delivered to you on the beach! How cool is that?

Next we headed over to Peppertree Lane just opposite and a bit south on PCH from The Pizza Lounge. Peppertree Lane is a hidden pathway that takes you away from the hustle and bustle of PCH and transports you to a peaceful oasis. The brick pathway is lined by two historic buildings with shade provided by a canopy of giant Peppertrees. The buildings house Watermarc Restaurant, Gelato Paradiso, La Rue du Chocolat and other retail and shops.

Our Flavors of Laguna Tour ended with a stroll through the Wyland Gallery with a photo opp on the back deck of the gallery that overlooks the always stunning Laguna Beach coastline.  With Laguna’s seven miles of coastline being a protected marine environment, it is fitting that one of the most famous marine life artists, Wyland, has his homebase right in the center of town. On the outside of the gallery building you will see one of his first “Whaling Walls” (there are now more than 100 around the world) that he painted in the ‘80s not more than 100 yards from the very place he’d seen gray whales as a child.

The Flavors of Laguna tour in a MUST DO for both locals and visitors. Along with the fantastic food you get to sample around town, you receive a mini history lesson of one of the oldest cities in Orange County. Each tour is different and Flavors of Laguna will gladly customize a tour for your group.

Flavors of Laguna

Visit the website for booking or call (949) 464-8830

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By Anne-Marie S.