by Diane | Jul 12, 2018 | Best Activities, Festivals
My favorite weekly event at the Festival of Art? Easy. Thursday evening’s “Art, Jazz, Wine & Chocolate.” It’s a great evening of wine and chocolate tastings, with great music to boot! I’m not sure that this event needs a lot of salesmanship. When you have...
by Diane | Jul 6, 2018 | Best Food & Happy Hours
It’s no surprise that some of the most talented chefs get scooped up by the finer resorts and private clubs. Chef David Fune is such a great talent that he was “discovered” and scooped up 17 years ago. For years, Chef David operated at a high-level, top-down kind of...
by Diane | Jul 3, 2018 | Best Food & Happy Hours
It’s said that nature abhors a vacuum, which definitely proves the case this week. Taverna closed just hours before the South of Nick’s official opening last night (Monday, July 2nd). This concept is one we locals have been looking forward to seeing for a long, long...
by Diane | Jul 3, 2018 | Best Food & Happy Hours
As the Laguna culinary world turns in Laguna Beach, I can say one thing for sure: July has debuted with a rockin’ and rollin’ kind of attitude. Taverna Closes For starters, Taverna on Ocean Avenue closed Sunday night after its final service. The Dallas-based Lombardi...
by Diane | Jul 2, 2018 | Best Activities
For 2018, the Laguna Beach 4th of July Fireworks show is once again originating from Monument Point at Heisler Park. Here’s the official scoop: Closures & Fireworks Schedule The Point itself will be closed the entire 4th of July day. And, at 5:00 p.m., the area...
by Diane | Jun 30, 2018 | Arts + Laguna Culture
Amidst all the bustle of mid-summer Laguna Beach, the Bluebird Park Summer Concert Calendar is rolling into play, and this year two weeks earlier than ever with an additional live music group added in. Each year on July and August Sunday evenings, our more southerly...
by Diane | Jun 25, 2018 | Best Food & Happy Hours
With growing summer crowds upon us, we locals need to be reminded of those few more tucked away, local-welcoming restaurants that will help get us through the next 10 weeks. I asked my dear buddies, Ruben and Nelson, to join me at two “local” spots this weekend, both...
by Diane | Jun 21, 2018 | Best Food & Happy Hours
About a year ago, the small Pearl St. General Store opened the “Seahorse” in salute to its 1946 predecessor, The Seahorse Bar, which was Laguna’s first gay bar. As you can probably imagine in the 1940s, the bar was a word-of-mouth-only speakeasy. Its...
by Diane | Jun 20, 2018 | Best Food & Happy Hours, Di Wanders
Yesterday, the winners of the Top 50 Restaurants in the World were announced from Bilbao, Spain. Just six U.S. eateries made it to the list, many of whom are repeat winners. For years, this “award” system has had its critics, primarily because female chefs...
by Diane | May 20, 2018 | Best Food & Happy Hours
Normally my go-to restaurant for the best craft egg dishes in Laguna Beach, Cafe Anastasia, is lesser known (at least to me) for its amazing fresh juices and salads. As I’m in the middle of a 30 Day Detox and on the hunt for chefs serving up the most...
by Diane | May 15, 2018 | Best Food & Happy Hours
A little over a week ago, I decided to commit to a 30-day “clean food” detox. For a self-declared foodie, food columnist and marketing agency owner who only specializes in restaurant clients, this decision is tantamount to declaring martial law of a most tortuous...
by Diane | May 8, 2018 | Arts + Laguna Culture
Nine years ago, the vacant lot at the corner of Coast Highway and Eagle Rock in South Laguna was choked with weeds. At that time, owner Paul Tran gave written permission for the South Laguna Civic Association to install a Community Garden. Today, it is thriving with...
