by Diane | Mar 31, 2019 | Best Restaurants
Laguna’s grand dame, the Royal Hawaiian Fire Grill restaurant, is re-opening this Wednesday, April 3rd, under new owner/operators (and brothers) Maro Molteni and Martin Molteni, and the buzz is significant. The restaurant will be open six days a week, beginning at...
by Diane | Mar 4, 2019 | Arts + Laguna Culture
When you own a marketing agency for 25 years, you figure you’re going to have to deal with some bad PR from time to time. Fortunately, my clients have been so stellar that we’ve rarely seen something fall apart that we’ve had to jump on … until Sunday morning, just...
by Diane | Mar 3, 2019 | Arts + Laguna Culture
On Friday, May 3, 2019, the Garden Club will host its annual Laguna Beach Gate & Garden Tour, a major fundraiser for educational school gardens, local scholarships and community projects. This year’s docent-led walking tour from 9;00 am – 2:00 pm will visit...
by Diane | Feb 13, 2019 | Uncategorized
Heading into my dining review last week, I circled the block a couple times before I realized there was a spot right there in front of the restaurant. I whipped into the space, put the car in park and gathered my camera, notebook, purse and key to make my exit. At the...
by Diane | Feb 13, 2019 | Best Retail in Laguna Beach, Holiday Events & Gifts
If red “heart” boxes of stale chocolates aren’t your Valentine’s style, Laguna Beach’s Chocolate Soldier is for you. Squeezed into the little alley between the Sapphire Restaurant and Tootsie’s/Laguna Beach Books at the old Pottery Shack, Chocolate Soldier will...
by Diane | Feb 7, 2019 | Best Restaurants
Yesterday, I was talking to one of our Laguna chefs about Valentine’s Day. Oddly, reservations for Valentine’s Day tend to occur well in advance, while Mother’s Day reservations tend to happen at the last minute. Imagine that. If you’re one of the few who’s still...
by Diane | Jan 25, 2019 | Best Restaurants
Chef Mariano (“Maro”) Molteni still remembers the November day when Mo Honarkar suggested that Maro take over the Royal Hawaiian space as the new restaurant owner/operator. “All the hair stood up on my head,” he says with his wide grin. “The Royal Hawaiian … now,...
by Diane | Jan 4, 2019 | Best Activities
Can you stand still for 90 seconds? The Pageant of the Masters is looking for volunteer cast members fr next summer’s show, The Time Machine. Individuals of all sizes and ages are needed to be cast members in the world’s most famous presentation of...
by Diane | Jan 2, 2019 | Best Restaurants
I know this might sound like a really odd thing to say, but after 30 years of interviewing and marketing some of the most iconic individuals in the world, I still find chefs to be some of the most unique human creatures on our planet. Every time I interview a chef, I...
by Diane | Jan 2, 2019 | OC & LA Chef Interviews
Meet Chef Linda Johnsen, Owner and Chef of the ever-popular Filomena’s in Costa Mesa. Chef Linda purchased the restaurant in 2009 when the real estate market tanked (her primary career at the time), and she’s never looked back. Click to learn more about...
by Diane | Jan 2, 2019 | OC & LA Chef Interviews
Meet Chef Rich Mead the unassuming chef of Farmhouse in Newport Beach at Roger’s Gardens. Chef Mead has been cooking for GIANT tables of guests for years, so he’s looking forward to his return to OC Chef’s Table where he simply tends to 10 guests...
by Diane | Jan 2, 2019 | Best Restaurants
Last night, I stopped in at South of Nick’s with my good friend, Ali North. It was early – 5:00ish – and we had an unexpected number of seats available to us. (If you’re a fan of South of Nick’s, you know that an empty seat is a rarity.)...
