Diane Armitage
21-year Laguna Beach resident &
absolute devotee of this amazing town.
Here our thousands of insider tips and
recommendations
for all the best places
to dine, drink and play in
LAGUNA BEACH
Best Food & Drink
Conflict eases over AhbA’s speakeasy
Our culinary New Year in Laguna Beach got off to a lovely start this year with the salvation of one our our favorite SoLag restaurants. In the last week of December, the City of Laguna Beach worked with AhbA Restaurateur Nick Bennett to stave off its closure. The...
Christmas Dining Options Aplenty for Merrymaking
“Christmas Eve dining is like the 4th of July in Laguna,” said Chef Rainer Schwarz of Driftwood Kitchen. “Most of us here in town don’t want to miss Christmas Eve, but it’s always great to take that break on Christmas Day.” Indeed, many of Laguna Beach’s restaurants...
Upcoming Events & News
Cook with Chef Amar
Chef Amar Santana is teaming up with Lung Cancer Foundation of America for a "Cook with Chef Amar" virtual cooking class on Saturday, Oct. 2nd from noon to 1 p.m. Chef started his first restaurant here in Laguna Beach, Broadway by Amar Santana. He later opened Vaca by...
Festival of Arts 2021: What I Love Most
The Festival of Arts & Pageant of the Masters is exactly that - two enormous productions that symbiotically co-exist next to each other on the same grounds. This year's Pageant of the Masters is titled "Made in America, Trailblazing Artists & Their Stories,"...
Get to Know OC & LA Chefs
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Best Food & Drink
White House Laguna Renovations Begin
After our beloved White House (Laguna Beach) restaurant shuttered its doors in the fall of 2019, we all fell to wondering who would be next to move into the central downtown space. At one point Chef Reiner Schwarz (The Deck, Driftwood Kitchen, Hendrix) and his team...
Main Street Bar Throws Out an Anchor
Last week, cries of alarm sounded in the streets (and in my text messages) when the Main Street Bar's rainbow flag disappeared from the front window. Had the last bastion in Laguna's gay bars surrendered? Probably not. After all, Main Street has been a global icon for...
Best Margaritas in Laguna Beach, 2021
National Margarita Day is Monday Feb. 22nd, an as far as I'm concerned, this is the love holiday we really need to be paying attention to this month. So, it's time to roll out (once again), Diane's updated Annual "Best Margaritas of Laguna Beach." Here's how my search...
Celebrate Year of the Ox This Week With Mandarin King
This Thursday, Feb. 12th, Chinese New Year is upon us, ushering in the Year of the Ox. The Chinese believe the personality of the astrological sign infuses the year. We couldn't be more fortunate to have the "yin" stability of the Ox in the year ahead. Known for its...
Laguna Chefs Share the Love with Valentine’s Day Menus
No matter what may be going on all around us, and despite the fact that social distancing is in play, Valentine's Day will always be our annual optimist. It may look a little different at our restaurants this year - the two-by-two tables won't be shoulder to shoulder,...
Superbowl Sunday Eats
With outdoor dining open now, our Laguna Beach restaurants are scrambling to accommodate residents and visitors. This coming weekend, though, might be a bit quieter than most as the Superbowl take over center stage. Typically, Superbowl Sundays are pretty quiet in our...
Upcoming Events & News
Sept. 19th’s Girls’ Night Out Signals the End of an Era
For 11 years now, the fabulously successful Girl's Night Out, a fundraising event for the Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach, has been hosted at the breathtaking Rockledge estate. Sadly, this will be its last year as the Rockledge homeowners have new plans for...
My Recommendations: Labor Day Weekend 2019 in Laguna Beach
While ruminating my "Fab 5" weekly e-mail recommendations for this week, I decided, instead, to tell you what I'll be doing over the next five DAYS because … well … you can't get any better recommendation on what to do than from the gal running around this weekend on...
Ohana Fest 2019: Red Hot Chili Peppers Making Rare Appearance
Back in 1983, the Red Hot Chili Peppers came together in L.A. when high school buddies Anthony Kiedis (now infamous lead singer) and Flea (aka Michael Balary and now infamous bassist) decided it was time to create a band. During that first year, the scrappy...
World’s Largest Skim Contest, The Vic 2019, Returns Aug. 17th-18th
In May this year, the Pros' United Skim Tour began 2019's seasonal run for the crown at a full-on gallop. The Tour hits both coasts, with Cabo San Lucas and Santa Cruz early in the season, followed by East Coast Outer Banks (NC) and Dewey Beach, Delaware continuing to...
Biggest Little Farm Film Teaches Biggest Life Lessons
Every now and then, I find a cool event outside of our city limits that I've just got to tell you about. My friend, Ali, turned me on to it, and I'm heading there this Thursday. In San Juan Capistrano, the non-profit Ecology Center offers a number of documentary...
Fly Me to the Moon With This Weekend’s Live Music
Alright, I'll admit it. I love the "American Songbook" (also called American Standards) era … you know, the fabulous and original Rat Pack boys (Frank Sinatra is still my favorite), Nina Simone, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald … the list goes on and on. They play as my...
Get to Know OC & LA Chefs
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