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
Bianchi Tasting Room: A Tasteful Tease to Award-Winning Wines
It’s been four months since the popular Paso Robles winery, Bianchi opened its “bottle shop” in North Laguna. It was almost an afterthought, really, as the primary reason for the real estate was to situate a southerly home office back in Laguna Beach where family...
Rum Social Plans Opening Next Week
Rum Social, the anticipated new eatery in the old Watermarc space, is finally set to open to the public next week, “hopefully around the 10th of March,” said Partner John Fisher. The team began its soft open process this past weekend, inviting only friends, family and...
Upcoming Events & News
46th Annual Dana Point Boat Parade: Dec. 10th – 12th, 2021
Far closer than the Newport Boat Parade and a heck of a lot more . . . creative, the 46th Annual "Fiesta" Dana Point Boat Parade of Lights happily returns Friday, Dec. 10th through Sunday, Dec. 12th. The parade kicks off at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and at...
Winter Fantasy Festival Opens This Weekend, Nov. 20, 2021
I love the Winter Fantasy Festival at Sawdust more than our summer affair, the Sawdust Art Festival (which I happen to like a lot). This year, it's back in full swing and opening on Saturday Nov. 20th for FIVE full weekends. Aside from 150 artists’ booths in this cool...
Get to Know OC & LA Chefs
Chef Jet Tila – Food Network’s Iron Chef
Meet the Food Network’s Celebrity Chef Jet Tila, the likable and uber-talented chef on a number of shows, including Iron Chef America. Chef Jet Tila is returning for his second year to OC Chef’s Table as the spotlight celebrity chef. Click to learn more about Chef...
Chef Jason Neroni – Rose Cafe – Santa Monica
Meet Chef Jason Neroni, the renowned L.A. based chef of Rose Cafe in Santa Monica. Chef Neroni has heard about the OC Chef's Table, and was so affected by the homelessness in his own neighborhood, that he contacted Illumination Foundation, the non-profit entity...
Best Food & Drink
Rum Social Announces Chef Lineup & Menu
Rum Social, the anticipated new eatery in the old Watermarc space, is nearing ever closer to its finish line. Describing itself as an “upscale Hemingway speakeasy,” Rum Social will feature a variety of Caribbean-based drinks and dishes. “We’re tentatively looking to...
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...
Laguna’s 2021 Thanksgiving Options are Bountiful
Last year at this time, the State of California moved back in to “purple tier” status, which sent our Laguna Beach restaurateurs scrambling to figure out what to do with all of their Thanksgiving dining reservations. This year let’s hope we’re in for a more...
Scott McIntosh Opens 3rd Reunion Kitchen Location
Congratulations to my restaurateur/chef buddy Scott McIntosh, who’s known in this town for Boat Canyon’s successful Reunion Kitchen as well as Asada Tacos + Beer. On Monday this week, he opened his 3rd Reunion Kitchen location, this time in Santa Barbara right on the...
Laguna Beach Foodie Fare
In case you aren’t privy to my social media platforms @bestoflaguabeach, I thought I’d use this column to share some of my favorite single items that you definitely want to follow up on. Before I explain all these beautiful food and drink items, let me answer those...
Upcoming Events & News
Oct. 30th Garden Walk Explores 2 Iconic Laguna Properties
This coming Saturday, Oct. 30th, Ruben Flores is pulling out all the stops on his Garden Walk with a special “field trip” to two of the most iconic properties in Laguna Beach. These properties are rarely opened to the public, let alone a gaggle of nature-loving,...
Ruben Flores’ Garden Walks 2022
Every other Saturday, award-winning Landscape Architect Ruben Flores offers one of the most informative "field trips" around with his Laguna Nursery Garden Walks. Garden Walkers are asked to meet at the Laguna Nursery by 10 a.m. to purchase their day “pass” for $10....
Local Artist Steve Adam Has an Elephant Now
You might say that local Laguna Beach artist Steve Adam has had an elephant-sized year. Several months ago, he was chosen by none other than L.A. Rams owner Stanley Kroenke as the “branding artist” for the spectacular SoFi stadium. Steve has since splashed his...
Oil Spill Closes Laguna City & County Beaches, DP Harbor and Newport Harbors Closed
A major oil spill out of Huntington Beach on Saturday night has required the closing of all City and County beaches, including Laguna Beach and Dana Point. OC Parks has also closed Baby Beach in Dana Point Harbor. Both Newport Harbor, Bayside Beach in Newport...
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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