Diane Armitage
21-year Laguna Beach resident &
absolute devotee of this amazing town.
Here our thousands of insider tips and
recommendations
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LAGUNA BEACH
Best Food & Drink
Deal of the Century: Brussels Bistro’s Monthly Meal Plan
This holiday, while perusing some of my favorite Laguna Beach restaurant sites for various take-out options, I stumbled across an amazing deal that almost seemed too good to be true. Brussels Bistro had begun a new offer: A subscription of $89 a month gets you 10 new...
Ring in NYE with Laguna Restaurants “To Go”
We've finally made it. Well, sort of. Normally, this town is rocking on New Year's Eve with plenty of restaurants open, live music playing and parties rambling from north to south. This year …not so much, for obvious reason. The good news? Most of our restaurants are...
Upcoming Events & News
Festival of Arts: What I’m Looking Forward To
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. While this year's 81st Pageant of the Masters plays nightly in the Irvine Bowl at 8:30 (see my article...
Tall Ships Festival 2019 Always a Treat
Each September after Labor Day weekend, The Ocean Institute in Dana Point hosts an annual fleet of historic tall ships. This year’s 35th Annual Tall Ships Festival begins on the evening on Friday, Sept. 6th and runs two full days on Saturday and Sunday. A treat for...
Get to Know OC & LA Chefs
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Best Food & Drink
Mozambique Returns Famed Lobster Tail Special
For the record, I'm quite pleased that this now-3-year tradition has returned: Mozambique is offering its Lobster Tail Special again this year for the entire month of November. (The heavens are ringing with hallelujahs.) Just $24.99 for a sizable Maine lobster tail,...
Ranch Finally Reaps Reward with Harvest Restaurant
Just a quick note - I was at the private opening party last night for The Ranch's grand opening of Harvest restaurant, it's fantastic and almost-final addition to The Ranch's ongoing refurbishment. What a happy night for Owner Mark Christy! While I'll be doing a more...
Chef Charles Imbelli Joins The Ranch
When the hugely talented Chef Camron Woods left The Ranch in August for new digs in San Antonio, we not only lost the best authentic grits chef in the west, but also lost an amazing Ranch pastry talent in the form of his wife, MC, who traveled along with him. For two...
Chef Casey Overton Leaves Montage Laguna Beach
Yesterday at the great Newport Beach Wine & Food Festival, I found one of my favorite chefs in residence, Chef Casey Overton. I told him I was relieved to hear that he’d been moved up the ladder to Executive Sous Chef in June. (Formerly the Executive Chef of The...
Scott McIntosh’s Reunion Kitchen Opens Today in Boat Canyon
What a difference four … I mean six … I mean nine months makes. In the same gestation period that brings a newborn human to this planet, Restaurateur Scott McIntosh has finally succeeded in opening his doors of Reunion Kitchen in North Laguna’s Boat Canyon. The...
To Live and Dine Launches Foodie September
September is beginning in grand style with three of Laguna’s own chefs participating in the annual “To Live and Dine in O.C.” this Thursday, Sept 1st at Soka University. Tickets are just $40 in advance and $50 at the door. It’s the beginning of a cornucopia of...
Upcoming Events & News
Small Business Saturday Deals on Nov. 28th
Returning once again, the Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce has organized a veritable army of promised discounts at about 70 retailers, restaurants and service providers. Snap selfies in any of the participating businesses, share them on Instagram with three tags...
Thanksgiving Dinner Options in Laguna Beach
While most of our restaurants are open for Thanksgiving (this year, Thursday, Nov. 26) and serving from their main menus, a few of our restaurants provide traditional (and popular) Thanksgiving Dinner "prix fixe" menu feasts for adults and children. Please make...
I’d Walk 500 Miles For the Next 100-Mile Feast Dinner
A few weeks ago, as one of those happy serendipitous moments, I met one of the co-founders of SEEDS Art and Education, Inc. at a coffee shop. She was working on the finals of their second annual “100 Mile Feast.” As I shamelessly eavesdropped, I heard her dropping one...
The Oaks at Ojai – Surprising Find, Fantastic Rejuvenation
When you check in at the front desk and are given a handwritten welcome note with a handmade lavender sachet for your car , you've just got to figure there's even better to come. Such was the case two weeks ago when I checked into the Oaks at Ojai in the heart of...
100-Mile Feast Challenges Laguna’s Best Chefs
This Saturday, Nov. 7th, an interesting cooking experiment occurs in Anneliese Schools’ gorgeous gardens in our own Canyon. From 3:00 – 6:00 p.m., a collection of some of our finest chefs in Laguna Beach will be proving that they can create a 100% organic and...
Halloween Costume Contests, Parties This Weekend
It’s hard to believe that we’re already at the end of October, but trick-or-treaters will be on our doorsteps in just one day (and chances are they’re going to be starting tonight, so stock up!) So where are the best Halloween parties this year? Sadly, Bruce White’s...
Get to Know OC & LA Chefs
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