As summer gives way to fall, and beach days transition into evening parties and galas, it’s almost time to trade your sandals for something a little more sophisticated. And what better excuse to get dressed up than to indulge and imbibe in a new dining experience? The coastal region’s most esteemed hotels and resorts are rolling out the proverbial red carpet for a season of culinary highlights.
From the shores of Dana Point to the coves of Laguna Beach, four hotels have unveiled a handful of gastronomic events to put on your radar, including a series of guest-chef and winery dinners, an outdoor “Festival of Lights” celebration and even the debut of a brand-new restaurant.
Montage’s Studio Mediterranean
The luxury resort in Laguna Beach will soon open its newest restaurant, Studio Mediterranean, to the public. Montage tapped chef Dennis Efthymiou, a Greek native who trained in Athens, to lead the kitchen. The noted chef honed his skill inside U.K.’s three-Michelin-starred the Fat Duck, Central in Lima and the recently shuttered Luce in San Francisco. The new eatery will offer a menu with seafood aplenty, including an assortment of fish flown in daily from Greece, Italy and Spain, as well local catch from the Pacific.
Other menu highlights include shellfish on ice, featuring oysters, prawns, octopus cocktail, kampachi crudo, Maine lobster tail and king crab (small $160, large $290); keftedes, Greek-style beef and pork meatballs ($32); whole branzino baked in coffee-salt crust ($185), Morro Bay black cod ($64), baklava ice cream sundae ($18) and more.
Currently open for dinner service for hotel gusts, Studio Mediterranean will open to the public on Oct. 10.
Find it: 30801 S. Coast Highway (at Montage Laguna Beach), Laguna Beach
Ritz-Carlton’s Diwali Mela
A lively night awaits at the Ritz-Carlton as the seaside hotel presents its fourth annual Diwali Mela, celebrating the Festival of Lights, on Friday, Oct. 10. The evening’s outdoor dinner-slash-celebration will be helmed by chef Sanjay Rawat, a native of New Delhi and the executive chef of Kahani, one of the resort’s restaurants.
Rawat’s menu of contemporary takes on street food favorites and mithai will include nimbo pani; kebab sliders with paneer tikka and chapli kabab; tandoori wraps with Hariyali chicken and malai paneer; a chaat station featuring dahi puri, pani puri and behl puri; a South Indian griddle for dosas, idli and more; and a buffet of vegetarian and non-vegetarian curries.
In addition to Indian cuisine, guests will enjoy Bollywood music, a traditional dance performance, group dance tutorial and more.
Tickets run $250 per adult and $125 per child (3 to 9 years old). Celebration goes from 6 until 9 p.m.
Find it: 1 Ritz Carlton Drive, Dana Point
Surf & Sand Laguna Beach’s Wine Dinners at Splashes
With a recently finished property-wide transformation, Surf & Sand in Laguna Beach kicks off its new wine dinner series at its dedicated restaurant, Splashes, on Thursday, Oct. 16.
Executive chef Ron Fougeray will prepare a multi-course menu, with each dish getting paired with wines from Napa Valley winery Quintessa. Space is limited to 35 guests for each dinner. The evening begins with a reception at 6:30 p.m. followed up dinner at 7 p.m. Tickets run $270 per person.
Find it: 1555 S. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach
Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach’s “Gourmet Gatherings” Dinner Series
A trio of chef notables will make their way to Dana Point for Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach dinner series, featuring Nancy Silverton and Hubert Keller. (The dinner with Michal Mina, who will kick off the series on Thursday, Sept. 18, is set to sell out.)
On Oct. 21 and Nov. 21, Nancy Silverton (Osteria Mozza) and Hubert Keller (of Fleur de Lys fame) will host dinners at the resort, respectively.
Silverton’s menu will include Cippolini Onion Tarts, Nancy’s Caesar salad with egg, leek and anchovy crostini, sausage and Swiss chard orecchiette, braised beef cheek and a gelato sundae bar. Capping off the event will be a book signing with Silverton, featuring her book, “The Cookie That Changed My Life.”
And Keller’s menu will feature, among other high-end French fare, a black truffle-tinged white onion velouté, lobster cappuccino, sea scallops with caramelized pork belly, braised wagyu beef cheeks, bittersweet chocolate and hazelnut tart.
The dinners will be held inside the property’s Wine Cave room, a subterranean cellar that houses the property’s entire 10,000-bottle inventory. Each dinner costs $700.
Find it: 1 Monarch Beach Resort North, Dana Point