Taking advantage of ocean views while dining certainly puts an explanation point on the California lifestyle.
I’ve never been star struck so seeing famous faces doesn’t faze me. But I am forever in awe of Orange County’s beautiful dining settings.
Recently, restaurant aficionado and public relations maven par excellence Lee Healy joined me for lunch at The Loft at the Montage Resort & Spa in Laguna Beach.
I was trying to eat more things from the newest menu and it was a good opportunity to compare lots of industry notes with Lee. She’s a former PR and marketing guru with the El Torito and Johnny Rockets chains.
Now Lee is truly a tuned in person with her own firm. You can imagine all the restaurants and chefs we discussed that day.
The Loft was a perfect place to eat with just the right amount of chic surroundings, interesting food and terrific service. It has more casual notes than the ultra sophisticated and high end Studio, which is the hotel’s signature restaurant in its own building fronting the ocean.
Those in the culinary world who haven’t dined at Studio long to, while who have eaten there talk in superlatives. Sometimes The Loft gets mentioned during these conversations. I’m always reminding someone to take this restaurant just as seriously as Studio and to enjoy it and its indoor or outdoor views over the pool, expanse of lawn and ocean beyond all day long. Studio, on the other hand, is only open for dinner.
With white cloth service, lovely furnishings in a modernized Craftsman-style, signature table amenities and even a bistro-style bar in one section, The Loft is a stylish enclave adequate for real relaxation.
Because it is a place that also is serious about wine, I never tire of studying the wine list that’s stocked with a lot of emphasis on California, Oregon, Washington and New York state goodies.
It’s noteworthy that the Montage boasts about 35,000 bottles of wine that are cellared, so both Studio and The Loft have their own lists. This one has taken me through some fine rieslings, viogniers, zinfandels and meritage blends.
Cooking at The Loft takes advantage of a copper-hooded, wood-burning rotisserie from which emerge some main dishes of the seasonal American cuisine. The food is focused on the highest caliber ingredients from the Americas prepared in attractive presentations but with a straightforward understanding of the centerpiece ingredient of each dish.
I’ve only had breakfast here one time, but it is a fine way, of course, to begin a day with coffee and muffins (these freshly made ones are truly delicious), a full combo breakfast or anything in between.
Might as well confess that I am the night owl, not a morning person, thus meals beginning at lunchtime suit me best. There have been four dinners so far for me at The Loft and many more lunches when those views are most prominent.
The lunch and dinner menus feature many of the same items. There always will be a few appetizer and main course specialties of the day based on some prime meat, fish or other ingredient that’s just arrived from the chef’s purveyors,the hotel chefs work extensively with local and regional purveyors to obtain premier quality products. Much is grown under the sustainable agriculture model.
On the current menu is suave lobster bisque. It’s the sophisticate of soups that can set a rich mood for me any time. There’s a cheeky heirloom tomato bisque, creamy textured and so appealingly seasoned and the perfect partner for the grilled Irish cheddar cheese sandwich on fresh sourdough that accompanies it.
It’s a bit decadent, but deliciously so to have the warm spinach and crab dip to start things off.
This is the kind of restaurant where salads are popular and choices are interesting. One incorporates many kinds of organic vegetables in chopped fashion with a very tasty buttermilk vinaigrette.
In the most lovable category for me is the coconut chicken and pineapple salad atop fris & #233;e, with a sprinkling of roasted cashews and a lime-passion fruit dressing. It’s such a summery tasting salad.
Also in the marvelous category are the blackened tuna salad (over charred pineapple with bok choy slaw on the side) and a non-classic Cobb tossed with spiny lobster.
Fish and chips go upscale with the fish being halibut in a delicate and crispy tempura style coating and the potatoes being chips made from sweet, Peruvian and Yukon Gold varieties.
The chef always presents a pasta dish that’s not too heavy on the tummy. Steak and frites features a filet mignon and King salmon is available for a couple of more substantial entrees.
It’s nice that they remember the popularity of mainstream American fare like pizza and sandwiches. The pizzas take on a chic note with their toppings: portabello mushrooms and braised endive, smoked pork and sweet potato (with a sprinkling of caramelized onion and some mozzarella cheese) or a quartet of white cheeses,goat, mozzarella, Parmigiano Reggiano and smoked Gouda (vine-ripened tomato and roasted garlic spritzing up this one).
Sandwiches also hold their own at The Loft. The meatloaf is a refined version atop potato panini style bread with a mingling of Point Reyes blue cheese and signature barbecue sauce singing gourmet notes.
I’ve not tasted the flat iron steak on ciabatta bread with brie cheese and crispy onions, but a Philadelphia friend says that it’s the best take on a Philly steak sandwich she’s encountered.
From the rotisserie comes chicken with avocado puree, spicy cheese and smoked bacon strips on Italian slipper bread. Even a hoagie of charcuterie cuts and Italian cheese sneaks into the upscale realms.
The sandwich I insist you try have is the BLT on toasted brioche. Not your ordinary bacon, lettuce and tomato thing but rather an imperial version made with lobster and layered atop the delicate bread with a slather of Spanish paprika a & #271;oli. Connoisseurs of pastrami should probably try the grilled version of the meat used here.
Don’t leave without a sampling of cheese since one of this hotel’s strong points is its vast selection,I am doing a separate column soon on the cheese and wine program at Montage.
Chosen by resident expert Starr Cornwall, almost two dozen international cheeses are displayed at the big cheese gallery marble counter at the rear of The Loft.
Each cheese is appropriately paired with perfectly matched compote, nuts, honey and savory blends. It’s as serious an undertaking as properly matching wines with food and you must take time to peruse the cheeses and select some that call to you.
Cheese tasting is priced for two, four or seven selections on a plate.
For those with a sweet tooth comparable to mine, let’s talk about desserts.
Who else is giving you a Meyer lemon and chocolate tasting of cakes, custards and ice creams incorporating the two ingredients?
Molten chocolate cake with the melted interior has become a common dessert. But The Loft’s version brings bananas to the party, along with a thick milk jam. Only a fine pastry chef could turn a piece of toast into a silk purse candied affair dolloped with pistachio butter and chocolate.
Along with several other enticements that I’ve got plans to taste, there’s an upside-down cake that most certainly is not mom’s skillet version.
There are so many unpretentious-yet-chic foods to try at The Loft that I invariably ask for some small plates and share several dishes with friends and relatives. I think it’s so much more interesting for everyone to have a good tasting session, giving everyone a lot of additional perspective.
In the event you want a pleasant sojourn over tea in the afternoon, I suggest you settle in comfortably in the lush furnishings of the Montage lobby. Lee and I spent a long time in The Loft and then another period after lunch just relaxing over tea.
I highly admire the whole context of the Montage hotel. It’s a great place to have a cocktail or tea in the lobby. You can dine at The Loft or Studio, and you can stroll around the hotel property to soak up the ambiance. There are spa treatments that entice.
All but two of the rooms in the hotel have ocean vistas. Meeting friends or business associates at the Montage is the ultimate in impressive experiences.
AT A GLANCE – THE LOFT
Montage Resort & Spa
Address: 30801 S. Coast Highway,
Laguna Beach
Phone: (949) 715-6420
Cost: Lunch and dinner appetizers, soups and salads $14 to $28; entrees $18 to $32, desserts $9 to $12.
