Casa Bistro — Restaurant in Laguna Beach

OC restaurant week dinner menu $40:

Wild Hawaiian Ahi Poke (Onion, seaweed, avocado, spicy soy): 4 stars Good portion of fresh pieces of ahi & sprinkles of masago fish eggs made this dish yummy.

Cajun Spiced Shrimp (Polenta, tomato, garlic butter): 3 stars Shrimp was over seasoned & bit burnt on the sides. Seasoning on this dish was spicy and had a kick at the end too.

Organic Yellow Beet Baby Tomatoes & Feta Salad (Greens, candied walnuts, white balsamic vinaigrette): 3 stars This salad needed more pieces of yellow beets & the dressing was too heavy & tart.

Kale Salad (Avocado, pepitas, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, lime vinaigrette): 2.5 stars The vinaigrette was very heavy in this salad but the kale was very fresh & the texture is nice.

Lobster & Truffle Risotto (Lobster-cognac cream, herb crust): 2 stars Risotto was buttery but on the plain side & there wasn't enough pieces of asparagus to compliment the risotto. There was no smell or taste of truffle in this dish. Shavings of Parmesan cheese did little to add flavor to this dish.

Vanilla Bean Crème Brulee: 4 stars Very light & fluffy consistently but a little too liquidy compared to other crème brulees that I've had before but the top was not burned which is great.

Service: B- Attentive service but when I asked for my left overs to be boxed, she just handed me a box & a bag to to do it myself. I thought that this being such a fancy place with all those waiters just hanging around doing nothing that maybe they'd do it but I guess not.

Decor: B Inside is a lot smaller & crowded with tables & chairs than I expected because after I looked at the place from the outside it looked to be spacious but I guess not.

Overall: 3.5 stars I looked at the prices of the items on the regular menu & compared it to the OC Restaurant Week menu & they were about the same & the only thing that you'd really be saving on would be the 1/2 full glass of house wine that came with the OC...

We have been dining here for almost two years and left 5star reviews back when they took OpenTable. This review is based on visit during Labor Day.

We had reservations but got table after 30 minutes wait. No problem, but they seemed chaotic in getting guest in, with manager often carrying chairs over head and guest to reshuffle things.

We got seated on corner table and man it was sweating hot. It was a hot day and they were packed... ok, I get it. Maybe consider putting extra fan or two? Get AC serviced?

My food arrived before our drInks. Come on guys... this was ridiculous!!!

The item we asked for first came the last. I think they forgot till we reminded.

Desert cremebulle was burnt and I send it back.

We're about to leave when I noticed they charged extra which had to be corrected.

So many flaws in one visit and not once manger stopped to say hello or apologize.

Food was excellent. Just exceptionally poor management in dining hall.

What an experience eating delicious food in sweat soaked brand new tori birch shirt.

We will go again and demand to sit...

Enjoyed a lovely mid-week late evening meal at K'ya last month! Absolutely love the small plate style, allows you to mix and match high quality dishes without overeating. As a vegetarian, I appreciated the numerous choices available.

Opted for the crispy polenta (served with asparagus and mushroom), red curry tofu (served with black rice and basil), and a Rosaloma. Service was attentive without being pretentious or overbearing. Food arrived piping hot from the kitchen.

Loved the textures - crunchy polenta, silken tofu, tender mushrooms and lightly fried rice. The dishes were full of fresh flavor, relying less on butter/oil and more on technique and herbs + sparing amounts of strong ingredients like sharp cheese or truffle oil. My cocktail was perfect - not too sweet or dry, and right amount of lime and pomegranate.

Highly recommended when the rooftop lounge isn't an option or you have more palates to please - great value, taste, service,...