Studio Mediterranean — Restaurant in Laguna Beach

Delicious food in a stunning setting.

Located in the Montage Laguna Beach the restaurant is at the edge of a bluff with magnificent views of the ocean and clear night sky. If you can get a table outside where you can hear the ocean, see they ocean and sky at sunset and later gaze upon the stars at night. Romantic and charming Studio resembles a beach front home. The only trouble is actually finding the restaurant in the Montage grounds. Even when given directions by the doorman I had to ask directions twice more before finding it. A map via email when making reservations would have been quite useful. given the awkwardness of the route. Still, once there it is quite a treat.

Upon arriving at the restaurant we waited at the bar for our table to be prepared so I began with one of their cocktails. A tequila cocktail I cannot remember the name of. After tasting my cocktail and watching it being made I knew I would not be having another. It was way out of balance and not good at all. Cocktails were $16 a piece which sounds high, but for hotel bars of this caliber they are about average.

Soon seated with menus in had I already knew what I was having, and that was the tasting menu. Craig Strong had the reigns now for over a year so was expecting a fine meal. The tasting menu was a solid six courses priced at $125 and over all an excellent meal. The Squash Blossom Tempura and the Duck Breast & Confit were my favorite courses. The Squash Blossom Tempura was a pitch perfect play of flavors and textures. The Duck Breast & Confit was marriage of succulent, savory and sweet. Both were unforgettable dishes. Also quite good were the Watermelon Salad and Pineapple Cannelloni. Two dishes that fell a bit flat compared to the rest of the meal were the Black Cod and Camembert. Overall a fantastic meal.

As a side note it was my companion's birthday that evening so they given her an Almond Cake that was also very good.

Service was outstanding. Upon arriving the hostess greeted us and wished my companion a happy birthday. Those wishes then echoed by our server for the evening. Once seated the staff was attentive without being intrusive. It was a graceful quite type of service that was seamless in execution.

I also suggest after dinner going for a stroll along the beach or hotel to help the meal settle down a bit.

I highly recommend coming here for a meal and certainly look forward...

Why 5 stars?? Here are the reason why..

The atmosphere/ambiance are exquisite, the FOOD were delicious, im not a professional taster but i know enough whats good and not. The service was excellent i mean A+. Jamie was very pleasant and she really took time explaining every single details of each entrè and she has a very beautiful smile and friendly vibes. Luis (im not sure if i spelled his name right, the server) was also very nice and friendly to us. He was the one who took beautiful pictures of us, he even directed/suggested which part of the view we should do for pictures, A+ for him as well. The experience over all was extremely excellent! It was the most romantic dinner we ever had so far, i mean we've been to Mastros and other high class restaurants but studio is the best by far. We didnt want to leave hahaa.. Try the Octopus its my favorite, i guarantee you wont regret eating it! I salute Chef Craig! The only think that we didnt like was the cheese, i personally didnt like the taste i couldnt even describe it. But the rest are extremely excellent! Very romantic ambiance! We're def coming back here with the kids. So much to say but have to wrap it up! Btw, hubby paid over a little $600 with the gratuity. Valet parking is $50 but if...

Legit this was the best dining experience I have ever had and I have eaten at the finest establishments in the entire world.

FOOD:

The baby heirloom tomatoes were to die for and hand peeled!

Prawn was fresh and grilled to perfection.

The beef tenderloin was as tender as a waygu steak... I'm being serious!!!

Salmon was a color of pink I had never seen before...was unreal level of frehsnessness and tastiness.

Guanaja Chocolate Sphere literally explodes when they put hot chocolate on it :)

SERVICE:

Exceptional staff. Was very attentive without being annoying. Sommelier was knowledgeable about champagne. Also wait staff takes great pictures if it's a special occasion ;)

AMBIANCE:

Situated on the cliff of the Pacific ocean it is literally the most gorgeous sunset in the world. Make sure to make reservations at around 530ish so you can see nature in all of it's...