![]() ![]() That time spent by the Mediterranean may be why the chef is so strong on fish. ![]() And who wouldn’t enjoy wild striped bass served with tiny brown “clamshell” mushrooms and green beans in a “bouillabaisse” sauce whipped into a froth that gives foam back its good name? Forget the lobster, however delicious, I just want to scoop up those broken noodles, cooked like risotto so they drink in that wonderful stock. Or a stunning dish of lightly roasted lobster tail with fideo noodles in a green curry lobster sauce. The squid is as sweet and meaty as cuttlefish, the body stuffed with breadcrumbs and herbs. So you find seared Monterey calamari with baby arugula and a garlicky aioli. His cooking has a distinctive Mediterranean and even Catalan influence that doesn’t come from books, but from his time in Barcelona. Once everybody is settled at table, out comes an amuse, which could be, for example, an elegant terrine of guinea hen in a black truffle vinaigrette or a single marvelous fried butterflied shrimp with a few slices of vinegared cucumbers, both light, and, well, amusing. Tall French doors are thrown open to let in the salt sea breeze. ![]() A hostess leans out the door to welcome guests. The whole place feels warmer and a tad more relaxed, and, most important, people seem to be having more fun. And he has changed Studio’s culture in the process. He has traded in the old-school dining room of the Ritz-Carlton for this free-standing Craftsman-style building. Talking to that table, the chef seems quietly confident, proud of what he’s doing here. No other restaurant in Southern California has this mesmerizing view, and this happy combination of setting, great food, polished service and deep wine list makes Studio at Montage one of the region’s true destination restaurants. He’s entirely comfortable cooking in a hotel system, having worked for Ritz-Carlton for much of his career in Atlanta and Barcelona before Pasadena. What a spot!Īfter eight years as chef at the Dining Room at the former Ritz-Carlton Huntington in Pasadena (now the Langham Huntington Hotel & Spa), Strong is in an enviable position as the new executive chef at Studio, replacing opening chef James Boyce. We’re seated outside, too, the better to enjoy the sea air and the unobstructed view of the coastline. Palm trees in front are ablaze with the setting sun and in the grass behind him, a trio of bunny rabbits play and nibble. As friends and I approach Studio, the restaurant at Montage Laguna Beach set on the edge of a bluff, I can see chef Craig Strong silhouetted against a silvery mauve sky as he talks to a table of guests on the outdoor terrace. ![]()
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