Best of Laguna Beach

On this week’s episode of Best of Laguna Beach on KXFM 104.7, I sat down with Laguna Nursery and Visionscape Design owner Ruben Flores to chat about the amazing events, spaces, and stories that make Laguna special – and why strong, authentic, in-the-trenches marketing matters more than ever. I'm publishing this replay early to encourage you to attend tonight's meeting and add your voice. As someon...

On my Best of Laguna Beach show this week, a very special guest joined me – Matt Stuhl – to talk about all the plans for his company’s incoming restaurant, Piatti on 222 Ocean Avenue (previously Taverna/Ocean at Main/Suenos/Cabana). Listen in as he talks about what they have in play and what’s in the plan. What a great introduction between a locally-centric restaurant company and the residents and...

On Monday, at “Best of Laguna Beach’s” radio show at KXFM 104.7, Laguna Nursery and Visionscape Design Owner Ruben Flores joins me for ALL sorts of discussion, from new restaurants to sorry construction fencing at Main Beach … to our dining in 12 restaurants last week and positive moves we’re seeing from the new City Manager and Planning Commission. Here’s a quick summary of this week’s newsy show...

In Monday, March 17th’s “Best of Laguna Beach” radio show (audio replay above) at Laguna’s only KXFM Radio 104.7, I brought in my two favorite regulars – together – for THREE big discussions: 🔥 New behind-the-scenes restaurant podcast! 🍽️ My latest updates on the entire restaurant scene in Laguna 🚧 Big renovation beginning at Main Beach Joining me was Ruben Flores, owner of Laguna Nursery and Vi...

This week’s Monday radio show, “Best of Laguna Beach,” was especially fun for me because it was my first time meeting and talking with Executive Chef Eric BosRau from Finney’s Crafthouse – uniquely named here, actually, as Finney’s at the White House in homage to our first established restaurant in Laguna Beach (1918). Filling those 105-year old shoes might have been daunting to most restaurant gr...

On Monday, Feb 17th, it was a fun, fast-moving interview with Chef Evan Lewis of the year-old restaurant, Evan’s Gourmet, my most favorite restaurant find this year! 860 Glenneyre Street (Thalia and Glenneyre) Open Wed, Thurs, Fri & Sat evenings, 5 pm - 9 pm Sunday Brunch, 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. with live music Reservations: Call or text: (949) 388-1568 (I always recommend sitting at the Chef’...

Grab Tix: "Artiste" Wine Tasting Comes to Laguna On my “Best of Laguna Beach” show, Ruben Flores and I interviewed the Founder of Artiste Wines out of Santa Ynez in Northern Santa Barbara County. Bion Rice, the founder of this truly lovely wine, is a 5th generation winemaker after his great-great-great grandfather first got into the industry in Napa Valley in the 1890s. As we announced in yesterda...

In Monday, Jan. 27th’s “Best of Laguna Beach” radio show (audio replay above) at Laguna’s only KXFM Radio 104.7, I had a trifecta winning ticket for you. #1 – It was Chris Olsen , the well-loved Owner/Operator or Wine Gallery as well as the Co-Owner of Miki Sushi with Greg Washer. #2 - Then, I introduced Celebrity Chef Mary Schoenlein , who created the renowned Mary’s Marvelous breakfast and lunch...

In this Monday, Jan 20th’s radio show at KXFM 104.7 (repay above), my guest Bruce Russo (the country’s largest restaurant developer) and I talk about the massive undertaking L.A. retailers and restaurants face in their rebuild. There are SO many layers here that will have to be addressed. All politics aside, this disaster will prove the largest rebuild undertaking in the country. Here’s why … And...

On Monday, Jan. 13th, Best of Laguna Beach’s™ radio show started with a bang for this New Year. My “regular” guest, Ruben Flores, was back in the studio with me to talk about everything from fires to preparing for fires here in Laguna Beach … to Ivan Spiers’ abrupt closure of two popular restaurants … to soups that we love in restaurants all around town (because we all need some love and comfort t...

On Monday, Dec. 30th (seems like weeks ago already), I took a bit of a detour from my regularly scheduled “Best of Laguna Beach” show at KXFM Radio 104.7 To wrap up the year, I told two personal (and sort of funny) stories. I first talked about how most of the residents here CHOSE Laguna Beach for their permanent residence … me included. How I actually arrived here is a rather astounding story. Th...

On Monday, Dec. 16th, The Drake’s Chef Nick Gstrein joined me in the KXFM 104.7 radio studio for another exclusive interview on the life and times of Laguna Beach chefs. The Drake Laguna Beach has been a rocking, high-level dining experience from its opening day with live jazz, blues and contemporary classic music 7 nights a week. This is also a rare entity in that it’s a father-son chef duo in th...

On Dec. 9th, Ruben Flores and I jumped back into my Monday “Best of Laguna Beach” radio show at KXFM 104.7, Laguna’s only community radio. We had A LOT to talk about! SHOW NOTES Our Laguna’s “Hospitality Night” review, including the Pepper tree lighting, our opinion on this year’s downtown holiday lighting and our opinion on what Dana Point is doing in comparison, especially at Dana’s Harbor (Fest...

This week, the most prolific and successful Restaurant Developer in the country, Bruce Russo, steps in for another fun convo with me on my Monday radio show at Laguna’s only community radio, KXFM Radio 104.7 This time, we’re talking about Private Dining and Group Dining in restaurants, particularly around the holiday season. (And how NOT to let your big group dining events impinge on your beloved...

Welcome to my Thanksgiving holiday special for you! On Monday (11/25) at KXFM Radio 104.7, I interviewed Celebrity Chef Mary Schoenlein, renowned Founder of Mary’s Marvelous, a 2002-2021 can’t-live-without-it breakfast and lunch spot in the posh Hamptons of New York. Mary has recently resurrected Mary’s Marvelous at her brand new Substack blog. Readers all over the world are, once again, flocking...

In this podcast, I introduce my TOP TWO favorite holiday events and one of my favorite artists (and humans) at the Winter Fantasy Sawdust Festival – my in-studio guest, Baruch Kaufman. The Winter Fantasy - my #1 favorite event in Laguna Beach all year long – begins this Friday, Nov. 22nd, and we’re here to talk all about its extreme uniqueness.  Winter Fantasy at the Sawdust is every Friday, Satur...

If you saw my 5-minute video in yesterday’s "Best of Laguna Beach" post about my crazy radio show this past Monday, you know it was NOT the standard fare I usually offer. I pulled Ruben Flores in to help me contact friends and raise money for our nonprofit radio station’s KXFM’s annual “Community Takeover” fundraiser. But we had such an inundation of calls, it looked and felt a lot like Lucy and E...

This week at my “Best of Laguna Beach” radio show at KXFM 104.7, Bruce Russo returned to chat with me about another host of restaurant topics, from the new incoming restaurant group to “his” former restaurant in Laguna Beach … to restaurant training that goes MIA … to what Bruce creates in restaurants to woo diners … to a single woman’s take on sitting in restaurant bars. Show Notes :30 We talk ab...

This past Monday, Oct. 28th, Laguna Beach native Chef Evan Lewis of the new restaurant, Evan’s Gourmet , joined me at the radio station, KFM 104.7. For nearly an hour, we talked everything from … ●   Evan’s native roots in Laguna Beach and the roots of her recipes in her fabulous restaurant ●   Her ongoing, creative tenure at the infamous Sawdust Festival (she makes HOW many burgers each day??) ● ...

Mon, Sept. 23rd’s Best of Laguna show at KXFM 104.7 radio with my special guest, “Beautification Consultant” Ruben Flores: 3:39 Ruben Flores recalls his first visit to Laguna Beach at the age of 5. (You wouldn’t believe where his family parked for their beach visit) 6:33 The eclectic property in Laguna Beach that Ruben chose for his own home 7:47 One of the Best of Laguna Beach Walking Tours ever...

This Monday, Oct. 21st, my dear buddy Ruben Flores, joined me at my “Best of Laguna Beach” radio show on KXFM 104.7 Radio for lively, fun discussion that covers everything from places we think are haunted to updates on our favorite eats in Laguna and favorite sets around the world, thanks to Nelson Coates. Moments in the show: 1:00 Introducing Ruben Flores “Laguna’s Beautification Consultant” and...

Overview:  This Monday, Oct 14th on my Best of Laguna Beach™ show at KXFM 104.7, I introduced one of the most prolifically successful restaurant designers in the United States. Bruce and I first met in 2015 when his Dallas-based restaurateur client asked him to oversee the Laguna development of what would become “Taverna” at 222 Ocean Avenue. I was on the prowl, covering all the restaurant happeni...

On Monday, Oct. 7th, it was another lively interview in my “Best of Laguna Beach” show at KXFM 104.7, Laguna’s Community Radio station. This week, my guest was local favorite, the immensely talented Chef Maro Molteni, who initially began Maro Wood Grill … then moved to Royal Hawaiian Fire Grill. He then stepped in as pinch hitter with Chef Leo Bongarra for the 2023 summer season at the Festival of...

On Monday, Sept 30th on my KXFM 104.7 radio show, I chatted with two great guests -  Coyote Grill's  Co-Owner Desirée Gomez and  Rasta Taco's  /  RastaRita Cantina  /  RastaRita Margarita Trucks Owner Mario Melendez. This was an enlightening, funny conversation as we covered a multitude of topics primarily around the best tacos, inventive margarita trucks and decades of time in Laguna Beach as loc...