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Eat, Drink and Be Merry: Fine Dining at Sundried Tomato Café in Laguna Beach

I am a chronic planner. It’s not a sickness, it’s a compulsion. Before I travel anywhere, I need plenty of hours of extensive research under my belt (I’m also a perfectionist, but that opens up a whole new can of idiosyncrasies that we’ll just save for another time). My point being, I plan ahead like crazy. Which means that as I was about to embark on another culinary adventure to Laguna Beach, I had to get in-the-know and check out Sundried Tomato American Bistro & Cafés’ web site. And what caught my eye immediately was possibly the perfect tagline: “Welcome to Sundried Tomato, eat, drink and be merry!” Well, don’t mind if I do.

Now, I opted to set my reservation for dinner, but Laguna Beach’s Sundried Tomato Café opens early everyday at 11:30am. Just thought you might like this tidbit of info in case you were planning a day at the beach, because the café is literally walking distance from the shore. How awesome is that? Anyway, I digress. Back to the story. I arrived a teensy bit early and was met right away by Ana, who would become our confidant, server,and general guiding force of the evening. She gave me my pick of tables, but I honestly had no idea where to sit. I wanted to enjoy the sunset outside, but seeing as though it was early March (and I, the silly goose, only had a light sweater), I didn’t feel 100% about the plan. She shrugged, smiled and suggested I take a table by the window so I could get the best of both worlds: outdoor view and indoor temperatures. I settled in and waited for my cousin Erika, who would once again be my buddy of the let’s-stuff-our-faces-till-we-can-barely-move variety.

In the meantime, I snuck peeks at Ana, bouncing around the room, hugging and chatting with nearly every patron. All of a sudden I realized that everyone posed around the bar appeared to be old friends, but really, they were just meeting each other. Apparently, those kooky Laguna Beach folks are just that friendly. The joy was contagious and I couldn’t wipe the grin off my face while I scoured the drink menu. Erika was running a bit behind schedule so I figured I might as well get cozy with a cocktail in the interim.

Sippin’ Beach City Style
One of the things I love about coming down to Laguna Beach is that no matter what, I feel like I’m on vacation. I also feel like the residents must see it the same way (that would explain their contagious happiness). So to hone in on that vacay mindset, and at Ana’s wide-eyed suggestion that told me “you HAVE to try this drink”, I chose Sundried Tomato’s signature cocktail, the Pino Crano Martini, just as Erika strolled through the door. Pineapple-infused vodka and cranberry juice? Yes, please. Sometimes it’s the simplest of blends that make for that perfect drink. I subtly suggested to Erika that she pick my second choice (hey, so I wanted to try both of them – she would’ve done the same thing!) The Effen Black Cherry Martini was one feisty little fella, a combination of Effen Black Cherry Vodka and Crème de Cocoa. If we didn’t already feel the beach city vibe, we were feeling it now.

Startin’ it Up
I think us ladies were in a bit of a bread mood that night. Yeah yeah yeah, I see your point: when am I NOT in a bread mood? But seriously, you should have seen Erika and my eyes light up when the breadbasket came out. It was magic. Not only were the white rolls heavenly (warm and soft on the inside and crusty on the outside, not at all tough like some nameless places I’ve unfortunately dined at) but they arrived with a dish of… drum roll please… Sundried Tomato Butter. Sigh. I took about ten photographs of it before I could even eat it, I was so in love. Spreading a little of that on a slice of delectable olive bread created an elegant zing of pizza-like flavors.

Our appetizer of choice was the Mascarpone Cheese and Tomato Bruschetta. To clarify, that was each of our choices. So yes, we got two orders of it (I told you, bread mood). The light and creamy cheese, sweet and plump tomatoes, and tarragon extra virgin olive oil was almost a dessert-like topping for our crostini. Now, if I wasn’t already overdoing the carbohydrate count for the evening, I would have been all over the Shoestring Pommes Frites with truffle oil. And on my next visit, when I’ve got the boyfriend in tow, I know he’ll devour the Filet of Beef Tacos and Bacon-Wrapped Jumbo Scallops.

Sharin’ the Love
Erika and I opted for our usual course of action when it comes to entrées. We pick the two most mouthwatering items on the menu, order them both, and share them. Otherwise we’d sit there ho-humming forever trying to whittle down our choices. The dishes at Sundried Tomato range from namesake staples like Creamy Sundried Tomato, Chicken and Vegetables over Bowtie Pasta to the utterly elegant Herb Marinated Rack of Lamb. We, however, got weak-in-the-knees for the special Chopped Salad with Peppered Mustard Salmon and Rare Albacore Tuna.

For me, a salad always has to be extraordinary to get my attention. And Sundried Tomato’s chopped number pleased my palate to no end. The dried cranberries added sweetness, the pine nuts were decadent, the Gorgonzola paired with golden beets was rich, and the red onions and cilantro caper vinaigrette kicked everything up a notch. That’s not even mentioning the delicious, peppery, mustard-y salmon filet crowning the whole deal.

Then there was the rare tuna. For the love of Pete, can someone please bring me an order of this right now? Imagine, if you will, the layers involved in this. On the top were thick, vibrant green slices of avocado. Directly below was the albacore tuna, seared rare, crusted in sesame seeds, with a soy citrus glaze. Next came sautéed spinach (which I probably obsess over more than a person should who isn’t a certain sailorman). And finally, the bottom layer was a heavenly cloud of mashed potatoes. Is my drooling audible?

A Little Somethin’ Somethin’ for Dessert
For the first time in our foodie history, we almost couldn’t order desserts. Now hold on a second, I said “almost”. Let’s not get crazy here. A couple cups of tasty, robust coffee paired swell with a sinful Chocolate Espresso Brownie Sundae. But the highlight, for me at least, was my very first Crème Brulee (go me!) I can’t believe I waited so long to discover this treat. I’ve always sat back and watched others crack into that caramelized shell, and this time, it was my turn. The blueberries, blackberry and raspberry on top was a fruity bonus.

OC Restaurant Week
If you’ve never experienced OC Restaurant Week, I really can’t stress enough how much you need to give it a whirl. You’ve just missed the cut off this time around (February 28 – March 6), but it’ll be back this fall (plus, Haunted Happy Hour Week is October 24 – 30 and Kids Restaurant Week is June 27 – July 3). More than 100 restaurants participate and each offers prix fixe menus priced at $10, $15 and $20 per person for lunch, and $20, $30 or $40 per person for dinner. Check out orangecountyrestaurantweek.com for more deets. Erika and I hadn’t even realized it was OC Restaurant Week, but we were super stoked to dine off Sundried Tomato’s prix fixe menu. I just love saying “prix fixe” – it makes me feel elegant. Once more for good measure. Prix fixe.

Sundried Tomato Café is located at 361 Forest Avenue, Laguna Beach. I will admit I had just a tad bit of trouble finding the place at first by car, but that’s just because I was distracted by the cute courtyard fountain that partially blocks its view from the street. To soak in some more information give them a ring at 949-494-3312 or cruise over to their web site at sundriedtomatocafe.com and click on the Laguna Beach location. You can even reserve your table online.

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Comment by The Nightowl on March 27, 2010 at 2:08pm: Yes! I forgot to mention it is walking distance from all of Laguna's art festivals, including the Pageant of the Masters :)

Comment by Michael Maxsenti on March 27, 2010 at 7:49am: This is one of our local favorite spots to meet guests from out of town especially if you are going to the Pageant of the Masters and/or one of the art festivals. From hear it is a quick walk to them or just to stroll the lovely streets of downtown Laguna.

You captured the flavor and essence of Sundried Tomato wonderfully.
Thank you,
Michael

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