This Restaurant Makes a Statement without Saying a Word: Fine Dining at hush in Laguna Beach

Pssst… I have a secret. One of my favorite hobbies is eating. Have I mentioned this before? And by “one of my favorite hobbies” I mean “my most favorite thing to do in life”. Seriously. So I swooned when I was invited, along with my main squeeze, to dine at Laguna Beach’s hush (yes, loves, all lowercase letters; doesn’t it just whisper elegance?) And in all my twenty-eight years of eating, I can honestly tell you that I have NEVER experienced a meal quite like this. Just get a gander at hush's delectable menu.

Love at First Sight
Some things that I love (not equal to food, of course) are: wood paneling, big windows, the beach, and native SoCal foliage. Well, hello hush, you kinda have it all. The striking, minimalist design might have caught my eye right away, but it was the inspired team of guys at hush that really tickled my fancy. Kenny, the maître d’, was incredibly inviting and sweet; Trevor, our personal server, was the most knowledgeable person I’ve ever met when it comes to organic and biodynamic agriculture (wine sustainably farmed AND grown in observation of the moon and the stars? Honestly?!); José was beyond a busser, he was our own personal comedian; and Ronnie, the chef – well, let’s just say that I was practically speechless when he came to our table at the end of the evening.

Perfect Pairings
But back to the food. Oh, and the wine. Our evening at hush just happened to be our first encounter with wine pairing (I’ve never felt so sophisticated!) Thank goodness Trevor gave me a cheat sheet of all the luscious libations we sampled, so I can properly share them all with you. It all began with a sustainably-farmed, biodynamic Siesta, en el Tahuantinsuyu, Extra Brut, Mendoza Argentina (a sparkly, not-too-sweet 50/50 blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio) alongside divine Warm Assorted Olives with preserved lemon, California olive oil, fresh herbs, and fresh garlic. We were off to a spectacular start. Then came the Tasting Course: Organic Baby Field Greens with orange segments, candy-striped beets and white balsamic vinegar, Watercress with Couscous featuring a delightful dollop of pesto and dried apricot, and the Caprese Salad with yellow heirloom tomatoes, Burrata cheese and a balsamic reduction. Each bite and every sip was practically magical.

What else was magic? The ambiance. The lighting in hush is subtle and romantic. And there is a gorgeous patio that I’d love to experience on a midsummer’s night. But since it was early spring, we had been seated indoors by the cozy fireplace beside the patio door – the perfect hybrid of an indoor/outdoor feel. The sun set during our Tasting Course, reflecting its glow onto the patio’s glass paneling. Simply gorgeous.

More Courses, Of Course
I’m pretty sure we could tell from the get-go that our meal was building to a crescendo; each pairing that appeared was more mesmerizing than the last. Our glasses of Abbaye de Marnoutier, Clos de Rougemont, Vouvray, France, 2004 were joined by hush’s Lobster Macaroni and Cheese, a delicate combination of crayfish, black truffle oil, black truffles, leeks, and a lobster cream sauce. As if that wasn’t awe-inspiring enough, it had to compete with the Hubert Lamy, En Remilly, Saint-Aubin 1er Cru, France, 2005 combined with Thyme-Roasted New Zealand Ono. Let me just take a moment to muse over this ono. I could have been content with just the perfect, lightly-crisped fish, but its accompanying frisée and citrus salad, and basil potato purée, AND pine nut foam? PINE NUT FOAM, people. Yes, it is as dreamy and delicious as it sounds. And no, I barely let my poor partner have any of it. I’m a jerk, what can I say?

The Main Event
I don’t know much about wine. I like to pretend that I do, though I’m barely a novice. But when the loveliest legs drip down a glass of red, I know I’m sipping something special. Our ruby-hued glasses of Phillipe Viret, Solstice VII, France could not have better prepared us for the main event. My boyfriend’s Braised Beef Short Ribs stole his attention from me completely. Plated with baby vegetables, creamy, white polenta, and a Belgian beer sauce, all he could do was smile and mutter “this tastes like a steak cake.” I tried to remind him that what he was eating were ribs, but it was really a lost cause. My Asian-inspired Ginger-Steamed Salmon was by far the most unique salmon dish I’ve had anywhere. I adore stir-fry vegetables regardless, but lovingly serve them with green tea soba noodles (an antioxidant powerhouse!) and a teriyaki emulsion, and I’m yours for life. Did you hear that hush? Yours for life.

Sweet Endings
Unfortunately, all good meals must come to an end (though I’d seriously like to figure out how to remedy this…) Our evening at hush was winding down and two, final glasses of Dr, Loosen, BA, Riesling, Germany, 2006 were set down before us. I know I claimed to not know much about wine, but I know that R-I-E-S-L-I-N-G spells “dessert”, thank you very much. No matter how hard I try, I can never resist a good dessert – let alone two of them. So we shared the Rum-Roasted Banana with dulce de leche ice cream and chocolate sauce and the Peanut Butter Trio, a triad of peanut butter shortbread, peanut butter crunch, and, yup, peanut butter ice cream (FYI: this is chef Ronnie’s favorite thing on the menu. Finish off your evening with an order of your own, and I’m sure you’ll quickly understand why.)

hush is located just steps from the beach at 858 S. Coast Hwy., Laguna Beach. For more information, log on to hushrestaurant.com or call 949-497-3616. There are also plenty of special events planned monthly. So why not make a reservation for tonight? Click here to book your table right now.