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EXECUTIVE DINING
I don't remember such buzz and anticipation of a restaurant opening before Sapphire Laguna took the stage two months ago.
Everybody knew that the Old Pottery Shack in Laguna Beach was going to become a restaurant with a food and cheese emporium next door. People seemed to know long before it opened that the best of the legendary building was being kept and melded with a unique take on restaurant decor that fit in with the arty, friendly Laguna lifestyle.
All the pre-opening chatter that went on for several months didn't do justice to what emerged: a beautiful, ocean view space that is totally indoor/outdoor compatible and quite different from anything else in Orange County.
Even more anticipation built up knowing that the owner and chef, Azmin Ghahreman, was the former acclaimed executive chef of our St. Regis Resort Monarch Beach, and that Si Teller and Tom Manok of Teller-Manok Architects were handling the restructure and interior design. The latter has been involved in the dramatic design of some of the most expensive coastal homes, resort properties and big name restaurants from coast to coast.
Intimacy, comfort, warmth and whimsy blend with custom made local art as a showcase for the iiber interesting food that follows from the open kitchen. For the first time, I've seen what can be done with wine barrel staves besides making a vessel for wine. They are interwoven on one inside wall as the façade for the restaurant's wine...