"Studio" at The Montage Resort

Although it has been since January 27th that I last dined at “Studio” at the luxurious Montage Resort in Laguna Beach, it seems as if it was just yesterday that I was able to experience the wonderful flavors I savored that special evening. I must tell you, the fact that I shared the evening’s culinary treats with my daughter Monica, herself a classically French trained chef, made it an even more spectacular food adventure…we both felt like kids in a candy store waiting for the next awesome bite of yummy goodness!

Welcome to lovely Laguna Beach Chef Craig Strong! Formerly of the Ritz Carlton in Pasadena, Chef Strong has been serving gastronomic delights at Studio since May of 2009. Laguna Beach is also fortunate to have Chef Craig and his lovely wife reside in town. Guys, that way we have him in very close proximity to the restaurant to oversee quality control and maintain consistency in his kitchen! You may even “run” into him sometime since he takes advantage of this town’s numerous beautiful hiking and biking trails (note to self…that’s probably why he appears so lean and fit under his chef’s coat!).

Our evening included a six course tasting menu which Monica and I thoughtfully customized. Where most restaurants are sticklers to their printed menu and what is to be served that evening, Studio is very accommodating when it comes to satisfying their dining guests allowing you to mix and match their menu. There is NO SPLIT CHARGE and complimentary Sole Sparkling and Figi bottled waters (oh..."SNAP" all other restaurants that charge for quality bottled water)! In addition, the freshly baked crusty bread rolls are delicious and served with organic, lightly-salted butter. Heck, I could eat crusty bread rolls all day long (with a lovely dry Chardonnay, of course).

Although the amuse bouche of grilled asparagus, Serrano ham and red pepper couli was wonderful, I won’t describe it in detail. Our first course was “Chilled Kusshi Oysters” from British Columbia which were lusciously plump, moist and I could taste the fresh ocean in each bite. Chef Craig floats the oysters in a tomato consommé and serves them with a quenelle of Bloody Mary Sorbet. Utterly delightful!

The “Roasted Beet Salad” was served two ways and it was unlike any other beet salad I have ever tasted. First and foremost, the visual presentation was almost too pretty to eat with ultra thin slices of fresh red beet wholesome, goodness which were then shaped into gentle flower raviolis and filled with cauliflower cream then topped with gracious amounts of caviar which was spooned onto a bed of horseradish dressing. Oh Lord, please have mercy on my gluttonous soul! The thicker yellow beet slices each had a trout fillet which were perfectly seasoned with salt and blended well with the sweet fresh root slices.

I could go on and on about how fabulous the remainder of my meal was but decided the four other “tastings” were all pretty spectacular in and of themselves. That being said, the dishes were: “Pan Seared Monterey Calamari”, “Dungeness Crab Leg Risotto”, “Sautéed Hudson Valley Farms Duck Breast”, and a “Toasted Meringue (which had the appearance of a fat, luscious, toasted, marshmallow) with Passion Fruit Crème, Banana Fritter and Passion Fruit Banana Sorbet”.

In all fairness to all you serious foodies in blog land you deserve to know every detail about the mouth watering Crab Leg Risotto I experienced! For those that love and appreciate risotto, Chef Craig makes a killer version. First of all, this particular dish is very difficult to perfect…there is a lot of stirring involved and attention to detail in making it and the grain (Arborio rice) needs to be served al dente. Chef, job well done! Your risotto was perfectly creamy and ‘al dente’ at the same time with mega chunks of sweet Dungeness crab legs, essence of preserved lemon, vanilla bean and mascarpone cream. In addition to the fabulous flavors, this dish is served with teeny tiny eatable baby orchids (from the vanilla bean family). If you click on the accompanying photo you will see the beautiful teeny orchid flowers. Heck, go to Studio for this dish alone…worth the trip!

I have only one complaint…my preference would have been to have a tad bit more “acid” flavor in my naturally spicy arugula salad which accompanied my stuffed calamari dish since the garlic aioli was a little too creamy for my palate (I prefer a more tangy aioli...a personal preference). A dash of lemon juice would perfect an otherwise wonderfully emulsified salad dressing andother than that, I am back to Studio as soon as I drop a couple of fatties. This whole blog thing is conflicting with my fitness goals. Oh well, a gal has to prioritize…right?!?!

In a nut shell, the service was great (alas, I do expect great service at a high end resort such as The Montage), the food very well prepared, visually intriguing and wonderfully delicious.

Cheers!


Closed: Monday and Tuesday.
Hours: 6:00-10:00 p.m.
Reservations Required and Upscale, Elegant Attire.

Bludso's BBQ - The Real Thing!

Question: How often do you travel beyond the comfort and familiarity of the “Orange Curtain” to experience different types of dietary delights? If your answer is, “rarely” or “not very often”, maybe now is the time to expand your culinary horizons and venture out of the O.C. for some splendid BBQ! For all of you serious carnivores out in foodie blog land “Bludso’s BBQ” in Compton offers the best Texas style BBQ and BBQ sauce I have ever tasted (sorry Saul and Jami!) and all their accoutrements are just as fabulous.

Kevin Bludso, owner and operator of the BBQ joint, has been in business for a mere nineteen months and has incorporated fabulous recipes from his 90 year old grandmother who currently resides in Corsicana, Texas. Family is obviously very important to Kevin since he also employees them with sweet cousin Kiescha as the pleasant hostess and order taker and wonderfully, cool cousin Ronnell as manager, window washer, bus boy, grill master, etc. You name it, Ronnell does it.

We arrived at the BBQ joint and were lucky to find a parking spot on Long Beach Boulevard right in front of the restaurant. Although there is a small parking lot next door it only accommodates a handful of vehicles since half the other parking spaces are required to house the huge Texas style BBQ smokers that Kevin uses for grilling. Also, I should not call Bludso’s a “restaurant” since upon entering the rib joint you will find two small barred windows where you place your order and about 6 bar stools and a narrow counter to enjoy your feast. Sitting on an uncomfortable stool at the countertop waiting to eat my meal was the least of my concerns since the wonderful aromas wafting from the kitchen into my nostrils informed my brain that I was soon to experience some fine ass BBQ.

After much contemplation I decided on Order No. 33, “Meat Lunch Combo with Two Sides”, which included BBQ pork ribs, chicken and corn bread. For my two sides I choose collard greens and macaroni and cheese. I also decided on the sweet potato pie (screw the added fat and calories because I was going to have some of that dang pie and believe me it was worth every added centimeter on my waistline!). Come on folks, BBQ without southern sweet potato pie is like a summer day without sunshine…tolerable but not so nice afterall! The hubby also had pork ribs and chicken but his side choices were baked beans and potato salad. Kevin was also kind enough to send us an order of flavorfully, moist beef brisket for our sampling pleasure and trust me beef brisket fans out in foodie land, you will not be disappointed with his beef brisket.

Do the terms “orgasmic” and “meal” work well together in a sentence? If not, too bad since that is how I will describe my meal...it was ‘orgasmic’. Despite the fact that Kevin’s recipes are a family secret he was kind enough to share with me a couple of insightful facts that make his BBQ superior to all others I have tasted. The baked beans have small pieces of diced brisket in them and brown sugar creating a sweet, lovely infusion. Guys, the baked bean are absolutely delicious! As for the collard greens, Bludso’s adds diced pieces of moist, tender ham hocks, garlic and onions which gives these greens a nice broth-like consistency, unlike other collard greens I have tasted which are usually dry and bitter leaving a nasty after taste in my mouth.

As for the meats themselves they were all perfectly seasoned with cracked black pepper and other hidden spices and grilled fork tender. Bludso’s offers a choice of mild or hot BBQ sauce…I prefer the hot sauce and actually ate my sauce by the spoonful (I know, how utterly tacky of me. Manners aside…more sauce please)!

If I were in the business of rating dining establishments on a scale of one to ten, I would rate Bludso’s a “ten” for food and a “three” for ambiance and that is only due to the seating arrangements since you dine at a slender, cold, metal counter on uncomfortable bar stools. Hey, do not let that dissuade you from cruising out to Compton for some heavenly BBQ since Kevin’s future plans are to purchase the building next door and create a full service restaurant with comfortable seating for your dining and gluttonous pleasures.

In addition to ribs and chicken, Bludso’s offers pulled pork sandwiches, sausage links, fried and smoked turkeys and many more taste treats. For that sweet tooth fix desserts include peach cobbler, sweet potato pie, red velvet cake and banana pudding. Currently, there are no alcoholic beverages available due to a lack of a liquor license but maybe in the future when the new addition to the restaurant is complete.

Thank you Granny Bludso for your diligence, commitment and expertise in perfecting Texas style BBQ, BBQ sauce and all the yummy side dishes that accompany this great meal and for allowing your grandson to bring those delectable recipes to Compton, California for our dining gluttony. Venturing out of the O.C. for fabulous BBQ may not be such a bad idea after all!

Cheers!


Open 6 Days a Week - Closed Mondays