I have tickets to the Pageant of the Masters next Friday and could use some advice on dining in the immediate area or south to Dana Point.

Good food and romantic would be the first priority and yes wine or corkage are secondary.

TIA

claes is romantic, and the food isn't bad.

The Ritz Carlton in Laguna Niguel is great but expensive. I would recommend the Savannah Chop house in Dana Point, 949-493-7107. Call for reservations and ask to sit on the patio. Great views and good food, romantic and $12.00 corkage and it won't break your wallet. Excellent wine list

In Downtown Laguna is the Hotel Laguna and the most romantic place of all is Las Brisas. It is sea foods of Mexico. The food is average but the view is one in a million.

Thanks for the input. I have decided to try the Sorrento Grille. It's within walking distance of the event and has $15 corkage. I'll report back after the event.

Again thanks for the responses. I'll file them in my cluttered memory bank (brain) for the future.

Carol and I are heading out to SoCal for a quick, if not belated, Valentine's Day trip.

We get into LAX at 11:00 am this Saturday. I've managed to get a room at the St. Regis Monarch Beach in Dana Point for one night before heading down to San Diego.

Looks like lots of available dining options at the St. Regis ... can anybody recommend any of them, or are other nearby options superior? We're looking for decent food and a killer view of the sunset.

Looking at other hits for "Dana Point", I see Stealthman mentionedCannon's, which sounds just about right. Can anybody vouch for this place, or suggest something else in a similar vein that might be better?

Thanks!

TBird mentioned Clae's above. I ate there in October and had a very nice meal. Great view and reasonable corkage.

We were in Laguna Beach in January. Las Brisas is romantic, not too stuffy, and it has THE view.

Thanks for the responses.

Depending on the weather and our mood, we might stay in and enjoy the resort, but Las Brisas looks particularly interesting (due to the Mexican focus, and we were looking forward to some great Mexican food during our trip).

stemor,
It's not just any Mexican food. Large part of the menu is Mexican styled seafood...if you can call it that. If you like soup, they have the best black bean soup I have ever tasted.

DOH! I just found a place that has an extensive wine list, including Shafer HSS ... $200 for the '99, and $239 for the 2001. I think this quaint little place in Point Loma might work while in San Diego.

As for Saturday night in Dana Point, we'll have to see what the weather looks like, what our mood is like, and what we're hungry for. Then we'll take it from there.

Stemor.....Would that quaint little place be Thee Bungalow? Wonderful place with a very nicely priced wine list if I recall. The restaurant can get a tad warm though. Enjoy!

That's the place, Nitro.

By the looks of the chilly weather forecast, that might be the only warmth that we get outside of our room!

Well, we never did make it.

First we had reservations at The Herbfarm and Willows Lodge up near Seattle for last weekend, but Carol had a work conflict that she couldn't ditch ... so we scrapped that and made a new plan.

The new plan was to fly to LAX, stop a night in Dana Point, then on to San Diego for two night. Fun stuff planned all the way. Ah, but one problem ... our flight out of Memphis never went anywhere due to an ice storm the morning of our scheduled departure.

So instead we wound up in driving to Tunica, Missippi. We got the last available hotel room in town (paying $200 for a room with a plastic tub and a phone line for our internet connection). We celebrated finding a room by popping a 2001 Kistler Vine Hill -- which was corked. We dined at a casino buffet line. Then it got better ... we saw REO Speedwagon from front row center, had a great time, then spent the night at the craps table where Carol won enough to pay for the dinner, the show, and the hotel room.

So we survived the weekend with our sense of adventure intact. We're starting to plan another trip to LA/SD next month, this time with our vacationing kids in tow.

Quote:

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Missippi

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I know that's how they pronounce it in Mississippi but I didn't know that was true in Tennsee also.

yep, they're only a few miles from here so they let us pronounce it like we're locals.

While I typically end up dining on-property during my SoCal hotel stays, I noticed your earlier posts indicating that the St. Regis was your planned hotel. Great place - we took it over for a company event last June, and our Co. has done quite a few events there in the past. Another spot nearby worth considering in the same bracket (located across PCH basically), and frankly with a better view, is Montage. Give it some consideration unless pricing has gotten real out of whack in comparison.

Thanks, David, I appreciate your help.

Since this vacation got scrubbed by a Memphis ice storm, we've planned another trip, this time with the kids, for March. We'll be at the St. Regis for two nights, and will be doing the Beach Club (or whatever they call their beachfront grill) one night. The other night is still up for grabs.

The Montage is the real deal. I've only been to the outside bar twice. The first time I saw Pam Anderson in a hot pink bikini at the pool, oh my!! The second time I saw Paul McCartney there. It's expensive but the sights are really good.

Looking for some recommendations for a whale watching trip out of Dana Point. Are they all interchangable, or do you have a particular favorite captain/company? Thanks.