I’ve noticed something over the past few months here at Best of Laguna Beach™ …
They’re the quick conversations with chefs. Development rumors that turn out to be true. Celebrity sightings. The owner who names a new restaurant something none of us can pronounce … All those little discoveries that don’t quite justify an entire article but are too much fun not to share.
Where should we celebrate our anniversary? Is that new place really worth the hype?What’s your favorite hidden gem restaurant? Where are the public restrooms in this town? Who has the best place for my bridal shower? Is it true they’re going to develop that HERE? Where do the locals actually go? Who’s got the best Sawdust menu item? Is there a QUIET restaurant anywhere in a 10-mile radius? Where’s the best live music this weekend? … And the invariable “I’m trying to track down this ONE thing I had when I came to town three years ago.”
I realized I’ve become something like a culinary and happenings Dear Abby. I adored Abby and her sister Ann Landers – they got me through school moves, proper manners at pizza parties and my first moral dilemmas. And I loved that real readers could write in with real questions.
It’s the week’s delicious discoveries – “Buzz Bites.” They’re a quick roundup of everything worthy as I run to all these places in events in Laguna Beach and our shoulder communities (Newport, CdM, Dana Point, San Clemente … especially Dana Point as so many Laguna residents travel south to enjoy great activities like whale watching and sunset wine cruises with 55-year Dana Wharf Sportfishing & Whale Watching.)
Talking restaurant openings. Chef news. Celebrity sightings. Industry whispers. A singularly great cocktail. New menus. You name it. That’s “Buzz Bites.”
Inspired by those classic newspaper columns – with an O.C. Coastal twist.
Each week I’ll answer a couple questions about restaurants, hidden gems, local happenings, coastal developments, upcoming events or whatever else you’re curious about. You can start asking right now:
Sometimes that means a few more recommendations along the same theme …
… or exclusive invitations or first-serve offers to my VIPs only …
… or a restaurant’s unsung bartender …
… or a behind-the-scenes story of a new economic re-development plan in the works …
… or even a Secret Menu item that you’ve got to order by name (in a whisper).
You know … just those insider tips that I’m either told about first or get to experience before the mobs arrive.
Annual membership here is still just $89 a year – less than $8 a month, or about half the price of one craft cocktail in our tony coastal towns. (And if you’re going to invest in cocktails, my dear VIPs, I’ll happily help you discover where to find more of those hidden gems up and down the coast.)
As a VIP member, you …
👀 Get the Inside Scoop on what I notice, discover and get to hear first from restaurant owners and chefs
🥂 Get invited to Exclusive Best of Laguna Beach/O.C. Coast Early Access soft openings, chef tastings, special events and other invitations before they're announced publicly.
🏨 Stay ahead of Major Civic Decisions, hotel updates, planning developments, restaurant openings, and hospitality news that shape our coastal future.
🗝️ Receive even more detailed Ask Diane answers – the “rest of the story.”
Give it a try with a super low-priced monthly subscription and see if it’s a fit.
Whether you’re already a subscriber or just discovering Best of Laguna, just enter your email here to explore your options as a VIP Member or free subscriber:
See you tomorrow … and bring your curiosity.
P.S. Thank you for continuing to support this 24-year, one-person labor of love at Best of Laguna Beach™. As you know, I don't accept advertising or interrupt your reading experience with obtrusive ads. I curate what I think will be most interesting to you and, yes, I write every line by hand - no AI … and no reprinted press releases, either. (I’m still a daily newspaper journalist, through and through.)
Your readership and support are solely what keep this little engine rolling – gratefully rolling, actually – with nearly 20,000 email subscribers around the world and more than 100k social followers.
Thank you for being on this journey with me.
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