I was invited to sample the incredible seasonal food at The Loft at Montage, Laguna Beach and was seated on the terrace with a breathtaking view of the Pacific Ocean. Life doesn’t get much better! As their guest, I was able to order half-portions and tiny tastings of many dishes.
We began with a taste of their sweet tomato bisque made from heirloom tomatoes from Tutti Fruitti farm in Santa Ynez Valley and accompanied by gougère that oozed queso fresco. Interestingly, the puffs of choux pastry are gluten free as they’re made with manioc, a root flour.
Being a fry lover, I had to sample the trio of fries served with a trio of sauces. Seasoned waffle cut, shoestring and thick steak fries come are served truffle aioli, a chipotle cherry barbecue (too sweet and not spicy enough for me) and — of course — ketchup dipping sauces ($15). A fun casual to start a meal, in other words: fry heaven.
Next came the amazing truffle pizza ($21). A thin-crusted base spread with a roasted garlic puree, topped with caramelized roasted fennel, fontina cheese and fennel pollen…all drizzled with white truffle oil. Heavenly.
We shared half portion of the endive salad with roasted baby beets and rosemary crème fraîche, topped with crispy shallots ($21) – a nice contrast in both flavors and textures; and the warm spinach salad ($21) with roasted pe
ars, pecans, blue cheese and a maple bacon dressing.
Their delicate white shrimp burger (think crab cake made with shrimp) is held together with panko bread crumbs and is topped with crispy pancetta adding saltiness and oven-dried tomatoes adding a bit of sweetness — all on a soft brioche roll spread with citrus aioli. The sandwich is generally served with the rich and creamy potato leek soup ($30).
One dish that’s always on the menu is their halibut flatbread sandwich! That’s sauteed local halibut on housemade parmesan flatbread ($28) spread with a spicy cream and topped with a slightly piquant cabbage salad and Hass avocado slices ($28). Perfection.
A bit heartier is Mary’s Farm Rotisserie Chicken ($28) – roasted in house, so it captures a smoky flavor and served with wilted braised Swiss chard, wild mushrooms and potato gnocchi and stone ground mustard.
We had no room for dessert – but they insisted we sample the lemon tart. We were so glad we did! It’s a sweet almond pastry, filled with lemon cream and garnished with a lemon macaroon and pink grapefruit and lemon sorbet ($13). A wonderful ending to an amazing meal.
I recommend The Loft highly.
– bonnie
Follow @BonnieBOTB
The Loft
Montage Laguna Beach
30801 S Coast Hwy Fl 4
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
(949) 715-6080
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