The Top 2 Tasting Menus in Laguna Beach
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In a Laguna Beach shopping center, Chef Jordan Nakasone runs a quiet counter where tradition and invention coexist with ease. Nigiri spotlights pristine fish—yagara, nodoguro—while kitchen dishes like chawanmushi with black cod and miso butter show restraint and ambition. Service disappears into the background, leaving only the meal.
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Rank 2. Oliver's Osteria
Italian
A sun-lit room near the Pacific Coast Highway where Chef Erik De Marchi draws on Italian tradition without pretense: zucchini blossoms stuffed with ricotta and anchovies, bucatini all'amatriciana that tastes both familiar and alive, house-made desserts that close the meal on an honest note. The banquettes and bar invite lingering.