Meet Ryan Adams - OC Executive of the Month

A restaurant should not just be a place to eat; it should be a vibrant part of the community. Such is the philosophy of Ryan Adams, the Owner and Executive Chef of Laguna Beach’s popular eatery Three-Seventy Common Food + Drink. His adherence to this belief is clearly evident in every aspect of his business, from obsessing over every little detail that translate into big differences when added together to creating and fine-tuning a menu that reflects the feel and mood of what the neighborhood wants. Armed with a willingness to lead by example and an unabashed love for the unique spirit of Laguna Beach, Ryan has accomplished two goals as the proprietor of a chef-driven restaurant. Firstly, he has used his culinary acumen to be a warm, supportive member of the community at large. Additionally, he has seen his food act as a conduit for customer connection, both with his venue and with other patrons... read more

Savoy Faire

Hotel Hanford’s Restaurant Elevates a Much-Maligned Culinary Genre

It would seem that no other dining concept has faced more of an uphill battle than the hotel restaurant. Even as other public perceptions related to eating out have changed, the belief that a dining venue tucked within the confines of a non-resort hotel is where all culinary creativity goes to die; that anything beyond the realm of a piece of steak and a potato-based side was strictly forbidden on account that it may freak guests out. Because of this, the hotel restaurant has been saddled with the reputation of being a last resort for travelers and an afterthought for locals.... read more

I’m on a Boat!
Ports to Plant your Yacht

They say that the two happiest days of owning a yacht are the day the owner buys it, and the day the owner sells it.  We don’t know who “they” are – or if that is in fact their real name – but what we suspect that their dispensed wisdom is largely forged by the fact that they have never actually owned a seafaring vessel.  In fact, they may not have ever even watched an episode of “The Love Boat,” which is a shame, because...well, Isaac was magic.  Anyway, yacht owners know that this old saying goes a little overboard with reality (har!).  Sure, the process of maintenance can be a rough undertaking that could drive you batty to the point where you curse like a sailor, but that’s just a minor price to pay in exchange for the beauty and romance of piloting a yacht through a busy harbor en route to the open seas and, eventually, other ports of call.  Plus, you get to totally get away with wearing a captain’s hat, which is always a sweet bonus...... Read More >>

Developing a “Crush”
Crushpad Turns the Art of Winemaking Over to the Public

Wine is fun. This seems to be a rapidly trending notion, much to the chagrin of the longtime wine snob that tends to look at a bottle or glass primarily as a means of sophistication rather than a liquid expression of joy. That isn’t to say that wine has lost its elegance, of course – as long as it’s not served in a box that will never be the case. It’s just that nowadays more and more people are becoming passionate about wine because of the happiness it brings rather than the status symbol that it can create. As a result, drinking wine has become more delightfully more approachable. Despite what the wine elitists may tell you, this is a good thing.... Read More >>

Over the years, the classic cartoon “The Jetsons” has looked less and less a whimsical cartoon and more like an eerily accurate predictor of the future. Fifty years after its debut, we enjoy quite a few amenities that were commonplace in the abode of George, Jane, Judy, and Elroy: Picture phones, videoconferencing, microwaves, and even non-human assistants have infiltrated our daily lives, although it’s debatable whether or not Siri is cooler than Rosie the Robot. Still, with all of these tremendous advances that we often take for granted nowadays, they have not done much to squelch the ultimate question that a lot of us have spent our lives asking: “Where’s my flying car?”..... Read More >>

Stepping Away from the Vegas Strip

Most of us have a pre-conceived notion about going to Las Vegas.  That is, we blow a bunch of cash at the tables, eat until our belt and possibly our aorta threatens to burst, see a show or two, and hang by the pool, possibly the one where the word “European” is magically transformed into a euphemism for “topless.”  While these activities are all good (even the latter one as long as you don’t tell your significant other – what happens in Vegas, etc.), they can get a little clichéd after a while; consequently, they start to feel a little tired and worn....read more

The Mightiness of the Luxury Pen

Consider, for a brief moment, the pen.  At first pass, you may think of it as no more than a writing instrument; a plastic doodad whose hard yet somewhat flexible helmet dutifully stares back at you through a holder shaped like an everyday object or, if unused, in a cardboard box, standing virtual shoulder to shoulder with exact replicas of its own persona.  Most of the time, your mental image would be spot on.  In terms of basic functionality, a boring plastic pen is a solid weapon in the battle of scribbling words or numbers.  However, as any person with any sense of sophistication or power could readily attest to, true elegance is seldom ever basic.... Read More 

Looking Good! 

2012’s Hot Springtime Fashion Trends

From a fashion perspective, there is no season more visually exciting than spring. After a full winter of bundling up, the warmer temperature and sunnier days that springtime brings beckons people to shed the dull cocoon of heavy coats and sweaters to reveal brand new looks that are fresh, fun, and even a bit titillating. Much like the snowflakes that the tired wintry gear helps to repel, no two springtime fashion trends are like... read more

It’s Time to Herald Healdsburg
More often than not, the wines that are produced by Northern California’s original Wine Country get broken down into two specific methods of categorization by Orange County residents.  Novice and casual imbibers tend to classify a wine by what county it came from; either Napa or Sonoma.  Hardcore oenophiles, on the other hand, may be likely to compartmentalize the wine based on a specifically designated American Viticultural Area (AVA), such as Russian River, Dry Creek, or Alexander Valley.  There is nothing inherently wrong about either grouping process; seeing as how Napa and Sonoma County, as well as their AVA’s, are a sort of global shorthand for exceptional wines, it goes without saying that such labels work rather well.  However, there is one slight drawback to doing so; namely, such methods of labeling comes at the expense of the small cities that dot each county and their subsequent appellations; the very communities that truly represent the lifeblood of this prestigious wine-producing region....read more