Plan a California beach vacation, visit a luxury beachfront resort, explore world-class shopping, or dine at the best restaurants in Orange County, CA – Tips and news to help you be an OCeanfront, CA expert.
Wondering what’s new in the food scene at The OCeanfront? How about a pair of hot new chefs at Laguna Beach’s right-on-the-sand Surf & Sand Resort! We sat down with Joanna Bear, Assistant General Manager at Surf & Sand Resort, to learn a little about the new faces behind Splashes Restaurant. Joanna has been with Surf & Sand Resort for seven years and has watched it evolve into one of Orange County’s most spectacular coastal destinations for overnight getaways, spa indulgence and, of course, exceptional dining. Here’s her rundown of why 15FiftyFive and Splashes’ latest additions should have you dialing for reservations…
Q: Who are the exciting new faces at 15FiftyFive and Splashes restaurant?
A: We are proud to welcome our new Executive Chef, Jeff Armstrong, as well as our new Pastry Chef, Ryan Velilla.
Chef Armstrong is an accomplished, classically trained chef with more than 10 years of cooking experience. He was most recently part of the opening team at J&G Steakhouse, working under Jean Georges Vongerichten. Prior to that, he had been executive chef for several restaurants and hotels, so he really knows how to be a leader in the kitchen, as well as a creative force. His cuisine has been featured in Vanity Fair, LA Times, New York Times, Esquire and Bon Appetit, so he is definitely one of Orange County’s “ones to watch.” In fact, Angeleno magazine named him one of their “8 Hot Chefs!”
Chef Ryan Velilla comes to us with top experience from the Patina Group here in Orange County, where he was in charge of the pastry departments for two of the company’s fine dining restaurants.
Q: What stylistic changes will they be bringing to Splashes?
A: Chef Armstrong will be completely revamping all of the menus. His focus is on fresh ingredients with a bold, clean flavor, and the theme of his menus will be seaside cuisine. He really wants to project sort of an updated version of classic favorites, so that people experience the comfort of the familiar mixed with the thrill of something new.
Pastry Chef Velilla has a similar approach. He tells us he likes to take classics and make them his own, revamping desserts we know and love, like s’mores and strawberry shortcake.
Q: Are you offering any special experiences or incentives to come in and try these new menus?
A: Yes, we are running some very exciting summer specials like "Tapas & Libations," "Raw Bar... and a Bottle," and "Melt Tuesdays."
Tapas & Libations are themed nights, taking Chef Armstrong’s food and pairing it with complimentary wines or cocktails. For example, we will pair tequila with such wonderful delicacies as ceviche with mango and coconut water, chili chicken with cucumber salad, quail mole with a cotija, and tequila cured salmon with crispy tortillas. Other themes are champagne, beer, and rose.
Raw Bar… and a Bottle showcases market fresh, prestine seafood and in its natural state. Then we pair it with specialty vodkas and champagnes, which are half-priced on Thursdays!
Melt Tuesdays is our version of quick, fun dining highlighting local, artisanal cheeses. We only offer this on Tuesdays from 5-6:30PM and 9-10PM, so the idea is to grab something quick and delicious—like a manchego cheese melt with romesco and almond salad--in a beautiful setting.
To make reservations, click on surfandsandresort.com or for more information, please call 949.376.2779
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