New Coastal Dining Gem: Driftwood Kitchen

We dined as a guest of Driftwood

The highly-anticipated opening of the beautiful beachfront restaurant, Driftwood Kitchen, is finally here. The restaurant sits on the cliffs above the crystalline waters at Sleepy Hollow Beach in Laguna Beach offering guests stunning ocean views while breathing in the crisp ocean breezes.

Once The Beach House, where my husband and I had our first date, Driftwood Kitchen has kept a lot of the charm from the old historic restaurant while adding a fresh, modern look to the dining room. It is the perfect dining destination for couples who are seeking a little romance to indulge in the lavish cuisine while connecting together at one of the intimate tables on the outdoor patio.

When I first arrived at Driftwood Kitchen, I could not help but gaze out at the shimmering turquoise waters. Guests will come for the ambiance and the view, but the cuisine and craft cocktails are what will have guests eager to return.

We had a small sampling of the restaurants new menu, and I was immediately impressed with the refreshing combination of flavors. Summer Squash Blossoms is one of my favorite summer dishes, and I was thrilled to see this dish on their menu. The delicate squash blossoms were stuffed with ricotta cheese and served with a chunky heirloom tomato sauce with mint. The delicate dish tantalized my senses making it the highlighted dish of the evening.

High Tide Craft Cocktail

The squash blossoms and tuna loin were perfectly paired with the high-tide craft cocktail. The Hawaiian themed cocktail was one of our favorites of the evening with dikel 8 rye, fresh pineapple, ginger, lemon sour and mint.

All of our culinary desires were satisfied when getting a sampling of their long line Hawaiian tuna loin. It comes with farro salad, watermelon and avocado-cilantro lime dressing. Ours was served on small cucumber slices, and I found myself unable to resist having just one.

Guest can see the ocean clearly while sipping on the “I can see clearly now” craft cocktail. This refreshing cocktail is made with gin, carrot juice, ginger puree and lemon sour.

While dining where the earth meets the sea, I could not resist trying the Northern Atlantic Halibut Filet. The perfectly cooked filet came paired with potato and corn fricassee with an english pea sauce.

While enjoying a piece of halibut at Driftwood, sip on a glass of the “black and blue” craft cocktail. This cocktail packs a little kick with blackberries, blueberries, Cointreau noir and sparkling wine.

While I have an oyster allergy, I was unable to indulge myself with the Oysters Baked with Potato Coulis with crispy squid ink and uni. All of the other guests raved about this delicious dish, so if you can have oysters, it comes highly recommended.

Then I found myself singing chim chimi-churri with every bite of the butcher steak and pork belly. It came with a rich chimichurri sauce, roasted mushrooms and crispy red onions.

Just when I thought the dishes could not get any better, our tastebuds were tantalized with their wild mushroom ragu with sweetbreads, caramelized cipollini onions and veal jus.

The night was made complete with sticky toffee cake, carrot cake and toffee dessert. The desserts are paired to perfection with a warm cup of Kean Coffee to enjoy as the sun begins to set behind the ocean horizon.

Driftwood Kitchen is currently open, and reservations are highly recommended (especially for the limited tables along the oceanfront) by calling 949-715-7700. Driftwood Kitchen is located right next to the Pacific Edge Hotel at 619 Sleepy Hollow Lane in Laguna Beach.