EAT & DRINK SPECIAL SECTION : EXPANSION | SPICY FOOD | COCKTAILS
Chef-owner Marc Cohen ( right ) and Chef de Cuisine Kiel Andersen at Watermarc , as shown in this 2014 file photo , before it closed during the pandemic .
that hooked Cohen ?
“ Well , for me , it was the locals and the people that lived and worked in Laguna ,” he says . “ I really liked the atmosphere and I liked the opportunity that I thought it provided to bring what , at that time , was a new kind of food to the area and that I really believed in . … The customer base had been well-traveled and understood different types of cuisine and gave me the opportunity to do and create similar to the East Coast , similar to Washington , D . C ., where I had dealt with a lot of diplomats and people from all over the world .”
And , so , he opened 230 Forest Avenue in 1995 , followed by Opah Seafood Grill in Aliso Viejo , Irvine and Rancho Santa Margarita ; the latter two eventually closed when the rent increased . It was 2008 when he launched a second Laguna restaurant ,
Watermarc , which was “ an opportunity for me to play a little bit more and be a little more risky and really have fun with the food ,” Cohen says . Although it was successful , the small space couldn ’ t survive during the pandemic and ultimately closed .
But Cohen stays busy keeping customers happy at two restaurants . “ I want them to enjoy more of a bistro environment with upscale , quality food and plating [ that ] … you might expect in a [ white ] tablecloth restaurant or a very fine dining restaurant ,” he says , “… but the atmosphere is much more relaxed because that ’ s how we live in Southern California .”
Although dishes like crab rangoon spring rolls and day boat scallops with sweet corn risotto and heirloom tomato salad prove popular , it ’ s the hazelnut-crusted Alaskan halibut , added to the lineup 29 years ago , that remains the star at both places even though it ’ s no longer officially on the menu ; it ’ s now offered as a special when halibut ’ s in season — eight months of the year . “ The customers have not allowed me to remove it , no matter how many times I say , ‘ Let ’ s try something different .’ They always want it back ,” Cohen says .
Locals are also the key to success at Broadway by Amar Santana . “ Laguna is a small community with 23,000 residents , but they are everything to us ,” says chef Amar Santana , who opened the eatery with business partner Ahmed Labbate in 2012 . “ Broadway ’ s business was built by the locals . It ’ s their restaurant . We have regulars who come in several times a week .”
Originally from the Dominican Republic , Santana moved to Queens , New York , when he was a teenager . Accidental enrollment in a cooking class , in which he excelled , put him on a path to intern at famed French restaurant Chanterelle , participate in a trip to Le Cordon Bleu in London and attend the Culinary Institute of America on a full scholarship . He became the youngest sous chef at the demanding Aureole in New York and served on the opening teams of Charlie Palmer restaurants in Reno , Nevada , and Dallas before becoming executive chef of
CENTER AND TOP ROW : SARAH KING PHOTOGRAPHY : FAR RIGHT : COBA IMAGES
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