EAT & DRINK SPECIAL SECTION : EXPANSION | SPICY FOOD | COCKTAILS
Above : Asada ’ s original iteration , which opened in 2011 on South Coast Highway and closed in 2013 ; right : the new , 5,000-square-foot Asada Cantina & Kitchen , a full-service restaurant and tequila bar that opened during the pandemic in San Clemente
the obstacles going in . “ Laguna ’ s seasonal . There ’ s times when there ’ s feast and there ’ s times when there ’ s famine ,” he adds .
Although it ’ s only 14 tables , Reunion has found its niche in Laguna . “ I could go in there tomorrow and know by first name probably 80 % of the guests who are sitting in the restaurant ,” McIntosh says . “ That ’ s the main reason why I like Laguna . It ’ s the people that really support it . … And a lot of people that live right up the hill , they come down , they show up a few times a week and take care of us . So we feel obligated to take care of them .
“ … The MacGillivrays , they have been big supporters of me and Rose since the old Asada . They show up with their bike club every week , rain or shine , just people like that . It ’ s refreshing . We really love Laguna for its people more than anything else .”
Support is also there for McIntosh ’ s new iteration of Asada — called Asada Tacos & Beer — just a few doors down from Reunion . Think crispy tacos with poblano cream , bacon-wrapped jalapenos , salsa quemada that ’ s served warm and chile rellenos that are “ off the hook ,” McIntosh says .
And his original vision for Asada has come to fruition in Asada Cantina & Kitchen , which opened during the pandemic at the Outlets at San Clemente . The 5,000-square-foot , full-service restaurant features an elevated Asada menu , a tequila bar and fresh tortillas made in-house .
INSPIRED INNOVATION Sid Fanarof , founder of zpizza , achieved success by pushing the envelope . But it was an uphill climb at first .
Fanarof had gone through a divorce in the early 1980s and was trying to figure out what to do next with his career . He owned Spigot Liquor and was thinking about opening a small Mexican restaurant — even though he had grown up helping with his father ’ s catering company and swore he would never work in the food industry again .
“ But then I saw the expansion of Mexican food and I thought Laguna would be a great place to do it , and do it consciously ,” Fanarof says of his focus on healthy ingredients .
After he signed a lease for a space in Aliso Creek Shopping Center , a wine saleswoman came by and offered to partner on the venture , but wanted it to be a French restaurant . They finally settled on a pizza joint , as the storefront was previously home to a take-and-bake pizza place and some of the equipment was still there .
The first few months were frustrating . Neither Fanarof nor his partner had ever made pizza . Fanarof says he didn ’ t even eat pizza . He experimented with dough recipes , but ended up throwing it against the wall when it got stuck in the sheeter machine . Once they finally got rolling , he needed customers , so he would stand outside of the nearby grocery store and offer samples .
“ That was my marketing ,” he recalls .
The business finally took off and Fanarof continued to innovate with healthy ingredients . He created a Mexican pizza with fresh salsa and fresh chicken , he sourced pepperoni made out of beef shoulder without nitrates and he used real cheese from grass-fed cows in Wisconsin . He began experimenting with vegetarian options and gluten-free crust , then pushed the envelope further with cauliflower crust . He often traveled to food industry conventions to learn about the latest trends .
“ So I would take foods that were happening and figure out how to put them on pizza ,” Fanarof says . “ But everything I did was always health-conscious .”
And it worked in Laguna because it ’ s a unique town , he says . “ If you give people the right food , they ’ ll come [ and ] they ’ ll buy it ,” he adds .
At one point , Fanarof recalls , a wellknown food critic came and wrote that zpizza had “ the best crust on the planet ,” which caught the attention of those at the Irvine Co . looking for eateries to fill their shopping centers . So he opened a zpizza across from UC Irvine , selling by
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