Dinner at Raya, Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel
Posted on Sep 15, 2010 under Archives | No Comment
Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel
The Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel, a grand white castle perched on an ocean bluff, houses 393 pastel-colored rooms and suites with French doors leading to charming private terraces overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The resort features lush gardens, intimate walkways, golf courses, tennis courts and a seaside spa, as well as the revamped RAYA restaurant serving Pan-Latin coastal cuisine amidst sweeping views of the coastline. I recently stayed at the resort and was lucky to eat at the renovated Raya restaurant. The views were amazing, here are views from the table.
View from table
View from table 2
My friend Nicole and I samples a few items from the menu.
Mojito and dirty martini
I had an extra dirty martini and Nicole sampled the mojito. Both were very good.
mushroom huarache
The chef brought us out a few appetizers, the first was this yummy mushroom huarache. It had caramelized onions, roasted wild mushrooms, goat cheese, truffle oil and a black bean puree on top of a crispy masa flatbread. It was also very large and delicious.
sweet corn soup
The sweet corn soup was one of the best soups I have ever had. The corn flavor was so strong it tasted just like fresh picked corn. It was topped off with truffled masa dumplings and huitlacoche puree. We both could eat a huge vat of this soup.
lobster tacos
Next we had the lobster tacos with main lobster, black bean puree, chile de arbol salsa and avocado. Also very tasty.
short rib
We both ordered the special of the night, short ribs with broccolini in a chile sauce. Very good and spicy.
sampler of dessert
For dessert the chef sent out a sampler which included a very strong and very good lime sorbet with raspberries, a chocolate tart with Mexican chocolate an almond crust and a caramelized passion fruit sauce, and our favorite, the churros with cinnamon sugar and a citrus anglaise with chile ancho chocolate sauce.
Nicole and me
Most people are blown away by the killer views at Raya, but the food is equally impressive. Whether you want to kick back and catch up with a good friend like I did or invite someone special for a romantic dinner, Raya is the perfect place to enjoy great food and great panoramic vistas of the Pacific Ocean. Located at One Ritz Carlton Drive, Dana Point, reservations highly recommended, 949/240-2000.