Montage Laguna Beach’s flagship French restaurant, long considered one of the best fine dining experiences in Orange County, is making a comeback under the name Studio Mediterranean.
Previously known as Studio, the Craftsman-style restaurant – with panoramic views of the ocean – closed its doors in 2020 when restaurants were forced to shut down dining rooms during the COVID-19 pandemic. The award-winning restaurant remained closed until it reopened this summer with an entirely new menu and updated dining room.
“We want to remain relevant, no matter what the age of the building is,” Managing Director Victorio Gonzalez told the Business Journal. “If we are to remain that kind of iconic, legendary hotel, you need to reinvent yourself and maintain relevance in the marketplace, and that’s what we’re doing right now.”
Gonzalez said that when Tilman Fertitta acquired the Montage property in late 2022, the new ownership embarked on a rejuvenation of the 262-room hotel. The Montage team started to collaborate with Fertitta, known for Morton’s The Steakhouse and Mastro’s under his Landry portfolio, to reposition the restaurant with a “health conscious” spin.
“The expectation was for us to rekindle and bring life back into this absolutely gorgeous location,” Gonzalez said.
Family Inspired Recipes
Leading the culinary transformation of the restaurant is Executive Chef Dennis Efthymiou, who designed a new menu of Mediterranean cuisine influenced by his home country of Greece. Efthymiou studied in Athens and has worked in several Michelin-starred kitchens across the world such as Central in Lima, Peru, The Fat Duck in Bray, England, and most recently Luce in San Francisco.
“Studio Mediterranean is a personal expression of my Greek heritage, enhanced by California’s seasonal bounty,” Efthymiou says.
Only open a few weeks, some of the most talked about dishes include the creamy edamame bean hummus served with light and airy pita bread, the tableside-prepared Greek salad, the Dover sole filet made with shaved artichoke and black olive oil and the family-recipe inspired lemon roasted potatoes. Main entrees range in price from $46 for a half-roasted chicken to $165 for a whole branzino baked in coffee-salt crust, served for two.
Montage hired nearly an all-new restaurant team led by General Manager Cecil Kepner, who was previously at Michelin-starred Knife Pleat at South Coast Plaza.
The hotel also renovated the 9,641-square-foot restaurant building, located on the outskirts of the property atop a bluff with stunning sunset views. This included redesigning the kitchen and upgrading the interior finishes, furniture and outdoor patio.
Studio Mediterranean is currently open to hotel guests only and will be available to the public in October.
The Montage is also set to debut a French patisserie and coffee shop called Bouchée in the fall.
“Feels Like Coming Home”
Managing Director Gonzalez is no stranger to Montage. He told the Business Journal back in June that returning to lead Montage International’s flagship property was “a full-circle moment.”
He started with founder and Chief Executive Alan Fuerstman as the Laguna Beach hotel’s director of restaurants when it first opened in 2003. Gonzalez knew Fuerstman from his time at the Bellagio in Las Vegas and The Phoenician in Scottsdale.
Gonzalez ended up as a member of the pre-opening team when the Studio first debuted.
He later moved into the role of director of food and beverage until he left for the Montage Beverly Hills in 2010. This sparked a back and forth between multiple Montage International properties, including the Pendry in San Diego.
Gonzalez was most recently the general manager at Montage Big Sky in Montana for three years.
“Returning to Montage Laguna Beach feels like coming home,” he said.
