Driftwood Kitchen

Reviews 4

RI

Richard Lintin

We had a terrible experience here. I tried to call them to resolve it - no good. I wrote to them to try to resolve it - they did not reply. So I am posting my letter to them as a review on all the sites I frequent. **** My wife and I had reservations for 6:45pm on Sunday, October 2nd. We were just having a casual day in Laguna and were done early and decided to head over to the restaurant assuming you would have bar or lounge we could relax in for a while with drinks before dinner. We arrived around 4:30pm and dropped our car in at the valet. We walked up to the hostess stand where we stood for a couple of minutes as your greeter ignored us and continued a conversation with her friend that was leaving. She confirmed our reservation and told us we could wait down in the bar which was was open seating. We walked down to the bar, and while it was busy there were a number of open tables so we sat down at one and waited for service to order some drinks. Instead I had rude and surly young man bark in my ear "You cant sit there, you have to leave". Now I tried to explain, calmly, to your waiter that the hostess had given us instructions to sit here, but he was not interested in listening to me at all. he just kept raising his voice louder and louder becoming more and more rude and embarrassing us greatly. Eventually I gave up trying to reason with him and decided to take my complaint back up to the hostess stand. Who didnt care one little bit. I told her that we had just been embarrassed and confronted by restaurant staff based on information she gave us. Her face was as blank and disinterested as could be. She just kept repeating over and over "the bar stools are open seating" - which was *not* the information she originally gave us. She was rude and uncaring. At this point my wife was so angry and embarrassed at the situation that I decided it was better just to leave. We found somewhere else to get drinks and dinner, horrified at the level of un-caring condescension of your staff. Ten out ten for rudeness. I decided to call Driftwood back and ask to speak to a manager. Of course the same hostess picked up and it didnt take her long to realize it was me calling back and asking for a manager. Let me list the excuses she gave for not connecting me to one: 1. There is no manager on duty. I told her I was not surprised - but then it changed to... 2. Shes alone at the hostess stand and cant see one. ( I told her to put me on hold and call one). 3. A manager needs a heads-up before they are contacted. (I told her to put me on hold, give said heads-up - seriously that was a thing? - then transfer me. 4. The managers are up in the office. (I told her to transfer me). 5. The managers would rather call me back. (Uh-huh...) 6. The managers just, kind of, like, walk around and I cant leave to find one. There were a few more as Im sure you can imagine, but those were the most interesting ways she tried to avoid any kind of help for me what-so-ever. Eventually I convinced her to put me on hold, call the office, find a manager, then transfer me. Which she eventually "agreed" to. On my end this is what I experienced - silence for 2 minutes 40 seconds. Then a ringing phone for over 5 minutes. Then an "oh are you still on the line" from her... She said all she could do would be to take my number, which she did, and that they would call me right back. Of course no one ever did. Why were your staff so rude?

FE

Felix Lee

We sat in the Private Room upstairs which reminded me of a cozy beach house. It was overlooking the ocean, and there were special lights installed right outside the deck just to illuminate the waves. The warm table service and compact room made the dining experience feel very intimate and comfortable. Ill admit, it didnt feel like I was inside a restaurant, more like being in an enclosed patio of someones beach home. The food was not quite on the same level as the service and ambiance, but overall still very good. There were some hits and some miss. For starters, I tried the kobocha squash soup and little gem caesar salad. The kabocha soup was beautifully presented and tasted very creamy, but unfortunately it arrived lukewarm and was too sweet. It had an unusual cinnamon flavor that reminded me of a dessert soup, so I didnt enjoy it as much as I thought I would. The caesar salad was crisp and refreshing. However, several bites into the salad, I realized it had a stronger pungent flavor (residual anchovy taste) than I prefer in a salad. Moving onto the main courses, I split the Double R Ranch Filet Mignon and Grilled Local Swordfish. You might ask, why filet mignon at an oceanfront restaurant? Well, it was hard to resist ordering a product from Double R Ranch, which supplies exceptional quality beef. The chef dressed my order of filet robustly with a mildly sweet BBQ type of sauce. The side of spinach was cooked perfectly in a broth that made it easy to consume, although I didnt care too much for the potato and oxtail cake that sat beneath it, since the combination was flat and not really crispy. I also didnt like the onions with purple skin because they were too sour for me to pair with the filet. Between the two main courses, I enjoyed the swordfish a little more. It was very rich, savory, juicy, tender, and I relished the distinct grilled flavors. This dish had an ideal balance between the char and tangy/citrus seasoning, it was the highlight dish of the night. Just like all the dishes I tried up to this point, the desserts were solid although nothing over the top, progressive, or innovative. I sampled the espresso coffee sabayon and Braeburn apple brioche. The apple brioche was more creative and tasted better, especially the "brioche" that was pillowy soft to chew and appetizing. The espresso sabayon was a straight forward chocolate mouse with coffee ice cream, but somehow the ice cream tasted very artificial like fudge-flavored espresso. I think that this dessert could use some nuts and or fruit to brighten up. The seaside dining experience and warm hospitality are two main reasons to come visit Driftwood Kitchen. I would recommend this venue for a special occasion or holiday party. Although the Californian style dishes that I ordered were somewhat more simplistic than unique or sophisticated, more importantly is that all the ingredients were seasonal and tasted fresh. I wouldnt mind returning someday, for brunch out on the deck.

PA

Patrick Whitfield

We have lived in Laguna for 15 years and have never been here. Our loss. But now its been found. I look forward to our next meal here which will be soon. We had the salmon and the swordfish. Exceptionally well done. Not dry, perfectly cooked. The only reason this is 4 stars and not 5 is that the brussel sprouts and cranberries were over salted however they were still excellent and in the top 90% of Brussel sprouts that I have had anywhere in Southern California. As a bonus, we sat right by the windows overlooking the Pacific Ocean and it was beautiful. We are such toads for not discovering this place earlier.

JE

Jeremy Stepan

From the moment we walked through the entry we were welcomed by a great hostess and a really cool outdoor patio. It would be great to reserve the fire pit for 8 friends. Great atmosphere and perfect sunset view! Now to the food, every bite of every dish was amazing. Tuna tartar in a sweet taco shell, the most flavorful gnocchi and the ribeye... I even tried the baby octopus. The Manhattan up was right on the money. You can go wrong if you are looking for a fun vibrant atmosphere with fantastic food and cocktails.