Las Brisas in Laguna Beach

​Going Down Memory Lane
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I try not to clutter my dining blog with touristy places that you can read about on Yelp.

But for nostalgia's sake, I need to throw out a few words about Las Brisas!

1990s

I don't have a photo from the early 1980's when Don and I lived up the road and often walked to the restaurant, for Happy Hours on the patio. At that time it had just been open a couple of years, as Las Brisas. 

I have just one photo taken in 1994, when Don and I spent a few nights in Laguna Beach with our kids. This nicely cropped photo doesn't give many hints of the old decor, but we look happy! 

10 Years Later
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​This is a photo I took in May 2014.

Don and I were staying in a nearby hotel and were able to visit a couple times.

Long Ago

​Back in 1938, when Laguna Beach was a more isolated beach town, the building with its grand ocean view, was the Victor Hugo Inn. That was long before Don and I used to come.  

This photo is also long before O.J. Simpson used to frequent the place. It's a little creepy that we hung out at Las Brisas, about the same time period that he did. 

Walk to Happy Hour
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From our hotel in 2014, it was just a short walk to Happy Hour at Las Brisas. 30 years before we had a much longer walk, from our apartment. But we were younger then!

It was early evening when Don and arrived on the first day in May. The blue umbrellas were shading us from the hot sun. I was glad to see the blue and white theme was still happening.

The patio was as packed as we remembered. Back in the '80's, you had to be sly and quick, to grab a table. I also remember only eating Mexican food.  The menu had expanded and we enjoyed some excellent sushi.

Another Visit
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We spent a whole week  in Laguna Beach on that trip. So we headed over again, on the evening of Cinco de Mayo. 

At least one of us had to have a margarita, to celebrate the occasion.

​Getting Chilly
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​I knew I was back in California, when I noticed the changing temps. My brow felt damp from the hot sun... then the sun began to lower and I felt a shiver of cool!

In a matter of minutes, the staff was running around, turning up the flames of the standing heaters and lighting the fire pit.

​Mariachis on Cinco de Mayo!
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I don't recall seeing mariachis at Las Brisas in the 1980s.

But suddenly we were surrounded! Perfecto!

We requested our favorite song "Malaguena" which requires at least one very decent singer, who can hold notes for a long time! These guys got a good tip!

​One More Visit
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The next morning, I paid one more visit to Las Brisas, during an early morning run.  

I snapped a cell phone pic and sighed at the old favorite, with the wonderful view of the Pacific. 

​Empty
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It was odd to see the place empty, especially the tiled table that circled the fire pit.

So many had gathered around that pit on the other evenings. 

Bette Davis... a Few Days Later
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​After leaving Laguna Beach and heading back to Texas, we stopped at a hotel in Tucson. As always, I checked to see if the hotel TV got the Turner Classic Movie station.  

It did, and what should be playing? The 1942 film, "Now Voyager" starring Bette Davis. In this scene the movie's star is seated on the patio, of the old Victor Hugo Inn... in just about the same spot as the fire pit!  Small world!  I love it!

UPDATE in 2022!

In October 2022, Don and I returned to Laguna Beach and visited Las Brisas, again. We brought our old cookbook, put out by Ford Motor Company in 1954.

The cookbook featured a recipe for Creme Vichyssoise, which was evidently served back in the Victor Hugo Inn days! 

The Patio
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​Don and I hoped to once again have drinks on the lovely patio overlooking Laguna Bay.

I was eager to attempt an order of the Vichyssoise, then show off the book! But the patio was only serving dining guests with reservations. Rats.
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​Hints of the 1980's

We headed inside. I recognized the blue and white awnings. The round rooms and arches brought back memories of the 1980's.

We searched for the old bar/lounge that we remembered. I was excited to study the old photos that I recalled seeing on the walls. I could compare images of the old Victor Hugo Inn, to the illustration in the book. But where was that bar?

Where's the Blue?

And where was all the blue decor that I remembered? I felt totally lost. They had renovated and the bar had moved to a different spot.

The place was lovely, but it felt foreign. And where were those vintage photos? Our waiter didn't know.

Cheers!

It wasn't busy at 5:30, so the timing was good. We could pull out the old cookbook for a bit of amusement, with staff. But our waiter seemed a little too young. I was hesitant.

He did kindly take our photo though.

Who Might Care? 

Sometimes our "Cookbook Encounters" fail. Not everyone is curious about a restaurant's history. 

But I was determined to open up our book to someone before we left. The musician? No. We didn't bother him, but Don have him nice tip.

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​"Samosa"
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​We ended up showing the book to a man named Anasazzio, who was tending bar. He told us he'd been working at Las Brisas since 1984. Cheers to that! He had a history with Las Brisas, which meant he was delighted to see the book. He also told us that we could call him "Samosa", What a great guy!

Samosa's job involves ingredients like tequila and gin, not potatoes and sour cream. But he was still interested in the funny old book and recipe. We laughed that he'd probably made us a margarita or 2, in the past. Samosa got on his phone and pulled up an old photo of himself working the bar, years ago. It was fun to see the interior, just as we remembered.

​Cookbook Pose

Samosa ended up giving us a perfect Cookbook Adventure! Our little vintage book once again opened up a fun converstaion with someone we might never have spoken with.

Samosa was happy to pose with us and the book. At first he took the photo shoot very seriously, until a nearby server laughed and told him to smile!  I think he had as much fun with our silly encounter as we did!

​After
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Like all our past visits to Las Brisas, we completed the visit with a walk along the garden pathway, with spectacular views.

Even on a cloudy evening, the bays looked lovely.

We spotted the sunset briefly.

After the sun was down, we headed back towards Main Beach. We passed Las Brisas once again.

The beach was quiet, but not empty. The old lifeguard tower made me grin.

I'm glad we were able to fit in another visit... with the cookbook this time!