Four Diamond Restaurants Awarded In Laguna Niguel

LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA — Orange County restaurants are celebrating earning the AAA Four Diamonds rating on Wednesday, though no Orange County restaurants were awarded Five Diamonds for 2018, the Automobile Club of Southern California announced on Wednesday.

Four Diamond winners include Anaheim's Napa Rose at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa; Laguna Niguel's Raya at The Ritz-Carlton; Fullerton's The Cellar; and Laguna Beach's Studio at Montage.

The Belvedere restaurant at The Peninsula Beverly Hills maintained its coveted AAA Five Diamond Rating, one of only two eateries in Southern California to earn the distinction, the Automobile Club of Southern California announced Wednesday.

The other restaurant earning the Five Diamond Rating was the Addison at Fairmont Grand Del Mar in San Diego County.

The Belvedere has been an AAA Five Diamond restaurant since 1995. The Addison has been on the list since 2008.

"AAA Five Diamond restaurants have evolved over the years to meet the changing expectations of restaurant enthusiasts who are increasingly sophisticated about cuisine," said Patty Marenco, manager of the Auto Club of Southern California's Approved Accommodations Program. "Guests want to learn about cooking techniques, fresh ingredients and trends. They are looking for a wide-ranging dining experience that includes being entertained. No longer does world-class mean formal attire and opulent surroundings. And that's where AAA's Diamond Ratings can help guide the discerning diner."

Ten restaurants in Los Angeles County and four in Orange County earned Four-Diamond ratings. According to the Auto Club, such restaurants are chosen for "distinctive fine-dining, creatively prepared, skillfully served, often by a wine steward, amid upscale ambience."

Three Beverly Hills restaurants earned the Four Diamond Rating:

-- Cut by Wolfgang Puck at the Beverly Wilshire;
-- The Blvd at the Beverly Wilshire; and
-- Spago Beverly Hills.

Also earning the distinction were Saddle Peak Lodge in Calabasas; Culina Modern Italian at the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles in Beverly Hills; Patina; Nobu Malibu; The Raymond Restaurant in Pasadena; Melisse and Santa Monica; and Valentino Santa Monica.

Photo, courtesy Montage Resort Hotel