Sapphire Laguna, 1200 South Coast Highway, Laguna Beach, CA, (949) 715-9888. sapphirellc.com

Laguna Beach, California--Sapphire Laguna offers an elegantly casual Southern California setting with unique lighting, comfortable seating, and a great bar area that's often buzzing. The restaurant is intimate and often animated with diners sampling some of the wines or ordering delicious cocktails from the bar, a favorite for the after-work professional crowd.

The menu is moderately prices meaning you pay a bit more for the plates and entrees, but you can tell when you dine that the recipes are not ordinary, and the ingredients are top notch.

Shown above is a "Lunch Box" sampler which was available during a visit. It features five different tastes full of surprises.

In addition to lunch options that have included Kahlua Pulled Pork Quesadilla with Oaxaca Cheese, Roasted Poblano and a Trio of Salsas, there's a Daily Curry Steamed Rice offering (curry comes in so many types that it's good to see it changes depending on the chef), Thai Chicken Lettuce Wrap, Ground Lamb Souvlaki, Baked Indian Spiced Salmon,  Pan-Seared Barramundi, Kobe Beef Havarti Cheeseburger, a  Crazy Cobb Salad which is really a dream salad containing Lobster, Chicken, Scallops, Shrimp, Smoked Pork, Baby Vegetables and Creamy Tarragon Dressing, and many other items.

Desserts are exactly what you would expect from an award-winning chef! Don't skip them because they are worth every calorie!

Intermezzo is an afternoon 2:30 - 4:30 p.m. menu allowing guests to drop by and eat on their own schedule. It is ideal for those who work late and don't get up till 10 - 11 a.m. each day. It is a global cuisine menu with approx. 5 items, including the hearty Kobe burger.

Dinner is served at 5:30 nightly and offers several fish items, ribs, lamb, and chicken, plus special plates.