Dinner is happening at Madison Square and Garden Cafe

Glori Fickling

Laguna Beach foodies are well aware that this summer season brought a

happy diversity of dining out news. Not everyone is aware, however,

about the launching of dinner at Madison Square and Garden Cafe.

This popular alfresco creation devised by enterprising Jonathan

Madison has long been popular as a breakfast and lunch respite. When

the word continued that Madison had also acquired a beer and wine

license, the enticing garden setting became even more inviting as the

place for a refreshing evening outing.

Enter this charming vintage cottage, circa early 1900s and wander past blooming rose gardens. Walk inside through the front room and

enjoy an array of gifts, bath and boutique displays. Glance outside

and you will be instantly enchanted with the tantalizing aroma of

home-style cooking coupled with an alfresco setting of tables

scattered around a path illuminated with moonlight. Under a central

weeping willow adorned with glowing little Christmas lights, lush

greenery sprouts proudly beneath a glass-top table for six, the

surrounding scene bountiful with scattered arrangements of imported

and domestic artifacts available for purchase.

The thoughtfully conceived menu, created by Madison and his

associate Andre Hebert, is family friendly in price and style. Salads

are particularly noteworthy, more than half a dozen designed to order

as satisfying entrees as well as intriguing sides or beginnings.

Organic mixed greens in tangy grapefruit vinaigrette, for instance,

are crunchy with crisp apple slices, a hefty sprinkle of pine nuts

and gorgonzola. Top this $5.25 presentation with tender seared rare

pink ahi, and for $13.75 you have an entree worthy of raves. For a

dollar less, the same luscious ahi tuna appears fresh from the grill

atop focaccia with chunky avocado-tomato salsa, a side of mixed

greens and fresh fruit. At all of $12.95, the dish is crowned with a

chunky filet of perfectly grilled halibut. Or, at $11.95, order the filet amondine style on focaccia with lemon and fresh fruit.

The popular chicken breast for $11.95 is served on a cheese

focaccia bun sandwiched with sauteed wild mushrooms and roasted

peppers. Or enjoy the chicken Cajun style atop the excellent Caesar

salad for a mere $9.25. Ordinarily hesitant to include burgers on the

menu, Madison finally capitulated when Hebert suggested an upscale

version constructed of Black Angus chuck grilled to taste. The hefty

8-ounce burger at $9.50 is topped with lettuce, tomato, red onion

with a side of house fries or fruit; add $1.50 for cheddar and bacon.

The $9 veggie version bursts with grilled mushrooms, cheddar and the

same accompaniments as does the $5.95 grilled cheddar sandwich.

Shrimp or chicken vegetable spring rolls with cucumber and sweet

spicy sauce are $6.75. Rich chocolate cake and velvety cheesecake are

$5.50 per serving. Corona, Heineken, Samuel Adams and Amstel Light

comprise the $4 selection of beers. Much attention, too, has been

given the concise wine list. Five chardonnays and fume blancs, a

sauvignon blanc and Riesling are priced from $6 to $9 a stem, $24 to

$36 a bottle. Of 10 red wines in the $25 to $36 range, seven are

available by the glass at $6 to $9. Splits of sparkling wine are $6

to $12, 1/2 bottle of Veuve Clicuot, $30. Simply place your order at

the entry, relax at a garden table and dinner will be served post

haste. And do bring your favorite pet to share your enjoyment.

NEWS BITES

Congratulation to the Beach House on the fabulous new alfresco

dining area it has constructed overlooking the wide stretch of sea at

Dana Point Harbor. The beautifully appointed setting brings one more

picturesque dimension to the sprawling restaurant’s many

splendiferous seating areas, each with a view of the Pacific. Try for

the corner seat at the kitchen display bar in the lounge where the

heady aromas of garlic, herbs and spices waft the air as you feast

your eyes on steaming skillets bountiful with fresh seafood, steaks,

pasta and an inviting assortment of grilled specialties. Prices are

equally amazing with most dishes in the $7 to $12 range, the martini

menu is a mere $7.95, and wines by the glass start at $5. Phone:

(949) 496-7310

Managers Robyn Nakamura and Michael Fitzsimmons have announced

plans for a forthcoming Sunday brunch menu at Pomodoro, the quaint

little Italian ristorante, which debuted on bustling Forest Avenue

late last year. Recent additions to the low-cost menu are salmone

pomodori, grilled salmon filet embellished with sundried tomatoes,

capers and white wine and Marsala, sauteed chicken breast with

portabella mushrooms anointed with Marsala wine. At $12.50 and $11.95 respectively, each comes with a side dish of choice. Interestingly,

multiple servings of all dishes are available at appropriately

escalating prices, up to $100-plus to tantalize as many as a dozen

diners. Phone: (949) 497-8222.