Las Brisas is Timeless, Exquisite and An Inspiration

This beautiful image is by Jim Krogle.com and captures the beauty and intrigue of Las Brisas so well: a view that is unsurpassed. For more wonderful images from Jim Krogle, click on the link below: http://www.jimkrogle.com/gallery.htm

Picture Laguna Beach in the 1930’s…An artist’s village and beach town far removed from the cities of Los Angeles to the north and San Diego to the south. The Pacific Coast Highway was only a few years old having reached Laguna in 1926. Freeways were years in the future. The population of the town was barely 300; Orange County was home to fewer than 200,000. The Hotel Laguna had just been reopened after the original wooden structure built in 1889 was taken down. The Pageant of the Masters and Festival of the Arts had just been conceived in 1932.

In that setting, late in the depression era, on the cliffs above the Main Beach, a remarkable landmark building was built called the Victor Hugo Inn. Given its spectacular view, beautiful setting and the graceful service and fine cuisine offered, it is no wonder that the Victor Hugo Inn became world-renowned soon after opening in 1938. The restaurant’s guest book became a who’s who of Hollywood and royalty through the 1940’s and 50’s.

As the original proprietors, Mr. and Mrs. Marcel Langlois, neared retirement in the late 1970’s, they looked for a new generation of restaurateurs to take over the business. Larry Cano, founder of the El Torito family of restaurants, came forward and purchased the restaurant with plans to create an elegant dinner house inspired by the restaurants of the Mexican Riviera.

In late 1979 the building was remodeled to its present contemporary elegance, and at the turn of the decade it was ready to open its doors as Las Brisas– the namesake of the most famous resort in Acapulco. Since that time, Las Brisas has acquired its own worldwide reputation. Under the leadership of Executive General Manager Fouad Ziady since 1980, Las Brisas has stood out as one of Southern California’s most popular restaurants. With a newly remodeled interior (1999) and open-air patio (2003) Las Brisas is poised for the new millennium receiving yet another generation of guests from around the world.