Dexter’s Unique Cuisine is true to its name

Glori Fickling

Scott Savoy launched Dexter’s Unique Cuisine almost 10 years ago

and has been garnering a plethora of published accolades ever since.

Walls inside the restroom are testimonial to some of these reviews

and photos.

The words of one hometown customer on his initial foray here said

it well, “This is a true Laguna Beach dining experience -- watching

the chef cooking while sharing stories of our town with locals and

visitors.”

The tiny boutique restaurant, nestled in an offbeat Coast Highway

location south of town, opens past a trio of inviting sidewalk

tables. These lead into the spare interior dominated by a small

kitchen topped with a gleaming free-form aluminum hood finished in

gold leaf. Here is where Savoy regularly puts on his fascinating

one-man show. Settle yourself at the bar facing this efficient

cooking area and be entertained as you watch this creative chef

shuffling pans steaming with assorted sauces and vegetables on a

six-burner stove while simultaneously searing salmon, shrimp, pork,

lamb, steak atop an adjoining grill.

Though not extensive, Dexter’s menu does cover most of the bases

featuring appetizers and entrees, which reflect Savoy’s early-day

association with many a French chef as well as his formal training at

a Long Island technical school. Listen to the daily quotes! The soup

du jour recently was velvety creamed spinach festooned with feta

cheese; the appetizer was grilled prawns wrapped with smoked salmon

atop balsamic vinaigrette-doused greens. Favorite entree extras

offered on weekends, may be charbroiled Hawaiian denizens such as opa

and escolar piquant with tangy mango lime sauce. Standard appetizers

are anything but standard. Consider the international taco trio:

Greek souvlaki lamb taco, Oriental mu shu duck, and cajon fish taco.

The smoked seafood plate consists of salmon, trout and mussels with

mascarpone creme fraiche and lotus root chips. Angel hair pasta gets

a boost with smoked salmon and artichoke hearts in garlic cream with

fresh basil, tomato concasse and asiago cheese.

Among imaginative main course selections comes the creative mixed

grill teaming prawns, lamb loin and chicken breast with

accompaniments of delicious corn-sprinkled polenta, red bell pepper

coulis and fresh whole beans; tender grilled pork tenderloin gets a

tangy boost from pear apple chutney and a demi-glaze of apple brandy.

A charbroiled certified Angus N.Y. steak comes with wild mushroom

brandy demi-glaze and garlic mashed potatoes; pan-seared pepper

crusted salmon tops a bed of garlic mashed potatoes with champagne

sauce. Save for a colorfully impressive metallic collage near the

entry, walls are purposefully bare. As for the namesake Dexter, he

reposes in all his canine splendor wearing a white chef’s hat in

photos, one adjacent to the kitchen another at a corner of the bar.

Savoy is already booking parties for the holiday season and says

his personalized receptions are available for anywhere from two to

2,000 guests in private homes and offices, up to 60 people in the

restaurant.

* GLORI FICKLING is a long-time Laguna Beach resident who has

specialized in writing restaurant news and views since 1966. She may

be reached at 494-4710 or e-mail ghoneywest@aol.com