Columnist Muriel Stevens: View is ideal at Montage

Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2003 | 8:27 a.m.

When the Montage Resort & Spa opens Feb. 21, it will be the first new oceanfront hotel to be built in Laguna Beach, Calif., in more than 50 years.

This luxurious resort blends into the terrain in a most beguiling way. The simple-yet-dramatic Craftsman-style architecture includes such classic elements as a variety of rich woods, natural stone, copper gutters and shingle-style roofing.

During a recent Laguna Beach vacation I was able to preview this glorious new property. It was a most interesting experience.

Situated just a few miles from the heart of Laguna Beach, Montage offers an expansive view of the ocean from almost every point. It is the kind of view that stops conversation -- it is breathtaking.

The approach to the hotel takes full advantage of the superb site. My hosts had arranged a tour that was totally unexpected since I knew that the resort would not open until late February.

What I had anticipated was a briefing about the amenities and a tour of an almost-completed hotel and spa. Instead, I spent hours at the hotel and spa with Montage founder, President and Chief Executive Officer Alan J. Fuerstman and a group of key executives who brought the resort alive, first giving me an insider's vision of what Montage will offer its guests and then taking me through the property.

Waiting for me at the Montage Porte Cochere was Feurstman, Montage General Manager James D. Bermingham, Food and Beverage Director Todd Orlich and Wine Director Chris Coon (formerly with Mary Elaine's at the Phoenician in Phoenix and Aureole at Mandalay Bay).

Inside the almost-finished-but-empty lobby two servers proffered trays of smoked salmon and caviar hors d'oeuvres and rounds of cucumber topped with tuna pate. Tempted by some of my favorite foods and the spectacular ocean view, visible from the picture windows that surround all of the public areas, all was bliss.

To give me the full treatment without a working hotel, my hosts had set up a number of vignettes. The china, crystal, silver, linen and appointments for the restaurants, catering department and room service were on view on a counter top in The Loft restaurant.

After a complete tour of the full-service spa with Director Barbara Schultz as the guide, we returned to The Loft where one table for four had been set up in the empty dining room.

It was now approaching the lunch hour and the chefs (only Boyce was unable to be there) had once again worked their magic, preparing a light lunch with wine and a scrumptious dessert in a kitchen that was not yet operable.

Each place was set with one of the china and accessories place settings the resort will be using. The care that had gone into making my visit memorable was surely an indication of the caring service that guests will enjoy.

The restaurants at Montage will be available to the public as well as to hotel guests.

"Montage has recruited outstanding chefs to oversee our restaurants and catering department," Orlich said.

According to Orlich, Executive Chef Jonathan Pflueger will oversee the culinary operations. Special emphasis will be placed on weddings, social and corporate dining, and in-room dining. A former restaurant owner, Pflueger's credits include New York's historic Russian Tea Room (alas, no more) and the acclaimed Star of the Sea Room in San Diego.

Gregory Short, formerly of Napa Valley's esteemed French Laundry, will serve as chef de cuisine for The Loft, a casual eatery, "With a gourmet bent."

He is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., and worked for more than five years at the French Laundry, a peerless culinary education of its own.

James Boyce is the executive chef for Montage Resort's signature dining room, Studio. Boyce began his culinary career at one of New York's finest restaurants, Le Cirque, and completed his studies at the CIA. Boyce was most recently the general manager/chef de cuisine at Mary Elaine's at the Phoenician.

John Cuevas is the chef de cuisine of Studio. Prior to Cuevas' stint as chef de cuisine at Motif restaurant at St. Regis Monarch Beach in Dana Point, Calif., he worked as a sous chef with Boyce at Mary Elaine's. He is a graduate of the Scottsdale Culinary Institute in Scottsdale, Ariz.

The 262-room Montage Resort offers comfortable, posh surroundings designed to serve "the affluent traveler." The rooms are lovely; the bathrooms a joy. Residential options are also in the works.

Alan Feurstman founded Montage Hotels & Resorts in January 2002. The company's flagship property is the Montage Resort. Among his many credits in the hospitality industry, he was Bellagio's opening vice president of hotel operations, joining the pre-opening management in April 1998.

Feurstman left Bellagio in September 2000 to form his own hospitality group. He has assembled a cadre of hospitality professionals who are dedicated and talented. Key to Montage is General Manager James D. Bermingham, a charming, young Irishman who began his career at the Clarence hotel in Dublin, his hometown.

From Dublin to London, the beginning of a long association with ITT Sheraton and the Luxury Collection, Bermingham's star continued to rise.

In 1998 he joined Mirage Resorts as opening vice president of Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Miss. The following year he moved on to the Latham in Washington, D.C. Charming and erudite, he regaled me with stories about the Montage.

For additional information, room rates and reservations, call (888) 715-6700 or visit montagelagunabeach.com.

And finally, my sincere appreciation to Tom Cook who has been the food and beverage consultant for the resort for the past six months and arranged for my visit. He returns to Las Vegas in a few days to assume a new position in food and beverage at Steve Wynn's Le Reve resort now under construction.

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