Restaurant

Re. David Hansen's column "Digging into problem with our restaurants," Sept. 9: This article raised an issue many locals talk about: the lack of middle-priced sit-down food options. What this article lacks is a solution. Instead of suggesting that rents are too high, which is why entrepreneurial restaurants can't open middle-priced dining establishments, this article should suggest that the city needs to use its power of zoning and entitlements to make this desire a reality.

It appears that Mosun Sushi & Sake/Club M closed last week. The sushi restaurant and nightclub at 680 S. Coast Hwy. has locked its doors and placed "closed" signs and brown paper over the windows. Calls to management and the restaurant's general line have not been answered, and the website is no longer working. A commenter on Yelp reported that the last day of business was Aug. 7 and that employees showed up Aug. 8 to find the establishment boarded up. — Joanna Clay

When Scott McIntosh was 15 and washing dishes in Long Beach, he never imagined what the restaurant business would mean to him, or that more than 30 years later he would be opening his own restaurants. McIntosh's latest project, Mexican-themed Asada , opened last week at 480 S. Coast Hwy. "I've opened a lot of restaurants in my life, but this is probably my favorite one," he said. "I love my restaurant. " McIntosh was first brought into the restaurant business by the Nickoloffs, who hired him as a dishwasher at Nick's in Long Beach in the late '70s.

Katsuya by Starck, a Los Angeles sushi hot spot, is coming to Laguna Beach. After nearly five years of scoping the area, the SBE Restaurant Group finally found its fifth location at 858 S. Coast Hwy. Executive Chef Daniel Elmaleh is looking forward to the new restaurant, which the group plans to unveil in June. Elmaleh is the executive chef for all SBE restaurants, including Gladstone's, Abbey Food & Bar, Hyde, Industry, the Colony and Cleo. "We're so excited about this location," he said.

Roses are red, violets are blue, Valentine's Day is around the corner, have you planned that romantic evening for two? If it slipped your mind, not to worry, it isn't too late to make reservations for you and your date. Delectable dishes, cocktails, live music and more are just some of the lovely treats Laguna Beach has in store this year. K'Ya Bistro & Rooftop Lounge at Hotel La Casa del Camino, 1287 S. Coast Hwy., will feature a special four-course menu, including two entrees and a dessert trio for $99 per couple, festive cocktails and live entertainment by singer-songwriter Andrew Corradini in the lobby.

Laguna Beach Police arrested a man suspected of robbing fast-food joints after two failed stickups Wednesday evening, authorities said. David Brian Mattson, 48, is suspected in a string of 30 robberies of fast-food establishments in various cities, Lt. Jason Kravetz said in a news release. At 8 p.m. Wednesday, employees of Jack in the Box on South Coast Highway called 911 to report an armed robbery had just occurred, Kravetz said. The suspect had pulled through the drive through and pointed a handgun at the employees while demanding money from the cash register, he said.

Jan. 1 marks the fresh start of a new year: a time to shake old dirty habits, implement new and favorable ones, and move one step closer toward becoming your best self. But before it's time to break out that self-improvement checklist, treat yourself to one last evening of overindulgence and misbehaving on the town. On New Year's Eve, several restaurants and bars in Laguna Beach will offer fancy holiday cuisine, copious amounts of bubbly and festive cocktails, and live music to help you rock in the New Year.

Mayor Pro Tem Toni Iseman and City Councilman Kelly Boyd will chair a meeting at 2 p.m. today at Mozambique to discuss ways to resolve complaints from the restaurant's Woods Cove neighbors. The council voted 3 to 2 Tuesday to allow the extended hours requested by the restaurant owner and vehemently opposed by some of the neighbors to continue until December while discussions are underway. "We have to fix this," Mayor Pro Tem Iseman said. One solution proposed is resident-only parking.

DNA evidence has led to the arrest of a suspect in a more than year-old robbery of a restaurateur. Laguna Beach detectives arrested Armando Serrano Gutierrez, 37, of Santa Ana, Thursday in Riverside County on suspicion of involvement in the Feb. 26, 2009, robbery at the rear of the Mandarin King Restaurant, according to Laguna Beach Police Sgt. Louise Callus. On the evening of the robbery, the owner of Mandarin King had just locked up and was leaving the property when he was confronted by two masked men who demanded his money, Callus said.